Attitude by Searswww.sears.caWednesday March 31, 2010 – 6:30pm The second collection for Sears revived and re-vamped Attitude line was filled with sleek and sexy pieces. The collection was predominantly black but every once in a while pieces in a gorgeous dark blue/purple made their way onto the stage. Black patent gloves and belts added an extra notch of style to classic pieces with a little flair. The pieces were amazing and fashionably accessible to any woman. The line should be receiving more attention and I think in time it will.
The black dresses turned to slightly dated lingerie but the sheer and satin pieces would surely catch any man’s eye.
The show ended with a surprise walk down the runway by Canadian hero Joannie Rochette to a thunderous applause. (Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
Halifax native Katrina Tuttle brought beautiful tailoring and beautiful colours to the runway this afternoon. I had the chance to chat with the young designer backstage after her show... here is what she had to say.  Christopher: What was your inspiration for this collection? Katrina: It came from nature. It usually comes from nature. This year I went flying in a private airplane with my father and this is all about what I saw looking down at nature. Christopher: Where abouts were you flying? Katrina: I live in Nova Scotia... so right outside of Halifax! Christopher: If you had to pick one piece from the collection to put out there what would it be. Katrina: Probably the velvet jacket... I just love it! Christopher: My favourite was the floor length deep purple gown. It was just gorgeous! Christopher: Now that a bit of the pressure is off are there any shows you would like to check out? Katrina: I would just like to take in as much of fashion week as I can. I think that every show is exciting for different reasons. Christopher: What do you love about Toronto Fashion Week and why do you come out for it? Katrina: I think its such a great way to show the brand off and get support from people who really love fashion. It’s just a great place to be. Christopher: One final question... where can Canadians find Katrina Tuttle clothing? Katrina: We have several stores in Halifax but we will have our on-line store live in just a couple weeks! To check out Katrina’s on-line store or find out more information on Katrina Tuttle visit her at: www.katrinatuttle.com (Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
Katrina Tuttlewww.katrinatuttle.comWednesday March 31, 2010 - 5:00pm Halifax's Katrina Tuttle brought her fall 2010 collection to the LG runways in Toronto this afternoon. The collection was modelled by an army of girls resembling Avril Lavigne who strutted their stuff showing off a series of little dresses predominantly black. There were intriguing details like an abundance of pleating and exaggerated necks and sleeves on the majority of the pieces.
The inspiration for the collection was a private airplane ride with her father she took shortly after her last collection debuted. That inspiration could be seen in the key "pop" colours like deep green, blue and purple. A gorgeous floor length purple gown caught my attention... Actually it was my favourite piece. Other memorable frocks included a sassy satin dress, a gorgeous velvet jacket and sheer blouses. The closing gown, a long elegant black gown that gathered at the waist was truly elegant. Be sure to check out my backstage interview with Katrina Tuttle. (Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
One of the strongest menswear collections I can recall hit the runways at LG Fashion Week Wednesday afternoon. Montreal designer Dimitri Chris Alexiou returned to Toronto to present his fall 2010 collection for DimitriChris... and it was absolutely fantastic! I had the chance to catch up with the designer backstage. Here's what he had to say.  Christopher: I need to tell you that I absolutely loved the collection. First question was there an inspiration for this collection? Dimitri:There always is. For this collection it was a continuation of my last collection. In the spring what I had done was create for the man who was anti the establishment… who didn’t want to be a prince. This season he’s saying... okay I’m a prince, I am royalty. It’s very British. It’s all about tradition. The main tradition in England within the royal family is hunting. That’s really where the theme came from. Christopher: If you had to pick one favourite piece from the collection what would it be? Dimitri: The corset. Christopher: Really? Dimitri: My favourite piece use to be my cape. But it’s been a year and a half that I have been doing them. Christopher: Where can Canadian men find your clothes right now? Dimitri: In Toronto at Gotstyle (489 King Street West) and in Montreal in my own store Boutique Ur Imij (420-B8 Notre-Dame West). Christopher: Are you headed right back to Montreal or will you have the chance to check out any of the other shows today? Dimitri: I’m actually going to see all of the shows today but I’m going back to Montreal tomorrow so I’m going to be missing the Bustle show which I would have really loved to see. Check out my review from the show here. For more on DimitriChris check out: www.dimitrichris.com(Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
DimitriChris www.dimitrichris.com Wednesday March 31, 2010 – 4:00pm Finally a show for the boys! Wednesday afternoon continued on with a men’s fall collection titled “Master of the Foxhounds” from Montreal designer Dimitri Chris Alexiou. The British inspired pieces from the collection were actually a continuation of the designers “Prince of Wales” spring/summer collection we saw just a few months ago... but I felt this show was entirely different. This show stood on it’s own with impeccable tailoring and fresh spins on classic mens styles. The runway was filled with male models with slicked down hair walking the runway in truly dapper English inspired clothes. Suits that your imaginary English grandfather might have worn... except these suits were restructured and given a sexy Details look. Besides an incredible variety of suit styles there were driving caps, black patent riding boots, knit capes and stylish jackets with hidden buttons. I absolutely loved so many of the pieces and marked a couple of the slim fitting suits and a ribbed grey sweater with a high collar down on my personal must have list.
