I attended the Bijouxbead Holiday 2009 Interactive Pop Up Show Community Reception to get a look at the collection of necklaces influenced by Canadian Designers
David Dixon
The show will kick off with a unique interactive display of eight one of a kind necklaces, all of which happen to be eight stranded, designed to pay homage to eight Canadian Fashion Designers.
Evan Biddell
Paul Hardy
Each piece was a thrill to design; I studied these designer’s spring summer 2010 collections at great length, that were shown at Toronto’s LG Fashion Week. I came up with colour, texture and scale for these pieces based on my interpretation of the clothing in their collections that were most notable to me.
Vawk
Andy The Anh
Unlike my previous collections, this collection is exclusively glass, crystal and sterling -a big departure for me. All together, I incorporated over thirteen thousand six hundred pieces of glass and two thousand four hundred pieces of crystal into these eight necklaces.
AmieBrandon Dwyer
Also, for the first time in Bijouxbead history, I will be introducing crystal and sterling earrings. Over thirty colours will be represented.
There was a necklace dedicated to Jason Meyers, but it was sold before I arrived.
December 1 – 14
The Atelier of The Fair Trade Jewellery Company
523 Parliament St., Toronto
647-430-8741
Hours
Mon-Tue by appointment only
Wed-Fri 12:30pm-8:00pm
Sat-Sun 11:30am-6:00pm
Jason’s collection was full of embellishments, some of which I didn’t see the value in. Too many ruffles of various sizes adorned clothing. I felt they distracted from the clothing and all I could remember were the ruffles. For example the first look has ruffles on both sides of the garment along with puff sleeves and a huge bow. Too many details which just lead to my confusion about the garment. When things weren’t being over-embellished they were very body conscious, 80s influenced, minimal and short.
I did like the shorts and slim pants that used a wrinkle free linen like poly material. I would prefer real linen but I can appreciate the idea of a wrinkle free version. However, the pants and shorts were pretty tight so I can’t really see an opportunity for wrinkles to form. I didn’t like some of the shoulder detailing used but I thought the tucks in the purple bolero were an interesting detail.
I felt there was no theme running thought the collection to tie it all together. I thought Katharine Hepburn inspired the collection since the fashion show opened with a clip from one of her movies. If there was a connection, I didn’t see it in the clothing. I did see a couple of looks based off of current season Jil Sander. They were very distinct pieces when they came out in March. I thought this was an improvement on his Project Runway Canada venture which I saw last season. A move from taffeta would make me even more happy.
Starting at 9 p.m. on Friday, October 23, a star-studded audience will experience the Dare to Wear Love show, full of beautiful fashion, dance and music inspired by Africa. The multi-faceted collaboration is the largest public dare of the SLF’s new fundraising initiative A Dare to Remember. Recently launched, the nationwide initiative challenges Canadians to take on dares of all kinds to raise awareness and funds for the grassroots organizations in Africa that are on the frontlines of the AIDS pandemic.
“The fashion and entertainment communities in Canada will provide a unique voice for the Stephen Lewis Foundation’s new initiative with the Dare to Wear Love show,†said Jim Searle of Hoax Couture. “This show integrates high fashion and a truly important cause, and with the designers using gorgeous African fabric to create the garments, it promises to be a captivating evening.â€
More than 25 top designers, including Lida Baday, Brian Bailey, Brose, Pam Chorley, Wayne Clark, Comrags, David Dixon, Evan Biddell, Farley Chatto, Greta Constantine, Izzy Camilleri, Linda Lundström, Lucian Matis, Ross Mayer, Jason Meyers, Price Roman, and many more, have committed to Hoax Couture’s dare to create luxe gowns made of rich, eye-catching fabrics sourced from African communities who work with the SLF. Each designer will be asked to have their own family, friends and supporters sponsor this dare with the goal of raising $50,000 for the SLF. Jim Searle and Chris Tyrell of Hoax Couture will also personally ask the fashion community to get involved by making a donation to this cause at http://www.daretowearlove.com .
I was send a digital package that contained some images of the prints that the designers will be using.
It also included some sketches from 4 of the 25 designers. I can’t wait to see these in person and what the others come up with.
Dare to Wear Love Ines Di Santo sketchDare to Wear Love Hoax Couture sketchDare to Wear Love Comrags Sketch
The creations that the designers present will be auctioned off at a later time. The money will be donated to the Stephen Lewis Foundation.
