Jonathan Saunders‘s Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection was in my top ten. I love the colours, prints and silhouette. Jonathan Saunders was inspired by Paul Outerbridge‘s early photography, glass from well renowned glass designer, René Jules Lalique and English painter, Euan Uglow. I’m looking forward to a print and colour heavy fall. You can find Jonathan Saunder’s at The Room in Toronto. images: vogue.com
Collaborations are the news in Canadian fashion so it’s good to see something that isn’t about one. Greta Constantine has created a capsule collection called Primer which consists t-shirts done Greta Constantine style. Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine are bringing their master drapery and attention to fit to a whole new audience. The capsule collection, aptly named Primer, serves as the base coat for a woman’s wardrobe and is to consist of both separates and dresses. But don’t expect basics. Every piece in the collection features a subtle feminine twist like leather straps on a tank top to allow for easy belting or draped t-shirt dresses with exaggerated pocket detailings. This is all part of Stephen and Kirk’s desire to re-imagine contemporary staples. As Stephen elaborates, “designing the collection demanded that we consider what makes a t-shirt so perfect. Fabrication, lengths, colours. While a woman may be willing to suffer through a pair of heels, comfort without looking comfortable is what we sought to achieve with Primer.” The line, with prices ranging …
Line continued their ready to wear expansion for the fall winter 2011 – 2012 season. The season adds coats and pants to their traditional line up of knits. The collection was very 70s in terms of palette and style. Typical colours like orange, blue, mustard, beige and burgundy complimented neutrals of black and grey. The knit textures included cable, crochet, patchwork and loops. Line was one of the many designers that used fur this season but it was used sparingly. I always talk about my granny nature with fur and Line stuck to the traditional with raccoon stoles, collars and trim. The rabbit fur biker jacket was an interesting modern take on fur but I felt the raccoon vest was overwhelming on the body. My granny fur sensibilities didn’t prevent me for loving the rabbit fur knit which was used in some beautiful open wraps. The floor length cable knit dress sounded great on paper but didn’t deliver for me in person. It seemed a bit too restricting, perhaps a side slit would help. The …
I wasn’t able to attend the CHLOE comme PARRIS Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 show at LG Fashion (boo). I found this CHLOE comme PARRIS fashion film for fall though.
I wasn’t a big fan of the Givenchy Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection. There was a lot of WTF going on for me. I didn’t like the black panther prints much either. The accessories (minus the horrible shoes) are looking very promising though. I like the execution of the black panther in the jewellery a lot. images: WWD.com
Textile artist, Anu Raina debuted her hand crafted clothing line at LGFW. Anu Raina Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 features hand dyed and printed pieces. She used details such as excerpts from her poetry, painting and embroidery. “This collection is an extension of my Autobiographical artwork titled Chapter 2, Page 1, that is going to be exhibited at Pearson Airport from April16 to October 3, 2011,†says Anu Raina “”My work has evolved as a juxtaposition of my urban and the traditional self that I left behind. In this collection, I have tried to trace my own transition. I have used motifs like haystack, paisley, Talim – a weaving code of Pashmina shawls – marks I made with toothpaste on the mirror, and the things I grew up with around me. I have tied it all with a poem in French I once wrote about my mother, which would roughly translate in English as: When I was little I woke up very late. I would wait for my mother to come and wake me up. …
Samuel L. Jackson was the only massive celebrity to attend LGFW. Random is the only word to describe his attendance at Klaxon Howl. One of my favourite moments of LGFW was tweeting about Mr. Jackson’s arrival. Ha Ha. Some people thought it was an April Fool’s joke. I did miss out on getting a photo with him but I did see him in the flesh. I guess when The Hudson’s Bay is backing your line things like this can happen. Klaxon Howl fall winter 2011 – 2012 was a very commercial menswear collection. The military influenced collection used a white, grey, blue, brown and black colour scheme. There was a lone coral coloured button up, which seemed out-of-place in the collection. The collection featured the basics: coats, denim, button up shirts, vests and pants. There was a lot of buzz about the handbag collaboration between Klaxon Howl and The Hudson’s Bay. The fashion show was half runway and half presentation. I think the main runway room is too large to pull this format off successfully. …
Comrags is one of the long-standing Canadian brands that are showing no signs of slowing down. They’ve been around for 28 years and they have a very established customer base and brand. The Fall Winter 2007 – 2008 collection was my first Comrags fashion show. They show ever few seasons at LG Fashion Week. I wondered what the Comrags print would be this season. The endless possibilities they could come up with for for Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 excited me. The collection was typical Comrags: lots of easy to wear dresses, full skirts, couple of pant options and belted jackets. It’s a very retail friendly collection, stylish and uncomplicated. The models didn’t wear heels as per the usual Comrags MO. I loved the floral prints. The wide leg pant looked great with the Trotsky jacket. I want the complete runway look (with platforms of course). Comrags Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 linesheet stated this jacket was made a material called silver wool. The fabric has an unusual finish. Other fabrics used in the collection …
At the Greta Constantine Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 fashion show we got a preview of the new video by C. Hudson Hwang. You might remember that he created the Erza Constantine spring 2011 preview video and the Greta and Ezra Constantine spring summer 2010 videos. Well, the video is now complete and ready for public consumption shot, cut, motion designed and directed by C. Hudson Hwang models: Christina Kaszap [elmer olsen] Frances Coombe [elite] Andrea T [next] Rochelle Ten Holder [next] Dani Seitz [sutherland] Anna Shevchenko [push] Jeannine Smith [ford] Dajana Antic [elmer olsen] Julian G [elite] Nick Gonko [elite] Krystal Reeve [next] Tea Moir [sutherland] Bria Castello [elmer olsen] Shelby Furber [elmer olsen] Danielle W [elmer olsen] Jenica Vandermeer [ford] Kassandra Gray [elmer olsen] Sarah Barnes [elmer olsen] Renee Thompson [elite] Bayan Peterson [sutherland] Richelle Dobson [sutherland] Kristy Nykilchuk [elmer olsen] Caitlin Dudar [elite] Joanna Lapiesza [elite] Music: Children of the Revolution (written by Marc Bolan) by Neon Indian [Lefse Records / Static Tongues] Greta Constantine is designed by Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen …
Amanda Lew Kee’s fall winter 2011 – 2012 collection started out so strong. The first third of the collection was very promising. Unfortunately, the middle part of the collection was a little lost and the last third of the show was a risky gamble with colour that didn’t pay off.  There was a lot of good elements going on the in the collection but they got lost among the unfocused elements. In my perfect world Amanda would have continued to explore the silhouettes she opened with in fabrics that weren’t metallic. The rule about taking off a piece of jewellery before you leave the house applies to everything in life. In this case, less would have been more. The collection was in desperate need of an edit. The leggings and jersey tank dress are too American Apparel to be on the runway. Those looks weren’t show material for me but the things you show to buyers in a showroom. The flower embellishment left me puzzled. Was it a deliberate design feature or some last-minute …
