LG Fashion Week

Alexandra Birukova
NEWS EDITOR

Experiencing Toronto this week is like stepping into an entirely different city.

A city where a dangerously high heel is the norm rather than an exception, where the crowd knows camel is the hottest colour of the season, where lighting is soft and hair is perfect, but it is Toronto. It is LG Toronto Fashion Week.

Every year, the city transforms into the fashion capital of North America as Exhibition Place transforms into the hotspot for Toronto’s fashionistas.

Though October may not be the warmest month of the year, the styles at Fashion Week gave the chilly weather no regard.

This year’s line up of shows included some big names, including Pink Tartan, Denis Gagnon and Joe Fresh Style, as well as some newer names like Chloe? comme parris, Sarah Stevenson, Baby Steinberg and Amanda Lew Kee.

Pink Tartan, an established fashion powerhouse, wowed the crowd with neon colours, round glasses and chic hats. Their blue shirts, hot pink jumpsuits and bright yellow and green prints gave the illusion of a Saint-Tropez cocktail lounge.

Meanwhile, a below-knee skirt showcased at the presentation only proved that this trend is not going anywhere any time soon.

Pink Tartan was not the only fashion house marking their accent with bright colours. House of Groves by Jennifer Waters, who made her Fashion Week debut this year, showed us gorgeous bows, bright corals, high-waisted pants and feminine rufflffle skirts. Whoever said stripes can’t flatter a woman lost the bet: models looked feminine and nautical-chic in vertical white and blue stripes.

Another newcomer, Sarah Stevenson, went from George Brown to Milan’s master’s degree and then back to Toronto’s Fashion Week. Her presentation, inspired by a Parisian tea party, had models holding tiny cups of tea in their delicate hands.

Bonus points should be given for elegant white gloves on every model, in addition to the simple and elegant clothing. Stevenson’s designs could be written off as too simple, but it’s nothing but an optical illusion: her prints are complicated and original, ranging from kaleidoscopic to floral.

Stevenson’s presentation was especially enjoyable because of the absence of glum-looking models – her girls were happy and smiling the whole time – which felt refreshing to say the least. With French music in the background and chocolates handed out to guests, the theme of the show can only be described in one word: romantic.

Toronto-based Baby Steinberg decided to combine fashion with her passion for all things environmentally friendly. If anyone can transform garbage bags into a nightgown, it would be her. Her collection, called “Salvage,” was headed by the slogan “Not All Trash is Garbage,” and Steinberg demonstrated exactly what she meant by that in her spring-summer 2011 collection.

According to the pamphlet handed out to first-rowers, “by the end of this runway show, over 3,000 coffffee fifilters will be discarded at one major Cana- dian coffffee retailer alone […] Through salvaging there and other material to create  her iconic designs, Baby Steinberg offers a unique perspective on eco-friendly design.”

A brief list of some of the materials used in Steinberg’s collection: found keys, used VHS film, used coffee filters, shopping bags, cell phone cases and, of course, garbage bags. The end of the runway had many audience members rising for a standing ovation and applauding Steinberg for not only making a political statement, but also incorporating the latest fashion trends into her collection.

While most collections had few items that anyone would actually wear, some designers offered a pleasant exception. One of them was Klaxon Howl, whose collection was also one of the few designed for men. Howl’s selection of models was interesting: among attractive men of different ethnicities, there was one female model added to spice things up.

The main theme of the collection was military and safari chic; if you’re planning a fashionable Jeep safari somewhere in Tanzania, now you know where to shop for your jungle wear. Some of the spotted ensembles featured all-white and all-jean combinations with worn-in military boots, aviator glasses, rucksacks and preppy bags.

The creepiest collection of the week? Thomas’ clothing.

Things started out as usual with rows filling up quickly and the fashion crowd waiting for the show to start, but as soon as the music started playing, people exchanged looks. A glance from a colleague said “this show is going to be difffferent.”

The runway fifilled with psychedelic music and clothes that clearly took inspiration from archaic mental institutions. Models with defifined black brows, death-stare looks and slow walks definitely did not help to lighten the atmosphere. Given a different choice of music, Thomas’ collection could be described as minimalist with occasional skinny cigarette pants and see-throughs.

The most anticipated Fashion Week show may have been Ryerson University grad Amanda Lew Kee’s – she’s one of the most sought-after up and coming designers in Toronto. Lee Kew wowed the crowd with blue lips, beige socks on top of stilettos, belted zipped jackets, nude skinny pants – not as unflattering as you would think – multi- coloured flowing dresses and a pink faux-snakeskin jacket.

Overall, LG Toronto Fashion Week made Toronto into a very different place: a Toronto that wants to be like New York, Milan, Paris or Moscow, but ends up stuck in Yorkville.

Of course, that’s not a bad thing, if you ask me.