When I select which collections to do paper dolls for, I am looking for variety, so when it comes to all of the all-black collections, I only wanted to pick one. Viktor & Rolf made that choice a no-brainer. Not only did I love the collection, the presentation itself was a riff on doll-play, with the designers dressing and undressing their models right on the runway.
Sponsor of the site and swell fun party, Buy Design for Windfall, has an announcement.
Buy Design Spring Social to Dazzle and Spoil
Tickets to the hottest fundraiser in Hogtown are now available
TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Feb. 26, 2010) – For the past six years Buy Design has dazzled and entertained Toronto’s socially-conscious fashionistas. Now in its seventh year, the event promises to give its guests a ring-a-ding-ding! On Saturday, April 10, 2010, Buy Design Spring Social, will blow everyone’s wig off with a 1930’s post-depression-inspired party.
On behalf of Windfall, Canada’s only new clothing and basic-needs items bank, event host Adrian Mainella will welcome guests into a transformed Fermenting Cellar mimicking a festive outdoor space.
A SWELL RAG
“Once again, our remarkable organizing committee will deliver guests what they have come to expect, an incredibly fun event in support of an incredibly important cause,” says Helen Harakas, Windfall’s Executive Director. When entering the space at the Distillery District, guests will go back in time to an outdoor, post-depression country social fair. They’ll walk amidst badminton and croquet courts, alongside bales of hay, and help choose the winner of the boater pageant. While indulging in picnic fare at the many concession stands, they’ll enjoy live music performances from the era and shop the mess hall-style auction featuring the latest fashion and lifestyle finds. At the end, they leave with a gift bag stuffed with goodies worth upward of $150!Over the past six years, Buy Design has become known as one of Toronto’s top fashion events, but from the beginning the organizing committee has been adamant about keeping the cost of the ticket affordable. “It’s always been really important for us to keep the price of the ticket reasonable. It’s still $75, and $80 at the door,” says Tralee Pearce, Buy Design co-chair. “We hope it encourages more people to come and celebrate Windfall with us.” Thanks to this year’s sponsors, which include TD, FASHION Magazine, H&M, The Globe and Mail, Alterna and BMO, the committee can, again this year, host a snazzy evening that will be sure to impress all.
GET YOUR PAWS ON THAT HOT TICKET!
Tickets are limited, but still available, and can be purchased online at www.buydesignforwindfall.ca or by calling Windfall at 416.703.8435. $75 or six for $375, and $80 at the door.ABOUT WINDFALL
Windfall, an award-winning registered charity, assists more than 64,000 vulnerable citizens in the Greater Toronto Area; 1/3 of them are children. Windfall provides brand-new donated clothing and other basic-needs items to people living in poverty and/or crisis enabling them to boost their self-esteem and sense of belonging resulting in increased life opportunities. The items are distributed, free of charge, through partnerships with more than 100 social service agencies across the GTA. In the past year, Windfall has distributed 900,000 items worth $28 (retail). www.windfallbasics.com
The Genius of Charles James
James is one of those rare, truly iconoclastic designers. He was fascinated with cut and construction, experimenting with new shapes. Above, this dress travels between the legs in the pattern of a “figure 8″.
Above is one of his clients from his early period in London – later Anne, Countess of Rosse, the very same who so carefully documented her own wardrobe in A Family of Fashion. James had a very stormy career as an entrepreneur – despite the support of great patrons like Anne, he was unable to manage his finances and professional relationships, resulting in a string of failed businesses throughout his life.
What he was brilliant at was developing new forms in fabric, often his work is compared to that of a sculptor or an architect, which is apparent in garments like the one above with the distinctive, unusual, “arc” sleeve.
This book is full of delightful memories and candid recollections from those who knew him, including friends like photographer Bill Cunningham, who tells of James’ working relationship with the famous fashion illustrator Antonio towards the end of his life, when James lived in relative obscurity in the famous Chelsea hotel.
The collection of images and stories is a fascinating way to learn more about a designer who was ahead of his time, greatly concerned with posterity but unable to achieve it because of his personality. His story, more than anything, reveals that personality may be the x-factor of success, what separates the icons from the also-rans among the talented and driven.
Welcome to Click Click, the fairly regular roundup of what I find worth clicking on the internet.
