Last night, the 416’s most fashionable folks were found at The Carlu in a celebratory mood. The reason? The Toronto Fashion Incubator’s New Labels Fashion Design Competition, which trumpets emerging Canadian designers and presents them with $25,000, a Flare editorial feature and a capsule collaboration to be sold at Target. Last year, the talented Sid Neigum won the coveted prize; this year, four design teams battled it out on the runway.
During the cocktail portion of the eve, TFI’s Susan Langdon looked chic in all black; designer Caitlin Power was sharp in her own design while honorary chair Suzanne Rogers and her daughter Chloé were dressed up to the nines in pastels (Erdem and Sherri Hill, respectively). A bevy of Flare ladies — including head honcho Miranda Purves in vintage — were spotted milling about alongside Fashion’s Randi Bergman, the always-dapper Nicholas Mellamphy, ebullient model Stacey McKenzie and Sylvia Mantella in a frothy confection of a gown.
Following cocktails, guests tucked into dinner (think beef tenderloin with miso-glazed black cod and mushroom risotto) while MC Dina Pugliese introduced the competing designers. When plates had been cleared, the fashion show began.
First up was Sarah Stevenson, who drew inspiration from Baroque still-life works for her fall collection. Translating her own paintings to prints, the designer put out a series of pieces that were darkly romantic and demonstrated a highly coherent design process. A floral-print maxi dress with laser-cut detailing across the bust was particularly stunning, but each look possessed an incredible attention to detail. Stevenson was pegged as the top contender early on.
Paria Shirvani showed next. Her collection — inspired by armour — merged the masculine with the feminine; hard edges were juxtaposed with soft, draping lines. Her closing looks, which featured faux porcupine fur inserts, were the most visually arresting.
Christopher Paunil — designed by Paunil and Chalo Barrueta — had a large fan base among the audience. They chose to break the so-called rules for winter dressing and put forth a collection in an unexpected colour palette: ivory and blush pink. Classic silhouettes were set off with subtle details, such as a neoprene cardigan with circular slits layered over a slim pant and a tank.
Finally, models strutted out in pieces from Defne Husrevoglu and Maiko Suzuki’s Seventhirtyone line. The fun-loving designers cited a road trip as inspiration; their collection did indeed feel nomadic thanks to plenty of volume — in both body and sleeve — paired with dramatic hoods and a slimmer leg.
Following the runway shows, Pugliese thanked designer David Dixon for creating a dress that didn’t require Spanx, while the judges (Dixon, Rogers and Purves, alongside TNT’s Arie Assaraf and Target’s Elisha Ballantyne and John Morioka) retreated backstage to deliberate.
Chloé Rogers brought out the award before mom Suzanne read out the winner: Sarah Stevenson. The lovely designer gave a gracious acceptance speech, thanking the judges for their patience and kind words, and with that, the night was done. We can’t wait to see what she does at Target.