Fashionistas, enthusiasts, and nonchalant fans of fashion, you may have heard the World MasterCard Fashion Week took place in Toronto October 19 to 23, showcasing the Spring and Summer trends of 2016. To the apathetic, this may seem out of place as we are just transitioning to fall, and evidently winter with recent temperatures. But as fashions cycle, we always have to plan ahead and stay ahead of the curve, and weather.
To conclude the week, FASHION magazine hosted their Toronto Fashion Week Awards, honouring the best of the best in several categories, as judged by a panel of FASHION editors. Stuffed into a crowded room at the Design Exchange, guests including designers, makeup artists, hair stylists, bloggers, and models were present.
And so was Excalibur.
As any true fashion award show, all in attendance were dressed to impress. From white fur coats, to sparkles and bright colours, outfits were well put together. Tuxedos, bowties, and swanky shoes filled the room, and a red carpet enticed these fashion forward thinkers to strike a pose. The environment prompted some outfits worth a double take, including Toronto blogger sisters Cailli and Sam Beckerman rocking Moschino and a gentleman wearing PJ flannels as the bottoms to his blazer. The best part was they all rocked it.
The awards, as selected by the editorial staff of FASHION and Men’s FASHION magazines, were honouring nine categories related to fashion, including a People’s Choice Award for Best Show that is yet to be determined by vote. Editor-in-chief of FASHION Magazine, Bernadette Morra was the MC for the evening, presenting the categories and winners to an apathetic audience that would not stop chattering.
Best Emerging Designer: Golnaz Ashtiani
Rooted in Toronto, Ashtiani trained at the London College of Fashion and created her own label in 2011. Her modern and clean cut style in women’s fashion is described as playful, with the urban cool girl in mind. Her SS 2016 for women is soft, feminine pastel colours, off shoulder long sweeping shirts, and overcoats. The long sweeping cuts draped carefully over models, but had a definitive symmetrical, block essence to it. The pastels were draped over shimmery body suits, a look that defines Ashanti’s urban style, but one we can’t guarantee to see walking the streets of Toronto.
Best Collection: Lucian Matis
Acclaimed Canadian designer Matis was born in Romania, learning fashion at his mother’s tailor shop. Having immigrated to Canada in 1999, he joined Ryerson University’s fashion design program and his success grew from there, having launched his first collection in 2007. Matis is what you would consider a Canadian household name. He’s appeared on numerous television shows, including Canada’s Next Top Model, and has expanded his MATIS by Lucian Matis collection to include home décor. His SS 2016 collection is of ready-to-wear dresses, most of which were semi-formal, floor length gowns. Floral prints and vivid purples were contrasted with some black and white and navy short dresses. Although unlikely colours to show up on a spring-summer collection, the darker colours were detailed with lace cutouts and flirty cuts that bounced with each model’s step.
Best Hair: Mikhael Kale
Canadian-born Kale is known for his attention to detail and hand detailed work. Having introduced his label in 2007, Kale is a regular at fashion shows. This year however, his show won the award for best hair, with rightful dibs on that title. His SS 2016 line is women’s dresses and ensembles that embody floral prints, a common theme between many designers this year. But the flowers and cropped cuts weren’t the only thing on people’s watchlist, as the hair stole the show. All models had their hair slicked back and painted with thick, glossy red colouring that looked like the models ran out of the chair before the dye settled in. Kale’s line is meant to embrace women’s frailty and strength through his straight cuts, and perhaps the hair is a reflection of said duality of women’s fashion.
Best Makeup and Best Menswear: Mackage
Recipient of two awards, the Mackage line was created by friends Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan. Focusing on outerwear, the brand’s signature look is chic silhouettes. As a Canadian brand, they embody their home and native land’s frigid weather and help realize the dream of fashionable and practical pieces. Their belief that the outerwear becomes the outfit itself is reflected in their fashion show, as the outfits underneath the coats and jackets are of simple white colours as to not distract from the main event. As winner of best menswear, Mackage included everything from varsity and leather jackets to trench coats. The cuts were down to perfection, fitting the models to a tee and adding layers without volume. Male models often wore sunglasses, almost like a mask to put focus on the outerwear, but the females wore identical makeup that struck the audience. Dark eyebrows with maroon lips won the award for best makeup.
Best Styling: No 99 Wayne Gretzky
The Sears exclusive collection, handpicked by Wayne Gretzky himself was the most anticipated collection in menswear this week. Setting themselves as luxurious yet accessible, there are no blends in this collection. One hundred per cent cotton fabrics took shape in collared t-shirts, shorts, and lightweight knits. The attention to small detail deserves some respect, as every outfit was paired with the right pair of dressed up sneaker, belts looped in the exact method on each model, and layers tied in a consistent manner. Hues of blue and stark whites dominated this show, which sometimes looked more like a Sears catalogue rather than a high-end fashion show. Menswear is highly underrepresented at fashion shows, so it is nice that No 99 Wayne Gretzky got some honourable mention.
Best Model: Stephanie Smith
Managed by Elite Toronto, Smith won the best model award. Hailing from Waterloo, Smith was named one of the top models to look out for in 2015. During WMCFW, she walked the runway for Mackage, RUDSAK, and Mikhael Kale among others. Although absent to accept her award, she recorded an acceptance speech in which the 16 year old thanked her parents, designers, and cats. See, she’s just like any other teenager, except she has already walked the runways of Paris and New York.
Toronto’s streets are an indication of the intense fashion following that we have. However, our fashion week is just that, weak. The biggest names to walk the runway this year were RUDSAK and Access, with other lesser known designers following. That is not to say that their designs and styling is not impressive. Mackage was a definitive crowd favour, reflecting Canadian values and styles, while the Gretzky collection felt more like a sponsorship than a win. Toronto needs to continue to endorse our young fashion designers, expanding educational opportunities, visibility, and accessibility. In a commercial world of imported brands, Canada has yet to find its distinct style.
Clara Yazek, Contributor
Victoria Goldberg, Arts Editor
Featured illustration by Christopher Lai, Comics and Graphics Editor and Tess Reid, Creative Director