Clicky karma for friends of Final Fashion…
As often happens in fashion blog land, some of my favourite bloggers discover me. When Gilda of Queen Gilda commented on my site and my drawings, I followed the link back and discovered an awesome fashion student blog, candid and enthusiastic, full of feeling and colour. I even had the opportunity to meet her when I went to NYC and she gave me a short clandestine tour of Parsons, where she goes to school. Gilda, like all fashion students, is super busy with her school work so her posts are infrequent – but when she does post, its well worth the wait – her posts are long and full of stories and pictures, honesty and humour.
I asked her about her projects, her school, and her favourite fashion inspirations.
You just finished an amazing project for LVMH, can you tell me a bit about the design and construction process of it?
this project was basically a collaboration with LVMH and parsons, called “the art of craftsmanship revisited: new york”. it was a group project where students of different disciplines within the new school university can take part in. the project is two-fold: we have to create a 5 minute mini-documentary based on the artisan we were assigned to, and we also had to draw inspiration from their craft to create an ensemble.
the artists we were assigned to were metal artists from a french company called les metalliers champenois. we went to visit their shoppe a few times and were so blown away. “amazing” really isn’t a way to put it. because we had to bear in mind that the garment had to reflect our artist, it was a lot more difficult than just sitting down and designing something as we were used to.
more than anything, what really inspired us when we were at LMC was their work ethics and the way they thought and went through their work process. we wanted to make sure we respected this and so we tried to put ourselves into their shoes and become fashion designers who could inject our own sense of aesthetic to the work, but also employ their thinking and mindset to the garments.
the resulting ensemble was a half-jacket, that represents strength and “protects” the most important thing to any artist – their arms and hands. in particular the “stronger” arm that they work with. under it was a very fitted dress with only 1 straight seam; the rest were all curved. it was a reflection of the movements the artists took as captured in our videos. we also included ideas that spoke about the amazing latticework that they do inside of statues and restoration work that they do.
lastly, on top of the dress is a delicate 3-tiered cowled piece which is made of 2 layers of light chiffon fused together. it is a direct homage to the amazing repousse work that LMC does.
construction was a huge craze. i did the patterns for the dress and the dart manipulations took me a day and a half of mathematical calculations to get right. i’m glad i took my time with it because there wasn’t any major fit issues. phew!! we draped the jacket and cowls together. cowls seem so easy but it also took us about 3 days to finally get the exact shape that all 3 of us were happy with!
What is the Parsons fashion design program like? The best part, the worst part? Would you recommend it?
i know i sound so biased about this topic. it’s hard to talk about it because i had attended another world-class fashion college before parsons, bunka fashion college in tokyo, so after coming here from there, i think i was very angry as i felt i was wasting my parents’ hard-earned money and giving myself a lot of unnecessary stress. the best part are the teachers. some of them, not all. i have been lucky to have been blessed with a handful of extremely talented and really nice teachers whom i have learned a lot from. the worst part is the school itself. i would rather pay my teachers $40,000 a year and just learn from their studios. in other words, even if i could come back to this school for free, i would not. i had to say i am biased also because i have already received my basic education in sewing and design before coming to parsons, so the comparison makes me sick to my bones and sometimes i feel like i haven’t learned anything new. in america though, it is supposed to be the best school available. perhaps it is? i really don’t know.
What inspired you to choose the life of a fashion designer? Is your experience so far anything like what you expected?
i’ve always loved fashion, although when i was probably 15 i thought i was really cool and stuff, but looking back at pictures i would love to slap myself. i’d always devoured magazines and went shopping all the time. by myself, especially. shopping alone is best for me. (ha!) when i was about 15 or 16 i started remaking a lot of my clothes; i had no idea how to use a sewing machine so everything was done by hand with a thread and needle. i tore up so many tshirts and sewed some together, made new shapes etc. i also made accessories. and i had so much fun. i never gave it much thought until i was about 17 when i had to think about what was going to happen to me after high school. that was when i set my hearts on doing something in fashion, and i never really looked back.
the experience has been amazing and fulfilling. it is a lot of work. a lot more work than 90% of the people think it is. sometimes i watch those reality shows of people who think they are “fashion designers” but really they are just rich b*tches with silver spoons in their mouths, who have no sense of personal style and think they are amazing. i could line them all up and shoot them, really. they give fashion a bad name. nothing is glamourous, everything is work, nonstop, all the time. being able to create something from 2D on paper and fabric, into something in 3D that is going to be worn by someone… the work in between takes a long time, and yet, the sense of fulfillment of seeing a finished garment is just something that cannot be explained. i imagined this is how it must feel to have a child when it finally pops out of the belly. heh.
