America’s Next Top Model is in its 18th season cycle, and it is making its way to Toronto Fashion Week on this week’s episode—not New York, Milan, Paris, London or Berlin, but Toronto. Of course, the cycle was filmed when Jay Manuel was still a figurehead for Attitude by Sears, so the episode will probably serve as a bit of a PR campaign, but a teaser trailer reveals that Kimberley Newport-Mimran will also be getting some screen time. The aspiring models will be going on go-sees for Toronto Fashion Week, and in a conversation on the runway with a model, Mimsy flat-out tells her that if she can’t walk, she could ruin the show. Real talk.

Jean-Pierre Braganza greets his public (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

The last day of fashion shows in Toronto finally came yesterday, and after a grueling almost-three weeks, the editors can now shelve their Longchamps and Louboutins and settle into sweats and sneakers. “The ShOws” at the Ritz-Carlton presented Jean-Pierre Braganza’s collection (the only designer to return from last season) to a busier room than Monday evening. Since “the ShOws” are more designed for the media than the socialite crowd, we noticed the usual suspects: Flare’s Liz Cabral, Glen Baxter, the Bay’s Nicholas Mellamphy, the Globe and Mail’s Tiyana Grulovic, editor David Livingston and Now’s Andrew Sardone. The funniest moment came when Livingston booted a bunch of very fancy-looking ladies from his seat (don’t worry, they still managed to find a front row spot).

Click here to see Jean-Pierre Braganza’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

Braganza’s collection was a study in purple, seen in lilac, plum and aubergine skirts, tops, dresses and legwarmers (yes, they’re back, apparently). Sleeves of sweaters were shaped with a ballooning, almost-padded silhouette, a look we also saw at Arthur Mendonça and Caitlin Power’s shows—we’re not sure if the style works for the average woman, but it certainly added drama to otherwise normal sweaters. Our favourite looks were a knit gown with sheer sleeves, a series of cropped sweaters (though one better start hitting the gym now to be able to pull them off come fall) and a mullet skirt with a full zipper. We weren’t fans of the sequin-spattered sweater, an ’80s throwback we could have found at any Value Village, but the fabric worked better in smaller doses on a dress with a sumptuous fur jacket on top. Sure, it’s been a month since his show at London Fashion Week, but every designer can always add another positive review to the pile.

Just a month after showing his fall/winter 2012 collection at London Fashion Week, Jean-Pierre Braganza joined “the ShOws” to give Toronto a special preview of the collection. We saw cathedral prints in vibrant reds, pinks, oranges and yellows, fur (obviously, it’s winter), and a series of voluminous sleeves on sweaters (which we’re not totally convinced is something most women would wear).

Click here to see Jean-Pierre Braganza’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

Look after look marched down the runway, from young emerging designers like Chloé Comme Parris and Sid Neigum to titans Joe Fresh and Pink Tartan, and to be perfectly honest, the task of narrowing down the list to 12 great looks was no easy task. Who made the list?

Click here to see our 12 favourite looks from Toronto Fashion Week »

We see so many people during Toronto Fashion Week, and while some people get all of their costume jewellery out for the occasion, we sometimes prefer a look that is a bit more understated and refined. That said, as usual, the attendees of Toronto Fashion Week really stepped up their game, from channeling the Queen of the Nile to pulling off this season’s hottest Pantone: Tangerine Tango. We selected 16 of Toronto Fashion Week’s best dressed—did you make the cut?

Check out Toronto Fashion Week’s best dressed »

“The ShOws” second presentation of the evening came from New York–based label Ruffian, created by Brian Wolk and Claude Morais (Morais is from Montreal, while Wolk is a New York native). Fortunately for organizer Paola Fullerton, more guests flooded the Ritz-Carlton at the 7:30 p.m. show, like Zoomer’s Suzanne Boyd, Flare’s Lisa Tant (just back from Paris) and Citytv’s Mary Kitchen.

