The Joe Fresh show gets crazier every year. This season, poor volunteers formed a human chain around the pristine white runway, all the better to keep the rabid media members trying to snag a seat for the capacity-plus show from trampling it.

It wasn't just the usual suspects the time, either--luminaries like Derek Blasberg (Harpers Bazaar) and Sandra Ballentine (The New York Times), plus Moda Operandi emissaries and New York reps, were rumoured to be among the hoi-polloi to scope the freshest duds from Joe Mimran in advance of the empire heading to New York later this year.

Joe Fresh was a bit of an odd show this year. First of all, attendees were issued a stern warning to not walk on the runway whatsoever, and had a phalanx of Fashion Week volunteers guarding it from offending stilettos. The crowd was excited for some sort of spectacle (a hologram runway? a skating-rink runway?), and then...nothing happened.

We often scoff at Joe Fresh showing at Toronto Fashion Week, but someone pointed out to me that they actually enjoyed the Joe Fresh shows because they could look at the clothes and know that they could afford them and actually wear something from this particular runway.

I liked this realistic view, and it's an especially apt one this season, as Joe Fresh showed a remarkably cute and wearable fall collection.

Joe Fresh was the usual madhouse this season, with attendees jostling for a seat and snatching up their pink seating cards with all the gusto of Charlie finding the golden ticket.

The palette of this collection was very, very spring: it was all white, pale pink, tans, and pale yellow. Since it was Joe Fresh, the clothes were very casual and cute, with pinafore frocks, simple cotton blazers, short-shorts, gingham rompers, and slip-dresses.

Ah, Joe Fresh. During the show, Tim leaned over and said, "Should Joe fresh even be showing at Fashion Week?" My thoughts exactly.

As I said in my review of last season's collection, showing the new Joe Fresh duds at Fashion Week is a dangerous play. Sure, some peeps might applaud it as the showcasing of more affordable fashion: surely that's important in these cash-strapped time!

Watch the video of the Joe Fresh runway show here

But by showing these fast-fashion pieces after several high-fashion labels strut their stuff, it throws the clothes in a rather unflattering light in terms of cut, fabric, and innovation.

Or, view it larger on YouTube