Paper Doll book by Danielle Meder Danielle has taken her paper dolls from LG Fashion Week and turned them into a book. 15 designers, 17 paper dolls, over 60 items of clothing and accessories to play with. This is the result of a rather involved project I gave to myself to commemorate the Spring 2010 collections shown in Toronto this October. The resulting dolls are available in a book from Blurb for $42.95 USD. image:finalfashion.ca
LG Fashion Week this year featured something pretty neat. Toronto got its own edition of the Fashion Week Daily. I was obsessed with this mag when I was in NYC for the Spring 2008 collection. I’m not sure if the magazine was available anywhere else but the tents. It came out towards the end of LG Fashion Week and I was really impressed with their turnaround time. I’ve scanned the magazine, sans ads, so that you can enjoy it.
For the Philip Sparks Spring 2010 show, I went with the equestrian vibe. The blazer was a find at a random vintage shop in the city. The ruffled top is from Suzy Shier, yes, that Suzy. I can’t remember the type of denim I was wearing, it wasn’t anything special. My trusty Goffredo Fantini boots pulled the look together.
Day 1 of LG Fashion Week I wore a one of a kind piece from the Spring 2008 Jeremy Laing. It was quite a hit at the Holt Renfrew Media Cocktail. I wore my Goffredo Fantini boots and some chunky bracelets, most of which are cheap except for the Marni one. images: Raymond Galsim, Jeff Rustia
On Day 2 of LG Fashion Week I wore Fashion Crimes. It’s been a lot of near misses but I finally got myself outfitted for a night at Fashion Crimes. I had a great time with Coco choosing an outfit and jewellery in the store. Mi Concept Jacket; Dress by Pam Chorley; Earrings, ring and necklace, Fashion Crimes. I want to thank Miss Sly for the photo. She mentioned me in a post about LG Fashion Week.
There are times when I can’t find the words to talk about a topic. It can be a fashion show, event, etc. I end up sitting on the post until it comes to me and that is why this final LG Fashion Week show review on Dare to Wear Love is so late. 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. 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, Mercy, Thomas Chung, Ines de Santos, Peach Berserk, Pat McDonagh, Reva Mivasagar and Ula Zukowska, have committed to …
I just discovered the Holt Renfrew You Tube channel. I’ve found myself in a few videos. Holt Renfrew Media Cocktail during LG Fashion Week – I’m towards the end of this video. Seeing this was a surprise and I’m still mad I didn’t see Sam Neill in person. He was looking pretty good too. Stupid, stupid. I was at the Style Rules – Porsche Panamera Launch. I’m showing off my equestrian inspired outfit to the camera. I knew ahead of time that I made the cut for this video. You can see the back of my head in the video for The Sartorialist event. I’m talking to Roz, the stylist.
It was the battle of the lower priced lines on Wednesday at LG Fashion Week. I had already seen a wonderful collection from Attitude by Sears and it was Joe Fresh turn to showcase the Spring 2010 collection. This season, Joe had Keith Richards’ daughter Theodora opening and closing the show. I have to admit I didn’t know who she was until afterwards. The colour palette was very boring to me. Lots of cream and white with yellow, blue and pink thrown in for a few looks. My pictures paid the price with this colour palette. The lighting wasn’t great if you weren’t in the front row and many of my pictures got washed out. I was screaming for something dramatic in the colour department but it never came. The styling confused me. Was the show a mix of underwear and outerwear? I saw bras over top of shirts and dresses that looked like shapewear, girls wearing underwear but no bottoms. Sheer shirts and jackets were a big part of his collection which I was …
Sculptz is a shapewear company that started in 1974 and still has a manufacturing base in the United States. They differentiate themselves from other companies with their use of bold colours and prints. They had a small show in the showroom at LG Fashion Week to preview their Spring 2010 collection.
