For the Fall 2014 season, Toronto’s OTHER major fashion event, The shOws, moves to the Storys Building in the Adelaide and University area, not too far from the Tents of World Mastercard Fashion Week. As usual, there were delicious appetizers (mini tacos, pulled pork sliders and donuts, to name a few) and cool swag from Procter & Gamble. For two nights, the city’s fashionistas gathered to watch four designers, all Canadians, who are now based in other countries. We even braved the awful March Snowmageddon on the second day to catch the shows.
Day One featured Bellavance, a New York based design duo. Some of the looks were, according to the post-show interview, inspired by 1930s-era school uniforms with midi-length skirts. The collection also included a gorgeous blue trench and an argyle pencil skirt and crop top combo. I have to say, however, that while the pieces looked good on the models, I am unsure as to how it would work on many everyday women. For example, some of the skirt lengths would look HORRIBLE on anyone under 5’7″ (yes, I will make a big deal about this for every single women’s wear designer). However, many of the pieces look “alterable,” meaning that the style would not change (or at least, not change drastically) after alterations (though I can’t say the same for my favourite, the argyle pencil skirt). At the same time, however, one really has to be on the slimmer side to pull many of the looks off.
The second designer presenting on the first day was Steven Tai. The styling was very interesting (thick pants with dresses and skirts over long tops), and if you look at the pieces individually, rather than how they were paired on the runway, then yes, it is possible to pick and choose looks that would work in real life. For example, my “standard” winter uniform includes big sweaters, skinny pants and tall boots. Steven’s collection had plenty of big, bulky sweaters. However, the show itself was fairly unappealing to watch. Perhaps he just likes that kind of look, but the bulkiness of the entire show (seems to be a trend, as I saw tons of it in New York)
The second day (aka March Snowmageddon) saw Kaelen for the first show and Antonio Azzuolo as the second. Kaelen’s collection was a combination of pinks, reds and one or two jewel toned purple pieces – a colour I love. I’m a little mixed about the collection. While many of the pieces – especially bottoms – are at least a little bit height-friendly (and I loved one of the skirts with a removable zipper), I’m not so sure if I like the pink pieces, which, in my opinion, look a little bit like something from a 1980s slumber party. In addition, peplum is OVER!
The final show, Antonio Azzuolo, was the only collection featuring both menswear and women’s. It was mostly dark, with pops of magenta for both men and women. It had aspects of casual workwear for men, in addition to more “fun” looks (though I’m not sure what to make of the magenta on top for men OR the tunic), while the women’s pieces are definitely not styled for most offices. There were some stand-outs, including a women’s jacket with extremely fine pink and black detailing. However, I am unsure if the women’s pieces would work too well off-runway for many.
I’ve always loved The shOws. Can’t wait to see who’ll present and which venue it’ll be at in October!
Images by: Michael Ho, courtesy of Brill Communications via The Stylebureau
