By Sarah Nicole Prickett

At League of Lovers and Thieves, a collaborative interplay between Toronto designers Sonja Den Elzen (Thieves) and Dana Kiyoko Takeda (League of Lovers), hearts were stolen with ease and grace.

From the first strains of Sigur Rós and the first steps on those impossible shoes—carved-out blocks of wood tethered tenuously to models’ feet with bits of twisted fabric—The Studio’s intimate audience was noticeably spellbound. Looks were layered and asymmetrical, balancing conceptual Japanese draping with Scandinavian austerity, and came in muted or translucent hues: bone, cloud grey, putty, slate blue and charcoal. Organic cotton dresses had a silvery sheen, while trousers and a ballet skirt in the same fabric were screened with a constellation print—stellar, literally. On-trend feather motifs showed up too, on the front of a sheer tank and all over a cute jersey onesie. Colour came softly in the form of a grey-over-peach frock with a pintucked hem (uneven on purpose, natch) and shimmery lilac tights. A couple of watercolour print dresses, tie-dyed and ribbon-tied, were just as pretty. For the guys, schoolboy shorts (shown, like most of the collection, over ruched leggings) and loose, lightly pleated trousers ruled.

Judith Desjardins gave spectators two shows for the attention span of one. First up was her Bodybag by Jude label, a cutesy capsule collection that looks like weekend wear for young working girls. There were a few sweet frocks, like a swingy strawberry-red number with ruffle placket, and the requisite jumpsuits. The rest was separates, versatile but mostly uninteresting: Bermudas, twill pants and little sateen jackets. Pleated jersey pieces came in beachy colours, from sand to sun-yellow and turquoise. A purple maxi dress, snap-buttoned all the way down would be great to wear on vacation, assuming you don’t want to meet anyone there—it’s about as sexy as it sounds.

The last third of show belonged to J.U.D.E., the designer’s after-hours alter ego. Sophisticated silks—like a black-and-ivory, DVF-ish print or a wine-stain purple—made for pretty skirts and party dresses. Uptown girls will approve.

Vancouver’s Evan & Dean, and the line’s designers, Raymond Boutet and Lyle Reimer, are quickly earning a name on the scene as the Pretty Boys: the fresh, feminine clothes are made to make girls feel gorgeous. Crafted from all-organic materials, the Spring 2009 collection was as nice to nature as it was inspired by it. Hand-cut flower and leaf appliqués—with metalwork wrist and shin cuffs to match—graced everything from swingy shifts to boxy, short-sleeve jackets (a must-have shape for the season) to, um, pedal-pushers? Colour combinations took a very West Coast view: cloud white on pale sky twill or wet sand on crude oil silk. Just when we were yawning from all the natural neutrals, out came new leaves (gilded greens) and fiercely blooming tiger lilies (hot tangerines and corals). The final numbers—gleaming column or A-line gowns—crescendoed to a wedding dress in ivory-to-putty, bust-to-hem appliqué. Simply stunning.

Toronto: Morales and Rudsak

Posted on October 24, 2008

By Sarah Casselman

This season, everything is coming up roses for designer Renata Morales who sent models down the runway in an array of ethereal, candyfloss frocks.

Pretty pastels washed over the rosette-accented chiffon pieces and girlie-glam sequins were layered under filmy skirts. Hemlines moved north (minis!) and south (maxis!) but our favourite length fell just below the knee on the flapper-inspired tank dresses. Adorable! The collection took an Asian spin with the Japanese pop art prints on oversized dresses and strapless column gowns. One model’s floor-length frock was so narrow that she was forced to take geisha-style steps down the runway. Best details: braided trim, ruffles, rosettes, sequins and shimmer.

Rudsak injected a little energy into the evening (hey, it’s been a long week!) with designer Evik Asatoorian’s lineup of leather looks. The brand is known for au courant outerwear and this season was no exception. Trench coats and motorcycle jackets were offered up in a cool minimalist palette of black and white. Tres chic! Bright, ruby-red accents were sprinkled throughout the collection providing a pop of colour amongst the monochromatic must-haves. In love with: the leather bags. Give carte blanche to the white version for spring. Trend to pass on: double leather (jacket and pants). If you aren't a fan of double denim, this tricky trend may not get your motor running. Spring must-have: a rich caramel coloured leather blazer.

Until my next jottings, my lovelies...xo

Carlie Wong, Zoran Dobric, Evan Biddell and more

Posted on October 23, 2008

By Sarah Nicole Prickett

Fifteen minutes late is no longer fashionable. This I learned the hard way, arriving to Carlie Wong’s sophomore outing just in time for her standing O. It wasn’t hard to see where that came from, once we caught up with runway footage of the “Glamourous Gangster” collection.

Wong’s gun molls and grown-up dolls, tricked out in fedoras and finger waves, had flaunted an ultra-wearable array of so-called “luxury sportswear:” think lavishly ruffled blouses, pleated wide-leg trousers, and bow-tied cocktail dresses. The jumpsuits, while nice, are starting to look a bit stale, but a short-sleeved, silver-grey trench was both fresh and timeless. And there was a great one-shoulder gown (is any Spring 2009 collection complete without one?) in icy blue silk, just the thing to make its wearer stand out in a sea of LBDs.

