On day three of LG Fashion Week I attended the Katrina Tuttle and Attitude Only at Sears S/S 2010 shows, both of which yielded interesting background stories. Tuttle is an up and coming fashion designer out of Halifax, Nova Scotia, who has no formal training in design and was seen as one of the most promising young designers emerging from the Toronto Alternative Arts & Fashion Week (FAT). Attitude is the new fashion line developed by Sears who is in the midst of rebranding itself to attract a more youthful clientele.

5:00 p.m.  Katrina Tuttle

Dance music. Check. Short cocktail dresses. Check. Was the S/S 2010 collection by Katrina Tuttle taken from the wardrobe pages of MTV’s The Hills – most definitely. Check.

If you’re a pretty young thing in your early to mid-twenties, who loves to show off your figure then this is the line for you. Tuttle is known for her tendency towards designing dresses and her S/S 2010 collection proved just that. Approximately 20 of her designs presented last night were dresses. Majority of her creations were short, strapless, asymmetrical sheath dresses and miniskirts usually accompanied with pleats or ruffled detailing.

Blue, fuschia and yellow were her main colours used for the collection and were found in patterns or blended hues of the same palette. Black and white was used to balance out these eye-popping colours and to provide a more sophisticated feel.

The closing garment for Tuttle’s collection was a strapless dress called Valentina that combined feathers, embroidered flowers and purple tulle giving a rich and highly textured feel.

Tuttle’s aesthetic was focused last night, but I found that her silhouettes were too similar to one another often alternating in different colours. There were moments in the collection where tailoring needed to be refined and unnecessary detailing, such as pleats needed to be removed.

Overall, Tuttle presented a very safe collection for her first showing at LG Fashion Week making garments more wearable for industry purchase and consumer appeal – this was a different stance from some of her creations seen at FAT. To really develop her talent it’s time for Tuttle to consider serious tutelage under an experienced figure within the fashion industry that can help draw out and refine her creative visions – which are already there. If this happens, she will have many successes in the Canadian fashion industry.

6:30 p.m.  Attitude Only at Sears

I read several news stories and blog posts a few months ago mentioning Sears was revolutionizing its womenswear to appeal to a younger and more style oriented audience. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this retailer who usually conjures up images of dull clothes and household appliances.

Well ladies and gentlemen, there is a style revolution taking place in Sears and I am thoroughly impressed with their S/S 2010 collection. The Attitude line prides itself with delivering wardrobe basics at affordable prices and what I saw on the runway was just that. The garments were modern, simple and sophisticated incorporating fashion’s latest trends along with a healthy dose of wearability.

The collection has a good mix of bottoms (pants, skirts and shorts) for all shapes and sizes, allowing for pieces to be mixed and matched. The S/S 2010 colour palette is based on neutrals (black, grey and white) all timeless colour staples against the ever-changing fashions season-to-season.

Cotton, polyester and sequins was just a sample of cloth carefully selected, cut, stitched and styled into dresses, tanks, t-shirts and jumpsuits.

One outfit that was a winner (in my eyes) was a cropped biker jacket paired with a black and white polka dot skirt and sequin tank. Simple, adaptable and edgy! I want all three pieces.

At one point during the show, Anita Clarke pointed out a white shirt that appeared fairly ordinary from the front, but when the model turned around on the runway the back of the top had a discreet slit in between the shoulder blades showing a little skin, it was very cool and subtly sexy.

For the finale, models reappeared on the runway wearing alternating black and white t-shirts creating a visual checker board reminding LG Fashion Week attendees of their presence on the Canadian fashion scene, and that this new kid on the block is here to stay.

N.B.: recent Twitter activity late last night has some of Toronto’s fashion bloggers tweeting that Joe Fresh Style has some mighty competition around the corner and it has a lot of attitude.

Pictures taken by Kimberly Lyn. Information from Katrina Tuttle and the Attitude Only at Sears spring/summer 2010 collection notes.