I was unsure about a re-interpreted cummerbund that almost passed for a corset... but other then that... I can say that this was the best men’s collection I have seen in Toronto in recent memory. Find out more about the dapper menswear collection by checking out my backstage interview with the designer Dimitri Chris Alexiou. (Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
The Heart Truth Fashion Show: Fall 2010
www.hearttruth.caWednesday March 31, 2010 – 3:00pm Actresses, athletes, musicians, broadcasters, comedians and entertainers shimmied, strutted and danced down the catwalk Wednesday afternoon in the annual edition of the Heart Truth fashion show in creations crafted by Canadian designers. The show is part of the Heart and Stroke Foundation's campaign to boost awareness of heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death for women in Canada. The red dress is the official symbol of the campaign. Walking the runway: Leah Pinsent in Pat McDonagh, Ashleigh McIvor in a rerto syled Fashion Crimes dress, Erin Cebula in Karamea, Keshia Chante in Jason Meyers, Tracy Moore in Joeffer Caoc, Linda Cullen in D'Arcy Moses, Mira Leung in Patrice Soku, Marci Ien in Ross Mayer, Silken Laumann in Lundstrom collection, Crystal Shawanda in Paul Hardy, Robyn Gill in Jacqueline Conoir, Sheila McCarthy in Thien Le, Jane Francisco in David Dixon, Anne-Marie Mediwake in Farley Chatto, Kathleen Robertson in Mark Belford, Tanya Kim in Andy The-Anh, Jessica Lowndes in Evan & Dean, Joannie Rochette in Nadya Toto, Caroline Rhea in Ines Di Santo.
[Above: Ashleigh McIvor in Fashion Crimes, Tanya Kim in Andy The-Anh and Joannie Rochette in Nadya Toto]
My personal favourite red dress was the slick Andy The-Anh dress... but it was the appearance of Canadian Olympic sweetheart Joannie Rochette who lost her mother to a heart attack just days before she won her bronze medal at Vancouver’s Olympic Games that I will remember for a very long time. (Photos by: Rémy Alexandre)
I had a chance to catch up with Evan backstage after his Fall 2010 collection... here's what he had to say Christopher: Tell me a little bit about the inspiration for this show and all of the unusual fabrics we just saw Evan: I was really looking around. I didn’t just go to a fabric store and buy these fabrics. I was going through… I don’t want to say leftovers… but remnants of different companies… not even Fashion companies. The fabrics I used are completely unconventional for fashion which got me really excited. When I started working with them I was like… wow you can really do whatever you want with the fabrics and they stay there. Christopher: There were some amazing pieces on the runway. Do you have just one favourite? Evan: Oh man… there were too many. Christopher: The pressures off. Next steps for you are... Evan: I’m going to be checking out my bed for about a week. Christopher: Tell me more about the Toronto gallery you’ve just opened. Evan: 134 Ossington Avenue! People can come and touch the collection. Christopher: It’s an amazing space. Will customers be able to track down Evan Biddell pieces anywhere else? Evan: Nope. People can see pictures but they need to come and see it how I want them to see it. Buyers buy what they want and the go with the boring stuff. I want to sell what I want to sell. I know a buyer isn’t going to buy a cork skirt or they are never going to spend that much money on a tiger print jacket. It’s just not going to happen… so I really had to create my own space to show my clothes. I also don’t want them hanging in a store next to a bunch of other names. Christopher: Any major influences for this collection you want to give a shout out? Evan: Kate Bush, Alexander McQueen. Christopher: You could see a definite McQueen influence through so many of the pieces. Evan: When he died the entire collection changed. You can check out my review of the show here. For more on Evan check out: www.evanbiddell.ca
(Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
