It was announced today that Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine will be designing the new staff uniform for the Thompson’s Lobby Bar. The design very much embraces the Greta look, with signature draping and form-flattering silhouettes, perfect for serving drinks to a wide array of young professionals, leather-clad club kids (who don’t have passcards and passwords for the rooftop bar) and other hotel patrons. The hotel chain’s Toronto outpost has already partnered with Bustle to design uniforms for its diner, and the ladies serving drinks upstairs on the rooftop wear custom dresses designed by Jeremy Laing. It seems that the Thompson will go to great lengths to ensure that none of its staff are caught wearing a mangled Chanel suit (and, of course, that they wear Canadian).
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The Thompson’s Lobby Bar taps Greta Constantine to design its wait staff’s uniforms
Camera: Toronto’s peerage class gets dolled up for a royal visit at the TIFF Lightbox
November 2, TIFF Lightbox. It’s not often that royalty comes to town (not that we’re bitter, Will and Kate). So when Prince Albert Grimaldi, ruler of Monaco, arrived with his new wife, the South African former Olympic swimmer Charlene Wittstock, Toronto’s peerage class got all dolled up. The couple was here for the launch of Grace Kelly: From Movie Star to Princess, a TIFF exhibit celebrating Prince Albert’s late mom. They toured the exhibit, then repaired to the VIP room, where the prince downed brewskis and the press-shy Wittstock, understated in Dior, chatted quietly with the much less understated Suzannes (Boyd and Rogers). Though the royals departed around 8:30, the rest of the party hit the dance floor to the grooves of a live Motown band, energized as they were by their brush with nobility—the champagne-soaked jelly desserts didn’t hurt, either.
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One boy’s journey into the world of beauty and glamour: backstage at Greta Constantine spring/summer 2012
A model gets her closeup backstage at Greta Constantine (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
While the clothes always take center stage (or runway, as it were) at fashion shows, the beauty component is an equally important aspect, helping tie the looks together into the designer’s cohesive vision. We went backstage at Greta Constantine—not only to scope out the half-naked male models—to give you the skinny on how the makeup artists and hair team get the models (normally a haggard bunch) looking catwalk ready. Hair was styled by Hair on the Avenue under the supervision of Colin Ford, director of education at L’Oreal Professionnel. Ford says “the clothes are both structured and unstructured and kind of androgynous,” so he wanted a similar look to the hair. It reminded us of a woman who vacations in St Barts: very sleek on top with a tousled look at the ends. The team achieved this by using L’Oreal’s Mythic Oil, a nutritive oil, on the ends and Lumicontrole, a cream wax, at the roots for shine. Though it took the stylists fifteen minutes to achieve the look, they told us anyone could do it at home in only five (but, of course they’d say that).
Greta Constantine draws a big crowd at Century Room (yes, that Century Room) for the kick-off to Rogue Fashion Week
Draped, as per usual (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
Read the rest of this entry »Rogue Fashion Week is upon us, and Greta Constantine kicked it off last night with a show and after-party at King West’s Century Room. Designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong are known for their extravagant shows (held at car dealerships, Rosedale mansions and TIFF hot spots with celeb models), so it was no shock to see the bevy of gussied-up Torontonians at the typically bottle-service-heavy club (oft complete with heavy beats, and rowdy men and women) for Greta Constantine’s spring/summer 2012 show. This city always seems to show its love for the Greta boys, and last night was no exception, with the many guests including socialites Suzanne Rogers, Sylvia Mantella, Amoryn Engel, Jenna Naumovich, Alexandra Weston, Suzanne Cohon and Catherine Nugent, gossip columnist Shinan Govani, performer K-os, ET Canada’s Rosey Edeh and MuchMusic personality Sarah Taylor. We also spotted Global News anchorwoman Anne Mroczkowski smoking outside with FDCC chair Robin Kay (who carried out an entire conversation with someone across the runway during the show using only hand gestures) and club king Toufik Sarwa, but the most interesting gossip was about Vanessa Mulroney, who requested 10 front row seats for her gal pals, a collection of Maple Leaf hockey wives—no word of a lie. Sitting front row alongside socialite Mulroney were Emilie Witt, Brittany Perlman, Jessica Peczek, Katarina Brown, Ania Rembacz, Dale Chaplin, Jeanne De Partout, Mel Armstrong and Jessica MacArthur. Check out our full collection gallery after the jump.
