All posts filed under: Canadian Designers

Danier Design Challenge – Top 10 Finalists

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The top 10 finalists for the Danier Design Challenge have been chosen. The second year of the DANIER DESIGN CHALLENGE is well under way at the Ryerson School of Fashion. Having begun with 75 third year design students, the esteemed panel of judges including Robert Ott, Chair of Ryerson’s School of Fashion, Olga Koel, DANIER’s chief merchandising officer, legendary style reporter Jeanne Beker, top fashion director George Antonopoulos, and fashion editor of the Globe and Mail, Tiyana Grulovic along with public votes have narrowed the field to 10 young hopefuls. Already through the elimination process based on preliminary sketches, video presentations and muslin prototypes, the remaining finalists will now be judged on their completed leather garment and marketing presentation. At stake are three top prizes including; $2,000 for the third place, $3,000 for second place and $5,000 along with the inclusion of the winning design in select DANIER retail locations for first place; the winners will be announced at an intimate awards ceremony at the Ryerson School of Fashion, January 2011. This year’s finalists are; …

Greta Constantine Fall Winter 2010 Campaign Starring Tara Gill

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During the summer I was invited to the Greta Constantine Fall Winter 2010 campaign photoshoot. It was all hush, hush and I couldn’t release any photos till after the official launch. The campaign stars the lovely Tara Gill and was shot by Gabor Jurina. I got photos and videos of the backstage goings on. I got a couple good shots of Tara myself. She’s a beautiful woman. See more behind the scenes shots in the slideshow. Greta Constantine is available in Canada at Holt Renfrew. Greta Constantine Atelier is available at Rac Boutique.

Playing in Philip Sparks Spring Summer 2011

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There is something about playing dressup in designer samples that is just so much fun. I was playing with Jeremy Laing a few days ago and now it’s Philip Sparks turn. Excitement was the only way to describe how I felt when I learned that Philip was creating a women’s line. I had to sit on this information for months. I was part of a group of women that Philip talked to while developing his line. We saw fabric samples, patterns and even tried on muslins. Amazingly no one said anything during those agonizing months until Brill Communications released the information to the industry’s surprise. I stopped by the studio on the weekend to chill out, eat cheeseball and drink holiday punch. As soon as I realized that some of the collection was available, I had to play dress-up. So much good stuff in this collection. Great colours, prints and silhouettes.   It’s going to be a Philip Sparks summer. Thanks for taking the photos Phil.

Playing in Jeremy Laing Spring Summer 2011

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I finally got to see Jeremy Laing’s new studio in Toronto and it is beautiful. Many people told me that his space was incredible and they were so right. It has a clawfoot tub! That’s like my dream. A lot of the looks were out on loan but there were lots of jackets and leather pieces to play with. I didn’t mind that a lot of things were on loan because I couldn’t fit into the dresses which was a bit of a boo urns moment. The dresses were so pretty. So I played in some coats.  They were voluminous but the ties allowed for customization.  The above photo I have the ties loose. This one found it’s way home with me.  Wise investment.  In this photo I’ve used the ties at my waist.  This coat is also shorter than the beige one. I’m dying over these leather shorts. They are perfect and they fit perfect.  I was stunned.  They also have ties.  I like them down on the shorts. I love the hand woven …

Seventy Seven by Kim Newport-Mimran

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Seventy Seven is the flagship store for Pink Tartan by Kimberley Newport-Mimran. The shop featured the Pink Tartan collection and a selection of items that complement the line and represent the Pink Tartan lifestyle. The store is located in Yorkville and has taken over a historic Georgian building. The historic Georgian gem was built in 1837, and since 1926 it housed the antique treasure trove The Paisley Shop. The space has been redesigned by inter-nationally acclaimed designer Diego Burdi of Burdifilek (W hotels Atlanta, The Thompson residences presentation centre Toronto, the Club Monaco flagship in New York City). “It is beautiful and white, with light herringbone floors and modern panelling,” says Newport-Mimran, who wanted the shop to reflect the homes she shares in Toronto and New York with her husband, Joe Mimran, and family. “We have mixed modern classics with vintage pieces.” Context was the point for her first foray into retail under her own label, an opportunity to showcase the full Pink Tartan lifestyle. I went to the media preview a few days before …

Mikhael Kale Spring Summer 2011

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I take everything I said about the Mihael Kale spring summer 2011 collection back. His clothing is all about the woman wearing it and I’ve seen it done very well.  All I know the models during LGFW didn’t wear his clothing to it’s fullest potential. Mikhael and his team created the encrusted shoes for the lookbook which was shot by Felix Wong.

