Intelligent Design
A who’s who of Fashion Week’s current darlings By Courtney Shea
JOE FRESH STYLE
Who: Joe Mimran, the founder
of Caban and Club Monaco, joined forces with Galen and the gang
in 2006 to create a super-accessible line for Loblaws.
Signature look: Recycled runway. Like H&M, Joe Fresh knocks
off the season’s hottest trends
for about a tenth of the price.
As seen on: Everyone from Forest Hill matrons to downtown trend-hounds. Employees at the eight Toronto locations can barely stock shelves fast enough.
The show: At last spring’s
event, Yves Saint Laurent muse Coco Rocha made the discount designer duds look utterly upscale. Open to the public.
PINK TARTAN
Who: A sartorial success story right out of the gate, the brainchild of Kimberly Newport-Mimran—a.k.a. Mrs. Joe Fresh—is popular with stylish Hollywood starlet Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Signature look: Flirty schoolgirl meets Jackie O. The line’s spring 2008 collection featured sharply tailored frocks for all occasions.
As seen on: Porter Air’s chic flight attendants, who sport the label’s 1960s-inspired pillbox hats
and shift dresses.
The show: A rock-heavy soundtrack and CBGB accessories at last spring’s shindig lent
the preppy line some edgy cred.
By invitation only.
THIEN LE
Who: The eponymous chameleon shifted from luxe to the links
with his spring 2008 collection
of women’s golf wear.
Signature look: Long and flowy. Think Keira Knightley’s emerald number in Atonement. (Le apparently designed a similar dress
five years prior to the film’s release.)
As seen on: Patriotic actresses Elisha Cuthbert, Catherine O’Hara and Polly Shannon.
The show: Le’s fall 2007 collection, which included a kimono-
like wedding dress adorned with
$1 million worth of Birks diamonds, was viewed over bubbly
at the Four Seasons. Open
to the public.
GRETA CONSTANTINE
Who: Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, the duo behind the popular label, are the toast of Toronto’s fashion scene.
Signature look: Sophisticated minimalism. Achieved with simple materials (jersey), shades (monochromes) and cuts (Grecian).
As seen on: Prima fashionista
and PR company president Alexandra Weston, who name-dropped the label in an interview with Vogue last spring.
The show: These bad boys
don’t take orders from anyone. Their über-exclusive affairs may take place during Fashion Week, but they’re unaffiliated and
held off-site. By invitation only.
L’Oréal Fashion Week struts its stuff from Oct. 20 to 25. Prices TBA. Various locations, 416-922-3322, www.lorealfashionweek.ca.
Thien Le photograph from WireImage
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