Katrina Tuttle is proud that she never when to fashion design school. I would say she might want to reconsider that statement as it looked like she could use a little help in the construction side of things. Towards the end of the collection my inklings about fit and construction of the line were confirmed. In the front row you get a better look at the clothing and their imperfections. One pretty grey skirt came down the runway with zipper side completely open. The finale dress was painful to watch. The model was holding it up from falling with the sides of her arms. It looked very unnatural and you could feel the model’s anxiety of keeping the dress up. The collection was mostly a series of short cocktail dresses. I didn’t see any noticeable theme so it was a typical hodge podge of fabrics, silhouettes and garments. Katrina has a lot of potential. I saw her at FAT earlier in the year and I still stand by the unnecessary details comment I made back …
This was the surprise collection of my time at LG Fashion Week. I really enjoyed what I saw. I had a little preview of Attitude before I left for India. I was impressed with the more fashionable direction they were moving the line in. This show at the tents blew me away with what they have in store for spring. The colour palette was simple, black, white, gray, royal blue and dashes of coral. The collection was easy relaxed sportswear with ruffles, strong shoulders, one shoulder, stripes and polka dots details. Pegged pants, boyfriend blazers, shorts, biker jackets, tops and little black dresses were the key pieces of the fashion forward, 80s influenced collection. They even threw in a couple of jumpers that were pretty nice. I’m a huge fan of the cropped pleated pant, the slouchy cardigans and blazers which had a slit detail in he back. Sears won the battle of the low priced brands for me that night. I was impressed with the collection and can’t wait for February so try this …
As I was reading the list sheet for Jason Meyers’ spring 2010 show I noticed a of couple things. He included suggested retail prices for all of his clothing. He’s launching an online store on November 1, 2009. How much taffeta was in this collection. Taffeta is one of my most hated fabrics. It reminds me of bad formal dress from grade school. I hate the way it feels and it’s draping properties. It reminds me of Barbie honestly and you all know my relationship with her. 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 …
I was already home and ready to start writing when I got a message that I should head down to The Black Hoof to see Rita Liefhebber collection. I put some some relaxed clothing and my Final Fashion Dr. Martens and headed out. I was so glad I did but pissed I forgot my camera. I had to use my blackberry. The presentation was in the back room in the restaurant. There were a steady stream of people when I arrived. I learned the kitchen was making appetizers. I was in heaven as the food at The Black Hoof is amazing, a meat eater’s paradise. Finally, I made my way inside the white room. Two rows of models lined two walls. They each were wearing a different look from the collection. It was very well done. I loved the colour palette of grey, black and punches of seafoam. There were a lot of pieces I would wear from the collection including the black dress with triangle panels. This was an unexpected treat of fashion week, …
It was no way to view a show. There were hundreds of us packed into the Showroom at LG Fashion Week. We were here to see Andy The Anh. I wasn’t sure how anyone was going to see anything, it was packed like sardines. People were angry. I was angry. I saw a little bit of the show. Some things looked pretty nice. It was very body con with a colour palette of blue, black, grey and white. The showroom as a venue for a show wasn’t optimal for Andy The Anh. It would have been nice with a much smaller guest list or a static presentation.
After the David Dixon Spring 2010 collection was Barbie by David Dixon. I’m gonna be honest, Barbie and I don’t get along. I don’t have the same connection to here that many people had. She awakened no particular love of fashion in me. I didn’t go in thinking that I would walk out a fan. I was right. I liked the first set of black and white looks and the sequined stuff. But overall it was too pink and too many polka dots. The pocket details didn’t grab me either. It was very accessible and lots of people loved it. It’s just not my style. David used coated tyvek, cotton, wool, organza, jacquard, bengaline, silk, taffeta and chiffon fabrics in the collection. The colour palette was black, white, grey, and pink of various shares. The men’s looks threw me for a loop. I liked the first look and thought the model was really beautiful. So out of the two collection I like the signature one more. It was directional and interesting to me. Prior to …
I’m really excited about the Dare to Wear Love show on October 23th at LG Fashion Week. It’s one of my highlights. Do you dare? For the first time ever, Hoax Couture and the Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) are partnering with the Stephen Lewis Foundation (SLF) to produce a fashion-forward, cause-driven and meaningful closing night show with Canada’s top designers at LG Fashion Week beauty by L’Oréal Paris. The goal is to leverage the power of the Canadian fashion and entertainment communities to raise awareness and funds for the SLF as it works to support communities that are affected by the AIDS pandemic in Africa. 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 …
