Trends Report SPRING-SUMMER 2003 : MINIMIDIMAXI MAGAZINE

TRENDS, FASHION, FUR, BEAUTY, EVENTS

FASHION DESIGNERS COLLECTIONS FOR SPRING-SUMMER 2003

Susan Sontag once wrote that "great writers are either husbands or lovers." So it is in the spectrum of colour. Black, white and brown are the husbandly colours that provide "reliability, intelligibility, generosity and decency."
A resurgence of earth tones in the spring/summer 2003 collections licenses brown to become a year-long presence.

Aquamarine, teal, orange, lime, rust, burgundy and sangria (that elusive confluence where wine bleeds into tangerine) are the lovers whose "moodiness, selfishness, unreliability and brutality" is tolerated in return for "excitement, infusion of an intense feeling." Thien Le's stunning fresh bronze possesses a visual energy, and I suspect that gold is being used for more than just runway sensationalism.

The patterns for spring/summer 2003 are bold, yet hopelessly romantic. In men's wear, Kamkyl's French-cuffed dress shirt with its intricate paisley pattern is decidedly bohemian. For women, Denis Gagnon uses the same floral paisley to fashion some great summer dresses, of course with a rougher cut. Floral even extends into extravagant black and white georgette, and its heedless optimism runs rampant for spring/summer 2003. Vine-print embroidery is equally as prevalent, and Yolanda Ng employs it to spruce up her black chiffon. Perhaps the taste for Jacquard print is the most contagious of all, and it has subtle applications, giving more casual separates an edge, one that is found in the fabric itself and free of all gimmickry.

Details, details, details. Either the human body is evolving at a quicker pace than usual, or ready-to-wear silhouettes are becoming more dauntless as the seasons go by.
Reflective surfaces are cropping up everywhere, and sometimes this is achieved quite simply with the sparing use of metallic thread in an otherwise dull garment. French cuffs are getting longer by the minute while the V-neck is once again becoming a powerful signifier.

In the spring seasons of yore, fur accents abounded, yet Harricana appears to be the sole practitioner for 2003. Single-loop closures on jackets may be a hot trend, but it's probably an unimposing Canadian fad that won't last through next season. What remains a fact is that asymmetry is a defining ingredient in Canadian fashion; sleeves are more off the shoulder than on.

Something radical is definitely happening at hem level. A-line skirts, skirts cinched at the hem and bell dresses are dominating features. Pleats come in all variations, from the crisply pressed to the barely perceptible. The low-slung waist has a virtual hegemony as far as pants are concerned, and this is a trend that has gathered enough street credibility to roll ahead into another season.


Byzantine influence seared the Montreal runways. Envers' take on masculine refinement in regal purple, burgundy and desert sand benefited the modernized djellaba. POW's mature collection is not only a treatise on how an accessory can serve as a third-party catalyst, it also draws on the layering system used in eastern and middle-eastern women's dressing.	A wave of western romanticism swept through design studios, whether it be touches of black Victorian lace, or silhouettes becoming of "The Charleston". Billy Waxman is making new fans of the tuxedo, as dinner and smoking jackets see a rise in popularity. The 20's look is not as innocuous as it seems, and it sometimes comes straight from the bawdy house. Damzels In This Dress spearheads the subversion by adding a touch of punk, and an unmistakable gothic tweak is thusly introduced.
The combat look was vociferous in Toronto, and the timing seems to jive with the cultural return to grunge. Perhaps it's a necessary counter-move to the crushing romantic zeitgeist. But the many moods of denim are definitely the chief outlaws of Spring 2003.
	When CTV News Social Trends reporter Sarah Galashan asked us if spring's hems are up or down, we had no choice but to explain how Canadian fashion is rephrasing that very question. Canada may soon become known as the nation of the bias cut. Thien Le is making sure of that, deftly slicing through choice silks and satin, en route to the perfect dress. For spring/summer 2003, Le uses one or no seams and prefers to work with the fabrics' natural attributes, letting the fabric's fall decide the silhouette. YSO's jagged bias cut in delicate fabrics such as silk chiffon is well documented on the Canadian runways. Good cuts demand fabrics than can withstand their athleticism, and this is but one reason why the fabrics on Canadian runways are being held to a higher standard.

There is a flipside to this vision of beauty in contemporary Canadian fashion. In positing that seamless perfection is not something to be sought after, but perhaps a designer blemish, both YSO and Denis Gagnon propel the beauty of organic dressing. Consider YSO's feminine consideration to the back (an area utterly neglected at large), lacing it up with organic strokes. Gagnon's crumpled, super-positioned creations possess similar dynamism, allowing for "infusion of an intense feeling."

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