Click here to see Ruffian’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

The collection was a hybrid of looks, feeling partly inspired by the English countryside (or perhaps Downton Abbey), with plaid tartan print pants, double-breasted jackets, grey tweeds and oversized bowler hats, and by a Marc Jacobs–esque sexy librarian (seen in a high-necked silk top with lace details at the neck and sleeves, blouses tied at the top paired with leather skirts and a blue double-breasted power suit with a silk bow at the neck). Though most ensembles were saved from looking dowdy (as can often be the case with such a patrician theme), a bright red safari jacket with velvet pants looked a little matronly (like our Irish grandmother would have bought at Talbot’s). Our favourite looks were an olive green cape with large black buttons up the centre and a silk top with lace detailing. Who’d have thought a label with a name like Ruffian (pronounced Roof-ian, but still) would have such an uptown, day-at-the-stables aesthetic?

Last night at the Ritz-Carlton, Ruffian showed its Downton Abbey–meets–sexy secretary fall/winter 2012 collection, complete with high ruffles, bowler hats and lace and button detailing. 

Click here to see Ruffian’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

Just when we think we’re out, we get pulled back in. Though Toronto Fashion Week officially ended last Friday, the last of the shows come from “the ShOws,” a designer spotlight at the Ritz-Carlton. “The ShOws” (we can’t get over how much we despise that capital O) focus on bringing Canadian talent that shows internationally back to Canada, and first up was David Szeto, a Vancouver native who is now based in Belgium but presents in Paris—Szeto has had his own label since 2004. The ShOws are thought to be a more exclusive invite than Toronto Fashion Week (you can’t purchase a ticket for these), which is a great idea in theory, but in practice, at the 5:30 p.m. show, it meant a lot of empty seats. We spotted typical fashion faces like Flare’s Liz Cabral, InFashion’s Glen Baxter, designer Jeremy Laing (who will show tonight) and the Bay’s Nicholas Mellamphy, but perhaps due to last week’s fashion overload or timing, many front row seats were left empty until organizers told guests to move forward. The funniest moment came at the end of the show, when the heavy overhead lights remained on but the music stopped, leaving guests (except editor David Livingston and Baxter, both of whom bolted quickly) glued to their seats for fear of ruining a photographer’s photos, whilst awkwardly exchanging glances with others to see if it was all right to stand.

Click here to see David Szeto’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

Szeto trotted out feminine outfits with ruffles (on sleeves, shoulders and backs of jackets, and up the centre of a black and white dress), which contrasted with more masculine details like the Thom Browne–esque oversized cuffs on trousers. Our favourite looks were the dresses, elaborately pleated in navy and forest green that incorporated built in gold hardware belts (they felt like Halston at Studio 54), and a long cream tunic with a charcoal back. Szeto’s one misstep for us was the the square-print geometric pattern (seen in silk dresses and tops), which looked more Reitman’s than haute couture to us. We applaud Szeto’s decision to have some models walk in flat sandals (models are tall enough), but one nearby editor was puzzled: “This is for fall and winter?” Maybe Szeto is just preparing for the inevitable, when there is only one sweltering season.

David Szeto showed his fall/winter 2012 collection at the Ritz-Carlton last night, and although there were some missteps in styling, we dug how Szeto balanced masculine and feminine details in his series of dresses, jackets and pants.

Click here to see David Szeto’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

Designers were everywhere in the tents on Friday night, from Evan Biddell to Linda Lundström, and spirits were considerably high, despite the fact that over 30 shows had passed and fatigue was finally starting to set in. Did we spot you in The Scene?