THE SCENE: Greta Constantine’s splashy poolside Primer party at an Annex mansion
It was a very relaxed party. There was a lot of vodka. (Image: Erin Simkin)
We wish every fashion party took place at an Annex mansion. Greta Constantine went back to the opulent estate of Michael Cooper and Krystal Koo for the sneak peek of the second instalment of their basics line, Primer. Longtime Greta fans Amanda Blakley and Ashleigh Dempster accessorized with enormous baby bumps that had even the iciest socialites cooing (overheard: “I’d love to look half as good as she does nine months pregnant”). Daniel Johnson of the band Stereos held court by the pool (which, thankfully sadly, no one tumbled into, although there were a few close calls due to some of the deathly high heels being sported), while Jay Levine of Fashion Television and PR maven Natasha Koifman chatted like old high school chums by the vodka bar. The CBC’s Kirstine Stewart and Maple Leaf GM honey Jennifer Burke also made cameos, along with INK honcho Charles Khabouth. Suzanne Timmins—looking fierce in animal print—made a fashionably late entrance with white tux–jacketed Ports ad campaign creative director Tu Ly in tow before navigating her way delicately across the pool to get a personal tour of the collection from co-designer Kirk Pickersgill (the unofficial star of the night was his tiny godson, who was dancing like a maniac and fending off media requests). Check out the scene and read more about the collection after the jump.
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Introducing: La Société, Bloor Street’s massive new bistro and people-watching hub
The bar at La Société (Image: Gizelle Lau)
La Société, Charles Khabouth and Danny Soberano’s new upscale bistro, opened last week to just the chic red-carpet reception one would expect, with guests like “jersey boys” Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine, media mogul Moses Znaimer, Canadian Read the rest of this entry »musician music manager and producer Jake Gold and Food Network Canada host Kevin Brauch (no RPattz sighting, though). We first scoped out the dining room’s impressive stained-glass ceiling shortly after it was installed, and returned last week to see how everything turned out.
Greta Constantine’s Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill launch Skin, their collaboration with Danier
Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong have turned to leather in a collaboration with Danier (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
Last night, Toronto’s glossiest glamourpusses—well, at least the ones willing to trek to Queen Street West and Brock Avenue on a rainy Monday—hit Neubacher Shor Contemporary for the premiere of Skin, the much-hyped collaboration between Danier Leather and Greta Constantine tag team Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill. The event brought out Sebastian Pigott (we had to catch ourselves from referring to him as Kai Booker, his character from Being Erica), Shinan Govani, Ivana Santilli, Glen Peloso, Katie Boland, Andrew Sardone, Natalie Lecomte and Sandra Pittana, and on display—on a model and at an on-site pop-up shop—were the six outfits from the capsule collection. See our coverage of the showcase and a gallery of the pieces and the scene after the jump.
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Denis Gagnon and Greta Constantine announce buzz-worthy collaborations
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Two designer collaborations in Canada have been announced today. The first comes from Montreal designer Denis Gagnon, who will be offering a series of stacked black heels through Aldo for spring 2011. The second is from Toronto’s own “jersey boys,” Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine, who are teaming with Danier to offer a diffusion line named Skin for fall 2011.
