The month leading up to Toronto Fashion Week has been packed with early-bird shows and preview installations. To whet your catwalk appetite before Sunday’s official kickoff, here’s a look at the designers who couldn’t wait to unveil their fall collections.
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Philip Sparks (philipsparks.com)
I can’t pretend to be an objective observer on this one (we are boyfriends), so I’ll just say Sparks’s tweaked peacoats, hardware-heavy leather bags and knit long johns were inspired by Melville’s Moby Dick.
Fullum & Holt (fullumandholt.com)
Montreal-based Fullum & Holt’s collection of faceted leather goods, unveiled Wednesday, March 24, at the Spoke Club, includes “princess cut” shoulder bags and clutches plus this Jewel Heart Bag available in textured tan or black.
NADA (nadadesigns.com)
Nada Shepherd premiered her 3-D Future Fashion/Fashion Future feature at the Scotiabank Theatre. You can watch her video game fembots fight it out in metallic leggings, smoking prints and jackets with exaggerated collars at nada3d.com.
Jenna Wakani
Breeyn McCarney (breeyn.com)
At the Courthouse on March 18, McCarney’s first solo show focused on plaid jackets and light cotton dresses cocooned under cobweb shawls and jumpers.
Thieves (thieves.ca)
After a New York Fashion Week debut at The Green Shows February 15, Sonja den Elzen gave Toronto a taste of asymmetrical men’s and womenswear cut from sustainable wool, cotton and lyocell at her Queen West boutique.
Greta Constantine (gretaconstantine.com)
Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill sent their Greta Constantine woman to work this season in cowl-neck wool dresses and signature knotted and draped jersey columns. Their Ezra Constantine man, however, went to war in flak jackets and army pants with exaggerated cargo pockets.
Penicullus Bellum (penicullusbellum.com)
Tricky textures like glossy leather sliced and diced to look like sequins, and strong-shouldered silhouettes stand out in Patricia O’Connor and Clair Warwick’s 14-coat capsule collection. And they say the name means “war on style” in case you’re curious.
Upcoming…
Line (lineknitwear.com)
Layers of ruffled scarves, oversized cardigans and statement sweaters walk the catwalk at this evening’s (Thursday, March 25) invite-only runway show.
Thomas (thomasclothing.ca)
Mikey Thomas, Drew Thomas and UPC Boutique’s Anat Lowe and Maha Zeibak preview the second season of their androgynous knitwear collaboration tonight at Clint Roenisch.
Cult de Laissez Faire (cultdelaissezfaire.com)
Carte Blanche’s Daniel Augustino and co-designer Corey Gibbs launch their menswear collection with a video presentation Friday (March 26).
