After the short beer/wine intermission between the David Dixon and Barbie collections, the show had to go on! Barbie by David Dixon show that is. As I already unboxed my Sassy Barbie-friend, all three of us (Barbie, Al and I) were watching intently as the inspiration for the Spring collection played before our eyes. Apparently, one of Dixon’s fave movies – “Funny Face” with Audrey Hepburn, inspired his designs this year. An avid Hepburn fan, I almost squealed with delight when the movie clips were shown (unfortunately sans Audrey). And while the prelude to the show had me eager to see the clothes, the collection itself left me a bit disappointed.

“Think Pink” indeed. I guess what else do you expect from a Barbie collection, right? Lots of pink, polka dots, and Barbie-appropriate office clothing. It was all way too girlie for my taste, though it was right up Al’s alley. She wasn’t a fan of Dixon’s signature collection, but loved the Barbie-inspired one. We even got to see a couple of Kens strutting their stuff!

But for me, the most exciting part of the show by far was…the models’ walks. Not to be mean, but most of the girls weren’t able to walk straight. As you can see, the models wore black socks with their black peep toe pumps. And it looked like the shoes they wore were either extremely uncomfortable or too big. As far as esthetics go, I am not at all a fan of that look, but seeing the models teeter-tottering and straining to keep their shoes from falling off, made us fear that another Prada-like sock-gate would happen as I watched the front row attendees (including Rick Mercer and Fashion Television’s Jeanne Beker) looking intently at models’ feet, instead of the collection.

All in all, David Dixon’s signature line was my fave, while Al preferred the Barbie collection. After the show, we even got to pose in our own Barbie-like boxes! And though I didn’t love that LG Fashion Week moved away from its usual Nathan Phillips Square location, I still felt that this year’s events were bigger and better than last! Here’s hoping that Canadian fashion industry will continue to grow and improve. Obviously, it’s not New York Fashion Week, and LG tent is not comparable to the Bryant Park ones, but Toronto is where the heart is for me, and that makes Toronto Fashion Week just as special!

Special Thanks to GCI Group for this year’s invitations!