The following quote from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities captures the way I characterize 2009; “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times; it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness; it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness...”

Perhaps the Dickens quote is a little dramatic, but it best describes how I feel about this past year and what I went through. Here’s a brief look in order:

Lowlight of 2009:

• Being laid off – Yup, this tops the list as the lowlight of the year. I can now say the phrase, “I was laid off” to family, friends  and sometimes to complete strangers without flinching, feeling embarrassment, shame or inadequacy.

Highlights of 2009:

• Volunteering at Luminato
• Rediscovering my love for fashion
• Starting this blog
• Reconnecting with old friends
• Working at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival
• Welcoming my nephew into the world and into the family (he is now three-months old)
• Attending and covering LG Fashion Week’s S/S 2010 shows and events
• Meeting and establishing a whole new network of supporters and friends

I mention these personal events in my life openly on The Souls of My Shoes (and in previous entries) not looking for sympathy, but to share with you what fuelled me to start this blog, maintain it and how it initially served as a life raft and is now a vehicle for my ideas, love of fashion and writing. Funnily enough, the good outweighs the bad exponentially in the above list. I’m very thankful for the opportunities and people I’ve met along the way, as well as the support received from my family, friends and readers which has and continues to be uplifting and heart warming.

Here’s a working list of what I look forward to in 2010:

• Finding and landing a full-time job
• Attending and covering LG Fashion Week’s fall/winter 2010 collections in March
• Continuing to create interesting and thoughtful content for The Souls of My Shoes

Like Karl Lagerfeld wrote in the pictured tweet, I look forward to setting ablaze the past and creating positive change and fresh starts for 2010. Happy New Year.

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Danielle Meder, of the blog Final Fashion, recently created and published a paper doll book highlighting 15 Canadian designers’ spring/summer 2010 creations from LG Fashion Week. Some of the designers featured in this book include Sunny Fong, NADA and Pink Tartan. In total, there are 17 paper dolls and over 60 pieces of clothing and accessories to play with.

Danielle’s review of S/S 2010 is refreshing and provides a new and unique twist of covering fashion in the media and online. The paper dolls, its clothing and accessories are depicted so accurately and life-like that it appears to step right off the runway and onto your computer screen.

Having attended fashion week, sat beside and conversed with Danielle, and then seeing her post each paper doll online was something to look forward to and read about on her blog, because she provides an honest and candid interpretation of the clothing and its presentation.

This paper doll book is quite a mark of achievement; I’ve already bought my book and you can too. Here are the purchase details:

• Full-size PDF document from Final Fashion for $17.95CAD.
• Hard copy paper doll book costs $42.95US ordered from Blurb.

Images used courtesy of Danielle Meder.

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This holiday season designer pop-up stores are all the rage throughout the City of Toronto. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the term, a “pop-up retail space is a venue that is temporary... (it) allows a company to create a unique environment that engages their customers, as well as generates a feeling of relevance and interactivity,” buzz and exposure (Wikipedia).

I haven’t been able to attend most of the pop-up stores, but I did go to the Bijouxbead Holiday Pop-Up Interactive Store held at the Fair Trade Jewellery Company and had the pleasure of meeting the charming Darlene Martin, jewellery designer and creative mind behind Bijouxbead.

For Martin’s holiday pop-up store she created an eight piece collection inspired by the spring/summer 2010 creations by Canadian designers, such as Evan Biddell, David Dixon, Brandon Dwyer and Sonny Fong. Each necklace had eight strands and was composed of sterling silver and glass crystal pieces – they were quite beautiful and well made.

You still have a few days to drop by, see Martin’s creations and do a little holiday shopping. Here are the details:

Date: December 1 – 14, 2009
Location: The Atelier of The Fair Trade Jewellery Company
523 Parliament Street, Toronto
Phone: (647) 430-8741

Hours:
Monday – Tuesday by appointment only
Wednesday – Friday 12:30pm-8:00pm
Saturday – Sunday 11:30am-6:00pm

Pictures taken by Kimberly Lyn

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I didn’t make it to the tents for day five of LG Fashion Week. After four days of back-to-back travelling, writing and analyzing designers' S2010 collections my brain was full and my body was calling for rest.

Therefore, for your reading pleasure, here is a roundup of articles by fashion editors and journalists reviewing LG Fashion Week:

• Inside Flare: Advice For New Designers On Maximizing Their Impact On The Runway by Lisa Tant, editor-in-chief of FLARE magazine
• Why so many runway runaways? by David Livingstone, The Toronto Star
• All this party needs is a few more A-listers by David Graham, fashion editor of The Toronto Star
• LG Fashion Week: vogue • cab • u • lary by Nathalie Atkinson, National Post
• LG Fashion Week report #7: St. Lucian by Sarah Nicole Prickett, Eyeweekly.com
• Toronto Fashion Week Spring/Summer ‘10: Checklist by TC, Corduroymagazine.com

Photo by Tommy Ton of Jak & Jil.

