It’s one thing to design with trends in mind, it’s another to have your collection look like it was inspired by a little more than a Women’s Wear Daily trend report – a problem that tends to plague Toronto Fashion Week. Just as I was about to fall into a trance-like state from garments with miniscule degrees of differentiation cycling the runway, three young designers changed the game.
Travis Taddeo shook things up with his signature minimalist urban styles. Some fashion folks still don’t understand his appeal, but these are likely the same people who consider Joe Fresh the torchbearer of democracy in fashion.
Taddeo creates populist designs out of luxury materials, giving street wear a much deserved spotlight in an industry that often shrugs it off as inferior and sloppy. Baseball caps, leather shorts layered over sweats and socks paired with sandals gave off a cool couldn’t-care-less vibe. A series of quilted white pieces stole the show, while jersey dresses draped with airy silk chiffon made me feel lighter just to watch them float down the runway.
Melissa Nepton showed the first must-see collection of the week, managing to be both dramatic and relaxed all at once. Inspired by Japanese trends, Nepton gave light materials weight and volume with way-wide leg pants and fabulous ballooning skorts that – don’t worry – in no way resemble the tragic skorts of the 90s.
Standout optic prints mixed stripes, checks, and puzzle-like patterns to great effect and even the models’ hair made an impression, tied back and wrapped with electrical tape for a sharp dagger-like look.
Sid Neigum, a member of The Collective, closed out the night with a mature collection that, by his standards, lacked a bit of theatrical effect. I’m used to seeing more tiers of meaning in Neigum’s shows, but his outstanding skill was seen in the precision of his laser-cut dresses, architectural shapes and perfectly draped outerwear.
This is a designer who plans out everything, including the footwear. No ill-fitting sponsored shoes on Neigum’s runway. While other designers somehow forget to steam their clothes, he thinks to create hoof-like booties by layering sheets of leather over top of existing shoes.
Neigum is exactly the sort of talent big Canadian department stores (Holts, The Bay, I’m looking at you) need to throw dollars and marketing power behind. Our young designers are showing up big time – it’s just too bad the same can’t be said for our retailers.
Toronto Fashion Week continues through Saturday (October 26). Check back for our daily coverage.
