Brittany Sammy
Contributor
Torontonians love fashion. There is no question about it. With huge crowds in the audience and tons of reporters, Toronto World’s MasterCard Fashion Week is one of the biggest attractions.
This year at David Pecaut Square, fashion designers from across Canada showed off their talents. There were popular designers like Adrian Wu and Sunny Wong. The top shows this week were Eva Chen Couture and LINE Knitwear: two shows that received attention on Twitter and from reporters.These designers, however, stole the spotlight because nothing was as innovative as their shows.
There is no other way to describe Eva Chen’s Couture collection other than “regal and sophisticated.”
With feathered hair pieces, and long scarlet dresses, most of the looks on display screamed royal wedding. Chen, who has really embraced the season with whimsical headpieces and fitted jackets, chose a coloured schemed that was fresh and attractive. The colours gave different skin and body types structure and sexiness. Similar to ‘50s fashion silhouettes, the different looks gave a Parisian feel and the puffed sleeves and skirt embellishments gave a unique touch to the outfits.
The show started off with classy music in the form of Michael Bublé’s “Feeling Good,” and a very excited crowd. Chen’s first look to walk the runway was a feathered black headpiece and a stripe-sleeved jacket. The look was elegant with a black mini skirt and rosy pink embellishment. This first look really set the tone for the rest of the line.
Fit was the attribute conveyed through all of Chen’s pieces. You could tell that she was a stickler for pristine shapes. Her designs literally sculpted the body and only included the most feminine of curves, which gave very sensual feel.
A favorite look among the crowd was Chen’s wool pea coat that flared out as if layers of crinoline were beneath it. This cream fall/winter jacket created a super flattering hourglass shape the instant it was worn on the runway.
However, one outfit that didn’t seem to impress was the strapless couture gown, which was a red, raw silk, geometric disaster. The dress was unique and different, but it didn’t “speak the same language” as the rest of the collection.
The punch of red was fiery and different, but it added no imagination like the rest of the pieces. There were crescent moons attached to the top and bottom of the gown as if they were added to the dress at the last minute.
Despite the good and the bad, Chen’s Couture line was beautiful, sophisticated, and became known as the “fancier” option in fashion at the Toronto fashion week.
The other big show-stopper this week was none other than the LINE Knitwear’s cotton and leather collection by Canadian duo, John Muscat and Jennifer Wells. The organic materials made for some impressionable sweaters, jackets, and even shawls. This collection stood out because of the modern style each outfit had.
The hit of the show had to be the draped Navajo print sweater complete with a leather belt and leather paneled trousers. This look was divine because it was flawlessly simple, while still being chic. And, who doesn’t love tapering?
Like Chen’s collection, there was that one look that didn’t make the grade. It was again one of the final looks of the collection. It was an olive green and orange knitted over-sized sweater with leather belting and a grey miniskirt. This item was styled immaturely and once it entered the runway, it fell flat. The colours did not work together and overall was a miss.
But if anything can make up for that look, it was the comfort and warmth that this collection had for its customers. As Canadians, it’s never easy to dress warmly while still being stylish, and this collection alone made that possible.
The knitwear had a very lavish and hip quality that made leather dresses and sweaters stand out.
Combined, both shows presented different spectrums of Canadian talent, however the ‘50s motif was definitely a classic and cool edge that both Eva Chen Couture and LINE Knitwear seemed to have for Fall/Winter 2012.
Toronto’s fashion week left us with a good farewell to the fall/winter 2011 and with big ideas for the next one.