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7:00 p.m.  RUDSAK

For Rudsak’s S/S 2010 collection, Designer, Evik Asatoorian presented leather in all of its practical and wearable glory creating dresses, coats and handbags shown in colours, such as coral, purple, grey, vanilla and of course black.

The collection had an aviation and safari feel to it; many jackets were belted, designed with bellow pockets, shoulder straps and straight cut silhouettes. Combining hard and soft materials, for example leather with silk and cotton sateen (I think), and pairing pieces of the same colour provided a subtle contrast to the completed outfit, such as a grey leather jacket with a grey silk dress.

Stand out pieces from the collection were Rudsak’s opening garment, a button down, coral coloured leather dress with puff shoulders and a pleated front; an empire black leather dress paired with a cropped motorcycle jacket and a men’s purple motorcycle jacket.

What I liked about Rudsak’s latest collection is how it showed the lightness and versatility of leather; the material is not meant to be worn in just cold weather but also in warmer temperatures. However, what I found disappointing was this collection didn’t turn the use of leather on its head, didn’t invent anything new with the material or took it to its furthest reaches – with so much technology and advances in textile production surely we should have seen something eye popping and mouth dropping.

In my opinion, this was another safe S/S 2010 collection for LG Fashion Week, aiming for wide spread consumer appeal and buyer saleability.

8:00 p.m.  NADA

What do you get when gothic glam meets 17^th century French fashion? Well, you get none other than the S/S 2010 collection of NADA by Designer, Nada Sheppard.

Pictures by Kimberly Lyn and Angela Y. Martin.  Video from Fashiommagazine.com.

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Yesterday I attended four fashion shows and I have to say seeing Aime, Evan Biddell, Rudsak and Nada all in the same night was a treat. Therefore, I’ve separated my coverage of LG Fashion Week day four into two blog posts for an easier read through. First up for review are Aime and Evan Biddell.

4:00 p.m.  Aime

Taking inspiration from her travels in Europe, designer Monica Mei channelled the feeling and lifestyle of la dolce vita, and the setting of the Mediterranean coastline in her S/S 2010 collection for Aime.

Mei’s models came down the runway in daywear characterized by flowing dresses, tops and printed shorts. Soft colours, such as white, pink, nude and yellow were used, and silver lamé and flower details were added as accents. This created a beach feeling that was so prevalent in Mei’s presentation that I immediately thought maybe she should consider incorporating swimwear in the future.

By day Mei’s woman was a carefree spirit and by night she transformed into a sophisticated lady with flare and attitude. Form fitting cuts took over, such as pencil skirts, structured dresses and blouses with coloured piping.

Highlight pieces of the collection were Mei’s floral printed shorts with silver lamé edging and several dresses; a structured black dress, a purple and floral baby doll dress and a button down sweater dress with fringe hem.

This collection emphasized the wearability of Mei’s garments and efforts to make clothes that can be worn by women of all shapes and sizes. For future Aime collections adding pieces, such as pants and jackets would round out the line and add to its versatility.

6:00 p.m.  Evan Biddell

“Beam me up Scotty, but wait I have make sure my heavy jewellery is securely on and my hooded dress sits just right on my head so I can exercise at the intergalactic gymnasium tonight, then head to the club and get my drink on.”

Last night Evan Biddell, Canada’s bad boy of fashion, showcased an eclectic S/S 2010 collection dominated by expert draping, large statement necklaces for both men and women, mixed with futuristic clothes that could go from the gym to the club – loud dance music and Toronto hipsters in attendance also helped set the atmosphere for this too.

Titled, The Year 2010 – Unnatural Disaster, Biddell said “I was thinking about a world of barren deserts where only the strongest could survive. A regal species evolved to rule this domain,” also adding that “the collection is female fury personified.”

Biddell opened the show with a model dressed in a simple unstructured black silk dress, yet the key ingredient to this ensemble was the necklace she wore that incorporated an LG Chocolate phone with the EB logo on display – a collaboration he did with Toronto-based jewellery designer Rita Tesolin.

The collection progressively became more structured and futuristic through the use of subdued colours with accents of orange and blue, and sharp geometric cuts. Androgyny was also highlighted by pairing male and female models walking side-by-side down the runway, their faces aimed to show the after effect of Biddell’s post-apocalyptic desert world – then again, what model doesn’t look depressed or angry when walking down a runway.

