FASHION Magazine

Judging by the action outside the tents at LG Fashion Week yesterday, a few definitive trends have carried on from the international shows, namely candy coloured hair, brights, a bit of Pradarama, and the addition of a new and weather-appropriate one: fur!

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When a brightly packaged macaron invite to Amanda Lew Kee’s Spring 2012 show appeared on our desks last week, we knew we were in for something sunny. And it was so sunny that models wore visors, while several suited onlookers peered in to watch through the King Street West-facing glass wall. In contrast to last season’s sometimes over-embellished outing, this season was a light and airy ode to hip sportswear, featuring sheer-white button downs, panelled leggings, shorts with oversized and exposed pockets, and a beautiful pair of beige silk wide legs that were slit along the sides. Two graphic prints—one with distinctly early ‘90s hippy wall-hanging flare—appeared as panels, yokes, and stripes added some serious cool-factor that we’re sure to be seeing on many a cool girl come spring.

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Going benchless a la Balenciaga, the FASHION team took to the studio room at LGFW last night to catch a glimpse of the crowded Juma Spring 2012 collection. We can say for certain that the hair was fairy-dusted in gold, copper, and silver glitter (we really ought to think about bringing our statuesque copy editor, Emilie Dingfield, to the shows for height advantage) and through some stellar hockey-style decking past the mob of fashion folk blocking our view, we came away with 3 must-haves, and an unexpected calf workout from our en pointe posture:

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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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Is there a better inspiration than Elizabeth Taylor in Cleopatra? We thought not, until Arthur Mendonça set the vision for beauty at his Spring 2012 show: Cleopatra emerging from water. Eddie Malter, official makeup artist for L’Oreal Paris, used H.I.P. High Intensity Pigment Eyeshadow Duos “224” and “207,” blending layers of blue, turquoise, and silver to achieve the effect of water reflecting on the face—a look certainly worthy of modern Egyptian goddesses. Brows were left natural and lips subtle, done in a beige Infallible Le Rouge lip colour (“814”) and covered with gloss.

Back from a whirlwind of shooting in New York, Milan, and Paris, our boy Lewis Mirrett is back on his home turf spotting the styles for LG Fashion Week. Peep our first batch here, spot your stylish self?

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Set to a remix of my current song obsession, Flight Facilities’ “Crave You,” last night’s Arthur Mendonça show had me in great spirits before the first model even took to the runway. My smile stayed put as the girls marched out in Cleopatra-inspired (albeit, subtly) structured linen pieces adorned with zip-off peplums and exposed hardware, paired with feminine crème draped silks. Continuing to play with texture, as we spotted in his studio last week, Arthur experimented (with success) with a ladylike black leather trench, a sophisticated waxed-linen safari suit, and a subtle metallic–tweed drawstring-waist blazer, all FASHION favourites. While I could have done without the bold geometric metallic suiting, animal prints, and the flashback to Lanvin’s Spring 2011 collection, Arthur’s string of silk looks in highly saturated hues—including tangerine and fuchsia Japanese florals, a radio wave–print sheath with a slash of magenta, and a deep sky blue blouse on standout Serbian Australian model Andrej Pejic—kept my smile holding strong into the night.

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Holt Renfrew kicked off LG Fashion Week with a noisy, crowded bang last night—editors and buyers (and a one Mr. Jay Manuel) got to know each other really, really well, all squished in together on benches in the tents at David Pecaut Square. As is their wont, Holts sent out micro collections from eight of their Canadian best—for whom the question of whether their collections will actually make it to stores has already been settled. The best bits, in order…

Fashion week can be stressful to say the least, and usually, days (hours!) before LG Fashion Week, we’d be feeling the strain of confusing or conflicting schedules. This time around we’re much more prepared, thanks to Frank Griggs and fashioncalendar.ca, a site that Toronto fashionistas have been desperate for.

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As huge fans of the fishtail, we were very excited to see this braided style at Jean Pierre Braganza. Backstage, Pantene’s consulting stylist Justin German described the look as softer than what Braganza showed in London, with the braid stemming from the base of a very bob-like shape. To achieve this structure, German went through the hair with some volumizer, then blow-dried it into the desired shape. An elastic at the base kept it all together, which German wrapped with hair after the fishtail was finished.

If you’ve ever seen an episode of Project Runway, you’ll know how much stress there is leading up to a show. It was with that in mind that we set off for the studios of three very busy designers for a sneak peek of their Spring 2012 collections. First up, glam’s main man: Arthur Mendonça. Check out our slideshow for a hint of the Egyptian-inspired wears he’ll be showing tonight during LG Fashion Week’s first officially scheduled night of shows!

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