Fashion week roundup

Toronto Fashion Week is drawing to a close. The clothes have been glamorous, the cocktail parties have been copious, and the weather has been surprisingly beautiful. (P.S. Happy spring everyone!)

The theme for LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oreal Paris  was “show love” and I think that Toronto definitely showed its love for all the designers. Most shows were packed to the brim with fashion-lovers wearing everything from bright pink dresses for the Barbie by David Dixon show to six-inch platforms with studs for the Nada show.

As the week winds down I thought I’d share with you some of my favourites from the Canadian designers for fall 2009. I know that no one wants to even contemplate the cold weather arriving again but the upcoming fashions will definitely inspire you.

Starting off the week was David Dixon’s fall line as well as the much-anticipated Barbie by David Dixon runway show. Toronto-born Dixon always impresses me with his beautifully cut dresses and this year he amped up his fall collection using raven feathers along with sleek wool suits. He also accessorized his line with chunky jewels by Rita Tesolin. More on her in another blog because I was absolutely taken with her baubles.

Now back to the runways. For the Barbie show, Dixon used classic Barbie looks, mixed in some fall tweed and houndstooth and of course no Barbie outfit would be complete without some hot pink accents. There were lots of great cut jackets that weren’t so doll-like that a normal woman couldn’t pull them off.

Andy Thê Anh is another one of my favourite designers. His dresses are stunning and the intricate details are what really get me. While he occasionally goes a bit over the top, his garments are gorgeous. For fall he had a fairly muted palette to start but as the models kept coming he mixed in some pink, bright yellow and green to brighten up the beige and black of fall. He also had some fabulous leggings embossed with jewels. Am I just attracted to sparkly things? Perhaps, but I kind of want to find them come fall.

Joeffer Caoc’s show used architectural shapes and intricate tailoring to create a hard and soft mix with a few pops of red and gold. The belt is still in for fall – almost every line I saw had nicely cinched waists and Caoc’s was no exception.

While I don’t have time to mention them all I must touch on the Pink Tartan and Joe Fresh Style shows. Pink Tartan, designed by Kim Newport-Mimram and Joe Fresh, designed by her husband Joe Mimram are always fun and of course they were back to back. After Pink Tartan, instead of clearing the runway, the crowd was told to stay in their seats for the Joe Fresh show, and we had a little cocktail party on the runway. Not too shabby eh?

Then out came  the Joe Fresh models, dressed in distinctly Canadian attire. What does that mean you ask? Joe told me it was inspired by ice skating. The line included cute knee-highs, teacup skirts, and lots of down jackets.

And finally the Heart Truth Fashion Show for the Heart and Stroke Foundation was filled with Chatelaine cover girls, Canadian celebs and stunning red dresses created by Canadian designers. Take a sneak peek at it here.

That’s all for now. That’s a quick run-down but for more coverage check out the fashion week site to see some great shots. 

–Kate Daley