My usual experiences with runway fashion shows are from big city fashion weeks such as LA, NYC and Toronto so I have to be honest - I wasn't expecting much. However, when I walked into Thursday night's Urban Exotic Fashiontainment, I was for the most part very pleasantly surprised. It was strikingly refreshing to be presented with quality wearable designs that have been created by talented and passionate artists. Held at the SPIN Gallery in the art and design district of West Queen West, this was a successful follow up to last year's widely talked about event.

With three very talented designers, the show kicked off with the label Fieerce walking down the runway to the sounds of Kanye West, who, although embarrassed to admit, I'm quite digging right now. Over all, I thought the Fieerce collection designed by Louise Doan was well done and nicely showcased. I quite enjoyed all the cute minis and silky dresses but I don't think that there was really anything special to the designs or the fabrics. I certainly could get the exact same thing down the street at any H&M or Zara.

My favourite was from designers Heather Schibli and Wendy Traas from their Passenger Pigeon line. I was instantly impressed with the solid earthy tones and classic basics with funky patterns that turned these ready-to-wear classics into fun and hip garments, appropriate for work or a night out on the town. As a bonus, all material is made from eco-friendly textiles, which are stylish and friendly to the environment. It doesn't get much better than that. Over all I thought it was a great line especially if you are looking to revitalize your fall wardrobe.

The third and final designer was Michelle Turpin. Her line Karamea was filled with flowing, silky dresses and tops. I felt like the patterns were a bit on the girly side to me, with too much light purple, silk, frills and flowers for my taste. Too each their own I suppose.

All in all I enjoyed myself and it seem like it was pretty successful event for the OneChild Charity, which is a great Canadian organization committed to fighting the global sex trade of children. But the one issue I had was the fact that the models and entertainment were pretty amateur. And yeah yeah yeah that was the point, but the last time I checked 5'3" does not a model make! I guess they were told to bring their own shoes too, because most of them were too clunky, pointy, or the wrong colour for the outfit. Unfortunately the lack of experience from the models and terrible shoe choice really distracted me from the hard work and talents of these talented up and coming Canadian designers.