Another season has wrapped up for Fashion Week in Toronto, which means it’s time for our A.I.N.I. list of things that were great, not-so-great and downright awful. Let’s just say that this season, it was much more difficult to find things to criticize, as I (and I’m sure most regular attendees) was happy to see major improvements in organization since the IMG takeover.
The Amazing:
Media Lounge: Two floors, comfortable spaces and food (though that’s also something to criticize – see “needs improvement”) that wasn’t cereal bars and fruit. There was also a lounge on the second floor! Finally, because the Internet was not Wi-Fi, we were not knocked off line once.
Allistyle: While non-standard sized models have been featured at Fashion Week before (mostly at VAWK/VAWKKIN), Allistyle was the first exclusively non-standard size (catering to those sizes 12 to 22) show to grace the runways. This is a welcome change to Fashion Week and will hopefully open doors to other designers who focus on “specialty” sizing.
Organization in General: About a billion times better than previous seasons. Volunteers seem to know what they were doing and getting seated was not as crazy as it was in previous seasons. We made it to our seats fairly quickly. In addition, the fact that everyone had chairs rather than
Matis by Lucian Matis: As with last season, a beautiful, wearable consisting of both work-appropriate looks as well as something one might wear to go out with friends. There are definitely several must-haves in this collection.
The Interesting:
UNTTLD: This collection was inspired by haiku and the viewers were greeted by a recording of kids singing in Japanese as they walked in to the show. Normally, music isn’t played and people just go about their way to find their seats. So yes, this was definitely an interesting way to get all of us in the mood for the show.
Adrian Wu: For those of us familiar with his line…need I say more? And presentation was interesting too – models walked on the runway in circles and then walking out towards the photographers for a pose and back in a circle again. But like we noted, it’s Adrian Wu, so expect the unexpected.
Soia & Kyo: Definitely a very interesting take on headpieces as it reminded many of an old fashioned spa. All the female models needed to do was to exchange outerwear for robes. But if that happened, there wouldn’t be a show as Soia & Kyo focuses on outerwear!
Needs Improvement:
Attendance at Allistyle: I really felt badly for the designer as for a 7PM show, it was fairly empty. And while some mainstream media (namely Elle Canada and Flare) were there as I saw their live Tweets, others were noticeably absent. In fact, I took over a seat that was meant for a big publication. I understand that the line may be a bit plain compared to the other designers (in fact, I was expecting something much more “fashion,” rather than “clothes”), but the fact that Allistyle is exclusively plus size is very much worth noting.
Seat Assignments for media: As I’ve said before, there should be more designated seats for smaller outlets, especially for shows where the people have contacted PR reps.
Food in the media lounge: Would have been nice to have some variety as we had the same sandwiches throughout the week. There was a bit of a break on Tuesday when they brought in pressed sandwiches and salads, but I’m not sure if I want to see mini roast beef sandwiches on onion bread for a while.
Paraezo: Yes, I’ve already written about this – the studio is not exactly the best place to show wedding gowns, nor was the lighting in the nearly all-white space ideal.
Image credits: Media lounge photos by author; Adrian Wu and Soia & Kyo images by Deborah Lawrence Photography
