All posts filed under: Designers

Complexgeometries Spring Summer 2011

Published by

My fashion favourite Complexgeometries was in New York showing off the Spring Summer 2011 collection. I’m still very excited about this and I’m glad Clayton is moving on up as they say. The show got a lot of pre and post press from sites like Nymag.com, WWD and Fashionologie. Yay Clayton! Diane, A Shaded View on Fashion has some more photos of the collection. There are men’s looks that I didn’t include here as I focused on the women’s looks I liked.  Yup, I’m planning my Spring Summer 2011 Complexgeometries purchase. Jason Last was around with his trusty camera to grab a bit of video of the presentation. images: zimbio.com, nymag.com

i want: AF Vandevorst Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 Shoes

Published by

I love the clunky and armor-like boots from A.F. Vandevorst’s fall winter 2010 – 2011 collection.  You can see them in action in the A.F. Vandevorst fall winter 2010 – 2011 runway show. It’s on their facebook page. It’s the best quality one out there but not embeddable.  The video shows the different styles of the over the knee boots in grey and red.  I love the red ones.  This is a great shade of red.  The clothing is nice too, there were a few exits I liked. images: tooklookbook.com

Calla Spring Summer 2011

Published by

Toronto native and Paris resident Calla Haynes held a presentation for her Spring Summer 2011 collection under her namesake label Calla. She created Kaleidoscope prints for Jeremy Laing’s fall 2008 – 2009 collection (video). For spring summer 2011 she produced a video invitation instead of a traditional one. Calla is a print genius. Spring summer 2011 is really beautiful.  I like the geometric aspect to some prints and the others that are more liquid. Barb at Phreshly Squeezed checked out the CALLA Spring-Summer 2011 presentation in Paris. Vogue Italy also has some other photos. Calla is found in Canada at: The Room The Hudson’s Bay 176 Yonge Street Toronto, Ontario Reborn 231 rue Saint Paul Ouest Montreal, Quebec

Celine Spring Summer 2011

Published by

Celine is another designer line that didn’t have my undying love right from the photos.  I had to see some video evidence first.  The videos brought me back to the Celine reality: beautiful clothing that I want to wear. It’s a looser fitting collection that is missing some of the Celine sleekness from previous seasons.  There are rich colours and vibrant prints to keep the collection from being completely white or ivory.  This season I’m loving the tunics (even the japanese denim one) and white shirts. I’m usually all over the shoes but the ones from the collection are pretty but boring. I’ll have to wait until the website is up to see what else is out there. I love Vogue.it. It lists the fabrics used in the show: denim, canvas, cotton poplin, silk, silk cady, parachute silk, nappa and silk crêpe. This is the Celine bag that I will be talking about till fall 2011. Love the shape and colour. This video features Tim Blanks from style.com talking about the collection. This is a …

Luc Kieffer in Toronto

Published by

Luc Kieffer, a jewellery designer from Paris, visited Toronto for the first time during TIFF. A press preview party was held in his honour and I got a closer look at some of his fall winter 2010 – 2011 and spring summer 2011 collections. Luc has worked with many fashion houses like YSL, Balenciaga, Chanel, Louis Vuitton and Sonia Rykiel. It was interesting to her Luc talk about the time he met Yves Saint Laurent in person in 1996. Luc collaborated with Yves on his final collection. The Luc Kieffer line was launched in 2006. Luc Kieffer jewellery specializes in high-polished resin with Swarovski crystals. Luc is a chemist by trade and that totally attracted the geek in me. That’s right people chemist = swoon in my books. Chemist turned jewellery maker is off the charts. I was told that Luc was a charmer. I wished I could speak french, it would have been nice to chat in his mother tongue. He worked with Yves Saint Laurent on his final collection in 1996, and has …

Proenza Schouler Spring Summer 2011

Published by

Proenza Schouler used a lot of shibori techniques in the Spring Summer 2011 collection. Shibori is several methods of dyeing cloth to create a pattern by binding, stitching, folding, twisting, compressing it, or capping the fabric. “We wanted it to be a little more polished,” Jack McCollough said backstage, before Lazaro Hernandez jumped in: “So we took all these feminine codes—the embroideries, the flowers—and mixed them up in our own way. We wanted to do something without any obvious references.”(Source). I was very happy to see that Proenza Schouler was using neon this spring summer 2011 season.  The prints are beautiful. You’ll want to check out Tommy Ton’s behind the scenes at Proenza Schouler Spring Summer 2011 photo post on Jak & Jil. He’s got some really great shots. Watch the full Proenza Schouler Spring Summer 2011 fashion show images: style.com

CYDWOQ Fall Winter 2010 – 2011

Published by

CYDWOQ shoes always intrigue me I see them in the stores. They have a striking design style. They are a little bit clunky but exquisitely crafted. I was sent the lookbook and a press release that also gave me some background on California based CYDWOQ and founder Rafi Balouzian. Rafi comes from a long line of shoe-makers and he started CYDWOQ in 1996. He grew up hanging around the family factory in Armenia and made trips to Italy and France. All this time he was learning the shoemaking process from great handcrafted leather artists. Rafi’s son, Ari is the designer and Creative Director for CYDWOQ. CYDWOQ design influences include nature, architecture, automobile design and old films. The shoes are handmade using the best Italian hand painted leather. Natural choices dominate the CYDWOQ product. In shoe construction, the uppers are hand-lasted to the leather insoles using water-based biodegradable glues. Once inspected, the shoes are packed in distinctive cotton bags and recycled cardboard boxes. It is one of the world’s most ecologically responsible shoe firms, setting the …

Dr. Martens on Queen

Published by

There is a new Dr. Martens store on Queen Street. It’s taken over the old Neon Clothing space. The store’s décor is based around the furniture and fixtures you could expect to find in the raw and industrial Northamptonshire, England factory. Reflecting the sense of craft involved in Dr. Martens boots and shoes, all fittings used in the store are authentic and durable. In addition to Dr. Martens Originals that have become known around the globe, seasonal merchandising will support the contemporary expansion of the brand. As Dr. Martens continues to identify creative individuals around the world, limited edition collaborations will be released and featured in the new Queen Street location. This location has so many styles of Dr. Martens to choose from, it should satisfy most people’s needs. All the abstract colours are available like purple, yellow and the metallics. I love that there is a Dr. Martens store in Toronto now. I could see a major addiction for 20 hole boots developing if this store was open during my high school and university …

Darcel at the Spring Summer 2011 Fashion Weeks

Published by

I came across these wonderful cartoons of famous fashion personalities and fixtures on nowness.com. Freaking too adorable for words. Darcel at New York Fashion Week Craig Redman’s Cult Character Turns Style-Savvy Reporter for NOWNESS. Following his hazy, rather drunken night at the grand opening of Louis Vuitton’s London Maison this summer, Darcel—the one-eyed, bespectacled egg-person who is daily overcome by the modern world on Craig Redman’s hugely popular blog, Darcel Disappoints—has got the fashion bug. Yes, Darcel sets off today on an intercontinental trip to cover the spring 2011 catwalks exclusively for NOWNESS.(source) You can see the complete set of Darcel posts on Nowness.com. Darcel at London Fashion Week Darcel at Milan Fashion Week Darcel at Paris Fashion Week