I always enjoy the Holt Renfrew Media Cocktail and I think they might have put the best one on yet. The 3rd floor Contemporary space was more open. No more talking through the racks of clothing. The runway was nice and high so everyone could get good pictures. Random celebrities showed up too. I was so angry that I missed Sam Neill in the flesh. I’ve been in love with that man since Jurassic Park. I was too busy running around talking to people and getting my picture taken. The Jeremy Laing dress I was wearing caused quiet the stir. Even Lisa Tant said she liked it. It was the first time she’s talked to me. I think of it as a personal fashion milestone. Yes, I am quite silly. This season we saw designs from Jeremy Laing, Greta Constantine, Erza Constantine, Pink Tartan, Lida Baday, Smythe, Denis Gagnon and Mikhael Kale. They are some of our best designer talent in Canada. They are all available at Holt Renfrew. Yes, Canadian designers are available at …
I was very excited to see the Vawk Spring 2010 show for LG Fashion Week. It was the only offsite show part of the program and it was held in AGO. I wasn’t in the glass-and-wood façade area of the building. That would have been a logistical nightmare but oh so fun. There was an open call for fan to show up for first come first serve seats. There was a pretty big line in front of the building and I was really glad for that Media/VIP entrance. It’s a life saver. Leading up to the show, Sunny posted a series of preview videos for the collection. If they were embeddable I would have posted them here. He also streamed the show live for viewers that couldn’t attend the open call. Reading the Vawk line sheet revealed a show full of luxurious fabrics: sand leather, silk cotton, crepe de chine, silk organza and silk chiffon. Sunny Fong was influenced by French Polynesia. This was seen with the bright red and orange colour palette which contrasted …
I was honoured to be part of this season’s Toronto Fashion Heroes by Andrew Sardone in NOW Magazine. Prior to the piece coming out I had lunch with Andrew and we conducted a little interview. The next day at lunch I was standing at King and Bay with Michael Watier the photographer doing the photoshoot. That was a lot of fun. People stopped to gawk and little kids waved at me, like I was a famous person. A friend of mine, Jason Howlett, happened to be walking by at this point and snapped this behind the scenes shot. It was pretty emotional to read Andrew’s words when the piece came out. The support on twitter was amazing. I want to thank all my readers and everyone who has supported me with my little blog. It’s been a hell of a year, both good and bad, with the good outweighing the bad. I have no idea how I’m gonna top 2009. Check out the full story at NOW Magazine – Toronto Fashion Heroes – Anita Clarke.
It’s that time of year again. Extended fashion week in Toronto. I will be attending Philip Sparks, Greta Constantine and a number of shows during LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris (beware loud obnoxious music autoplays) . I’m just finalizing my schedule with LGFW and will post it on the blog. I’m having a real hard time with the name. LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris is much, much too long. I wonder how this name came to fruition?
Belvedere Vodka and Bustle Clothing collaborated during LG Fashion Week. Nine Canadian graffiti artists were tapped to create bags for Bustle’s Fall 09 collection, featuring the aesthetic of Belvedere’s new IX bottle. The bags are pretty cool and I thought I’d share them. I thought about linking to the new Belvedere product but the website offends my sensibilities so you’ll have to google it for yourself.
I took the The Grumpy Owl to the Andy The-Anh runway show at LG Fashion Week. He making films so he brought along his trusty camera and this is the result of the evening.
It’s that time again and LG Fashion Week, Fall Collections 2009 is upon us. I’m attending the upcoming shows. If any of you readers are attending, stop me and say Hi. Thursday March 19th Project Runway Canada Carlton Brown Women X Women Friday March 20th Evan Biddell You can see my coverage at blogTO’s Fashion Week Section.
The Greta Constantine Ready to Wear Fall 2009 – 2010 show as held at The Courthouse. I had been hearing good things from Kirk and Stephen for months. I got a look at the fabric swatches in the fall, but I never saw the collection. I would have to wait to see this so called amazing collection. So, I’ve been on pins and needles for months wondering what the boys will come up with. I was hearing about dresses named after people I know and how freaking stunning they are. There was some logistical problems getting into the venue due to all the people there. It’s an interesting venue but I heard if you didn’t have a seat you didn’t see anything. The room had high ceilings and it was a little dark. I was talking with one of the Holts crew and she likened the atmosphere to a Miu Miu show, which was very accurate. The runway was a problem too. There was a section where I was sitting that was wood and incredibly …