Taking place at Nuit Blanche in Toronto, the Art of Fashion competition is a chance for Canadian fashion designers to raise the bar when it comes to being audaciously creative.  From the press release:

TORONTO, ON, August 17, 2010 – Designers across Canada are invited to enter the 12th annual Art of Fashion design competition and trunk show in Toronto, where the winner will be awarded a minimum cash prize of $1000, a complimentary professional photo shoot with model, hair and makeup, street-level exposure in the window display of one of Toronto’s top fashion outlets, and more.  Entry deadline for this career-launching opportunity is Tuesday, August 31^st, 2010.

The design competition and trunk show will take place at King West Fitness in Liberty Village during Nuit Blanche on Saturday, October 2^nd, 2010.  To apply, designers should visit www.artoffashion.org/labelleepoque and fill out the submission form before Tuesday, August 31^st, 2010.

I was invited to customize a pair of Brown’s shoes for the Frugal Fashion Week Gala at the Bata Shoe Museum on Friday.  The shoes I received were bright red patent, just like the Dr. Martens I customized with Ashley Rowe.  I wanted to try dripping instead of splattering and Ashley kindly indulged me in her studio.

She did a super-hot pair of boots which you just get a blurry peek of here.  Want to see Ashley’s and so many other customized Brown’s shoes? Best blog friend Anita is also doing a pair, among others. Buy a ticket to the gala on Friday here.

Julian Roberts came en route from Kent State in New York to Ryerson University in Toronto this week to demonstrate his Subtraction Cutting technique.  This is an event I have been lobbying for, for a long time, and thanks to Sandra Ericson of the Center for Pattern Design, Robert Ott, the Chair of the Ryerson School of Fashion, and Charanya Bala of Balanche Communications, my wish became reality this week.  To say that it was a marvelous day would be a vast understatement.  It was so much fun.

Julian cut a dress live, in front of us.  The class was full of fashion design all-stars – Heidi Ackerman, John Hillifer, Adrienne Butikofer, Cristina Sabaiduc, and Canada’s own fashion fairy godmother, Linda Lundstrom, were all in attendance, among other students, teachers, and professional designers.  The cohesion and enthusiasm of the class was obvious once we all cut our own dresses – there was a remarkable atmosphere of playfulness but also the cool sense of proficiency you get only when you are surrounded by talented people immersed in something they find fascinating.

This is Julian showing his dress on his assistant, Rachel.

I made my own dress out of a length of white bemberg lining and pink plaid sheer sparkle poly organza, intending to create something light which showed the inner seams to display some of the construction of the garment.

This is the “tunnel technique” where the dress is made of a long tube, through which the body passes in and out as if through a winding cave.

I also used the tunnel idea to create two more holes at the front and the back of the bodice, but just for the white linear effect, these holes are too small for the body to go through.

It was such a thrilling day, it was almost overwhelming – and just like that, it was over.  Julian is now in Vancouver at Kwantlen, and then on to California. Thank you to Julian and everyone who made this day such a dream come true, and I hope very much that we can do it again.

So, in between many other things (Where is this week going? Ack!), I have been diligently diving into recycling boxes and picking up trash on the street, plus picking up donations from generous readers. And… washing each item, cutting them into hundreds of paillettes, punching holes in each paillette, and stitching each paillette one by one on to my entry for the Trash Fusion design contest. Curious?  You can see some previous updates here and here.

The main event, a fashion show, is happening in Barrie, a town on a lake north of Toronto.  My brother lives there, so I think it is a neat opportunity to show my family (and my 2 year old niece) some fashion.  I’ve decided to model my own dress to keep the logistics simple. I am getting a hair cut from Greg May Hair just for the occasion, my first haircut since I resolved to grow my hair long. I plan on enjoying the modeling experience, it might be the last time I ever do it.

If you are in Barrie on June 12, you can come and see me walk the runway – a rare event. Check out the Ecofest Barrie site for more info.

Heads up, fashion designer all-stars!  There is a special discount just for you to the Julian Roberts Subtraction Cutting Tour, for just a week only, CLICK HERE for more info.

What is this and why am I recommending it so wholeheartedly?  Check out this post for more enthusiasm and explanation.

Thanks to the generosity of friend (and sponsor) Gail McInnes of Magnet Creative, I was able to attend a conversation (part of the Hot Docs festival) between fashion media superstars Robin Givhan and Jeanne Beker. The conversation began as a discussion of fashion in film, but expanded to touch on almost every major story that relates to fashion today – from model diversity to fashion bloggers to fast fashion to the recession. It really was a privilege to hear Givhan speak – she is a personable and thoughtful woman who obviously takes great pleasure in her work, and the way that she has pushed the envelope on her own craft (she is the first fashion writer to be awarded a Pulitzer) is so inspiring.

I’ve decided to include scans of my notes from my tiny Moleskine and a brief recap of what I found to be the most interesting observations, in case you’re curious.

Givhan started by briefly sharing a favourite fashion in film moment – the way that the lead character used a business suit in Hotel Rwanda.  The striking thing about this was the way that a suit is an international shorthand for authority – and also how clothing is related to human dignity.

Then she sat down with Beker and the conversation began – relatively quickly launching into the changing fortunes of fashion journalism. Givhan shared a revealing joke – “I love fashion bloggers,” she said, obviously aware that the crowd was full of them, “until they turn on you, and they inevitably will.” Much laughter. She went on to explain a bit about her ambivalence towards the new players in fashion media.  She wants to know who is paying these bloggers, and what rules they are playing by.  I guess I could add, as one of them, that this is something we are very curious about as well.