The Weekender: LG Fashion Week, Jane Goodall and six other events on our to-do list
Denis Gagnon F/W 2011 at Fashion week, Nelson Takkiruq sculpture and Dr. Jane Goodall
1. INUIT MODERN
This brand new exhibit draws from a huge collection of Inuit art acquired by real estate developer Samuel Sarick and his wife, Esther, featuring 175 contemporary works by artists like David Ruben Piqtoukun, Kenojuak Ashevak, Karoo Ashevak and Lucy Tasseor. Budget-friendly bonus: if you’re under 25, this is the last weekend to take advantage of the AGO’s Maharaja exhibition offer, which gets you into the entire gallery for free. April 2 to August 21. $19.50. Art Gallery of Ontario, 317 Dundas St. W., 416-979-6648, ago.net.
2. LG FASHION WEEK Read the rest of this entry »
It’s enough to exhaust even the most dedicated fashionista: the past couple days have been a flurry of fashion shows, after parties and boldface name–laden events, and the week before that was much the same (Rogue Fashion Week included off-site shows by Mark Fast, Greta Constantine and Ezra Constantine and the much-anticipated return of Arthur Mendonça). It all winds down this weekend, but before the city’s couture kids head home for some much-needed rest, they’ll be hitting the last of the shows (including Diepo and Line Knitwear) and hoping to score some advice from Jeanne Beker, who’s signing copies of Strutting It!, her behind-the-scenes guide to making it in the biz, on Friday. To April 2. $40–50 per show, day pass $200. Heritage Court, Exhibition Place, 105 Princes’ Blvd., lgfashionweek.ca.
The Scene: nine fashion favourites at Friday’s Greta and Ezra Constantine shows
Too much, or not enough frosting? (Image: Stefania Yarhi)
Friday night’s Greta and Ezra Constantine shows filled up rather quickly with Barbie pink lips, lace dresses and an array of semi-famous (to fairly famous) fashion and media folk. Check out the scene below to see who made the biggest statements and who just looked so amazing she could be wearing a sack and we’d still think, “Hot damn!” (Spoiler: it’s Natalie Brown.)
Greta and Ezra Constantine drum up a new direction on the final night of Rogue Fashion Week
Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill greet their adoring fans (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
The boys from Greta and Ezra Constantine closed Rogue Fashion Week with a star-studded (well, by non-TIFF standards) show at the Bayview Extension Audi dealership. Suzanne Boyd, Jeanne Beker, Tommy Smythe, Barry Flatman and Jully Black (sporting a costume change from the day’s earlier Arthur Mendonça show) filled an expansive showroom so packed with fans, that, even with hundreds of seats, there was a back row labelled SRO (standing room only).
PHOTO GALLERY: see the fall/winter collections from Greta and Ezra Constantine
2011’s Cruella (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
Designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta and Ezra Constantine opened up the Bayview Audi dealership on Friday night to show a fall/winter collection they called a “global dialogue.” The objective, however, seemed to be to show that the designers could do more than create Grecian-draped jersey column gowns. Did they succeed? You decide. See the full collection below and have a look at our complete scene coverage.
Weddings Week 2011: 50 dreamy dress picks for one special day
First things first (because it’s much more fun to dream about the dress than to set the date). To help you in the quest for The One, we scoured the runways and found 50 gorgeous gowns
(Image: Jenna Marie Wakani; Far right, next page: Peter Stiger)
Designers versus bloggers: this edition’s showdown pits Nolan Bryant against Kirk Pickersgill
Left: Karolina Kurkova and Nolan Bryant in Berlin; right: Kirk Pickersgill (Images: Nolan Bryant and Felix Wong)
The professional fashion scene in Toronto is made up of many members: designers, editors, PR flaks and, much to everyone else’s chagrin, bloggers. Once the awkward stepchildren of the scene, they’ve now risen to front-row fixtures. In the run-up to the runway action this month at LG Fashion Week, we wanted to check in with some of the city’s best designers—from the up-and-comers to the respected old captains—as well as Toronto’s fashion bloggers to ask some burning questions: are there rivalries? Secret alliances? Are they working together or falling apart? Read on for inspiring pro-fashion spirit and grudge matches galore.
TODAY’S MATCHUP: Blogger-cum-photographer and social butterfly Nolan Bryant squares off with Kirk Pickersgill of design house Greta Constantine
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