Our Style Critic's own first memory of Fashion Week. Obviously sometime during the era of Atkins diets.
The home of Toronto Fashion Week(s) is less a permanent fixture than a slow-moving merry-go-round of venues. Over 13 years, the shows materialized in various locations throughout the city. It was quietly conceived 12 years ago in the picturesque Windsor Arms Hotel. Since then, it’s had stints at the Liberty Grand, a reprieve at Nathan Phillips Square and a two-season stay at the Heritage Court at the Direct Energy Centre among others. This season, LGFW settles into its new digs, David Pecaut Square—formerly known as Metro Square—on King Street Not-Too-West.
We spoke to five industry insiders who shared their memories of venues past.
ROBIN KAY, president of FDCC
Attending TFW since: Fall of 1999.
First TFW memory: The first venue, the Windsor Arms Hotel, was pretty and it was downtown. I’d known the Windsor Arms before it was drastically renovated, but the building was still beautiful. It held the right size of rooms and it was very intimate there. It was so new, it didn’t really matter what the format was. You have to start somewhere. When I had the idea to do a fashion week, it’s because there wasn’t one. It was well-received and it got me thinking about what it should be, why it should be and how to do it.
This year’s site: Putting this together is absolutely enormous and involves a million meticulous details. To plan, build and invite, whether it’s in a tent or not, requires a tremendous amount of thought and a team of people.
Ideal venue: The missing component in a beautiful venue like the Heritage Court was that it wasn’t receiving enough marketing. Marketing is so valuable. Now, a lot of people will see the tents and know it’s fashion week. They’ll have respect for designers as an industry and see them as part of our city’s culture. To me, that’s extremely important. Fashion week—because of the incredible media exposure we get—brings a real global awareness to the city. It’s accessible, but it’s also far more visible.
DERICK CHETTY, fashion reporter for the Toronto Star
Attending TFW since: The late ’80s, when it was the Festival of Canadian Fashion at the Metro Convention Centre.
First TFW memory: I remember the David Dixon show at the Windsor Arms. They brought in leaves and sod, which they laid out in the courtyard of the hotel. I think they wanted that to be the runway just for that show. It was beautiful, but it was indoors and it was also quite messy. Fashion week wasn’t on the same scale as it is today. Last season at Heritage Court, the runway room could fit 900 people. Back then, it didn’t have that many shows because I don’t remember going to a week’s worth of shows.
Favourite venue: I liked City Hall. It was central and I could easily get to it, especially from work. And leaving there late at night, it was easy to get a taxi or just walk over to the subway on Queen and Yonge. Also, there’s a lot of waiting time in between shows and a location like that gives you the chance to do things—like go to Starbucks just across the street. I felt like I wasn’t wasting a lot of time there.
This year’s site: For me, the location is always a primary concern—how fast I can get to it and how convenient it is. If you plunk it downtown and I can get there within minutes, then I’m happy about it. That’s why I’m looking forward to David Pecaut Square. All of the amenities are right outside the tents.
Ideal venue: I would want a venue where the area in which people mill around in between shows is spacious. Also, more seating, especially since you’re practically waiting an hour in between shows. That was one of the good things about the Heritage Court. It was very large and you could move easily, even though it was very crowded. Even with the tents at City Hall, I remember that at times, it got really packed in between shows.
ANITA CLARKE, blogger of iwantigot.com
Attending fashion week since: October 2006.
First TFW memory: It was at Muzik, which was smaller and more intimate. I’ll always have a soft spot for my first fashion week. This was also before fashion week sold tickets to the public.
Favourite venue: I like the tents at Nathan’s Philip Square. It provided that New York Fashion Week Bryant Park tent feel and it was easily accessible. The fact that it was in the middle of a busy downtown let people know Fashion Week was happening in the city.
This year’s site: I’m very happy about the location. I like the tent atmosphere and it’s right across the street from my day job, which is super convenient for me. I’ve been watching them pitch up tents all week. I’m curious to see how crowded the space will be next week.
Ideal venue: I honestly prefer smaller shows in a more intimate and unusual venue. I think of some of the great warehouse spaces I saw when I attended NYFW. You don’t get that option when you’re trying to accommodate large groups of people. The venue should also reduce bottlenecks at the entrances to the runway room. I’d also like to see a lot more seating for people hanging out in between shows. We can’t be expected to stand in those crazy heels all day!
LEANNE DELAP, freelance lifestyle writer and former FASHION Magazine editor
Attending TFW since: There were years where I was doing fashion and there were years that I wasn’t. But, I’ve been in the business for 20 years.
First TFW memory: This might’ve been a million years ago, before the FDCC [and Robin Kay’s leadership], but I remember the time when it took place at the docks. In between shows, they would take us down to a boat and we’d wait for 50 minutes. Ten minutes before the hour, they’d take us to the dock facility, they’d do a show and then you’d go right back on the boat to wait. It was a terribly long day. You felt bad for the designers because we were all so grumpy from being held hostage.
Favourite venue: City Hall was pretty exciting when everything was right in the centre. Those were the years where it really resonated with the whole city. There was a point when fashion week became more than just an industry thing. Bars would stay open late and there would be all these ancillary events. That’s what really made a difference. It’s the energy that came to the whole city with Nathan Phillips Square being right in the middle of it.
This year’s site: It’s a great idea and it works like the tents in Bryant Park in New York. And, it’s central. I think Robin Kay does a terrific job. People who grumble aren’t seeing all the work that she does. There’s room for things on top of that, but she really did revolutionize the industry in that sense.
Ideal venue: I like tents. Tents make it feel like fashion week—the concept of tenting in the middle of a city. I also really applaud individual, avant-garde young designers who do their own shows in cool places. I remember a long time ago, Comrags did a show at the pig slaughter plant in Niagara. But that’s not for everybody and that’s not for big labels. We already have enough trouble mixing commercial labels, big labels, avant-garde labels and chain stores. It’s best to have a venue that suits the kind of show that you’re doing.
COREY NG, fashion stylist
Attending TFW since: 2008.
First TFW memory: I recall the first season it was held at Nathan Phillips Square. The interior was gorgeous, but the following season, it was filled with LCD screens with the sponsor’s logo flashing all over the place. The waiting area was small, but it was nice to have the option of hanging outside between shows.
Favourite venue: Nathan Phillips Square because it was central, and it wasn’t a hassle to make multiple trips back to the venue in one day.
This year’s site: I live three blocks away from David Pecaut Square so I have no complaints. I’m curious to see the set up.
Ideal venue: I don’t know what it would look like, but it would definitely include barcode check-in like in New York Fashion Week, for example.
