New Start Up Designer Competition
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Lauren Bagliore Spring 2011 |
“The goal is to facilitate a platform for these designers to showcase their talent in a professional setting with access to key mentors from various segments of the industry.”
– Peter Levy, Senior Vice President and Managing Director of IMG Fashion
Faces of Fashion: Senait
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Senait of Elmer Olsen Models |
Are We Just Not That Into Him?
So it was hard to ignore the audible concern over a less-than-stellar turnout at his LG Fashion Week runway show. When will the world properly take note of Denis Gagnon, we all wondered. It doesn’t seem fair (to him) to be kept a secret any longer. This June his genius will be on display at Toronto’s Luminato Festival. Lancôme and Luminato have commissioned Gagnon to create a one-of-a-kind dress installation inspired by Alice in Wonderland. This event will position Denis squarely within the international arts community. And let’s face it, the man is an artist.
Gagnon’s fall 2011 collection was described as a “fusion of colors, textures and materials, the feminine silhouette, endowed with a new profile, enhanced by this exuberant sensuality found in the sculptural work of Denis Gagnon.” Our inveterate creator could have been channeling Michael Alig’s Club Kids of the 90’s in his exploration of a new feminine silhouette.
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Photos by Peter Lytwyniuk / Studiolit.com |
Location, Location, Location
It’s the week before the fashion mega-showcase known as LG Fashion Week beauty by L’Oreal, and fashion crowds are taking in Rogue Fashion Week. The various venues say as much about a designer as the clothes themselves. Kicking off the week at the Burroughs Building, Sparks’ works has a similar kind of historic charm – given his interest in heritage tailoring it’s not a surprise. The former F. C. Burroughes Furniture Company built the original 639 Queen Street West as its flagship retail department store in 1907. I like to think Philip is inspired by the building.
Later in the week we hit the flip side. The almost-complete Trump Tower at Bay and Adelaide provided a great backdrop for the modern flourish of Mark Fast, Mikhael Kale and Arthur Mendonca, and the pre-opening timeslot was edgy enough to warrant men in hard hats as ushers.
Paul Hardy’s romantic collection and meticulous detailing were on point at the National Ballet School – sorry, bad pun – and I found the bowling shoes a fun disruption. The Greta & Ezra Constantine show closed the week at Audi with a slick show like a shiny new hot rod.
It’s not easy hosting a runway show off site, but these are not new kids on the design block. These are some of our top designers, the ones about whom you will say, “I knew them when…” And in reviewing the collections, I thought it more fun to see how they looked on Twitter to the people who watch all the shows, no matter where they are:
Lusting after that soft maple print cocktail dress from Philip Sparks tonight.
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Philip Sparks Fall 2011, photos by Jenna Marie Wakani |
some fierce models. Love the attitude! (@ExposedBlog)
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Mark Fast Fall 2011, photo by Felix Wong |
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Mikhael Kale Fall 2011, photo by Felix Wong |
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Mark Fast Fall 2011, photo by Irem Harnak |
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Mark Fast Fall 2011, photo by Felix Wong |
Arthur Mendonca
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Arthur Mendonca 2011, photo by Dean Sanderson |
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Arthur Mendonca Fall 2011, photo by Felix Wong |
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Paul Hardy, photo by Owen E. McLeod |
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Greta Constantine, photo by Owen E. McLeod |
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Greta Constantine, photo by Owen E. McLeod |
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Greta Constantine, photo by Owen E. McLeod |
Ready for Ready-to-Wear
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photo by Peter Lytwyniuk |
Montreal Fashion Week
Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Scoop International Fashion Show
London Fashion Week
Milan Fashion Week
Paris Fashion Week (Mode à Paris)
LG Fashion Week
Biddell’s Kingdom of Ass-Kicking Ladies
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Photos by Peter Balinski |
Speaking of special….
Evan Biddell autographed TWO limited edition shopping totes by Aldo for YOU, F-listers! I’ll pick two winners at the end of the weekend – contest closes at 8pm on Sunday, October 17th. One entry per person.
All you have to do to enter is email shop@f-list.ca with the names of all seven continents. (Here’s a hint…)
The bag is a symbol of the donation Aldo has made on behalf of the Canadian fashion industry and Evan in the fight against AIDS. You will be proud to carry it!
Catch Evan’s show at LG Fashion Week – Thursday, October 21 at 6:30pm.
Tartaned Up in Halifax
Atlantic Fashion Week is well under way in Halifax, and tonight’s highlights include Katrina Tuttle, fresh off her LG Fashion Week debut, and Veronica MacIsaac (above). Veronica’s specialty is rooted squarely in, well, her Scottish roots. She grew up as a highland dancer and with a nod to her kilt-making mother, was sewing by the age of four. Her parents run the critically acclaimed MacIsaac Kiltmakers in St. Peter’s, Cape Breton Island.
Veronica’s Celtic designs are thoroughly compelling thanks to a keen eye for contemporary trends (check out the one-shoulder tartan dress) and ability to balance the youthful with the elegant. All pieces are custom made-to-order and available in wool, silk, or poly/viscose blend fabric. You can also choose any tartan. And thankfully – we’re pretty sure you don’t need Scottish roots to rock these babies.
Veronica shows tonight during Atlantic Fashion Week at Olympic Center, Halifax.
It’s Official. We’re Throwing a Party.
They say the only constant in fashion is that everything changes. The same can be said about fashion weeks in Toronto. Between a new venue, new designers, and new restrictions on which shows are available to the public, there is plenty of change to LG Fashion Week’s Spring 2010 calendar.
One more change to your fashion week….
Join the F-list Monday through Friday, October 19 – 23, for The Official. It’s fashion week’s biggest party all week, every night at Maro in Liberty Village. We kick off a new season of Designer Spotlights with up and coming designers like Abel Munoz, one of Canada’s few haute shoe designers. Enjoy fashion installations, beauty bars, footage from the runway shows care of Fashion Television, guest dj’s and MORE! Every night is different and always open to the public.
And since Maro is around the corner from the LG Fashion Week tents, we’re throwing out the red carpet for all of fashion week. No cover if you show your LG Fashion Week laminate!
DOORS OPEN 8PM NIGHTLY….stay all night and strike a pose for the cameras! (It’s fashion week, of course there will be cameras!)
Here is just a TASTE of how we kick off our first official Official!
Monday, October 19
Dress to Kill magazine Toronto launch party
Designer spotlight with 2009 TFI New Labels winner, Faren Tami
CLUB RED installation by Aria Boutique
DJ Daniel spins the tunes into the late night
Tuesday, October 20
Designer spotlight with knitwear designer, Heidi Ackerman
Designer installation with IT Showroom featuring Zoran Dobric, Carrie Hayes, Katya Revenko of Desperately Different & Karamea’s MIchelle Turpin
Party all night with DJ Barbi
Log into the F-list for daily schedule updates!
Officially Unofficial
It’s Official – we’re trying something new this fashion week! The F-list will be hosting a new nightly after party at Maro in the Liberty Village, just steps away from the LG Fashion Week tents. Each night of fashion week, Monday through Friday, we will merge fashion, music, art and beauty into a thumping evening of celebration.
It’s a party for the public, fashion insiders and designers to show off their Canadian fashion swagger. You won’t want to miss it.
Details to come! And if you’re looking for tickets to LG Fashion Week, check out www.lgfashionweek.ca.