As the longest day of Fashion Week, day two got off to a relatively early start with Adrian Wu’s latest collection. In the past, the young designer has shown in the smaller studio space; this time, he presented in the main runway room, relinquishing some of the intimacy. There, beneath a spinning disco ball, a pianist and a female soloist readied themselves for the show, starting on the Marilyn Monroe number “I Wanna Be Loved By You” as the first model appeared.
Wu tends to polarize people with his work; this collection was no different. Citing the idea of dystopia as his inspiration, Wu crafted a series of dresses out of polyurethane, a foam-like material that he moulded and painted after it had hardened. The resulting texture was akin to hardened chewing gum. Staying true to his aesthetic, Wu’s pieces became increasingly distorted as the show wore on; a gold mini dress transformed into more violent configurations, with the final model appearing to have been engulfed by a sage-coloured shrub. What it comes down to is that Wu is a boundary-pushing artist — he just works with the human form.
Next up, Ashtiani drew the likes of boutique owner Glenna Weddle and PR maven Christine Faulhaber to her spring collection. The up-and-coming designer showed a series of sporty, pastel-hued looks that played around with geometrical forms. The best pieces included refined takes on the sweatshirt — done through the interplay of shapes, fabrics and textures — and a sheer jacket with bubblegum pink patent leather accents.
Ashtiani
Evan Biddell made his return to Fashion Week, following a two-year hiatus. Refusing to play by the rules, Biddell’s collection seemed a tad disjointed — which is exactly how he wanted it to be. Showing a series of dresses in an array of fabrics — a kaleidoscopic leopard made way for Chinoiserie followed by a pop art print — the models looped repeatedly down the runway, ensuring that each garment got more than its fair share of time in the sun. Our favourite was the opening look: a floor length gown done in the aforementioned leopard print with a leather neckline. As the show drew to a close, Biddell appeared hunched over his smartphone — a hilarious reference to the stooped position spotted on just about everyone — before taking his bow.
Evan Biddell
A major draw of the day was the Mercedez-Benz StartUp final, in which eight design teams from across Canada presented capsule collections while vying for the prize. Competitors included Lauren Bagliore, Malorie Urbanovitch, DUY and Dreamboat Lucy. Our hopes were pinned on Toronto-based Caitlin Power, although we felt that she didn’t push herself enough as a designer since last season. Following a brief interlude, Bernadette Morra announced the winner: Duy Nguyen’s line DUY. His collection of separates was the most wearable, and, having been on the Canadian scene for quite some time, he undoubtedly deserved the prize.
Duy Nguyen
Day two ended with Bustle, the menswear line designed by Ruth Promislow and Shawn Hewson. Known for elaborate staging, the duo opted to fix up the runway with trunks of clothing and faux elephant tusks this time around. The vision for spring was a bold one: tropical safari. Bright looks were marched out in colour combos that would turn wallflowers on their heels: a head-to-toe coral and tangerine floral print; a vertically colour-blocked button-down paired with striped salmon pants. Just like the presentation, the collection itself was lighthearted and fun, and we hope to see men embrace its joie de vivre for spring.
Up next: Lucian Matis and Joe Fresh
