All the cool kids are partying at the El Mo tonight with our leaders, Satan’s Candy.

The sketch here is developed from a look from the Damzels‘ Spring 2008 collection, one of my favourite shows last week from two smart designers who know how to stay in business. Carolyn from the Toronto Fashion Incubator produced the show, which was lively and fun and had a lot of sass which makes for good sketching.

Rory, one of the designing Damzels, and Carolyn are in this band called Satan’s Candy which I am a shameless fan of.

So dress up sweet and satanic tonight, come out and rock out!

It is time to take a break from drawing and attend to my Project Runway Canada review duties. See you on the other side.

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Click the picture for a bigger view.  These sketches are from the Rudsak show.

For the gist of my impressions of fashion week, my finale post is up at blogTO.  More illustrations and more specific thoughts will be posted on Final Fashion as I work my way through dozens of figure drawings and all the things I learned this week.

Whether I have been sitting in the fourth row or the first row, I have taken out my pencils and sketchbook for every show I have seen so far.  Now I have a great stack of sketches, several which show promise for further development.

If only I had a bit more time in between work, show attendance and everything else to be able to sort through my stack of papers and bring you something more!  But I think my redux of the week will have to wait a few days, and until then, here is the highlights of L’Oreal Fashion Week in Toronto, as brought to you by the fashion blogs.

Anita has been taking the lead in fashion week coverage at blogTO, but stay tuned for offerings by new team members Gail and Sandra.  I have even managed to throw in my own perspective on Zoran Dobric’s show.

The blonde with the biggest smile at the right is the one and only Susie Love.  Her booth at the tents adorned with her abundant, whimsical jewelry, has been the focus of much-deserved attention.  Susie’s designs will also be adorning Ula Zukowska’s models today.

Nathalie Atkinson, fashion editor at the National Post is posting fashion week day by day over at The Ampersand.

Pictures, pretty people and parties galore are brought to us by the intrepid team at TorontoStreetFashion.com.

There are more of course – check my del.ici.ous links at the sidebar where I am collecting all the best links of the season.

Loved this show.

Only wondered one thing – why the unsmiling models? Philip Sparks, the designer, smiles. A lot.

Today everyone at the new flagship Town Shoes was smiling too. It was nice.

… and the weather is unbelievably temperate and pleasant today! Looks like it will be an excellent week after all for some fashion shows.

The first day is “by invite only” to keep people like me out, which is probably just as well because I have to work… and of course I will be watching Project Runway Canada tonight with friends.

Anita and Rachel are both on the list today though, so once they post we can all get a feeling for what it is like on the inside.

As promised, the twelfth Toronto Fashion Bloggers Brunch was all about the all-stars… I only wish there was the time to draw everyone between bites of Brassaii‘s tasty french toast.

Melissa of Just Cuz I’m a Girl

Amanda, a reader

Henna of Canadian Beauty

Eden of Bargainista

Adrian of Fashion Verbatim

Anita from I want – I got

Sonja, Toronto Fashion Hero

Liza, Irene and Rachel from TorontoStreetFashion.com

and me

Shernett Swaby of Project Runway Canada produced a show on Wednesday. Her venue was the recently renewed outdoor space at the Berkeley Church.

Sitting in the front row with a sketchbook on my knee, I raced the models to try and quickly capture all the superlative detail that is the essence of Swaby’s style. I was once again impressed by the superb execution and confidence of Swaby’s work. Excerpts from my sketchbook are on the left.

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Bernadette Morra has a lot of interesting questions in her fashion week preview, none of which I have the answers to, though they inspire a few questions of my own.

And why did such a respected designer [Kendra Francis], along with Greta Constantine’s Stephen Wong, risk public humiliation by participating on Slice network’s Project Runway, anyway?

It might be that $100,000 prize? Designers may have respect but can they pay their bills with it?

And a question that has been looming since September: What is the cost of the FDCC-backed Group of Seven campaign to promote a select group of Canadian designers, seen in magazines such as Vanity Fair, and what has been the benefit? How many Americans even get the reference to our country’s renowned artists?

How did I not hear about this campaign until just now? New York readers, have you seen this?

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Enough meatspace – back to the internet, here are a few clicks worth clicking…

Independent Fashion Bloggers is a collective blog by fashion bloggers for fashion bloggers… so of course I find it fascinating. Henna of Canadian Beauty shared an interesting post on beauty blogging and affiliate programs.

Indie Collective shines the spotlight on craftspeople and their wares… put together by jewelry designer Mary Rajotte, it features a lot of pretty objects from Toronto artisans.

Fabulously Broke in the City is one of my favourite Canadian fashion blogs, featuring a prolific combination of personal finance and fashion posts. She has posted a best-of Fabulously Broke roundup here, so if you have not been reading along, get ready to spend some time catching up.

Ironic Sans is a clever design blog that occasionally takes that old saw, “I have a good idea for a t-shirt”, to the next level.

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Sometimes when I am working, drawing garments and figures for my clients, I listen to old episodes of This American Life. Every once in a while a segment of this remarkable show thrills me.

The second segment of this show (at 19:00) was a fascinating story.

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Long time readers will remember that I am wary of the emphasis on fashion shows, especially for new designers. It seems to me that the cost and risks of a successful fashion show is equivalent to a television commercial in any other industry.

Internet Fashion Week seems like a solution that levels the playing field. Based in Europe, I discovered it via Style Bubble and am interested in seeing how it will develop.

Front row seats for all.

An all-star roster is getting together for brunch this Sunday. If you are a fashion blogger or just like reading fashion blogs, you are invited to come. RSVP here.

Many thanks to Adrian for the terrific poster, Eden for making the reservations, and Anita for setting up the RSVP site.

I visited the Toronto Fashion Incubator‘s new home at Exhibition Place this morning. The facilities look terrific, and the showroom is breathtaking. It is a wonderful place for young entrepreneurs to build their businesses.

Some of the TFI’s current talent was also on hand to show us a preview of their fresh Spring 08 threads and beads. A perfect opportunity to practice sketching. The lovely models and designers indulged me with their poses and clothes. Thanks to everyone who played along.