From Catwalk to Sidewalk

Abdi Olow

Sensation Mode’s Fashion and Design Festival set the bar high as  one of North America’s biggest fashion events.Transpired at Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto from August 23 to 25, 2007, top Canadian models strutted the runway built right on the Yonge and Dundas strip. Twenty five fashion shows showcasedsome of fashion’s leading design labels from both Canada and abroad. Paying homage to fashionistas and the world of fashion, the event gave the public full access to the often hidden world of fashion shows. The festival, which was geared towards bridging the gap between consumers and fashion houses, gave Torontonians and tourists a rare view of what it means to have exclusive front row seats of world- class fashion shows.

From designers to models to the audience, the festival was well received by the hordes of onlookers who flocked to Yonge and Dundas to watch the festival in action. Models Rebecca Fenn and Teisha Evenson - both crowd favorites - revealed to GLOSS how great it felt to be part of the shows and festivities. Fenn, a Toronto resident, said what a great opportunity the event was for the models involved since it was one of the few shows open to the public. When asked how it felt being one of the few models selected to be part of this huge event Fenn responded “(It) felt really great. After the audition process and lining up with about 200 other beautiful models hoping to be chosen for a spot in the show, it is really rewarding to know you were one of the 50 individuals that caught the eye of the judges and organizers.” “Models can attend many castings throughout a week but each one is always different,” she said. “Much of a model’s work feels like luck because you never know if your look is what the booker is looking for.”

According to Evenson, the Fashion and Design Festival was “fun, classy, sophisticated, and modern.”  The festival’s promise to bring fashion to the people who wear it won the hearts of both from the designers the general public. From free goodies provided by the event sponsors to a beauty bar set up exclusively for the event, there was something for everyone at the festival. As the event proved, cutting edge fashion shows and parties no longer have to be exclusive to magazine editors and buyers of fashion houses or hidden from the public, they can be for everyone to enjoy.