For me, standout pieces from the collection has to be Biddell’s opening dress with the LG Chocolate phone necklace and a strapless blue dress with a grey pleated shrug.

One thing you can’t fault Biddell with is he doesn’t curb his artistic vision just for the sake of saleability or wearability – he’s definitely a risk taker and will only push the envelope further as time goes on.

Pictures by Kimberly Lyn and Jenna Marie Wakani. Video from blogTO. Information from the Aime and Evan Biddell spring/summer 2010 collection notes.

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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.

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Day two at LG Fashion Week was much lighter in terms of covering actual shows for my blog. I was mainly onsite to review Jason Meyers’s S/S 2010 collection and afterward take the opportunity to sit and enjoy the evening’s shows by David Dixon.

Overly hot (in terms of temperature) and overly crowded is how I would characterize the night. Crudely constructed paper fans were made from the shows’ program handouts as people tried to cool themselves off. Crowd control was non-existent as attendees squeezed and pressed into the seats, aisles and everywhere else in between.

5:00 p.m.       Jason Meyers

I heard 680News interview Meyers over the radio who said the inspiration from his latest collection came from the 1955 film Summertime; a love story that takes places in Italy and stars Katherine Hepburn, a unhappily married woman on vacation who engages in a love affair with a handsome Italian shopkeeper.

Upon hearing this what came to mind is chic Italian style, tailored garments, clean cuts, accessories and soft colours. Meyers said “I wanted to make this very accessible, very wearable, very versatile and very affordable” (Lauren La Rose, CP).

He stayed true to his statement by presenting a variety of colours, cuts and shapes across the board. The collection bounced back and forth between the styles of the 1950s, 1980s and today’s form fitting trends. Models were outfitted in shorts, high waist pants, exaggerated ruffled dresses and abstract prints. At one point the show got a little R-rated when a model’s nipple peaked out of her dress – remember folks this is fashion and nipples popping out do tend to happen (see picture eight).

One garment that stood out for me was a knee length, silver and cobalt blue over the shoulder dress made out of muccia taffeta. I like its geometric shape and how it encircled the model’s left shoulder and back (see image nine).

Tweets from Canada’s fashion editors and journalists provided constructive feedback for Meyers’s collection. Lisa Tant, editor-in-chief of FLARE magazine tweeted the following during the show:

“Prints are always tricky. Pick them carefully and use as an accent not an afterthought.”

“Lesson 2: hire a stylist. An experienced eye acts as a designer's compass. New talents always benefit from training wheels.”

What I appreciate about Meyers’s presentation is he has a bevy of creative ideas and he distributed pamphlets to the audience outlining the price tag and fabrics used for each piece of clothing – rarely seen at any of the shows I’ve attended thus far. This helped me to get a better understanding of his product, the fabrics used to construct each garment and the customers targeted.

Here is a short video clip from the film Summertime, the source of Meyers’s inspiration.

5:30 p.m.       Barbie Reception

I made a brief stop to check out the Barbie reception where models wore David Dixon creations to celebrate the iconic doll’s 50^th anniversary. Iced cupcakes were stacked for media to munch on and models coyly smiled and posed for pictures.

6:00 p.m.       Barbie by David Dixon

My friend Renee and I managed to squeeze into the stands to see the Barbie by David Dixon S/S 2010 collection. Transitioning from Dixon’s own line to the Barbie show the song “Think Pink” played from the American musical Funny Face (1957) to set the mood for the crowd, a precursor to the collection that followed. Everything was very pink, very girlie and thus extremely well focused and true to the Barbie line.

Now onto day three of LG Fashion Week.

N.B.: Read Renee’s blog, The Lifestylists for her review of day two of LG Fashion Week.

Pictures taken by Kimberly Lyn. Video from blogTO.

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Lions and tigers and seals, oh my! Seals you say? What does that have to do with LG Fashion Week? Last night, at the Holt Renfrew Media Cocktail and at the opening festivities of Fashion Week two PETA protestors stood outside each venue handing out pamphlets. One was outfitted in a seal costume, happily waving and posing for pictures – very few (including me) took their efforts seriously to upstage the evening.

5:30 p.m. Holt Renfrew Media Cocktail

Despite the seal, last night was full of fun, laughter and Canadian style. Holt Renfrew and the Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC) flexed its powerful fashion muscle by gathering together designers, media, fashion bloggers and sponsors in Holt’s Bloor Street store for its annual media cocktail party.

Speeches by Barbara Atkin, vice president and fashion director for Holt Renfrew, and Robin Kay, president of the FDCC kicked off the evening, followed by a mini fashion show featuring seven of Canada’s top design houses. They are: Greta Constantine, Denis Gagnon, Lida Baday, Jeremy Laing, Mikhael Kale, Pink Tartan and Smythe.

