My Toronto Fashion Week 'tell all' tale.
Once upon a time there was a little fashion lover who wanted to see what was going on in the Toronto fashion scene. She grabbed her media pass, her gift bag filled with products and her stilettos then headed to the Allstream Centre for a wild and entertaining ride.
There she saw fashion designs from the likes of Attitude by Sears, Andy Thé-Anh, Pink Tartan, Joe Fresh Style, David Dixon and Bustle.
Attitude by Sears
A rather 'expected' collection. They stayed true to their customer and produced many work-appropriate and wearable pieces. My favourites included lace under-pinnings, A-line skirts and daring 'open-concept' soft, flowing numbers. At the end of the show, Olympian Joannie Rochette walked the runway looking sweet as can be in an A-line skirt paired with a blouse, while receiving a warm applause from the audience. Oh! And the lace leggings we got in our gift bags were a plus. Still undecided on whether or not I have the courage to wear them myself.
Andy Thé-Anh
My favourite show of the event! Andy showed a femme fatale collection of sorts, though it was more of a spanish take on this. Dark eyes, slicked back hair and flowing fabrics framed the collection. The tailoring was magnificent and the ruffles which were prevalent had structure and lay close to the body; avoiding the 'frumpy' look we hate when an abundance of ruffles stand away from the bod. L-O-V-E-D the one strap silk green/army dress. Yes please.
Pink Tartan
I am sad to admit, but I was a tad underwhelmed with this collection. Though it did have the traditional Pink Tartan-style touches, it failed to really evolve in my opinion. The collection was Amelia Earhart inspired - yay aviation. The caps were weird and cute - but really not wearable. The hair was worn in a side braids à la Alexander Wang Spring 2010 (side note: can't wait to wear my hair like this!). A lot of mixed textures like sequins, wool and fur were shown. Not sure about it, you be the judge.
Joe Fresh Style
This show was off the hook - there were SO many people there it was crazy! A full-house mean't that there was hype and anticipation surrounding this show. Crystal Renn and Kirsten Owen lead the show. Joseph Mimran made sure his customers had chic, playful an oh-so-very affordable pieces to incorporate into their wardrobes. Soft and fluffy textures with faux fur everywhere (PETA would be proud). The show gave me a 'Russian school girl' feel. Love the pouffy hair too! I'm going to go grab some of these pieces come end of August (when fall collections typically hit the stores).
David Dixon
Barbie by David Dixon was the first to show. Mailbu Barbie anyone? Very 1960's so-cal. Side ponytails matched with pink and black houndstooth prints. Tons of wearable pieces including a very cute camel coloured three quarter length pea coat. Trend alert: look for camel, caramel coloured pieces this fall. Blazers, shift dresses, LBDs. You get the picture. Beach boys music played in the background and all I could think was "man, I want to go surfing!" Many pieces to mix into the work wardrobe.
Next to show was the David Dixon collection. The mood shifted for this one with a tribal themed show. Predator-like hair was swept back with predominantly black pieces seen down the runway. Texture was the name of the game with tulle, silk, lace and fur. Textured pieces like fur and feathers were kept up around the shoulders while ruffles flowed down the front of skirts. One mosaic mirrored dress was a cool piece, not that I would wear it. Large necklaces hung around the models' necks and strappy shoulder detailing was used on dresses. A visually stimulating collection.
Bustle
FINALLY, a menswear line! I had the good fortune of sitting front row for this one. This show was geek-chic in a good way. Yes, it is true that this look has been overdone, but the pieces in the collection were classics that guys are able to easily infuse into their wardrobes. Think straight leg pants and jeans - the plain grey pair of straight leg jeans were my personal fave. Blazers had military details on shoulders and buttons. V-neck cuts on sweaters and t-shirts - a look I feel the boys of Toronto typically wear and can appreciate. Checkered shirts were fun, as were the pin-striped suits worn as separates. The show, complete with turtlenecks under blazers paired with shiny pants, really reminded me of a millionaire's club... for the young and hip.
Overall, fashion week was a blast. I saw many people I hadn't run into in a while and threw a few elbows in order to get a good view for some shows. Apparently David Dixon's show was posted on Facebook as an open invite - this did NOT help the already over-capacity attendance situation. The one piece of gossip I do have is that at the end of the night on Wednesday, many of the models approached high profile attendees (Jeanne Bekker of FashionTelevision, Lisa Tant of Flare Magazine...) to sign a petition asking the FDCC (Fashion Design Council of Canada - headed by Robin Kay) to FEED them during the shows. Can you imagine? We as a society have such an issue with the size of our models and then the events they are hired to work at do not even feed the poor darlings. Le sigh.
Anyway, if you ever have the chance to attend a show or two, I suggest you do. It's quite the experience going and seeing the fashionistas at work!
More fun coverage found at:
http://www.flare.com/fashionweek, fashionmagazine.com/attheshows
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