FASHION Magazine

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A 9:30 p.m. time slot during LGFW could be runway suicide for a designer, but not if your name is Sunny Fong. This pint-sized fashion powerhouse packed the tents on Thursday night for Vawk’s Spring 2012 show. (In the past Fong has presented his collections in a more intimate setting at the Art Gallery of Ontario.) His gorgeous pleats, diaphanous fabrics, rosy blush tones, and earthy tie-dye prints (think moss green paired with ivory) were as fresh as a spring breeze, but his anything-but-boring basics, namely a blush toned trench coat, quietly showcased Fong’s strong suit—tailoring. His curved “Beetle” frock and sweeping “Butterfly” finale dress gave a nod to all beautiful winged things, while a handful of resort looks that paraded out at the show’s start­ were given the Midas touch à la intricate laser-cut gold-leather waist cinchers. He even tried his hand at swimwear, sending several sexed-up one-piece bathers (cut-outs are the new bikini) down the runway. Like his light-as-air tiered skirt, it’s clear Fong has many layers.

The last stop in our studio invasion series was to the East side studio/apartment belonging to Vawk‘s Sunny Fong. While bright light shone in through the wall-to-wall windows, the team was busy at work on the Spring show. Set to be shown at 9:30 p.m. tonight, Fong hinted that the collection is inspired by everything from architecture, to moths, to grasshoppers!

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We’re still in love with the teal eye Gucci Westman created for Oscar De La Renta’s Spring 2011 collection. So when we ventured backstage at VAWK, we were pumped to find L’Oréal Paris Lead Makeup Artist Eddie Malter applying the cerulean hue on a model’s lids. “Sunny wanted a strong eye,” explained Malter. Fong gave him a swatch from the collection and asked him to match the shade. The fabric’s cosmetic equivalent? HIP Shadow Duo in Showy. Malter circled it around the eyes and minutes before show time, dabbed a clear lip gloss over top for a hit of shine. To bring more attention to the upper part of the face, he buffed a tawny blush high on cheekbones and kept the mouth muted, pressing a pale coral into the lips.

Grab your passports! This fall, VAWK designer Sunny Fong is taking us on a trip to Tibet. What’s on his itinerary? Chic n’ shaggy Mongolian coats, wool and knit shawl collars, glam wide-leg trousers and wine-soaked capes with coyote fur trim. Overall, Fong’s collection was strong, polished and directional. Oh, and did I forget to mention wearable? (A smart move for this young designer given that several of his spring 2011 pieces were snapped up by The Room). City sophisticates will love his double-breasted teal jackets and trenches, It girls will swoon over his maxi cable dresses (it’s all about that oversized cowl neck) and femme fatales will covet his sheer tuxedo shirt with fierce leather bib. Despite the show’s late start time, the collection proved to be well worth the wait (and the under-eye concealer the following morning).

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Sunny Fong drew inspiration for his latest Vawk collection from a collage exhibit by New York-based Kenyan artist Wangechi Mutu that was presented at the AGO earlier this year, so it seemed only fitting that he show at the gallery where it all began. Bright and intimate, the gallery’s Walker Court was the perfect platform for a show that fell somewhere on the map between sun-drenched Spain and the tribal tones of Africa. Intricate lattice work, stylized animal print, body-hugging, sculpted leather, flap patch pockets and a riff on zebra stripes in chiffon ruffles were subtle takes on the theme. The best of this cross-cultural fusion were the luxe-looking, mini croc-print bolero jackets and a stringy, swingy fringe dress done up in ombré berry shades. Our ony gripe? We were nearly lulled to sleep by the soft, continuous tribal beat Muzak.

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Now that we’ve had a chance to mull over the happenings of Toronto Fashion Week (and the two weeks plus of pre-fweek presentations), we’ve whittled down our favourite moments from fall shows. Click the images below to see our picks, and catch up on all our coverage at fashionmagazine.com/attheshows To see the full collection, click […]

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Spurred on by a particularly challenging year (both personally and on the global economic stage), Vawk designer Sunny Fong channeled his trials into a collection that referenced “the beauty of decay and Sky Captain and The World of Tomorrow” under the grand spiral staircase at the Art Gallery of Ontario. The fiery shades that punctuated […]

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Held under Frank Gehry’s spiral staircase in the Art Gallery of Ontario’s Walker Court (guaranteed to be the coolest show spot of the week), Vawk designer Sunny Fong’s first post Project Runway Canada show began on a high note with a beautifully tailored white suit complete with nautical-inspired accents.  Other stylish spring stars included a selection of vanilla-hued perforated leather pieces.  Overall, Fong’s collection showcased lots of innovative designs based on an imaginary trip to French Polynesia, but in some cases (like the line-up of peekaboo fuschia pieces) the execution fell flat.  FASHION‘s final thought: There are Sunny days ahead.

See the collection after the jump.

Designer Sunny Fong showed his Spring 2010 Vawk collection yesterday at the Art Gallery of Ontario. More videos from LG Fashion Week. Check out all of FASHION’s coverage of LG Fashion Week.

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Photographer Angela Y. Martin hit opening day of LG Fashion Week to snap street style at the Vawk show and the Holt Renfrew Media Cocktail bash. Click the images below to see the looks. Check out all of FASHION’s coverage of LG Fashion Week.

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Monday’s look of the day was plucked from Sunny Fong’s 12-piece collection for his label, Vawk. Fong’s perforated leather was our favourite of his hand-done details and we love the simplicity of this vanilla-hued coat dress. SEE THE FULL COLLECTION Check out all of FASHION’s coverage of LG Fashion Week.

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