Dubbed the new “Group of Seven” by Kay, these very talented designers showcased capsules of their spring/summer 2010 (S/S 2010) collections. My heart skipped a beat as my eyes saw their expertly designed garments. The cut, colour and style of each collection presented made me swell with pride – this is Canadian talent and fashion that should be celebrated 365 days of the year, around the globe and in every store in the country.

Two collections I was drawn to were Denis Gagnon and Greta Constantine. The design duo of Greta Constantine (Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong) presented four pieces from their S/S 2010 collection. My favourite was a white dress with a sharply cut deep v-front.

As for Denis Gagnon, well I think he and I need to become best friends. This was the first time I had the opportunity to see his clothing in real life, and it blew me away. Seeing only four pieces of his latest collection showed his talent for detail, and expert handling of cloth such as jersey, leather and zippers. A standout piece from Gagnon’s line was a leather jacket with zipper detailing along the cuffs, neckline and hem. Edgy and genius! Take note of Gagnon’s custom-designed Aldo shoes which received a lot of attention during his presentation at Montreal Fashion Week (see Fashionmagazine.com for more information).

Personal highlights of the evening was having the pleasure of finally meeting two of Canada’s top fashion bloggers, Anita Clarke of I Want I Got and Danielle Meder of Final Fashion, as well as reconnecting with an old friend from university, Monica Mei who is the designer of Aime; I’m so proud of her accomplishments and I will definitely be attending her show this Thursday.

9:00 p.m. On the runway... at LG Fashion Week (1030 King Street West)

Now over to LG Fashion Week’s new home in Liberty Village where Lucian Matis was announced the winner of the FDCC Designer Development Fund followed by two fashion shows, 100 years of Beauty by L’Oreal Paris and the Stratford Shakespeare Festival “Wear Love Alive.”

The first show, 100 years of Beauty by L’Oréal Paris, opened with an opera singer and then chronicled fashion trends and beauty throughout the ages. It was quite beautiful and artfully presented showcasing garments on the runway from each decade starting from the year 1900 and ending at 2010.

Stratford Shakespeare Festival “Wear Love Alive” presented a runway show full of drama, elegance and sophistication. The costumes from the Stratford Shakespeare Festival utilized a variety of cloth including feathers, fur and lace that added a feeling of sumptuousness to the garments. Topping off the end of the show was a group of male models strutting down the runway. Be still my beating heart!

Now I’m onto day two of LG Fashion Week, stay tuned.

Photos taken by Kimberly Lyn.

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LG Fashion Week started for me on Friday night as I was invited to preview the spring/summer 2010 capsule collection by Jessica Jensen.

Originally a handbag designer, this is Jensen’s first foray into womenswear focusing on the creation of day dresses accompanied by her well-known and sought after bags.

Jensen derived her inspiration for this collection from her time spent on the New Jersey coastline with her husband. Using nature as her theme and focus, the dresses and handbags were developed from her experience on a, “coastline when the storms begin to settle; the sound of the ocean; the calm and stillness of the surroundings; (and) the knowledge that brighter days are ahead.”

The Thrush Holmes Empire on Queen Street West served as a complimentary setting to show Jensen’s first womenswear collection. Upon entering the space, the lines between art and fashion blended and merged. Dresses and handbags acted as standalone sculptures of art alongside photographs by Joshua Jensen-Nagle. This complimented and strengthened Jensen’s coastline inspired collection, yet at the same time I nearly didn’t touch the products on display because they were so artfully presented and placed.

The dresses were made of cotton sateen and its silhouettes were designed with simplicity in mind, straight and loose with an unrestricted feel. Jensen allowed for the dresses to be modified by the wearer to become more form fitting at the waist by using an optional kid skin belt. The colours chosen (black, plum, green and grey) expressed her earthy inspiration for these dresses.

The Italian leather handbags were expertly designed and all individually hand sewn varying in a mixture of shapes and styles. Clutches, satchels and totes in basket and panel weaves were presented in a wider palette choice of colours all intricately designed and well paired with each dress.  

Overall, this collection was controlled, focused and well thought out. Jensen is very conscious of presenting her first womenswear collection with a set vision in mind, maintaining it from start to finish. This new venture into women’s clothing has good potential for growth, yet Jensen would do better to experiment more with cloth and increase the number of garments in future collections incorporating more variety of pieces such as blouses, pants or skirts.

Photos taken by Kimberly Lyn. Quote from Jessica Jensen's spring/summer 2010 collection notes.

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