| |
|
It's easy to understand why Crystal Siemens' career has been followed
almost religiously by an eclectic fan base for years. This enterprising
fashion maverick and winner of the City of Toronto's Designer of the Year
Award for 2001 has a touch for relevance and a sharpness of acuity that
is unparalleled in Canadian fashion. This has not gone unnoticed by such
cultural luminaries as Chantal Kreviazuk and Amanda Marshall, who eagerly
anticipate Siemens' latest oeuvres.
An achievement to be proud of for any high pricepoint designer, the exclusivity
of the Spring/Summer 2002 collection is mitigated by practical considerations.
Accessibility is the heir of a vast selection of separates made of new
technology fabrics, an indelible Siemens trademark. The brown and white
bargello knit dress with leather detail and shoulder-tucking strikes a
demure pose compared to the more animated sapphire and gold foil scale-print
leather pants with flared hems. Crystal Siemens is known for a sombre
colour palette. "I'm inspired by the colours
of nature. The foil pants are inspired by the lake. This is why the location
is so fitting." From the assymetric liquid mercury jersey dress
with slashed leather detail to the sculpted pintuck sleeveless top, the
collection reinforces a long-held suspicion: that in translating technology
into a fashion language, Siemens creates a line of wearable blueprints.
Very wearable blueprints. She explains. "In draping
dresses, I always use the fabric on the forms."
|
| Keenly
aware of customer needs and demographic shifts, Siemens recently created
a new collection, Uniform by 808. The trend-driven label produces a contemporary
line of business-casual with a distinct focus on colour, silhouette and
detailing - at a moderate pricepoint. With the changes in business dress
codes, as well as the emergence of the 'new' entrepreneur, a new look is
required. And like the industrial music wafting out of the cello on Cherry
Beach, new and beautiful languages are being written to develop it. |
|
