Coco Rocha, bouncers and an hour-long wait at the Greta Constantine show

Coco Rocha, bouncers and an hour-long wait at the Greta Constantine show

(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

A Greta Constantine show is always a spectacle; last season, design duo Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong showed the collection at a sprawling Audi dealership on the Bayview Extension. It’s the most anticipated event in the run-up to LG fashion week, so it’s no surprise that the atmosphere at the spring 2011 show echoed that of a nearby Richmond Street nightclub—lineups, broken glassware and surly bouncers included. The venue: 161 Spadina Avenue (the same space used for TIFF’s splashy Soho House parties and Colin Firth’s 50th). Guests waited an hour after the scheduled start time for the show to begin, tweeting their dismay but sated by an open bar and charcuterie table prepared by Parts and Labour.

Model Coco Rocha opened the show, as promised, wearing rolled-hem shorts and a flowing white blouse. We saw plenty of the expected draping details and jersey, but more interesting were the more structured pieces that offered a departure from the signature Greta flowy dresses. Ezra Constantine, the menswear line, offered hyper-masculine boxing hoodies and mesh pants that looked like they came straight from an International Male catalogue.

See the full collection in our slide show >>