Toronto World MasterCard Fashion Week Day 4

Can’t lie. Day three drained the fashion life out of me and I’m FEELING it on day four. Not even a Starbucks venti bold non-fat misto with two pumps of sugar-free vanilla AND a pump of toffee-nut AND a healthy sprinkling of the super sugary and addictivley delicious little crème brûlée bits on top could get me going today. The only thing that kicked my lollygagging butt into gear was getting to spend the day with the love of my life and partner, Travis, and watching some impressively talented Canadian designers. Could be worse, no?

Triarchy
Denim brand Triarchy will present its fall/winter 2014 collection for men and women. Born in Vancouver and bred in LA by the brother and sister team Adam, Mark and Ania Taubenfligel, the newest collection is inspired by riding—whether it’s equestrian or on vintage motorcycles.

Music: 1930’s-esque jazz mashed up with house beats
Mood: Baz Luhrman’s Great Gatsby: perfectly portrayed prohibition-era style seamlessly made totally modern with the addition of a equestrian feel
Makeup: Smoky eyes and a dusting of bronzer
Hair: Combed back neatly, with lengths intricately twisting into a low tangle
Models: Had attitude! They smiled, wore top hats, carried whips and trophies, posed cheekily, and one look had four girls walking down the runway all at once, all chatting and laughing
Colours: Neutrals, navy, khakis, and of course, a variety of shades of denim
Textures and Textiles: Again, tons of denim, some detailed with patches of caramel-coloured leather; all leather looks, fine knits, and classic cotton white button-downs and blazers
Patterns: One pair of jeans was spotted with a small scale polka dot pattern
Favourite Look: The naughty looking, all black clad leather look with a top hat and whip – sexy but not overtly
Overall Feel: The contrast between models walking in flat riding boots and black spiked heels suited each look appropriately, which made for a balanced, well rounded collection with true equestrian roots, like jodhpurs, and modern, lust worthy pieces, like leather-knee patched denim

Farley Chatto
Canadian menswear veteran, Farley Chatto, brings his reputation for exquisite detail and his expertise for working with fur to his latest project, Farley Chatto Fur. Made exclusively from Origin Assured™ furs, the lavish line of unisex outerwear and accessories makes the designer’s reverence for the history of the fur trade in Canada apparent. Chatto’s adaptation and deconstruction of the techniques traditionally used by furriers results in the modern shapes and sleek silhouettes that define the line’s premiere collection, Far & Away, which will make its global debut on the runway of World MasterCard Fashion week.

Music: A house remix to Pharrell’s ‘Get Lucky’ and JT and Jay-Z’s ‘Suit & Tie’
Mood: Glam, glam, glam!
Makeup: Poppy lips and a flick of eyeliner
Hair: Side parted, slick low bun
Models: Stacey Mackenzie opened and closed the show, finishing dramatically in a corseted  ball gown and tricoloured mink stole. The rest of the show had models’ sashaying just a little to let the texture of all the furs shine on the runway
Colours: Mostly natural furs, a few were dyed red or blue
Textures and Textiles: Mink, fox, racoon, coyote, long-haired beaver, chinchilla, wool, tweed, leather
Patterns: Natural fur, naturally
Favourite Look: Fur mitts the size of boxing gloves
Overall Feel: Fur can feel ultra elegant, which it most certainly did, but some looks demonstrated how versatile it can be with gorgeous day-to-night pieces

Bustle
A World MasterCard Fashion Week staple, and 2013 CAFA Menswear Designer of the Year nominee, Bustle is a leading Canadian sportswear label that has become well known for its cheeky twist on the menswear classics. With runway presentations featuring anything from Chuckwagons to horse-racing gates and sailboats, and runway cameos from personalities ranging from Rick Mercer to Jeanne Beker, Bustle shows are known to be among the most creative and exciting of Fashion Week. This season, Stevedore Paul Mason will lead Bustle’s slick and rugged Scandinavian longshoremen through the fishing village – and down the runway.  It must be payday at the docks; these guys look sharp!

Music: Electronica
Mood: As if we were transported to a village in Norway
Makeup: Subtle, but eyes were defined with some brown shadow and liner
Hair: Mid-ponies with a strand of hair wrapped around the elastic
Models: Opened the show by acting out a fishing scene, with the first look complete with a mesh bag of fish thrown over the model’s shoulder
Colours: Slate grey, forest green, pea yellow, purple, olive, jewel tones
Textures and Textiles: Lots of textured knits and wool pieces
Patterns: Plaid, quilting
Favourite Look: A suggestive look featuring a black leather quilted vest, unzipped, with nothing underneath
Overall Feel: Log cabin cool, with a nod to the old world with some men rocking pocket-watches

Soia & Kyo
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, Montreal-based outerwear brand SOIA & KYO continues to move the label forward with its fall/winter 2014 collection, A Quiet Storm. The beauty of contrast is the main inspiration and defining theme, reflecting the opposite forces highlighted throughout this season’s assortment of outerwear for both men and women.

Music: Daft Punk’s ‘Instant Crush’; melancholic acoustic folk-pop
Mood: Romantic and beautiful
Makeup: A subtle wash of neutrals
Hair: Loose, with a few bends
Models: Dreamy, a little pouty-sexy
Colours: Neutrals, grey-lavender, deep red
Textures and Textiles: Silk, wools and knits; lots of outerwear
Patterns: A few pieces were striped
Favourite Look: Drawstring silk wide leg pants
Overall Feel:  Woolen baseball caps lent an air of casualness and modernity to the easily-dressed up collection

Rudsak
The iconic Canadian label will be celebrating its 20th Anniversary at the tents with the debut of its fall/winter 2014/2015 collection. Since being founded in 2004 by visionary and creative leader Evik Asatoorian, the Montreal-based label has grown into one of Canada’s leading fashion brands, synonymous with quality, craftsmanship and international instinct.

Music: Muse, Jack White, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lenny Kravitz, The Black Keys
Mood: High energy Rock n Roll, baby! Celebrating its 20th anniversary, a projector displayed images of awesome rock stars throughout the last 20 years
Makeup: Smoky eyes
Hair: Loose and textured
Models: Some wore fedoras, either emerald green or black, with a feather, while some wore boxy fur hats; others walked the runway with a guitar case
Colours: Burgundy, olive, mahogany, burnished gold, lots of black
Textures and Textiles: Raccoon-tail hats made of fur, also seen on outwear trims, hoods and hems; leather minis, pants, and jackets, both shiny and matte alike; puffer jackets with more leather detailing
Patterns: Floral lace tights with an otherwise solid collection
Favourite Look: The huge collars trimmed in fur
Overall Feel: Rebel cool, badass style; the mix and match textures really elevated the stylish factor and made the collection lust worthy as a whole