Now that Julian Roberts’ Subtraction Cutting Tour is coming to Toronto (June 14 & 15, get tickets here), I’ve given myself the challenge of persuading people that its a class well worth taking.  Beyond this city, the tour is also making stops in New York, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Portland – so if you’re near any of those places this summer, this post is for you.

I met Julian online at the end of 2005, back when I was fairly active on The Fashion Spot.  We were looking at some of his work, and me being the skeptical little troll that I used to be (sometimes still am), I posted something to the effect of “what’s so special about it?” – well, if you’ve got a lot of time on your hands you can read through the whole thread here.  To my great surprise, and eventual delight, Julian found the thread and engaged the forum-dwellers in a discussion about his work, took the time to answer our questions, and successfully showed me what was so special about what he does.

Julian Roberts is a designer who is experimental both in how he develops his designs and also how he shows them.  This video, called “killing labels” records highlights of his portfolio.

As someone who is obsessed with the transitional, ephemeral qualities of fashion (hence, Final Fashion and this site’s old subheader, the last collection) Julian’s act of killing labels inspires me.  He captures the most exciting parts of the process – the creation, and the showing, and turns the act of being a fashion designer from a very pragmatic act of creating objects for sale into the very radical act of allowing fashion to be ideas, events and images and nothing else, eliminating all of the material aspects that weigh down the process, leaving only the physical act of designing.  As someone who loves the act of design but has no desire to see my name on labels, Julian’s career showed me that it is possible to design outside of the boundaries of the existing industry, to celebrate and share fashion as action rather than as a commodity.

Subtraction Cutting is one of the techniques that Julian uses to create, and the one that he is teaching on this tour.  It is difficult to describe, so I would like to compare it to life drawing, or those creative writing exercises where the student is encouraged to write within parameters, but without planning.  Its an exercise that boils down the act of designing, cutting, and sewing a garment into something that is fast and free, uninhibited and playful.

This is a technique that even those who have never sewn before can easily dive into, and those of us who are trained in traditional ways of doing things can recapture the original sense of wonder and discovery that first attracted us to designing.

Plus, Julian is just a very generous, candid dreamer of a professor, the kind of professor who you will always remember, and that comes across in the conversation I had with him.

This class will be a tremendous, transformative treat for anyone who loves to make things.  I invite you to come and share this experience with me.  Please buy a ticket – Julian and I would love to see you there!

Its hard to believe that it has been four years since my own turn on the runway at my old fashion school.  Ryerson School of Fashion‘s grad show is called Mass Exodus, and its the best show in Toronto to see really exciting, unusual, and sometimes just plain weird ideas that only a fashion student would have the time and freedom to think up and proceed to spend six entire months executing.

There is usually about 50 grad collections, and these are just a small selection, in no particular order, with my comments.  I think it was one of the strongest groups of designers I’ve ever seen in Mass Exodus (curated by Sarah Casselman), and it was really touching to see them all get to take a curtain call. It really is a grand accomplishment to complete a small collection on your own for the first time, so every graduate deserves admiration and congratulations.

Adelaide Kim‘s collection is striking for its maturity and sincerity.  The items are wearable, want-able, classic and yet still novel – the use of transparent plaid organza for a jacket was a really neat concept, executed very cleanly.  Of all the collections, this was the one I can easily imagine being worn and recommended by fashion editors, who love that type of loose, unfussy, wry sophistication.

Amanda Kew Lee‘s collection was pretty much the ultimate in obsessed fashion student indulgence.  A slew of recent trends – studs, leggings with transparent panels, studs, pagoda shoulders, studs, headbands, studs – amped up to the next level.  Executed with devastating diligence, this collection is like a lovingly made time capsule, making the recent past seem like something worth getting nostalgic about just six months later.

Bianca Liu went the extra mile and designed her own textile patterns – really lovely, delicate, watery, painterly patterns that my poor photos do no justice to.  I only wish some of the tops were a bit longer – something about the proportions – or maybe its how the clothing has been combined – seems awkward around the hips.  But the overall sense of looseness, and the measured choices of colours, really made this one a stand out for me.

