Backstage at The Collections - pre-Fashion Week S/S2013

This season Toronto's Fashion Week went a little mental. With all the commotion about IMG Fashion Worldwide buying TFW, several designers and people of the Toronto fashion industry got a little freaked and decided to do their own thing as to not get all corrupted by the big business man.

IMG owns and runs 10 of the biggest Fashion Weeks in the world, the most important being New York Fashion Week. According to an article in The Toronto Star, the vice-president of IMG, Peter Levy, says the company bought TFW so they can transform it into a huge fashion event recognized world wide. That would be pretty cool I guess...I'd have an 'in' already! hahaha. 

Anyway, the point of all this is: last year's TFW headliners bailed on World MasterCard Fashion Week and signed up for what the industry is now calling the "Rogue Shows" aka The Collections and The ShOws. Both runway events were two-days long, running from Oct.16 - 17, and were 100% cooler than WMCFW just because they were THAT much more ALTERNATIVE. (lol so hipster though. gotta love those creative-types, always trying to stick it to the man.) 

The Collections played host to edgier labels like Laura Siegel, Chloe Comme Parris, Label, Klaxon Howl, Sid Neigum and Cara Cheung while The ShOws presented the more "couture" lines like Jean-Pierre Braganza, Antonio Azzuolo and Jeremy Laing. Due to my crazy amount of school work (yay university mid-term season...) I couldn't make it to any of lines at The ShOws, but I did get to attend The Collections. I was given an all-access backstage pass! I got to run around backstage with all the models, makeup artists, and hair people, and I got to sit in front row. FUNZIES! 

Because I'm so behind on life, I still haven't gotten my runway reviews done for Dress to KILL yet..but I'm getting there I promise... For now please enjoy some of the backstage photos I took! 

Models in Chloe Comme Parris S/S 2013

Black talon nails for Cara Cheung 

Pink eyelashes for Laura Siegel

Caveman breads for Cara Cheung

Bright eyes for S/S 2013!

Chloe Comme Parris prep braids for big curly hair 

Aveda products! love this stuff.

Chloe and I being shits. As usual.

Model of Laura Siegel 

Last minute pre-runway huddle before Laura Siegel show

6 stylists for 1 model backstage at Label

Dark eyes for Sid Neigum

MAC makeup backstage 

Nylon caps and dark eyes for Sid Neigum

Charcuterie table for all those hungry fashion people. I think I survived on almonds... Damn you vege-unfriendly people

Model after Cara Cheung show with her fashion dog Ella.

Paragon by WOUDENBERG - Nyood launch party

A few weeks ago I was invited to Emily Woudenberg's super exclusive pre-Fashion Week launch party at Nyood Restaurant's (soo good.. I went with my parents and Foodspotted the shit out of my meal) super sexy upstairs lounge on Queen West. The Toronto-based jewelry designer had the whole place set up as an exhibit to showcase her new Art Deco-inspired S/S 2013 jewelry line, Paragon.

The pieces were great. They kept the brand's androgynous style, with all the industrial metals and materials like copper, rope, metal studs, leather, etc, but the use of opaline stone (which has this crazy gasoline-like colour changing ability) gave the spring/summer collection an aspect of glamour and luxury.

Photo: Sylwia Bobryk

I reviewed Emily's F/W 2012 collection, SLAB, last season for Dress to KILL magazine, so I know a little bit about her work. Much like SLAB, Paragon is inspired by architecture and industrial materials. Both collections feature chunky pendents and beads paired with metals and/or leather, but this new collection is far less monochromatic. The use of opaline stone (a freaking chameleon rock...I swear to god, the colour changes before your eyes.) instead of grey concrete as the staple element of the collection is what makes it such an amazing line of summer statement jewelry. Even though Paragon is brighter and flashier than SLAB, the collection still has that raw grunge-edge. It's really something else.

Photo: Elayne
(SEE! the colour changes! The pendents are yellow here not blue like in the other photo! crazy stuff!!)

For more info on Emily's newest pieces you can read the profile I wrote for Dress to KILL magazine. ENJOY!