Following a night’s sleep, the fashion pack was back at it again for the second round of The Collections. The crowd — many of whom were dressed fittingly in military greens — gathered early for a menswear showing from Klaxon Howl. Designer Matt Robinson sent out a spring/summer collection imbued with just what followers have come to expect: militaristic influences and work gear tinged with a touch of urbanity and plenty of swagger.
Favoured industrial designer-cum-model Jano Badovinac bore down the runway in a hunter green jacket fit with patch pockets paired with a cropped pant. A blue plaid button-down peered out from beneath the jacket. Throughout the collection we saw plenty of mixing and matching, with striped shirts meeting more camo and black and white graphic tees keeping things contemporary. Overall, it was a strong collection and will certainly please the line’s cult-like followers.
Up next was Sid Neigum. The house was full and it was no wonder — the designer recently won the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s New Labels Fashion Design competition, and many were curious to see what the now Toronto-based designer had done to deserve the accolades.
Models marched out in a series of layered looks, with mismatched hemlines jostling one another for attention. The palette ran the gamut from white to black, with shades of brown and grey interspersed throughout the collection. Knits — some edged in leather — were strong, and, having grown weary of the “reverse mullet” look, we loved the pieces featuring long-in-front-short-in-back hemlines. The sole disappointment was the lack of menswear. At Neigum’s last showing, much of the womenswear was kept under wraps due to the upcoming competition; this time around the men’s gear was pared down to two looks. Next time we hope to see more of a balance.
Scheduling differences meant we were forced to skip local gal Cara Cheung and expat Antonio Azzuolo; we did, however, make it across town in time for Jeremy Laing. The Toronto-based designer ratcheted up the excitement factor to a frenzy as, for once, Hogtown trumped NYC.
While those in the Big Apple missed out on a proper show, Torontonians were treated to an actual runway presentation. Drawing all of fashion’s big names —including Bernadette Morra, Barbara Atkin and Suzanne Boyd — the 34-look collection saw models fit with a series of looks influenced by sports gear, many of which were layered separates. The attention to detail was phenomenal, with each piece containing subtle — and not so subtle — accents that proved why Laing is the country’s most noteworthy designer. We were impressed by his handling of lamé-like fabrics (actually tarnished foil chiffon), which so often come across as garish, but we were most enamoured with the dresses featuring snap-on components — an ingenious way to breathe new life into cocktail wear.
And with that, the first week came to a close.
Next week: Arthur Mendonça, Pink Tartan and more