Whenever I end up liking something pink, it’s usually a perfect garment. This is one of these times. This jacket is just gorgeous. Simone Rocha is an Irish designer who debuted in London for the Spring 2011 collections. The coat is a knitted wafer mesh that doesn’t really show up in these photos very well. If you check the Moda Operandi site you’ll be able to zoom and check out the beauty of the fabric. I love a great full skirt so it’s no surprise I love this coat. Knit Mesh Coat by Simone Rocha is $1,465 and is available online at Moda Operandi. A little birdy (Okay it was Nicholas Mellamphy’s Instagram) told me that Simone Rocha is also available at The Room at The Hudson’s Bay. I’m pretty sure this coat is one of the buys!
Check out the Simone Rocha fall winter 2013 fashion show. See this coat in motion.
The Proenza Schouler duo of Lazaro Hernandez and Jack McCollough came to Toronto for very short day trip and The Room celebrated their arrival. Unlike the Anna Dello Russo party, this was a small affair. It was a welcome change from the madness of Anna. I brought a long time blogging friend Zoë Hong with me. She’s a designer from San Fransisco that happened to be vacationing in Toronto for the weekend. Her Asymmetrical black leather corselet belt made my I want list. I still think about it.
It was hilarious that Zoë visits Toronto and Danielle isn’t in the country.  Zoë did tell me stories of her adventures with Danielle in NYC to fill the void. It was pretty surprising that Jennifer Campbell of Flare recognized Zoë from the Internet. Oh, old school fash blogging days.
Some media got interview time with Jack and Lazaro at the beginning of the event. I met them, super quickly made small talk and then photos. It’s like a factory floor when all the guests want to meet the guests. The guys were really sweet and they took pictures with everyone and chatted. Very gracefully I might add. I have one question I wish I remembered to ask them. I’m curious how their Moda Operandi experience went? I think it’s a pretty neat idea. It’s your typical membership based online shopping site with a twist: designer trunk shows. Moda Operandi gives shoppers a chance to purchase items from designers before production has started. It’s full access to the entire collection instead of the buyers selections when it hits the stores. Like a trunk show, you pay 50% up front. A few months later, at the start of the seaason’s deliveries,  you receive your purchase and you pay the remaining 50%. People can now order that crazy finale statement dress that will never see retail because of its low sell through rate or budget constraints. I’m pretty impressed with the site (great images and video) and it’s damn tempting, let me tell you.
Of course, men and women were swooning over Jack and Lazaro. Jack’s blue eyes are so striking. You can tell I’m just swooning like crazy in this photo. They are so cute, look at those smiles.
Now I loved swooning over the boys and everything but my main concern was the clothing. This is why I love these pre-trunk show parties. It’s all about up close access to the clothing. To see it and touch it. Racks and racks of Proenza Schouler filled the space. I’ve seen a few pieces here and there but never this much. I successfully didn’t drool on any PS1 handbags.
The clothing is so phenomenal, I want to wear it all. I wish I could afford it all.
See all my photos from Proenza Schouler at The Room.
If you are interested in checking out what everyone was wearing (including yours truly) please check out these wonderful sites:
1. These Roving Eyes – Jason Hudson is a wizard with the camera. He’s also a complete doll and included 3 photos of me in his event roundup.
2. B-Insider – The Bay’s blog is pretty impressive. Christopher Sherman took Polaroid photos and then scanned them. Really cute.
Roland Mouret is a good bet for beautiful clothing. I love the back detail on this dress. The daring v-neck brings some sex to this otherwise conservative gown. The gown isn’t black but midnight-navy.
Roland Mouret is available at The Room at The Hudson’s Bay.
Jason Wu and I have similar shaped heads. I can’t get that thought out of my mind whenever I look at this picture. I met Jason when he came to The Room for a Trunk Show and cocktail party in his honour. Jason Wu’s bio reads like one of the those prodigy kids. At 16 he was well on his way to becoming a designer creating couture like clothing for dolls at Integrity Toys. At 17, he became the Creative Director of Integrity Toys.
Jason studied fashion design at Parson and started his namesake label in 2006. He created Michelle Obama’s ivory inaugural gown which pushed him into the limelight and made him a household name.
I never appreciated Jason’s collection until I saw it up close. His style is very ladylike; socialite wear if you’d like. The details and fabrics that make his clothing interesting aren’t noticeable in photos. I was really surprised at some of the luxurious fabrics he used in the collections. All clothing is manufactured in the United States.
I do find Jason Wu’s collections are a bit of a hodge podge of looks. I can never seem to grasp an underlying theme or style that stands out as Jason Wu in my mind. Regardless the man does make some pretty clothing with interesting details.
I wasn’t able to interview Jason but I found a video where he talks about his inspiration for Fall Winter 2010 – 2011
If you’ve ever wondered how to climb the social ladder with grace, how to feel confident in every situation, or even how to make a lasting impression (but not the kind that lands you on the latest “Worst Dressed Listâ€)—Derek Blasberg is here, with quotes and secrets from all the socialites so girls everywhere can learn how to have class.
