Fashion ideas are seldom born in Toronto, but they are adopted here in increasingly cool and wearable ways. We spotted ten trends—and one, eco-design, that’s more like a movement—at LG Fashion Week.
HOTHOUSE FLORALS
Every fall I take my seat at one fashion show or another and hear the voice of Meryl Streep in my ear: “Florals for spring. Groundbreaking.” But this season, some tropical hues and lushly abstract applications—especially at Anu Raina (left), Sarah Stevenson (middle) and Arthur Mendonca (right)—made the perennial prints bloom anew.
ONE SHOULDER
Those Grecian bitches were onto something: a good asymmetrical drape hides a multitude of sins. No one cuts it like Jeremy Laing (middle), but Lauren Bagliore (left) gave it a go, while Arthur Mendonca (right) did Lanvin for less.
NO SHOULDERS
Cold shoulders are nothing new to the fashion crowd, but the literal kind have been cropping up on international runways for three seasons or so (I credit Alexander Wang). Last week, Pink Tartan (left), Laura Siegel (middle), and Lala Berlin (right) all brought the bone-baring trend to Toronto.
NOT-SO-MELLOW YELLOW
Spring’s favourite hue—seen at Lida Baday (left), Joe Fresh (middle), Arthur Mendonca (right) and more—is super-saturated sunshine, the colour of smiley faces and dollar stores. Is this a contrarian reaction to the economic climate? An expression of optimism and resilience in the face of global despair, and/or an ironic comment on discount shopping? No. We were just bored of other colours.
PLEATS, PLEASE
A sharp little school-girlish skirt is never out, per se, but you’ll have plenty of pleated options come spring. Label (left) did it in necessary black, Amanda Lew Kee (middle) used luscious caramel silk, and every fashion girl I know wants the Jonathan Saunders-y colourblocked look from Joe Fresh (right).
THE WHITE SUIT
Right, like you’re not going to spill coffee on it. The least scary option is by Joeffer Caoc (left), who mixed his whites for a less sterile feel. Chloe Comme Parris (middle) did white denim, which is so wrong it’s right, and Caitlin Power (right) de-Hillary’d her pantsuit with sexy side cut-outs (like Chloe Comme Parris last season).
TRANSPARENCY RULES
Dilemma: you want to wear a grown-up gown, but you still have, like, really good legs. Solutions presented themselves last week, as Lala Berlin (left), VAWK (middle) and Amanda Lew Kee (right) all took the sheer trend to new lengths.
MONOCHROMATICS
Black-and-white got way less boring last week, as a handful of designers used it with asymmetry and aplomb. Mercedes-Benz Start Up participants UNTTLD (left), newcomer Melissa Nepton (middle) and Lauren Bagliore (right) all did graphic, almost optical-illusory prints.
KALEIDOSCOPICS
On the other hand, acid-trippy digital prints showed no signs of fading at Amanda Lew Kee (left), Lala Berlin (middle) or JUMA (right).
THE REDUXEDO
Several designers experimented with tuxedo styling, most notably in the shirt department: there’s Golnaz Ashtiani‘s pastel take (left), Caitlin Power‘s self-modelled version (middle) and a mod-looking number at Joe Fresh (right).
GREEN CONSCIENCE
Brazil-hailing Baby Steinberg (left) uses fabric remnants and discarded trimmings to create dresses that don’t look recycled: the highest compliment for an eco-designer. Laura Siegel (middle) works with South East Asian village artisans to create original prints, stamped onto sustainable textiles using natural dyes. A graduate of both prestigious Parsons in New York and the Toronto Fashion Incubator here, Siegel says more and more designers—even ones without the “eco” appellation—are designing with the environment in mind. Anu Raina (right), also hand-dyes and designs her own textiles.
All photos by George Pimentel / FDCC.
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Sarah Nicole Prickett is the Toronto Standard Style Critic