A2B by Jade Sullivan-Vallentyne was a playful pass on casual clothes for men.  Great jeans, hot colours, an affectionate evocation of Slater and Zack from Saved By the Bell, a snarky subversion of hipness.  Tacky and terrific.

Genevieve Pearson‘s outerwear was just so slickly executed – and outerwear is challenging to do – it looked so totally pro.  The all-blackness was a bit predictable (would have loved to see these in colours!) but the confidence and quality is just outstanding.

Romandin by Cristina Sabaiduc had the most adventurous fabrications – chicken wire and silicone caulking are what gave these garments their tremendous structure and texture, without giving away their identity as hardware.  Cristina is expanding her collection to show in FAT (Fashion Art Toronto) – I am really intrigued about how she will develop her themes further.

I didn’t manage to get a decent photo of Sofronov by Aneta Sofronova , thankfully the designer let me use these drawings (which are AMAZING) from her website.  Its truly modern menswear that nods to technological habits and interprets traditional tailoring details without being too precious about it. Neat.

The finale collection was all golden hues, and abundant clusters of raw-edged floaty fabrics by Emily Baker and Andrea Spano.

I just bought my ticket for the lecture and master class.  There are early bird tickets available until April 9.

Julian Roberts has been a great internet inspiration for me and I am SO THRILLED to be able to have him come to Toronto and share his enthusiasm and inventiveness in real life.  If you are a fashion designer, fashion student, or you are an artist or entrepreneur interested in unconventional approaches to everything, this is a must-attend event.

This sort of instruction is something that never used to exist at fashion schools in Toronto – thanks to the Chair of the School of Fashion at Ryerson, Robert Ott, we now have the opportunity to experience and celebrate unusual thinking in fashion design and communication.  I believe taking educational chances like this one will encourage fashion creators to really push the envelope, and create a more exciting, adventurous future for the fashion scene in this city.

Subtraction Cutting Tour with Julian Roberts at Ryerson School of Fashion

Julian Roberts the expert in Subtraction Cutting will captivate the fashion minds of Toronto by sharing his perspectives of fashion design. His North American expedition includes New York, Toronto, Edmonton, Vancouver and Portland, Oregon.

Enrich your future with new ideas and methods at this fun event.

When? June 14th & 15th, 2010
Day 1– hour long lecture, elegant reception with dramatic fashion show
Day 2 – all day workshop to work along side Julian Roberts

Where? Ryerson University Campus, Toronto – Ontario.

Why? To support the Master of Arts (MA) degree in fashion commencing Fall 2010

To learn it all click here to download more information about Julian Roberts Subtraction Cutting Tour.

My friend Irene Stickney of The Make Den recruited me to help her out with a very cool project she’s been working on – helping at-risk youth learn how to design and sew prom dresses.  Today’s Globe and Mail features a terrific article about the program.  Check it out – you can click the image for a bigger version, and you can see a colour picture of the illustrations that the participants drew here.

Thanks to Susan Langdon, I had the great opportunity to work with the Youth Employment Service’s Passion for Fashion program, produced in collaboration with the Toronto Fashion Incubator.  The program was created to provide free workshops and mentors for young fashion industry entrepreneurs.

It was my first ever experience as a teacher – I taught the class on Visual Presentation for Fashion, and it was an incredible learning experience for me too.  As a student, I don’t think I ever fully appreciated how much work it is to teach a class.  The first time I did it, I was so nervous I finished over an hour ahead of schedule, it was awkward.  By the fifth session, I discovered that teaching is something I really enjoy.  The students are wonderful characters, curious and excited.  Questions and answers are the most fun, and I found it especially delightful when the class would roll with the discussion and start helping each other.

I was also asked to be a judge for the competition portion of the program.  Graduates of the program were challenged to put together a business plan and a visual presentation, to be pitched to a panel of judges for a chance to win a cash prize, TFI membership, and a significant mentorship program.  This was also my first time judging a competition, and again, I felt intimidated.  The other judges were also the other instructors – designers Jen Kluger of Foxy Originals, Kendra Francis of Franke, and business advisor Richard Healy.