Evan Biddellwww.evanbiddell.caTuesday March 30, 2010 – 9:00pm Evan Biddell is not a conventional designer and last night there was a definite excitement in the air as anxious fashion watchers got ready for a collection that broke all the rules. The presentation began with a short film that told viewers that it was “time to play” and that is what Evan obviously wanted to do. The film abruptly ended and Evan’s fall Prehistory collection began. The audience was treated to an amazing soundtrack which included 2 different versions of the song “Running Up That Hill (courtesy of Placebo and Kate Bush). In an interesting twist models posed sideways at the end of the runway for photographers. Was it a game or simply a way to show off exaggerated details found on the backs of many of the garments. Traditional fabrics were ignored and individual pieces seemed to be created like art... the crazier the “fabric” the better. Many of the pieces were highly structured while others featured interesting draping or shredding. There were graphic comic book prints, high waisted pants and did I mention the elaborate details?
 The collection itself seemed reminiscent of Alexander McQueen. Evan told me after the show in a backstage interview that the entire vibe of the collection changed upon the news of the designer’s death. It was intriguing, elaborate and insane. I was blown away and loved every second of it. Sorry boys... No menswear came down the runway this season. (Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
Lundstromwww.lundstrom.caTuesday March 20, 2010 – 8:00pm
Lundstom is a company that is in transition. Linda Lundstrom may have bid farewell to the label she made famous but the Lundstrom brand will continue live on and judging from tonight’s Fall 2010 collection... this is a label that will definitely continue to grow. Lundstrom is now apart of Eleventh Floor Apparel, who purchased the company after Linda filed for bankruptcy and last night was their first collection at LG Fashion Week. Expectations were high and the new Lundstrom didn’t disappoint. The new design team showcased a mix of gorgeous gowns, separates and a wide collection of outerwear on Tuesday night. There were sweaters in silk cashmere and merino wool as well as numerous jackets in boiled wool. A herringbone coat in oatmeal that tied in front was simply stunning as were modified peacoats in a dark midnight colour. Of course my favourite piece was a gorgeous cable shawl in ivory.
In a backstage interview after the show I was reassured that Eleventh Floor Apparel is determined to take the brand to the next level. It will be a fascinating journey to watch and who knows what will happen in the future. For now I can say that the company is headed in the right direction. The collection was strong and focused on quality fabrics and sophisticated cuts. (Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
Pat McDonaghwww.patmcdonagh.comTuesday March 20, 2010 - 7:00pm Her fashion career began in the '60s as a model and today she is recognized as a true Canadian fashion legend. Last night the incredible Pat McDonagh brought an extensive Fall collection for 2010 to the LG runway. The presentation had several distinctive sections... the first highlighted variations of the military inspired coat worn by Governor General Michelle Jean when she met President Barack Obama. That coat has received so much press and Pat told me backstage after the show that she consistently has clients new and old in search of that infamous coat. There were so many gorgeous coats including full length wool coats that fell to the floor... many with fur-trimmed collars and cuffs. There was a definite military vibe but still a sophistication to many of them.
 The second section focused mainly on knitwear. Gorgeous hand knit creations, some with intriguing crochet details all made their way down the runway as did jersey separates with subtle detailing. The collection then moved on and a variety of designs and colours all made an appearance. Things got younger and funkier.
 Pat told me back stage she is often criticized for showing massive collections which offer so much. We talked about how the press can often find her unfocused. The designer told me she disagrees and that she's not unfocused... she is merely trying to create something for every woman.
 Sumptuous evening-wear completed the collection. The white evening gown that featured white doves on the shoulders seemed a perfect ending to a diverse collection. It was incredibly whimsical and perfectly Pat. (Photos by: Silvia Drugea)
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February 2010
