L-A: Despite the weather being all kinds of the lousy this weekend, I got a jolt of brightness on Saturday night when I attended Mo Handahu’s Summer 2012 collection for Clutch Culture. Mo’s handbags are something that’s been on my radar since I first saw them at the AFW Emerging Designers show in 2011. And everything I said then I stand by now, only more so. Girlfriend isn’t afraid of colour at all and her bags are super cute and roomy. But there’s more to her bags than being cute – Mo has a serious vision for her bags.

But let’s back this up and start at the beginning. The event was held at FRED, which I’m pretty sure I’ve told you I love before (and go on the regular to get my hair did and for eats), as it was also the launch of FredStyle.ca. FRED was a great venue for a fashion event. It had the absolute right feel for the event.

I need more events to be held here.

Fred was right: it had to be the most stylish room in the city on Saturday night.

I hate to use words like “chic”, but I feel it suits this place as a venue. And being all black and white, it didn’t compete with the colours Mo sent down the runway.

Look 1: 1990s

Inspired by the late 1990s and coming down the runway to Lauryn Hill’s “That Thing“,  these bags were all fun, bold, bright prints. 1998 wasn’t such a good time for me stylistically (at the very least I had ditched overalls at that point), but I’m glad to see someone took some style away form the late 90s.

I love a good cross-body bag. When you can go hand free, instantly makes it practical. For running to a bus or dancing.

This would totally take any outfit to the next awesome level.

Loving the mint colour on this one.

Look 2: I wasn’t paying attention and missed what it’s theme was, other than straight up gorgeous.

Send one set of prints down the runway? Nope! Not Mo. She had a second collection that had a very West African feel to it  (to me anyway, what with Ghana being my only African experience) with the batik-esque prints and the kente style cloth in the costumes.

Both Ben and I gave props to Mo for trying out men’s bags. Women’s bags are a much easier territory to wade into. You can just say, “the ladies love the handbag!”. But dudes? They are often on the fence about carrying a bag (may or may not have something to do with  Bradley Cooper as a dbag in the Hangover making jokes about man purses). I like that she went for a cross-body satchel style for her men’s bags.

Men’s accessories are a great move, so golf claps to Mo on that.

Final thoughts: Well done Mo, well done. The show looked great, the bags looked great.

She clearly had a vision and a theme for both the bags and the show – and it shone throughout. I hope Halifax knows we’ve got some serious talent on our hands with Mo’s Clutch Culture.