All posts tagged: Ready to Wear

TEFW – Andy The Anh Spring 2010

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.

TEFW – Vawk Spring 2010

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 …

TEFW – Philip Sparks Spring 2010

Philip Sparks was the unofficial start to what I’m calling Toronto Extended Fashion Week. TEFW for short. The venue was in the usual haunts of the Burroughs Building. This season they used the bigger section of the 6th floor. They also had a great setup for the lounge area, complete with cheese plates and a DJ. I had a preview of the collection when I got to sit in on the Lookbook photoshoot. The collection included some pieces that I hadn’t seen which was a great surprise. The inspiration this season was cottage life and 1950s Canadian Pacific Railways gatewya ads. The collection featured fabrics like seersucker, cotton voile and ramie. Philip worked with textile designer Kerry Croghan to create his Gone Fishing print. It’s inspired from Thor Hansen fabrics and Canadian souvenir imagaery. These prints were used in shirts and ties. I love the fact that Philip doesn’t shy away from his Canadian roots. He embraces them fully and I really appreciate that love for our history and culture. I’m a born and raised …

LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris is Coming

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?

Alexander McQueen Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

The Alexander McQueen Ready to Wear Spring 2010 collection was an alien spectacle. A snake and Geiger influenced fashion moment of the finest degree. The show was the fashion jolt I needed. Yes, there is creativity still kicking around this season. McQueen delivered it and then some. I’m still in awe over this out of this world collection. What do you say but wow, wow, wow! I missed seeing the video live, but I wasn’t the only. It seems they didn’t anticipate the demand for the live stream and servers went down. I send my friend, who was sitting in 3rd row at the show, a message asking how the show was. He replied back with “STUNNING”. I knew he was serious because he doesn’t throw those words around much. The shoes were like nothing I’ve seen a fashion show but had a fetish feel to them. I thought they were great for the runway presentation but I really can’t see these shoes going into production. You must, must see the Alexander McQueen Ready to …

Balenciaga Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

Balenciaga went sporty this season, with a touch of futurism. I was talking to a friend who mentioned that Nicholas Ghesquiere tends to work in cycles and we are back on the futurism loop. I don’t mind I have to admit, as long as Nicholas keep turning out collections like this. Be sure to look at the high resolution images on Nytimes.com to see the incredible detail that has gone into this collection. There is an interview with Nicolas Ghesquiere with Cathy Horn talking about the collection. You get some more information on the fabrics that are incorporated in the clothing, it’s pretty amazing. You can also check out this video by style.com images: style.com and coutorture.com

Rick Owens Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

You must already know that I would post about Rick Owens, it’s a given. The collection is a little more angular than usual. I was happy to see that my girl Rose was walking too. Here is the video of the collection. Video is coming becoming available very quickly this season. Rick Owens S/S ’10 Women’s from Mike Nouveau on Vimeo. images: thefashionspot.com

Balmain Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

I’m usually pretty indifferent about Balmain but this season I really enjoyed it. Why? I have no idea, it surprises myself. I guess I’m just starved for something grand from a fashion month that has been pretty lackluster for me so far. The video of the collection is what sealed the deal for me. Love the soundtrack. Balmain Printemps Eté 2010by BalmainOfficial You can view videos from previous Balmain collections on their Dailymotion page.

What does Barbara think? NY Fashion Week SS10 Edition

I was reading the Buyers Laud New York Fashion Shows article in WWD today. I’m always interested in what the buyers/retailers think of the collections. For the last few seasons I’ve been posting about Barbara Atkin’s feelings on the show. Spring 2010 is no exception. Barbara Atkin, vice president of fashion direction at Toronto-based Holt Renfrew: “The week was very optimistic with a beautiful lightweight feeling to the clothes and beautiful palettes. The season was fresh and modern and spoke to a new generation who is traveling and packing light. In this economy, it’s all about fit and quality, looking at clothing and saying, ‘This is worth the money I’m spending.’ If it’s not going to jump out at the customer, she’s not going to buy it. “Oscar de la Renta understands his woman and understands the casual lifestyle. At the same time, he knows this woman needs a structured, tailored suit, and he still makes it feel modern. Marc Jacobs is a visionary. He took essential pieces and cultural elements from around the world …

Phi Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

Phi didn’t disappoint me during NY Fashion Week. I love this season’s take on bondage. At lot of the styles and details remind me of straight jackets. It seems weird only on paper. Sasha P is walking and that makes me happy. I remember seeing her in real life at the Spring 2008 Phi presentation. images: nymag.com

Rodarte Ready to Wear – Spring 2010

I was so looking forward to the Rodarte Spring 2010 show. I saw the photos initially and wasn’t all that jazzed up about it. It didn’t grab me like past seasons. So I watched the video on swarovski.tv and my opinion changed to not really enjoying it. I loved the pants, shoes and music though. images: Rodarte Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com

Vera Wang Spring 2010 Accessories

NY Fashion Week is doing nothing for me. I can’t remember a season where I didn’t like a majority of the collection. Jeremy Laing has been the only standout for me. I do love Vera Wang’s accessories for Spring 2010 thought images: Vera Wang Spring 2010 Ready-to-Wear Collection on Style.com

TÔ Long-Nam Fall 2009 – 2010 Lookbook

I received an email from designer, TÔ Long-Nam. Of all the information I’ve received from designers over the years here, this was the best crafted email I’ve read. I appreciated the attention the detail and biographical information immensely. He was born in Viêtnam, grew up in Munich and went to school at the Academy of Fine Arts Berlin-Weissensee in Fashion-Design. Long-Nam worked with famous stylists Victoria Bartett and Patti Wilson. His forey into fashion design started as a design assistant for Lanvin menswear. Positive encouragement after participating in the 21st International Fashion Competition prompted him to start his own line. He has also collaborated with designer Alessandra Facchinetti while she was at Valentino. While working on the Spring 2010 collection he is working for Superfine London, a denim company I’m very fond of. All this information was great, but I would have been sold at the photos. Long-Nam says this about his Fall 2009 – 2010 collection: Force has always been a keyword in the design principles of TÔ Long-Nam. For Fall/Winter 2009 the collection …

Lanvin Resort 2010

I’m a total Lanvin fangirl so it’s pretty much guaranteed I’m gonna like the collections. Lanvin showed a much more sporty style for Resort. Lots of running shoes and jumpers. Yes, I approve of both. The colours are so vibrant and rich. I really liked the presentation of the collection. It seemed more like a lookbook than runway show. Models were paired together or alone and in motion. I’m a sucker for the in motion shots. There were the more sporty items paired with Lanvin sneakers and then they were the elegant pieces. The beautiful dresses we are use to drooling over. images: Style.com