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TFI Shortlist
While the rest of us recline into rest and relaxation over the holidays, a pack of young designers will be hunched over their sewing machines trying to stitch up their big fashion break. The Toronto Fashion Incubator has selected upstart labels Bev Kidd , Fashion Psychology , Desperately Different , D’Mila , Las Valentias and Karamea as the finalists in its New Labels competition . The winner will be announced during the glitzy TFI runway show at Hazelton Lanes during Toronto Fashion Week in March.
Art of fashion
Reigning Toronto fashion artista Lydia Klenck combines her knack for awesome attire and cutting-edge art on Friday night (December 16) as part of Xpace ‘s I Want To Go To Africa festival. Her Fêtards Sauvages performance includes burlesque dancers in tribal costumes moving to the clicks of fashion photographer flashes. The bizarro photo shoot is joined by contributions from radio host and festival organizer Sook-Yin Lee and local everywhere-you-want-to-be DJ Will Munro . Doors open at 7:30 pm. $7. 303 Augusta. www.xpace.info.
Go to Market
If you’ve hunted through every standby store and are still short a few special finds, you’ve got one last weekend to visit the Annex Christmas Market . Inspired ideas are packed into the Tranzac ‘s (292 Brunswick) concert hall, including luscious bars by Soap Buds , sassy boatneck Ts by Heart Beat , and Amy Kovach ‘s colourful line of custom jewellery. Organizer Christina Moorshead reminds visitors that the venue is licensed, so a mid-shop brewski is totally legit. www.annexmarket.com.
Capital city couture
Our budget-conscious style habits make it hard for Canadian designers to unload their mid-priced off-the-rack collections, let alone expensive couture items. So we admire young Ottawa designer Jayn Simpson ‘s chutzpah. She’s opening her atelier in Yorkville ( Jayn Simpson and Tricia Cochran Collections , 114 Avenue Road, 416-964-9220). The frothy start-at-three-grand gowns and jaunty Chapeaux de Madeleine felt fedoras might never land in our sweet deals column, but we encourage lucky luxe shoppers to mix some Canadian content in with their other haute Bloor Street buys.
