Evan Biddell was all smiles on his return to Toronto to showcase Brethren by Evan Biddell (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)
Last night at Yorkville’s UPC Boutique, Evan Biddell showcased his new capsule collection, Brethren, to waves of clients, media and fans who still seem very much addicted to Biddell. We loved a long, blowsy mesh tank top ($60), dresses with long skirts and sheer panels, and vintage-inspired, short-hemmed cocktail dresses ($120 and up). The outcome was a commercial success, which is a direction we saw at Biddell’s last Toronto show before he headed back to Vancouver; this time around, he has made his collection more affordable, relying less on custom orders and more on what women want.
It also seems Toronto women—including editor Briony Smith, blogger Anita Clarke, PR gal Gail McInnes, vintage boutique owner Sarah Magwood and model Sarah Miles— are clamouring for Biddell’s easy-to-wear pieces: it was overheard that UPC Boutique had already sold 50 per cent of Biddell’s inventory as of last night. See images of the Brethren collection after the jump.
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Unceremonious fizzling out seems to be the standard fate for players in talent-competition reality shows. But Evan Biddell, the first-season champ of Project Runway Canada, is the exception: the profanity-spewing, moon-faced Saskatoon boy has turned his 15 minutes into a promising design career. Biddell’s custom-order fall collection features outlandishly proportioned, armour-like pieces in surprising fabrics, such as cork. Well studied in spectacle, he also plans to set his designs apart by installing his runway in a sweatshop—he’s bussing a crowd of 100 to the Seven Continents Factory on Wilson Avenue for his spring 2011 reveal. A little drama goes a long way.
The CRTC has a problem with Jersey Shore—namely that it’s being aired on MTV Canada, which is supposed to stick to original all-talk programming. “It would appear that several of your programs are not consistent with your nature of service, such as Jersey Shore, Cribs, Downtown Girls and Teen Mom,” the commission told the network in a letter on July 27. What? Snooki talks a ton! Turns out that’s exactly what CTVglobemedia VP Kevin Goldstein is arguing. He says the show “documents the private discussions of a group of young New Jersey residents as they navigate issues affecting their lives, including, but not limited to, dating, careers and parties.” Touché. But it’s not just MTV that the CRTC was after this summer. 
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