Last week, The ShOws acted as a palate teaser for the fashion crowd, with Monday marking the debut of the official World MasterCard Fashion Week. Usually a comparatively low-key day, this season was an exception, with collections from Izzy Camilleri, Chloé Comme Parris, Pink Tartan and Bustle shown back to back.
Throughout the day, we saw editorial faces like Bernadette Morra, Lisa Tant and Tiyana Grulovic appear in the front row alongside Canuck celebs such as Jully Black, the ever-ebullient Stacey McKenzie (who donned a dress with a slit up-to-there), and Ainsley Kerr in a Chloé Comme Parris dress from this season.
The first show of the day marked Izzy Camilleri’s return to the runway. A doyenne of Toronto fashion scene, Camilleri showcased a new ready-to-wear line, MIZ, which featured a series of ’60s-inspired looks specifically aimed at boomer ladies. A suitably silver-haired woman opened the show, enrobed in a head-to-toe houndstooth look topped with a black coat with a hefty silver fox collar. More fur pieces continued to accent looks — like a mixed animal print blouse with a faux-fur collar — though unfortunately the collection as a whole lacked pop, and the houndstooth and animal prints felt like safe fallbacks for middle-aged women. We expected a bit more swagger from the designer who landed one of her furs in The Devil Wears Prada.
Chloé Comme Parris is always a big draw of the week, with Chloe and Parris Gordon relentlessly promoting a pronounced cool-girl vibe through their designs. For fall, the sisters unfolded a collection with all the classic CCP trappings: a glam-grunge aesthetic, delicately illustrative prints, piercing culture-inspired hardware and a great soundtrack to boot. Over the strains of Kurt Cobain, models trounced out in various covetable looks: a menswear-inspired blouse fit with Jugendstil-like sketches; a grey knit dress with a lattice of chains; a hunter green leather perfecto with etched motifs running down the sleeves. Jewellery accents included charm-adorned necklaces and others done in a delicate chain-link. Overall, the collection hit all of the right notes and, come fall, is bound to spring up in plenty of editorial spreads.
Kimberley Newport-Mimran’s collections for Pink Tartan are another hot ticket, and thankfully her show wasn’t penciled into the same night as Joe Fresh. The show drew Jorn Weisbrodt, Suzanne Boyd (in a sizable fur vest) and a bevy of ladies dolled up in Pink Tartan gear. Joe Mimran grinned and greeted his way down the front row, settling down as the show began.
For fall, it was all about fur. Fur collars, fur stoles, full-fledged fur coats, frocks edged in fur and even a fur skirt. Fur was everywhere. Fur aside, Newport-Mimran was up to her old tricks, referencing the ’60s while still keeping silhouettes modern and fresh. The only misstep was the hair: the models were fit with mussed-up blonde bobs, which were a wee bit too shiny to pass as real locks, detracting slightly from the garb. Highlights for fall included a Barbie-pink sheath topped with a baby-pink fur collar, a stunning royal-blue fur coat and, in the non-fur realm, the various garments done in a floral print, which appeared to have been touched by a pointillist brush. Yet another success story for Kim.
The atmosphere at Bustle seemed slightly more subdued than usual. Ruth Promislow and Shawn Hewson’s runway saw lampposts front a shot of Big Ben, preparing attendees for a show filled with Londontown references. As per usual, the menswear collection encouraged gents to boldly embrace pattern-play. Favourites included a head-to-toe Benday dot look, featuring a two-tone blazer over a dotted shirt and pants. Model Myles Sexton — usually found draped in sheer black, erm, asset-enhancing garb — looked relatively demure in a floral-print button-down paired with relaxed-fitting pants. Hewson’s runway appearance exemplified the duo’s thoughts on mixing and matching patterns, marking the end to another fun and lighthearted collection.
Tomorrow: Laura Siegel and Sid Neigum