Alternative Arts & Fashion Week (aka FAT) is back for its fifth round, twisting the city’s sense of style with over-the-top installations, extreme performances and indie designer debuts. Our roundup of its runway hijinks includes highlights from the April 21 opening night and must-see upcoming events.
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Opening Night Recap:
Ado Les Scents (adolesscents.com)
The Collection: “I have always liked to put lots of maple syrup on my pancakes,” says Ado Les Scents designer Hyun Yeu elliptically when I ask why he’s excited to bring his Amsterdam-based label to Canada. The first outside-of-Europe showing focused on 15 tailored menswear looks in a watery colour palette.
Showtime: Yeu’s website streams dreamy, washed-out clips of young men wearing the collection, and he brought along one of those videos to open the show.
Where to get it: E-mail info@adolesscents.com.
Jasper Garvida (jaspergarvida.com)
The Collection: Jasper Garvida’s fall collection began with a piece of malachite stone he found at the Natural History Museum in London, England.
It inspires the line’s green tint and rocky prints. “Silhouette-wise,” says Garvida, “the art deco era was my inspiration. Its shapes and architecture inspired the more structured pieces.”
Showtime: Pin-curled 1920s coifs carried the deco theme into the styling of the presentation, UK-based but Canadian-bred Garvida’s first show back home since 2006.
Where to get it: E-mail inhouse@jaspergarvida.com until some smart Toronto retailer scoops up the line or Garvida launches his online shopping site.
Refined by Evan Biddell (evanbiddell.ca)
The Collection: Fashion Week regular Evan Biddell partners with vintage shopping guru Cher Thornton from the Refinery (therefinery.com) to rework retro trenches and leather jackets, creating an eco collection in honour of his Earth Day show date.
Showtime: 9 pm. “I’ve cast 10 of my friends, whom you would normally see in the front row at one of my shows, to walk the runway,” says Biddell. “They are styling themselves as themselves – but themselves on a catwalk.”
Where to get it: OZ Studios, 134 Ossington, 416-792-5511.
Jessica Clayton (jessicamaryclayton.com)
The Collection: The personal styles of Joan of Arc, Parisian stylist Catherine Baba and the Marchesa Casati get mashed into Jessica Clayton’s collection. She also mixes dark and light colours, hard and soft textures and loose and structured tailoring.
Showtime: 9 pm. “Think turbans, grand hats and mantillas. Some of the girls will look decidedly black-widowish,” says Clayton.
Where to get it: Visit jessicamaryclayton.com.
Worth (worthbydavidcwigley.com)
The Collection: “A week at FAT means you’re guaranteed to see something you’ve never seen before,” says Worth designer David C. Wigley. “As a designer, that’s very freeing.” Wigley has channelled that boundary-less spirit into soft draping, eco fabrics and bright colours for Friday evening’s show.
Showtime: 7:20 pm. Drawing on the night’s rage theme, Wigley describes the styling of his 15 exits as harsh, aggressive and sharp.
Where to get it: E-mail davidcwigley@msn.com.
Heidi Ackerman (flightheidiackerman.blogspot.com)
The Collection: Heidi Ackerman’s 2010 collection, called construct(this), draws on Russian Constructivist-inspired patterns, colours and architecture and materials like vegetable-tanned leathers and graphic machine knits.
Showtime: 8:45 pm. Industrial designer Lindsay Sinclair has created a series of metal masks to give the show a dark, alien feeling.
Where to get it: Thieves Boutique, 1156 Queen West, 647-435-4880.
Felicia Burke
The Collection: Silk blouses, waistcoats and jackets with geometric appliques and other separates in silk and wool make up the majority of Felicia Burke’s fall line, complemented by high ponytails, black lips and dark eye makeup.
Showtime: 9 pm. “I’ve heard people say that the art scene in Toronto lacks exposure,” says Burke. “Yet when a cool event like FAT is happening, some are still reluctant to join in the fun. Come out to see my creations during the last show on Saturday!”
Where to get it: Burke will be part of the FAT Market on Sunday (see below).
Taessa Chorny (taessachorny.com)
The Collection: Taessa Chorny works with vintage fabrics, from graphic black-and-white prints to embellished metallics, to create modern and feminine dresses and jumpers. “I’m big on pockets,” says Chorny. “As much as I love the look of a purse, I don’t like holding one.”
Showtime: 10:30 pm. Her Saturday spot means Chorny’s runway will turn into the closing-night bash. A Mad Maus after-party immediately follows the presentation.
Where to get it: Model Citizen, 279 Augusta, 416-703-7625 and Freedom Clothing Collective, 939 Bloor West, 416-530-9946.
FAT’s first-ever designer sample sale lets alt-fashionistas shop the week’s worth of runway shows between 1 and 5 pm. A list of 20 participating designers includes Avendano, One of Us Swimwear and Romandin (pictured). Free admission. Sales are cash only.
