Cooler colours, draping detail loom large in spring/summer 2009 collections

B6

By Lauren La Rose
THE CANADIAN PRESS

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TORONTO - The colour forecast for spring/summer 2009 fashions unveiled at Toronto's L'Oreal Fashion Week remains bright when it comes to hot hues, but expect to see an abundance of cooler colours typically associated with fall and winter in creations for the warmer months.

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The Canadian Press

This design was also part of the Pink Tartan show, part of Fashion Week in Toronto.

The Canadian Press

A model wears an outfit on the runway during the Pink Tartan show, part of Fashion Week in Toronto.

The Canadian Press

A model walks the runway for the Andy The-Anh show during L’Oreal Fashion Week Spring Collections 2009 in Toronto.

While there was still a fair share of pastels like powder blue and baby pink on display, collections largely featured richer and various deeper shades and tones of red, blue, purple, orange and grey in their colour palettes in everything from swimwear to suiting and eveningwear.

Day 1 of Fashion Week saw designers channelling style influences from the '50s and '60s, kicking off with a Grace-Kelly inspired bridal wear collection from Alfred Sung, and Pink Tartan evoking the iconic glamour girl featuring cosy cardigans, body-hugging bustier-style halters and bathing suits, pencil skirts and cigarette-slim pants.

As the week progressed, the silhouettes became decidedly more free-form and fluid, from loose-fitting sheaths to floor-skimming elegant dresses.

Draping on separates and dresses was also in ample supply, from cowl necklines to dress sleeves, and added as dramatic detailing to ethereal goddess-inspired gowns as seen in the Grecian-inspired collection from NADA.

Woven and braided detailing also added texture to designs, as did fanciful folds of ruffles as accents on shirt and dress fronts and sleeves. Designs also had volume to spare on dresses from blousy, tiered creations to billowing, bubble silhouetted-cocktail numbers.

There was a style of pants to fit the mould for any fashion fan, from tightly tapered to flared denim bells and even more voluminous genie-inspired dhoti-style pants.

The latest edition of L'Oreal Fashion Week also made headlines beyond the designers and their new creations. Festivities got off to a rough start when Robin Kay, president of the Fashion Design Council of Canada which organizes Fashion Week, delivered a rambling speech on opening night prior to the Mango show and was eventually ushered off-stage.

Kay later apologized for the incident, citing exhaustion and admitting she had had too much to drink.

A petition that first circulated last year calling for Kay's ouster and reform of the Fashion Design Council of Canada is again making the rounds. In a statement issued late last week, the FDCC said council chair Joseph Mimran and the board were aware of the petition's re-emergence, and that the attempt to recirculate it "only exacerbates an already admitted unfortunate incident." The statement also announced plans for the board to convene this week "to address this and other matters."

Among other notable moments from the week:

Putting the "show" back into "fashion show": The electronic violinist who charged into a performance set of rock classics on and off the runway during Andy The-Anh's show energized the capacity crowd and served to even further ratchet up the dramatic presentation of the Montreal-based designer's old Hollywood-inspired collection of tailored suits and glamour gowns. The fashionable double bill of Damzels in this Dress and Playdead Cult also amped up the fun factor. Their "Pretty Gritty" double feature included models who engaged in interplay, trading high-fives and catty looks, and the appearance of giant-headed black-hooded characters resembling the Grim Reaper toting a larger-than-life boom box.

Notables in the front row: A fair share of celebs from the worlds of sports, song and screen were spotted taking in shows throughout the week. Among them: Toronto Raptor star Chris Bosh, former world and Canadian figure skating champion Kurt Browning, Toronto Argonauts' CEO Mike (Pinball) Clemons, actress Wendy Crewson, singer Kreesha Turner and CBC stars Natalie Brown ("Sophie") and Sitara Hewitt ("Little Mosque on the Prairie"). Tara Spencer-Nairn of CTV's "Corner Gas" did double-duty as both a style-watcher and a catwalker, as she closed out Thien Le's show walking the runway in a stunning floor-length ivory gown -- the same dress the Toronto-based designer custom-made for the actress's wedding.