“Wrinkled is not a style,” my mother always argued. Well, she can take it up with Zoran Dobric, who paired artfully crinkled and scrunch-hemmed silks with his signature digital prints for spring. The best of his graphics came in deep-sea shades of green, complimented by shimmery shell details (crafted by jewellery and accessories designer Mirjana Scepanovic). Less appealing was a stripe that echoed fake wood grain and showed up on everything from shift dresses to jean-like trousers to guys’ vests. In fact, the favourite pieces were neither printed nor patterned. Instead, a cool black jacket, cut from stiff, high-shine cotton and detailed with biker zips and a simple sash, drew covetous oohs from the crowd. And the cropped, slightly relaxed trousers, most of which were zipped or buttoned at the ankle, appear universally flattering—ironed or not.

Double-billed as a “fashion grindhouse,” the back-to-back presentation of Toronto faves Damzels in this Dress (pretty in punk) and Playdead Cult (just plain punk) is reliably a riot. First up, Leslieville locals Kelly Freeman and Rory Lindo showed off five sets of sassy frocks, starting with white stretch denim emblazoned with tattoo art by David Glantz. Distressed gingham would send anyone but the most diehard rockabilly running for the hills, but the girls redeemed themselves with hand-dyed, sunrise-hued slip dresses, styled with bedhead and cigarette for instant va-va-voom.

And from the west side of Queen Street, Playdead Cult brought in an air band of costumed “Grim Moops.” The black-hooded mascots banged out “Beat It” as models stomped out in looks made to please every suburban mall-punk who’s ever run away to the city. For girls, skull and skeletal butterfly prints were surprisingly sweet (less so, the cargo and denim jackets and miniskirts that looked “borrowed” from Garage Clothing); for guys, cut-off blazers and jeans covered in rips and rock ’n’ roll patches ruled the day.

The “making-of” video that played before Evan Biddell’s Spring 2009 show may have been set to the Woodhands’ “I Wasn’t Made for Fighting,” but the clothes couldn’t have been hotter for young urban warriors. There were slashed bodysuits, cowl-hooded capes and bat-wing blouses, and an unapologetically sheer black gown that made the model look like a dark angel. Even eyelet cotton was anything but innocent, looking more like exaggerated mesh in all those athletic rompers and hoodies (worn over nothing but skin, naturally.) And while Biddell’s denim experiments bordered on extreme—crotches dropped to the knee, a pair of skinnies corseted up to the bust, and hot shorts more aptly described as briefs—a quick dinnertime survey in the media lounge says there’s nothing a forward-thinking twenty-something wouldn’t totally wear. Jury’s still out on jean skirts for the boys, though.

Shown ZORAN DOBRIC Spring 2009. Photography by Stephanie Trendocher

Toronto: Thien Le, Andy Thê-Anh, Joe Fresh Style

Posted on October 23, 2008

By Sarah Casselman

Today at the tents people are talking about:

- The Toronto Star article about FDCC prez Robin Kay’s rather, er, foggy moment
- Sore feet
- The K-Swiss shoes in the Evan Biddel gift bag
- Which after party to hit (The answer? Joe Fresh Style at Fashion House)

On with the shows...

Thien Le turned out a mixed bag of designs that left the crowd wondering, what was the overall fashion message? While we applaud Le’s liberal use of soft watercolours (think optimistic swirls of pink, red, purple and green), we have one tiny suggestion for the never-ending lineup of looks: Edit. Among the colourful skin print caftans (very Jennifer Lopez), models hit the runway in ombre print pieces, bow blouses, high-waisted wide leg trousers and sweet day dresses with ladylike floral and lace accents. The show was capped off with Corner Gas actress Tara Spencer-Nairn taking a spin down the runway in her wedding dress.

Designer Andy Thê-Anh has been a busy bee. Last week he was buzzing about Montreal Fashion Week and now he has landed at the tents in Toronto to show his highly anticipated spring 2009 collection that included: leather jackets with peplums, LBDs with sheer accents, lots of accordian pleated pieces, sexy flesh tones, draped pockets and jersey jumpsuits (big for spring!). Models sported Gwen Stefani-esque hair (think slick, high and futuristic) and first-day-of-spring flushed cheeks. Tricky trend to try: mile long neon pink faux lashes. Signature Andy Thê-Anh looks: jewel-encrusted tops, heavy industrial zippers, ruching and ruffles. The bejewelled brooches hit a haute high note clustered on shoulders and hips. Best statement to tie on this season: big, bold plate necklaces. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the bright Transformer-inspired platform shoes from Aldo. Footwear has reached a new frontier this spring. Tread loudly.

Joe Fresh Style closed the night with a runway lesson in chic-o-nomics. Translation: chic looks at sweet prices. The sporty-meets-preppy collection included ribbed cardigans, cropped nylon jackets (so sport utility), Three-quarter sleeve striped boat neck tops, platform shoes, mesh shorts, rompers, lace shirt dresses and darling bubble skirts. (Lavender, I want you!) And, for you shoe lovers out there, get ready to fall in love with the white leather brogues ($59) and the sexy platform shoes ($29). Foot fetish, anyone?

Until my next jottings, my lovelies...xo

Shown: ANDY THÊ-ANH Spring 2009. Photography by Jess Baumung