Jayn Simpson
fall/winter 2005

I wonder if it was the feathered cloche hats or the white lace gloves, or possibly even the weather-beaten suitcases on the edge of the fake pier at Toronto's Liberty Grand that readied me to step into another time period. For Fall 2005, Jayn Simpson put a tellingly personal spin on all of our favourite feminine clichés.

The snappy little gangster moll suits, accentuated with fedora hats, are cheeky and costume-like, and the billowing trench-coats also have a kind of irreality that betray any trendiness they may have otherwise had. But the low-rise fitted pants didn't fall victim to exaggeration. Their neat execution, along with the gold blouses they were paired with, sets the standard for the more wearable ensembles in the collection.

A full quarter of the offerings are bathed in the purity of white (and the not-so-purity of its naughty cousins, off-white and the even more intractable cappuccino). Thoughtful styling additions like neckerchiefs prevent the mini-suits from being trite, though the epidemic re-occurrence of 60's upholstered buttons are a little much.

I have trouble isolating the target age group of this collection. With this possibly divorced cross-Atlantic traveller dressed to the nines and evoking the charm of being lost between worlds, wooing wealthy tycoons on a floating casino, can she be under forty? You be the judge.

Daniel Cox
Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo
Photographer


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