Instantly the judging panel hit it off – they are all such smart and kind people – and I overcame my nervousness as we saw each of the finalists in turn for their short presentations.  It was awesome to me how much work they all had put into their business plans – a huge task I myself have never done, and the passion and determination of all the finalists was incredibly inspiring.  Choosing a winner was a difficult task for the panel.  There were a number of great ideas, and some finalists were already well underway putting their plans into action.  After much careful consideration, we selected Stephanie McNeil.

Stephanie impressed us all with the amount of energy she had already dedicated to her business, her eagerness to learn, and her sincerity. The judges all agreed that she would really thrive with the guidance and community of the Toronto Fashion Incubator behind her.  We all felt very happy when she was presented with the award, it was definitely the right decision.

Here in the picture is Sinead McCarthy from YES, Richard, Kendra, Stephanie, me, Nancy Schaefer from YES, and Susan Langdon from the TFI.

Thanks to everyone (and Jen too who isn’t in the photo) I also want to send a super special important thank you to Gabrielle Zilkha at YES, who did so much great work putting this program together.

I’d also like to thank all of the wonderful participants of the Passion for Fashion program.  Especially the finalists.  Watch out for these names in the future – so much enthusiasm and hard work guarantees that these young people belong in the fashion industry:

• Amita Parikh
• Ariel Fu
• Ashley Yankana
• Ginger Martini
• Juliana Carlucci
• Kevin Naulls
• Kristi Soomer
• Larissa Leone and Jenni Wood
• Santanae Luzige
• Wes Misener

Expect to hear a lot about this from me, because I have been a fan of Julian Roberts since 2006 and am so hyped that he is bringing his Subtraction Cutting classes to my fashion school – Ryerson University in Toronto – and also across North America!

Julian Roberts Subtraction Cutting Tour. This June, at Ryerson University.

WHO: Julian Roberts
WHAT: North American Subtraction Cutting Tour – New York, Toronto, Vancouver, Edmonton, and Portland, Oregon!
WHEN: June 14th & 15th
WHERE: Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario.
WHY: To support the Master of Arts (MA) degree in Fashion commencing Fall 2010

Curious?  Julian’s website is open on Wednesdays, so mark it in your day planner and get a peek of what is coming across the Atlantic.  If you are into playing with techniques and experimenting outside the conventions of traditional fashion design, you will love this.

After showing my rather unimpressive first year fashion school project as a way of showing my inauspicious beginnings, it occurred to me that I have never posted my second year eveningwear project, circa 2004, on the internet before.  Once again, if you’re landing on this site for the first time I want to assure you I went on to create much greater things.

My concept was pretty classic for a fashion student – a cinchy corset and a big poofy skirt, with inspiration from nature and flowers and a fairy-ish illustration to go with it.  The illustration has some awkwardness with the proportions – though in a way, the lack of finesse in the line quality and colouring is something that I wish I could recapture in my current style.

I’m pretty proud of these technicals – they’re very detailed even if they didn’t accurately reflect the final dress.

This is the final dress – and I take full responsibility for the lackluster styling and modelling (um, yeah, that’s me).  The dress is in need of a great big crinoline (which I did a much better job with in the Snow Queen project).  The part that did work out as planned was the corset – which featured an elasticized system which allowed it to fit on different sizes of model – a tactic I used because we weren’t allowed to fit our models for the year-end fashion show.

Fellow fashion school alumni – do you recall your first over-the-top eveningwear project?  What was it like?

Okay, if you’re just landing on this site now for the first time, I want to assure you that since this project was made I went on to do much more impressive things.

This is more of a treat for all of the fashion students who email me with questions, and aspiring fashion entrepreneurs who are curious about how I got started.  I often say that no one (with the exception of exceptional geniuses) starts out as a fashion rock star, and perhaps the best way to prove this is by showing you something.

I present to you… my first ever major fashion school project, circa 2002:

Yes – this is a linen-look polyester printed striped shirt, with purple polyester ruffle trim, princess seams, a V neck and matching hemline.  On a design level, I have no idea why I would make such arbitrary choices when it comes to fabrics, trims and design details.  This shirt takes ugly to a whole new level, which is why I won’t show you what it looks like on a body.

One thing that I am impressed with for a first effort is the level of finishing.  Seems I was an unusually finicky first year fashion student, and the seam allowances, serging and seams are all remarkably even and assured looking (though I do recall much unpicking and restitching). I also managed to match almost all of the stripes on the side seams, though the stripes don’t quite match anywhere else.  I also quite like the shaping of the facings.