This hilarious handbook will provide everything you need to know about fashion, socializing, dating, and etiquette. With tons of practical tips and tools for learning to flaunt what you’ve got, dozens of specific how-tos, common no-nos, and huge blunders that even smart girls make, this tongue-in-cheek book will train you to be a lady, and not a tramp!
The people watching at the party was very interesting. There were a lot of scenester kids around dressed to the nines. I love that. They make fashion fun and I’m glad someone is there to take it seriously because I’m lazy in that regard. I came to the party from the office and had those restrictions. I obsessed over Jeremy Laing’s assistant, Sarah. She was wearing one of the pieces from the Fall Winter 2010 – 2010 collection and it looked stunning on her. She is the only girl I know that can fully rock the orange Prada-esque lipstick.
Suzanne Rogers approached me as I was waiting for Derek to get a photo and say hi. She knew my name (we’ve met once and I’m really sure she didn’t remember) and said she was a fan of I want – I got. Needless to say I was in complete shock. I had no idea I was on the radar of socialites. It was pretty special because I’m a Suzanne Rogers fangirl.
Derek was very sweet. He signed my book and took a photo. He worked the room like no one’s business and spoke to everyone there. It was really amazing to watch. Towards the end of the night, Derek took one of his photo heads and placed it on Jason’s drawing, it was hilarious. It was a fun little event and thanks to The Room for providing copies of Classy for all the attendees. I haven’t read mine yet, but it looks like a fun little book.
I didn’t see any of notice the Alaïa sandals when I was at The Room taking photos. I love the detailing on both shoes and the Lace front peep-toe are my favourites. You can find both of these styles online at net-a-porter.com. Both Holt Renfrew and The Room sells Alaïa shoes in Toronto.
Brian Atwood made a personal appearance at The Room. Brian Atwood is a CFDA award-winning footwear designer. He grew up in Chicago and studied clothing design at FIT. This formal model began working for Gianni Versace in 1996 on the Versus Line and then was promoted to chief designer of women’s accessories. This is where he learned all about shoes. In 2001, the Brian Atwood label was created. In 2003, Brian was awarded the Swarovski’s Perry Ellis Award for Accessory Design from the CFDA. I did a little interview with Brian on my lunch hour. I was a little taken back by just how good-looking the man is. The photo says everything.
Anita: You seem have everything right now. Celebrity fans, a 9+ year business that has been very successful, you are award winning. What are your next steps? Where do you see yourself in the future? What are you working toward?
Brian: Definitely opening stores and giving the customer more of an inside look at what they would look like in this Brian Atwood world.
Anita: Do you see yourself branching out to more than just shoes?
Brian: Definitely, possibility in Ready to Wear. Bags definitely will come. We have a small collection that mainly complement the shoes but I’m definitely eying that aspect. Anything that feels the synergies that goes with brand and the aesthetic of the brand. It could be jeans, could be sexy jeans. Could be anything that went with the brand.
Anita: You are originally trained as a fashion designer and you’ve moved into shoes and accessories. What do you feel is your favourite now. Do you still gravitate to clothing?
Brian: I still love clothing but definitely I have been sketching shoes for as long as I can remember. Before it meant anything to me. I can drape a dress, I can sew but really that foundation I was always interested in architecture. Building that shoe, there is such a small space on a shoe to make it work. It’s always challenging that how do we make the same impact of that dress and have that equally effective in a shoe. It’s very challenging.
Anita: I can imagine.
Brian: But nowadays you can put anything on a shoe.
Anita: That’s so true. (this is were I laugh and get lost in his eyes, I snap out of it and get back to the interview, ha ha)
Anita: What do you think are the next trends coming out for footwear?
Brian: Well I really think we’ve embellished them with everything we everything from studs to lizards. We have seen a return of the lower heel. Nowadays I think the platform and these really high heels have become a staple in a women’s wardrobe. I think now it’s just really just giving women beautiful shoes and playing on with colours and textures and keeping it luxurious.
That evening, The Room hosted a little cocktail party for Brian Atwood, select media and a whole wack load of Toronto socialites. I’m really ignorant of Toronto socialites. I know of and met a few of them and others I just see around a lot. There was a lot of money in the room, that I knew for sure. I noticed Chanel, Hermes, Alaia and Balmain on a few of the women.  A couple Birkins were battling it out, the croc won. I wondered about their individual routines for getting ready for such an event.
Yup, that's right. Head to toe Balmain people
Standing in this room watching them interact was the best people watching ever. Eventually Brian Atwood entered and everyone gravitated to him. Watching him work the room of these women was amazing. He commands the room and is really such a lovely person to interact with. It was easy to see why everyone woman wanted to talk to him.
I had a great time at the event and I got to see some of The Room’s great personal shopping and party facilities. I always love getting this insider view. There was fashion to gawk at, canapes to eat and friends to chat with. Yasmin Warsame showed up in one of my favourite pieces from Jeremy Laing spring summer 2010. She looked absolutely stunning. I even got a double kiss from Brian and a hug from Yasmin, I swooned. It was a good time.
Yasmin Warsame in Jeremy Laing
You are going to want to see the slideshow. I went to town snapping shoe pics with the Olympus E-PL1. I’m still in love with the Olympus E-PL1 and I don’t want to go back to my Pentax.
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