EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS SHOW A GIRLIE EXTRAVAGANCE AT VFW S/S 2025

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS SHOW A GIRLIE EXTRAVAGANZA

AT VFW S/S 2025

Opening night at Vancouver Fashion Week saw Emma Ireland Designs wow the audience with her extravagant display of girlie splendour. The first evening, entitled Alex In Wonderland, was dedicated to Alex S YU's 10th anniversary. The presenters were a diverse array of local and international designers associated with and mentored by Alex S Yu.

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

EMMA IRELAND- BIOGRAPHY

Emma Ireland Designs
Educated at the renowned Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, Emma Ireland Shepherd honed her technical skills in fashion design from a young age. While dedicating much of her time to industry jobs as a full-time instructor and Fashion Programs Manager at Blanche Macdonald Centre, Emma still has space for her creative endeavours. Incorporated in 2019, Emma Ireland Designs is a clothing brand that embodies all of Emma's values, primarily emphasizing the woman's perspective. The clothing is used as an outlet for self-expression that is as crafty and creative as it is technically sound.

The Emma Ireland Designs aesthetic is best described as hyper-femininity presented with unapologetic confidence. Collections embrace the sense of empowerment inherently present in designs surrounding the female experience. Taking a girly inspiration and using it to ignite a sense of liberation, Emma Ireland Designs is for the rage-filled feminist who expresses herself with ladylike grace. The brand seeks to capture a woman's light in otherwise dull surroundings to encourage women to stand out among men!  Biography courtesy of Vancouver Fashion Week. 

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS SHOW A GIRLIE EXTRAVAGANZA

A REVIEW

There is a song from the Rogers and Hammerstein musical Flower Drum Song called "I Enjoy Being a Girl." While the song from 1958 is dated, the lyric reads, " I'm strictly a female, female; I enjoy being a girl."  This lyric came to mind when I saw the girlie extravaganza that Emma Ireland Designs showed at VFW. The collection is the epitome of being a girlie girl. Entitled "Love Letter to Girlhood," the collection celebrates the essence of girlhood. While some might think it is a cliche idea of womanhood, for Ireland, it is about a girl (woman) holding her space in the world and owning her femininity. The empowered girl Emma Ireland designs for is confident, self-assured and shouts out loud I enjoy being a girl.

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

Emma Ireland is a designer who knows how to craft clothes. The meticulously made garments had a nostalgic vibe. While not a particular period, there was a penchant for the full skirts of the late 1950s and early 1960s. The silhouettes included trousers, a mini skirt, flouncy sleeves, and corseted waists. The colour palette was girlie to the core, with vibrant reds, various tones of pink, and a touch of peachy orange.

There was no shortage of details. There were 3D ruffled hearts and still more hearts, bows, beads, and glittering strawberries. Accessories included bags and gloves, all produced by the designer. Ireland's prints came to life, like an oversized plaid dress with a ruffled bodice and collar and red and white gingham trousers. A standout look is a baby pink tiered dress with a white textured speckled coat and tiny applied bows.

Loveliness is alive and well in this feminine collection. What greater compliment can a designer receive than "I want to wear that?" I heard it throughout the crowd after this show. Little girls are made of sugar, spice, and everything nice. Emma Ireland Designs adds some sexuality, a dash of playful intensity,  and her overt feminity to that recipe. The result is a vibrant collection suited to feminine women looking for a fashion fix.

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

EMMA IRELAND DESIGNS

MY THOUGHTS

The first night of Vancouver Fashion Week is always an exciting event. Regular attendees see friends and colleagues we may not have seen since last season. Moreover, it is a time to celebrate the work and creativity of the designers, hair, makeup, stylists, and all the other creatives and volunteers who put on Vancouver Fashion Week. Congratulations to all the people who make this event such a success.

CIAO NOW J. ANDREW JACKSON

 

 

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