Dandi Maestre Spring Summer 2011

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I’m a big fan of Dandi Maestre’s jewellery. She also has the best lookbooks in the business. They are always so colourful and do a great job of photographing the jewellery. The styling is always perfect and the tribal influence matches perfectly with her organic looking line. Dandi Maetre Jewellery can be purchased in Toronto at her Holiday pop up shop and a number of retailers. images: courtesy of Dandi Maestre

Dennis Merotto Spring Summer 2011

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This is the debut collection for Toronto designer, Dennis Merotto. He has been working in the industry for 25 years and is currently the former Senior Designer at Lida Baday. I’m liking this minimal collection.  It reminds me a lot of Celine, which isn’t a bad thing. Merotto’s spring summer 2011 collection is an amalgamation of his many years of experience noticing what women really want and his rejection of the current fascination with fast fashion. He embraces the beauty found in the small details and the often painstaking process of executing well crafted and superbly constructed clothing. His debut collection is a tour de force of subtle yet casual refinement. Complexity is expressed in his love of opposite pairings of masculine with feminine, hard with soft, and light against dark. Textural fabrics, a simplified palette and his signature languid silhouette enhance the feminine form. images: courtesy of Dennis Merotto

NADA Fragrance by Aromachology

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Anna dello Russo wasn’t the only one launching a fragrance. Toronto based NADA used a dancing flash mob to let get the word out about her new perfume. Nada partnered with Aromachology to create the NADA fragrance. The NADA fragrance has a spicy, oriental-musk undertone of honeysuckle, ginger and saffron, and finishes with seductive top notes of lotus flower, amber and jasmine. “I was really inspired by the fluid movement of our flowing fabrics and the seductive air of our new fragrance — dance is a natural pairing of the two. So we worked with the Ryerson Dance Program, to create something really interesting,” says Nada Shepherd, Creative Director and founder of the self-named women’s wear label. “The NADA signature fragrance is for women who are looking for something a little edgy, a little interesting, and a flash mob builds into an amazingly exciting personal experience, just like our fragrance. It’s dark and sexy just like the music and movement our choreographer Missy Morris put together” says Shepherd. Morris hand-selected a group of over 60 …

Greta and Ezra Constantine Spring Summer 2011 Videos

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I love the short fashion films created by directed by C. Hudson Hwang for Greta and Ezra Constantine for the spring summer 2011 collections. casting: Kirk Pickersgill + Stephen Wong styling: Kirk Pickersgill, Stephen Wong + Youlanda Jackson menswear: Ezra Constantine SS 2011 streetwear: models’ own models: Joseph Weir, Taras Koltun, Carlton Ruth, Fraser Barke, Robert Rae, Michael Teixeira, Brett Ofield, Paolo Roldan (Elmer Olsen Model Management) music: “Kids” by Sleigh Bells (N.E.E.T. Recordings) designed by Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong models: Frances Coombe (Elite), Krystal Reeve (Next), Jenica Vandermeer (Ford), Jackie Szakall (Elmer Olsen), Danielle Sietz (Sutherland), Alisa Erlikh (NAM), Emily Fox (Push), Naro Lokurka (Push), Shiya Zhao (Sutherland), Renee Thompson (Elite), Madison Schill (Ford), Ada Roberts (Sutherland), Grace Mahary (Elmer Olsen), Ty States (Sutherland), Thembi Oney (NAM), Anna Shevchenko (NAM), Dajana Antic (Elmer Olsen), Joanna Lepiesza (Elite) Music: “Infinity Guitars” by Sleigh Bells (N.E.E.T. Recordings)