Agendainc.com is back and they are posting their Fashion Week Soundtracks PDF once more. The first draft of Spring 2010 is out. Look for it to be updated again to include the Paris collections. Go forth and find out the name of that song.
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 …
The clothing was one part of the huge fashion event put on by Greta Constantine and their slew of sponsors. The backdrop was the Audi Dealership on Bayview. That should have tipped me off to the scale of the event to come but I really didn’t think twice about it. It wasn’t until I stepped outside the cab. I arrived a little early and walked through the back entrance to the main floor of the dealership. It was full of an excited energy. people were running around everywhere getting everything set up. I looked to the right and there was a huge wall of Greta. Huge images of Kirk and Stephen, Coco Rocha for Greta Constantine and Erza Constantine alternated with the Greta Constantine logo. I’ve gotten to know Kirk and Stephen over the years and it was a little emotional to see this display. I looked around at this massive production they have taken upon themselves and I was in awe. I was so proud and very excited to see how it played out …
I spent some time hanging out at the Greta Constantine studio before the Spring 2010 show. I also snapped some images of the behind the scenes actions.
I was reading the Retailers React to Paris Collections on wwd.com. It talked to some buyers about footwear trends for Spring 2010. Bridget Cosgrave, Fashion & Buying Director, Matches, London Strongest Trends: Refined ethnic influences Mixes of color such as red and gold with leopard print or beading Lots of metallics Directional Styles: “The new tribute from YSL with a triangular piece across the heel.†Ones to Watch: Mechante Pan e Tulipani for handmade beaten-up boots Tracy Margolies, VP & DMM of women’s footwear, Saks Fifth Avenue Strongest Trends: pring boots Wedges Mid-heels Clogs Sandal booties Novelty materials in shoes (for instance, stretch jersey, mesh, lace, PVC and lucite heels) Directional Styles: “McQueen’s runway ‘armadillo’ shoes and the Jimmy Choo sandals that light up.†“Must-Carry†Styles from Paris: Givenchy’s stretch jersey sandals Camilla Skovgaard’s booties with tread bottom Christian Louboutin peep toe mesh pumps
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.
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 …
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?
I don’t post about collections I don’t like until today. I’m just amazed that this is Louis Vuitton! It’s so bad. The shoes are an abomination. Marc is 3 strikes for me this season and I’m very upset about that.
I’m loving the menswear inspired collection from Junya Watanabe.A lot of the suits and the dress shirts have caught my eye. About a third of the collection were prints that I wasn’t too fond of. We haven’t even talked about the shoes yet. Ya, I’m in love. images: style.com
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 …
Just like Resort, I loved the Celine Spring 2010. The clothing just looks so perfect. It’s got clean straight lines that just call to me. Phoebe, you know how to cut! images: the Fashion Spot
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
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
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.
There was no way I was going to not enjoy Viktor & Rolf’s Spring 2010; Roisin Murphy was singing. However, it wasn’t until I saw the collection I didn’t realize the added bonuses I would get: The Grace Jones hair on all the models. Awesome Roisin Murphy Singing Crazy cutout dresses. Pure spectacle and fun!
Philip Sparks is represented by Parlor Showroom in New York. Agyness came by to shop and tried on the Philip Sparks waders. So cute! image: Parlor Showroom Facebook Fan Page
I was intrigued with Dontella’s prints since she was influenced by Tim Burton’s upcoming Alice in Wonderland movie. All I have to say about this collection is Holy Hemlines and Holy Shoes! images: style.com
The beauty is in the details of the Spring 2010 Erdem collection. He’s taken his famous floral print and made it 3-D. Absolutely stunning work by this Montreal native. images: estyle.com
Dolce & Gabbana are posting Pre-Show Diaries for everyone to see leading up to the Spring 2010 presentation on Sept 27, 2009. They are show 1 minute films that give you a glimpse of the goings on behind the scenes. Why did they do this, well you can read all about it in an article called Exclusive! Dolce & Gabbana change the catwalk rules on Swide Magazine. Here is Part 1 and Part 2 but follow the Dolce & Gabbana YouTube Channel to see the next installments. I have to admit I like the idea, but I also like looking at Domenico and Stefano. I might be a little bias. So far it looks a lot different from the cowboy look that sister brand D&G showcased for Spring 2010. I’m not into the cowboy look but I have to applaud Domenico and Stefano for an incredibly tight collection. I love collections that have a distinct theme and the execution is flawless. There were some individual pieces I liked, but it’s not my style. They have …
Danielle of Final Fashion invited to me the Filippa K Spring 2010 Preview. Filippa K is a Swedish clothing company started in 1993. The company has a minimal contemporary style that is about doing the basics at a high standard. The colours for the spring collection where bright – Royal Blue, Coral Pink, Sunshine Yellow, Turquoise and Jewel Green. Danielle and I both loved the black blazer (pictured above). It was super light and perfect for layering. I was also smitten with the pants. I loved the use of colours and enjoyed the Coral Pink ones a lot. I also liked the leather motorcycle jacket. I had no idea Filippa K did shoes but here I was staring at cute royal blue heels and turquoise leather gladiators. There was menswear at the preview which followed the same style philosophy as the woman’s collection. I thought the lookbook was really well done. It had pages dedicated to colours and prints used in the collection. I’ve scanned those pages to share with you. Filippa K can be …