FASHION Magazine

Two budding Canadian design talents—Amanda Lew Kee and Chloé comme Parris—are heading to Big Apple for GenArt’s 14th annual Fresh Faces in Fashion event. The event, which showcases up and coming designers, takes place on September 9th and will include both men’s and women’s Spring 2013 read-to-wear collections. Fresh Faces in Fashion has sent some […]

The post Toronto’s own Amanda Lew Kee and Chloé Comme Parris to show at GenArt during New York Fashion Week appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Last night, the sister duo behind one of fashion’s darling labels, Rodarte, descended upon Toronto for a fête in their honour at the Bay’s glittering designer den, The Room. As the finest champagne flowed, the city’s finest, freshly sunned partygoers crowded around Laura and Kate Mulleavy to get a look—albeit a look-but-don’t-touch. “You can’t just sidle up beside them and say, ‘I love you,’” one guest lamented. And isn’t it strange but true? The moment one of your idols is presented on a platter, the nerves tend to overcome. Such wasn’t the case, however, for Toronto’s version of the sister power duo, Chloé and Parris Gordon of Chloé Comme Parris, who got in there to articulate their crush. (I was afforded a private one-on-two with the designers earlier in the day, the gush-laden results of which are forthcoming).

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Moody and dramatic, the inspiration for makeup at Chloé Comme Parris was a 1920s aesthetic mixed with an “if you had a lot of money to dress up in black grungy clothes” sentiment. Grace Lee, lead makeup artist for Maybelline New York Canada, started by slightly lightening the tone of each model’s face with Maybelline Fit Me Liquid Foundation for a fresh, porcelain effect. Then dark purple eyeshadow—Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo 24Hr Cream Gel Shadow in “Pomegranate Punk”—was applied to the eye, followed by Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick in “Mauve-ulous.” Both were layered in an almost translucent manner to give the eyes a hollowed out (think Clara Bow) look. Brown mascara kept lashes soft, however the lips were fully saturated with a rich coat of the same plum shade Lee used on the eyes.

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The heavens certainly behaved themselves for the second day of Toronto Fashion Week, allowing attendees to show off their no doubt newly purchased (or borrowed) spring styles sans typically cumbersome March outerwear. There was Ainsley Kerr, in a mega-printed dress from the Chloé Comme Parris spring collection, Amanda Lew Kee in her printed T-shirt, and our very own Bernadette Morra, who debuted a look from Martin Lim‘s latest collection. And what about that dude in the neon? That’s our camera genius stepping out to play. Hi Lewis!

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I’m a fan of any fashion show that starts off with the Velvet Underground’s “Venus in Furs.” Combo that tune-age with yet another stellar collection from one of the city’s most promising labels, and well, I think you’ve got a winner. Such was the case at Chloé Comme Parris’s fall showing yesterday, as the sister duo churned out a 1990s-meets-1890s outing of snakelike cigarette pants, elongated moto-cross jackets bedazzled with heavy silver nobs, and loosely tailored suiting. There was fur too, and it felt delicate alongside moody silk Liberty-esque prints on spaghetti dresses, pleated skirts and camisoles. Quite like a Venus in furs, wouldn’t you say?

See all the films in our series » In the last video of our series, director Sarah Elisabeth Blais explores the subconscious of a girl on the verge, while clothed in the gypsy wears of Chloé Comme Parris. “We wanted to capture some stages of a girl, ultimately coming face to face with herself. Playing […]

The post Sarah Elisabeth Blais + Chloé Comme Parris present: “être-en-soi” appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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He’s no lady. Boy wonder Andrej Pejic brings his dry wit and supermodel moves to the top Canadian designs for spring.

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I shouldn’t pick favourites, but I’ll do it anyways. Maybe it’s because we share a fondness for all things Victorian, or maybe it’s just because the clothes were that good, but halfway through LG Fashion Week, I was already utterly spellbound by Chloé Comme Parris Spring 2012. After a similarly stellar LG debut last season, sister duo of Chloé and Parris Gordon took us back to the late 1800s, minus the wasp waists and lack of gender equality. “We were really looking at raised necklines and detailing and interesting ways of cinching in a waist or pleating and draping, but looking at how to reduce these silhouettes that can’t really be worn today because they are so voluminous and so ornate,” said sister Chloé when we visited the studio last week. The sisters’ look at the era was apparent, from delicate woven lace-like trousers and jumpers, to the William Morris-like print appearing on several dresses (the finale dress was a dead ringer for a neo-sack dress à la Pre-Raphaelite muse Jane Morris). Updated with interesting cropping (a jean jacket cut just below the collar comes to mind), sexy slits, and cross-body pearl necklaces, it’s without any sort of hometown inhibition that I can honestly say—if there was such a thing as a thousand star rating, this collection would have it. In my books, at least.

Next up in our studio invasion series, we stopped by the temporary studio belonging to sister designers Chloé and Parris Gordon (they rented the space from photographer Francisco Garcia) while they were busy putting the last touches on their Spring 2012 collection. While Chloé whipped some selects off the rack to show us, Parris was busy in the jewellery studio crafting more splendid silver pieces for the collection. Check out our slideshow for a hint of the Victorian-inspired wears as well as the inspiration behind the Chloé Comme Parris collection that the duo will be showing tonight during LG Fashion Week.

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From ready-to-wear to footwear—check out the four designers that are on our radar.

CHLOÉ COMME PARRIS | CHRISSIE MORRIS | JOOMI LIM |
J.W. ANDERSON

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The Spring 2012 collections, taking place October 17–21, will mark the 25^th Toronto fashion week. Having previously announced the location of the new venue, the Fashion Design Council of Canada has now released the schedule and details about the week.

While we’re not sure what to expect with the week’s theme of “CanadaCool,” we’re excited about the new venue, David Pecaut Square. With the new venue being downtown, we no longer have to teeter down to the exhibition in four-inch heels.

Each season showcases Canada’s design talent and Spring 2012 is no different, with collections from fashion heavyweights Joeffer Caoc, Pink Tartan, Denis Gagnon, and the new and exciting Amanda Lew Kee and Chloe Comme Parris. This season is also going international with established American designer Cynthia Rowley showing three never-before-seen looks.

With a new name and venue, we hope that the collections from Canadian designers are equally as fresh and thrilling.

They’re here! They’re here! Well… almost. The royal couple will be in the land we call home in t-minus four hours, and we can barely contain our excitement to see what Kate’s wearing when she steps of the plane. Will she fly our flag or hers? We’re dying to find out. To help you kill the next few hours of anticipation, we’ve compiled a detailed list of Brit and Canadian designers we think Kate should wear at the occasions she’s slotted into her schedule over the next eight days. If we’re right, we’ll be treating you all to crumpets.

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