Art of Fashion is always a huge event – there was so much to cover this year. I thought since we are nearing the end it would be great to take a look back when Ashley covered this event for me in the Fall.
For the second year in a row, Alessandra and I were lucky enough to attend the Art of Fashion! Already in its 17th year, the annual competition gives designers the ability to showcase their extraordinary skills in the fashion and style marketplace. By fostering Canadian talent, Art of Fashion aides new designers in building their career in the fashion industry.
Each year has a different theme – this years was ‘Past Behaviour’. Using the tagline ‘There Is No Such Thing As Design, Just Redesign’, the 9 finalists drew inspiration upon historical fashions to create their own designs.
Myette’s relied heavily upon past European fashion and Orientalism. Myette’s has incorporated Orientalism into her clothing through the traditional cuts that reflect Japan’s traditional Samurai warrior. She modernized her designs by including bright fluorescent colours and contrasting zippers. By incorporating modern touches with traditional norms, Myette has created a new form of Cultural
Appreciation.
I absolutely adored the high neck of the coat Myette has created. The mix of the modern neckline and the traditional cut of the coat is so pretty!
Interested in Myette’s creations? She’s the owner of her own label entitled “Cute and Curious”, which is sold on Etsy.
DESIGNER: Andrea Dineen
PAST BEHAVIOUR: The New Vintage
Dineen relied heavily on the past silhouettes, fabrics and styles of postmodern America. Heavily relying on the 1950’s fashion movement (Mad Men, anyone?), her designs are an embrace and nod to a time when women embraced their natural femininity – curves and all!
A lot of Dineen’s designs have feminine touches to them – think silkscreened roses, handmade rosettes – which really set this line apart. Important to note is the fact that Dineen used an abundance of soft, flowy fabrics like organza, power mesh, leather, raw silks and cotton blends.
A Ryerson School of Fashion graduate, it’s easy to see that Dineen has raw talent!
DESIGNER: Diana Li
PAST BEHAVIOUR: Devote
Relying heavily on royalty from the past few centuries, Li’s designs have a high level of lace and embroidery. Drawing upon Marie Antoinette and Queen Elizabeth I, Li’s paid homage to the traditional means of garment making – by hand!
Li’s taken an art that has been modernized and brought it back to its traditional roots. The hand cut designs portray strong dedication to the art long forgotten, while the soft draping of the fabrics adds a little modernization and delicacy to the art.
Li is a fourth year design student at Ryerson, with a strong interning background at some of the world’s top design firms.
DESIGNER: Christine Youn
PAST BEHAVIOUR: Soaring Skies
My favourite decade! Youn has drawn major inspiration from the roaring 20’s! The 1920’s were all about a blending of old traditions and new – think an evolution from Victorian high fashion to feminist glitz and glam. Since the 20’s was dominated by liberalism and sophistication, this collection draws upon that idea.
This collection is all about straight, close-fitting, boyish silhouettes fitted with low waist lines and pleated dresses. Great Gatsby anyone?
Youn is a graduate of the Seneca College Fashion Arts program, specializing in patterning. She’s assisted and apprenticed in many high fashion and haute couture desin firms, and is certified by the North American Fur Association.
DESIGNER: Rani Kim
PAST BEHAVIOUR: Remodeling Past Behaviours of Men – Mon to Fri
Unfortunately for me, this booth wasn’t set up when I arrived, and I was only able to get one picture of the model.
This is another designer who played upon the 1950’s fashion that has become to popular as of late. With the Monday to Friday collection, Kim has found a way to tap into the successful man that the 1950’s style and fashion inspired. The 1950’s fashion portrayed the wearer’s class, authority and sophistication, all through the tailoring, conformity and conservatism of men’s behaviour and lives. Kim’s collection is set to be creative, all while incorporating classic tailoring techniques that have yet to go out of style.
Kim is currently a senior student at the Fashion Design program at Ryerson University. Her skills and talent are worldwide – she recently completed a design study at the TEKO Design School in Denmark and her designs have been featured in European press.
DESIGNER: Elena Sanjikhaeva
PAST BEHAVIOUR: Irreplaceable Coco
When you think class, style and sophistication, who doesn’t think Coco Chanel? Sanjikhaeva’s designs have come straight from the pure elegance of Chanel’s designs. Drawing inspiration from the empire cut, A-line, and feminine silhouette’s promoted by Chanel’s designs, Sanjikhaeva has created a range of clothing designs for today’s woman.
Sanjikhaeva has used fabrics known well during Chanel’s time, including wool tweed, boucle, rayon, organza, stetch lace, neutral pastels, and beige hues.
Sanjikhaeva is currently enrolled in the Fashion Techniques and Design program at George Brown College. She looks forward to fulfilling her dream of designing beautiful clothing for the masses.
DESIGNER: Katelyn Bowland
PAST BEHAVIOUR: Excalibur
How very Game of Thrones!
Bowland has taken inspiration from the reimagined and reinvented stories of medieval lore, like Excaliber and King Arthur, and turned it into a fashion collection. Little is said as to her inspiration behind it, but I love how it’s relevant to today’s Game of Throne’s popularity.
Bowland is a graduate of Seneca College’s fashion program, and has past won Western Canada’s Fashion Week’s Emerging Designer Competition.
Check out how impressive the chain work is on her designs!
DESIGNER: Jung Min Oh
PAST BEHAVIOUR: Barnburner
Another 1950’s inspired collection!
Min’s collection are focused on female figure silhouettes with a masculine, alternate and material silhouette. The skirts are enormously full, shoulder lines are round, and waistlines are nipped in. The detail that makes Min’s collection different is that she emphasizes the back of her garments just as much as she emphasizes the front. Min believes that fashion should create beautiful backs, as well as a beautiful front. To keep an eye on the past, we must also keep an eye on the back!
Min is enrolled in the Fashion Art program at Seneca College. She has also assisted designer Cydelic by Chroryin as an intern.
DESIGNER: Carissa McGaig
PAST BEHAVIOUR: Clovers and Blush
Alessandra and I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting McGaig at last year’s 2nd Style Floor Market, and we recognized her right away!
McGaig’s collection is inspired by limitless boundaries and childlike mindsets. Her collection Clovers and Blush is inspired from the Greats, but with the idea of creating with no inhibitions!
McGaig is also the owner of Copious, a Toronto based women’s fashion line that has design roots established in country upbringing.
The Art of Fashion show also held a bevy of onsite designer boutiques, where you could purchase accessories for the upcoming season. Everything from designer hats to jewel-based necklaces were available for the public.
The most interesting social part of the event was the onsite fashion illustrator, Beckie Di Leo, who was literally painting guests of the fashion show. I’m literally in awe of her talent, patience and hard working nature – poor lady was on her feet painting for over 6 hours! Alessandra and I were the last two to get painted. Here are the results:
This may be totally framed over my bed now!
(Editor’s note – I just found out that the key makeup artist for Art of Fashion was the one and only Ande!)