One area where I had trouble was where the collar meets the center front.  It had not occurred to me in the patternmaking stage how I would deal with such a narrow breakpoint when I sewed it, and I had to jury-rig the finishing here with a small snap and some stitches to make the collar lie correctly.

The other thing I valiantly struggled with was fitting the required 2″ sleeve cap ease (according to the patternmaking textbook) into the armholes.  That I managed to somehow compress the inflexible polyester without a single pucker is a testament to many tries, and maybe a little bit of “cheating” when it came to trimming the seam allowance.

The other thing that amuses me now about this shirt is the effort I put into transferring all of the curves of the princess seam into the side panels, so that the front and back panels seams were straight lines along the grain.  The unintended (and in retrospect, funny) effect of such painstaking patternmaking is that the stripes on the fabric appear to create a bulging effect at the waist.

Your turn – do you have any tales of first year fashion projects?  Major bonus points from me to any blogger gutsy enough to post evidence of such early efforts.

Check out these kids, they know how to have a happy Holladaze.  This party was all about celebrating the diverse Hi-Style of the members of the Style Council, in 69 Vintage‘s new location on Bloor Street West.

Everyone thanked Rea McNamara, the intrepid coordinator of the Style Council and the editor of the mini-mag that recorded their stories.

On the walls, style council members like Septembre showed their styling skills using 69′s merchandise.  She asked me to add an illustration and I obliged.

Saida Baba Talibah graced us with an intensely charismatic and inspiring musical performance.

Meanwhile, lots of shopping was happening on all three floors of the store – upstairs there are smaller independent vintage dealers, and downstairs is a basement Bazaar where Deadly Nightshade member Cat did a bit of secret shopping. Shhhh.

The delightful ‘zine we got to take home helps us get to know the members of the style council a bit better – pretty rad to see such creativity and collaboration coming from young people outside of the fashion system.  Click the spreads for big. Cheers to the Style Council for a fun night and a job well done.  Keep it up.

Right now students from my old fashion school are competing in a design challenge sponsored by Danier.  As a modern twist, their nerve-wracking design presentations are videoed and uploaded online for rating and commenting.  Watching these videos fills me with nostalgia, embarrassment and relief that I was not videotaped as a fashion student.  Fashion students have their own unique type of intensity, and the videos are a bit too revealing of the bathos of young fashion ambition.

Most of the designs do not live up to their breathless sales pitches.  The cliches of student design – too many snaps, too many zippers, too many buttons, fussy buckle closures, funnel necks, detachable pieces with no practical purpose, mismatching sleeves, restricted mobility for the wearer – are all there.  If you think I’m making fun – just wait until I show you some of my early “designs”.  There is a very good reason why I know what a fashion student effort looks like.  A few entries went above and beyond the rest though – here are four designers whose jackets piqued my interest.

John Hillifer (above) is not charismatic at the beginning, as he avoids making eye contact with the judge – but his conviction becomes apparent as he shows his design – it shows that he has thought of his design in three dimensions, it features a collar which looks terrific both open and closed, and a unique pocket concept including a hidden pocket.  All on a muslin with exceptional finish.  “Dark industrial” may not be very Danier and yet it is apparent that this designer will produce an excellent leather jacket.

Valerie Crisp was the only designer with the guts to go for less instead of more.  While in a muslin this jacket may seem slightly unconvincing, the remarkable restraint for a fashion student shows that she has a working understanding of the Danier brand – and a burgeoning sense of taste.

Monica Kisielewicz has that peculiar intensity to her presentation that is bordering on overwhelming, stating an obsession with status with remarkable candour.  Though her design borders on the obvious/clever interpretation of her inspiration – the zipper placket looks like a highway – it is saved by a sense of simplicity.

Eric Tong‘s jacket is so of the moment, and the finish is very confident as was the designer’s presentation – it could have fit in very well in any FW09 runway show, but somehow seems a stretch for Danier.  But maybe a stretch in the right direction?

Right now all 15 finalists are hard at work on making the final leather version of their designs before Christmas.  I can’t wait to see the results.