TORONTO FASHION WEEK - A MAJOR CONTENDER GROWS INTO IT'S SHOES

If last season's edition of Toronto Fashion Week was to establish the young events calendar on the fashion circuit, the Fall/Winter 2002-03 edition of TFW from March 18-22, 2002 made it a viable contender in being one of the biggest fashion events in Canadian history. Five days of rapid-fire fashion shows at the Liberty Grand complex, as well as some extraordinary offsite staging gave delegates the chance to see their favourite designers spin something new as well as to sniff out breaking aspirations to the crown.

Some poignant rites of passage statements were given at the opulent Holt Renfrew breakfast press conference. Legendary fashion writer David Livingstone took the time to announce his new magazine Elm Street-The Look and to admonish the crowd. After claiming that he knows absolutely nothing about finance, he left the podium in delivering a nugget of wisdom. "It's only possible to sell something that you believe in."

Believers turned out in droves for the headliners, and catching wind of the hype-driven excitement, so did the media. VideoFashion, a New York company that produces television segments seen in 60 countries, documented the solid design that Canada has to offer international fashion markets in addition to interviewing Minimidimaxi's editorial team.

 

The celebrity hype was unnecessary, as the fashion spoke for itself. All one had to do was take a peek at what the nation's premier designers unveiled for Fall/Winter 2002. Crystal Siemens and David Dixon alter their minimalist approaches with close-circuited introspection. Thien Le delivers a black eveningwear masterpiece for one of the biggest surprises of TFW while Misura's simple construction and attention to detail brings womenswear sensuality to the forefront. Shelli Oh, Ula Zukowska, Yolanda Ng and Mark Peros also put on strong shows.

Some of the best collections at TFW were by Montreal designers invited to participate. Yso's pink and black poetic austerity works magic with outfits and separates. Marie Saint Pierre comes through with her fusion of technology fabrics and Victorian lace for one of the brightest points of the week. Rudsak, Nadya Toto, Jean Airoldi, Tavan & Mitto and Catherine Brule rounded out the Quebec contingent. Italian designer Tina Maiani also presented a collection, an indication into the ripples Canadian fashion is making internationally.

New designer labels rose to the surface to give us a hint of directions to look for. Fashion entrepreneur Joe Mimram gives insight into the early days of Club Monaco. "Sheer creativity was the only thing enabling us to compete with companies larger than ours."
Eryn Reid and Janet T. Planet presented competitive debut collections that sparkle with such independent thinking.

The week was peppered with special events, including a video presentation by Canadian expatriates Dan & Dean and Hoax Couture's glitzy bash to kick off the week. The Fashion Environment installations were another way for designers to reach the TFW crowd. Though less popular than last year, designers like Damzels In This Dress, C'est Pas Gràve , Luk and Kamkyl participated in this feature. Kamkyl, with their punk take on nouveau-riche aristocracy was one of the few major menswear designers bothering to show up in an essentially womenswear Fashion Week.

Daniel Cox
Fashion Editor
Minimidimaxi LTD. - The Canadian Fashion Stage
Related Article: Special Events during Toronto Fashion Week

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