Givhan also pointed out that democratization of fashion leads to complaining.  In the case of model diversity, Givhan suggests that this story has developed with the growth of online, consumer commentary.  That in an age where fashion is no longer rarefied, it has to deal with the demands of a much large group of constituents.  Explaining the industry’s slow reaction to the blowback, Givhan suggested that the selection of models is subject to intense peer pressure between agencies, casting agents, and designers. Also on the retail level, that the provision of size diversity is self-fulfilling – bigger women don’t try to patronize designer clothing, so designers continue to provide to existing, wealthy thin clientele.

She didn’t say this in so many words, but it occurred to me as I listened: that perhaps in an age where money is no longer a barrier to exclusivity, size exclusivity becomes further entrenched. This is my editorializing here – I think no matter what, fashion is inherently elitist and status driven.  If it can’t exclude with cash, other tactics will fill the vacuum. Thus – the persistence of the idealization of thin in the face of so much protest.  The fact is that no rational argument – be it religious, political, or industrial – has ever halted the progress of even the most unappealing fashions, any more than legislation can halt the ever increasing ranks of obesity. It is almost arrogant to think that we are able to control such things.  But that’s me talking, not Robin Givhan.

Speaking of forces beyond our control – there was some discussion about how the recession is affecting fashion – from more grown-up looks and a focus on wearability.  Beker brought up the growing trend towards sponsorship for young designers – something offering young designers the financial support they need to produce fashion shows.  Givhan brought up the flip side – how sponsors like NAFA and Swarovski artificially construct trends – such as Fall 2010′s love affair with fur.  Does sponsorship abet or inhibit the creativity of young designers?

When I asked my question during the Q&A (I love asking questions at panel discussions), it was about fashion weeks and their rampant growth – how much bigger do they get, how many shows does there need to be, and is it possible or desirable to have an orderly downsizing?  Beker is a fan of the spectacle – obviously from a television point of view, bigness of individual fashion shows is a good thing. Givhan expressed a desire for a shorter week – but neither of them speculated on when and how the trend towards fashion weeks turning into fashion months would end or how.

At the end of the talk, Givhan brought it back to the beginning like a total pro and reiterated how fashion is important because it relates to human dignity – that somehow the veneer of civilization is a story so clearly expressed by the superficial layer of clothing we wear, a sensible contradiction I have enjoyed thinking about all weekend.

Every year, Toronto Fashion Incubator runs a competition for the most promising young designers in Canada.  The contestants are run through a series of judging panels over the course of six months, culminating in a runway show at the ELLE show.  This year, sponsor Mattel heated up the competition by putting real money on it, a cash prize – $10,000 – amazing!

Anastasia Lomonova brought the drama with some really lavish dresses.  Anastasia was a classmate of mine for a couple years at Ryerson before taking off to Montreal and launching her label. Lots of texture and style – sometimes piled on, sometimes a lighter touch.  Its so neat to see someone’s style developed so far beyond fashion school.

House of Groves was leather, studs and riding crops, but the crowd really applauded when the full-skirted silhouette (lower right) came out – it seems like after so much tight and short, a great full skirt falling below the knee just feels like a breath of fresh air.

Diepo is lingerie transitioning towards cocktail – sort of night-to-later-that-night.  The runway was white and slick and all of the designers sent their models out in treacherous heels – so that all came to a head with the model on the lower-right – as she walked out her shoes seemed to literally fly off her feet and skid off both sides of the runway – you can see a gentleman picking it up in the background.  I’ve never seen anything like it.

Birds of North America brought the closest thing to colour that we saw that night – dusky navy blue, brown and burgundy.  The style of the dresses was more of the twee stuff that usually comes down New Labels runway in years past as opposed to the dominant theme of tough-sexy stuff we see this year. Maybe this shift in style is reflecting changes in the judging panel this year.  I often wonder, watching New Labels, whether the lengthy, involved judging process is a good thing – it seems to result in a certain homogenization among the contestants – or are our most promising Canadian designers really so alike?  The lack of statement colour on the runway was a bit disappointing – are we afraid of colour?

Paris Li‘s collection showed some sharp tailoring and some pretty sophisticated looks that suggest dressing for success.  Over all, all of the designers showed really chic, wearable designs – and perhaps the similarities make it a bit fairer to judge each designer against the other – but then again, at the end of the show, I couldn’t really think of which designer had really raised the bar. It reminded me a bit of the Press Breakfast at Holt Renfrew recently which was similar in the monotony of hues. When so much about fashion is personality, I wonder why designers don’t try more aggressively to differentiate themselves from one another.  Or are the designer really just catering their wares to the tastes of their curators? Either way, it leaves me with a taste for something more.

Lastly, each designer showed a few LBD looks made especially for their sponsor, Barbie.  These were all fun looks and here at least, all the blackness was part of the brief.

Anastasia Lomonova, House of Groves, Diepo, Birds of North America, Paris Li.

This year’s New Labels winner is Anastasia Lomonova – congratulations!  Thanks so much to Faulhaber and the TFI for inviting me to cover the event.

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!

If you’re in Toronto, and love fashion and art that is exuberant and provocative, you must go to FAT.  All the best fresh talent does.  From the press release:

TORONTO ALTERNATIVE ARTS AND FASHION WEEK 2010

Location: Studio City, 1 Pardee Ave. Liberty Village

Dates: April 21-24, 2010, 6pm – 1 am every night

Price: tickets $25 at select locations, $30 at the door/night, $70/week pass (4 days)

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.