Check out The Scene on day five of Toronto Fashion Week »

After a full week (and then some) of shows and parties, the fashion elite and well-to-do guests tend to let loose at the Dare to Wear Love gala fundraiser, which has closed out Fashion Week since 2009. At this year’s festivities, socialite Biko Beauttah out-dressed the rest of the front row in a gold Queen of the Nile get-up, complete with a lion diadem, and model Stacey McKenzie hopped up out of her seat to boogie with reggae singer Errol Blackwood during a mid-show performance. Singer Divine Brown and designer Brian Bailey were content to watch, but Jeanne Beker took her turn doing the catwalk thing—complete with a model pout—in a Greta Constantine dress. David Dixon, Izzy Camilleri and Adrian Wu were among those who designed outfits using African print fabric, all to benefit the Stephen Lewis Foundation.

Click here to see the Dare to Wear Love show »

Drag personality Lena Love drew cheers for her shimmies—a high-risk move, considering her plunging dress (in his post-show speech, Stephen Lewis promised to hit the runway in something similar next year). Ainsley Kerr walked in Damzels In This Dress, while TV host Dina Pugliese modelled a frothy Adrian Wu gown. A few good men also walked the runway this year: Jamie Kennedy and his sons Nile, Micha, and Jackson (“very tall, very cute,” according to one onlooker) in matching shirts and tribal paint, and musician Royal Wood with wife Sarah Slean. The star of the night, however, was pint-sized WWE wrestler Trish Stratus, who drew a roar when she kissed her bicep at the end of the runway, and a standing ovation when she picked up a male audience member, slung him over her well-muscled shoulder, and headed back down the runway. We’d like to see your average runway model attempt that one.

Dare to Wear Love (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

The Stephen Lewis Foundation hosted its annual celebrity-filled Dare to Wear Love show in support of HIV and AIDS relief efforts in Africa on Friday night. Models this year included CityLine’s Tracy Moore and singer Sarah Slean, and they wore designs by Linda Lundström, David Dixon, Wesley Badanjak, Jason Meyers and more.

Click here to check out the Dare to Wear Love show »

Arthur Mendonça takes a bow (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Though Arthur Mendonça’s show was at 4 p.m. on a Friday of a very long Toronto Fashion Week, his team of cheerleaders, like Pink Tartan’s Kimberley Newport-Mimran (with daughter Jacqui in tow), Stacey McKenzie (who had a near wardrobe malfunction in a low-cut blazer), the Bay’s Nicholas Mellamphy and a late-arriving Jully Black (who had to have the front row squish in to accommodate her), all came to check out this season’s wares.

Click here to see Arthur Mendonça’s complete fall/winter 2012 collection »

Mendonça’s collection featured patent leather fairly consistently, seen in magenta and cognac trench coats, a silk crepe de Chine gown with patent accents on the chest, pants, tops and llama wool jackets—although we thought the Mendonça woman would never be the type to shop at Yonge Street sex shop Seduction, the high gloss stockings and gloves models wore were certainly sourced from there. Our favourite looks were soft llama wool jackets that looked like fur, lacy dresses in floral prints that looked almost like slips, and an acid yellow knee-length dress with full sleeves. We thought the pink, silvery hue seen on some full dresses was a bit too much (more suited to attending prom in 1983), but it worked much better as an accent, split up on a dress with a black bodice, and a long plum-coloured evening gown. Mendonça’s effortlessly glamorous style has always been sexy, and now, it’s a little bit shiny too.

Arthur Mendonça’s fall/winter 2012 show proved to us that he’s still the same designer he once was, offering sexy clothes that a variety of women would want to wear, from a glossy patent leather rain jacket to an acid yellow gown. It was a mostly impressive showing, and truth be told, we didn’t find the A Clockwork Orange–style bowler hats one bit hokey. 

Click here to check out Arthur Mendonça’s fall/winter 2012 collection »

Futuristic unisex looks abound at Rad Hourani’s Friday night show at Toronto Fashion Week, and we loved every last one. Mossy and khaki green wools and felts were paired with thick, buttery leather to create his vision of what our future will look like (and surely director Michael Anderson deserves some credit, too).

Click here to see Rad Hourani’s fall/winter 2012 collection »