FASHION Magazine

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.

See the complete Tanya Taylor Fall 2013 collection »

Here are the places I want to go with Tanya Taylor: On a road trip through the midwest USA. Back to the ’60s. To a rumble in the parking lot of Rydell High. All of these ideas and places permeated the designer’s Fall 2013 collection, which was brought from New York to The Shows in Toronto, Taylor’s hometown. An ambient Trentemøller remix of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” echoed throughout the room as models in thick cat-eye liner came down the runway, some wearing leather driving gloves which only added to the retro road trip fantasy.

Tanya Taylor is a champion of feminine style with cool-girl edge. Waistlines were defined with three skinny strands of elastic-looking cord, usually colour coordinated with the fabric below (a mustard-yellow leather tunic being the most show-stopping of them all). On dresses, forward-folding pleats and side cutouts made for flattering silhouettes—especially so on a black A-line dress with beaded detail that was worn over a white turtleneck.

See the Jean Pierre Braganza Fall 2013 collection »

Samurais from outer space. Ancient Greek mathematical theories. The bad guys in Frank Herbert’s cult sci-fi novel Dune. These are but a few of the places Jean-Pierre Braganza found inspiration when creating his Fall 2013 collection. The London-based Canadian designer brought his séance-ready pieces across the Atlantic to present them to a select gathering of editors, bloggers and fashionable friends last night at The Shows in Toronto. Models with pin-straight hair accentuated by a sumo-wrestler bun (courtesy of Pantene hair wizard Justin German) strut down the runway to an ambient-industrial soundtrack, their heels so high they had front-row regulars feeling anxious.

While many of the looks featured Braganza’s signature asymmetrical colour-blocked pieces, he introduced several key motifs and custom prints, each calling out to be worn by The Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen, or maybe David Bowie—a white tuxedo by Braganza recently made an appearance along with Tilda Swinton in Bowie’s video for “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”. The sci-fi influence was undeniable in the Alien-esque print featured on floor-grazing gowns, knee-length dresses and low-slung pants, while belted kimono jackets kept things right on this season’s Eastern-influenced trend.