Bellavance Spring 2014: The up and coming New York label brings understated elegance to Toronto

by Randi Bergman October 10, 2013

See the Bellavance Spring 2014 collection »

Since its launch fresh out of Parsons less than two years ago, Bellavance has been doing the fashion version of kicking ass and taking names. The New York-based label with an all-important Can Con connection (co-designer Nolan Bellavance grew up on a farm near Red Deer, Alberta) won MADE’s first young designer award in 2012, which amped the duo with support of Parsons alum like Antonio Berardi and Roopal Patel. Currently, Bellavance is stocked at cool kid haven Opening Ceremony, which is a feat in and of itself.

For their sophomore collection, Bellavance and co-designer Ava Hama went classic sportswear, naming Claire McCardell, founder of the all American look, as their muse. It was all about elevated simplicity, from the humble cotton dobby used on a peach and cornflower blue day dress to the classic robe, elevated for night with the use of ribbed silk and black trimming. The understated pieces benefited from last night’s intimate presentation, which capped off with a fabrication drilldown by Dr. Alexandra Palmer of the ROM. So too, did the duo’s mention of stripes, a repeated motif in the collection also rooted in sportswear history and perfect for another spin come Spring 2014.