to some people, fashion is nonsense. ridiculous. it is just clothes. and in many ways, that is true. it doesn’t matter what sort of collection a designer puts out there every season; in the end, it’s just clothes. when i tell people i am a fashion designer, sometimes i get scoffed at for having such a trivial occupation. so i tell them that fashion is part of their lives, everyone needs it even if they refuse to think so. they need to eat. sleep. be protected by the elements under a roof, and to do so they also need clothes. i’d like to see them run their lives while in the nude.
What fashion professionals do you admire? How have they influenced you?
my biggest influences are rei kawakubo, junya watanabe and tao from comme des garcons, as well as jun takahashi from undercover, takahiro miyashita from number (n)ine. i love japanese designers. they design in a very different way as compared to american or italian designers. i love the avant garde look, the undone, asymmetry look… basically i want to be adopted by them. please.
Can you describe your proudest fashion moment?
the biggest one so far would definitely have to be my recent participation in the LVMH x parsons event. the launch was during nyfw at milk studios. we were right there having a show after proenza schouler. i mean, to be still a student and to have this opportunity to show some of my work during an event like nyfw, that is not some chance that hops around at every corner of the street. meeting so many people from the industry and having people compliment us on our ensemble was just a feeling i hope i never forget. it really spurred me on to thinking more about business plans and how i can one day, on my own two feet, return to fashion week. new york? tokyo? somewhere, one day.
By popular request, here is the Michael Kors Fall 2010 paper doll. Kors is a designer who loves all things tawny, and though he is limited in spectrum, he offers lots of texture and layers to work with. Plus, it was a terrific opportunity to draw Chanel Iman, one of my favourite models.
This morning I was invited to check out the new “Live in Chino” spring collection at Banana Republic, and they generously let me choose a piece for myself. I picked the shirt with the rolled-up cuffs because I live in this style of shirt – my work is all about having forearms free and I consider my hands and wrists some of my better features. While I was there I fell in love with the Classic Chino Trench – perhaps I should go back and buy it, because Cosmically Chic said all Libras need one.
It has been 11 months since I soft launched the experimental sponsor program on Final Fashion and I have been amazed with the response. Having the support of these wonderful businesses on the site not only allows me to put more energy into producing content, but its also genuinely thrilling to be working closely with other entrepreneurs, learning more about what they do, and sharing the stage on Final Fashion for everyone’s benefit. Interested in becoming a sponsor? Ask me how.
This March I have two terrific new sponsors joining the stellar lineup in the sidebar. Allow me to introduce them -
18karat is two brothers, Dino and Massimo Giannetti, who are continuing their family’s legacy of fine Italian goldsmithing from their shop in downtown Toronto. Vanessa Laurin made the initiative to introduce me to 18karat and the community they work with at a small reception. They are fascinating people – friendly and easy to talk to, passionate about craftsmanship and fine materials, their industry and sharing knowledge and ideas. The showroom and the studio are one and the same, it is a creative and inviting atmosphere. Dino kindly answered my questions about his work, showing me how he hand-carves the wax prototypes to cast, to produce the reference material for their badge.
Magnet Creative is the culmination of over a decade of experience in the fashion industry for my friend Gail McInnes. Gail is kind, smart, hardworking and fun, and she brings all these qualities to bear for her clients, specializing in events, marketing, research and talent. Speaking as someone who has benefited from Gail’s know-how and considerable network, she is a formidable force to be working on your behalf. No matter what level you are at in the fashion industry, if you are in Toronto you should definitely check out her new blog, Fashion Magnet – Gail shares her insights, real opportunities for jobs and networking, and of course fun fashion stuff.
Encore cheers for all my wonderful returning sponsors!
Welcome to Click Click, the fairly regular roundup of what I find worth clicking on the internet.
Blog karma for all these linkers and commenters! Lucky me to have so many internet friends…
Jeremy Laing demonstrated a deft touch with his Fall 2010 collection, exploring texture and colour, top-heavy layers and sumptuous furs that seem soft even in JPG form. It was a delightful challenge to render these textiles. The model who inspired the doll is Ann Kenny.
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