There’s always a place at Holts for models (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Toronto Fashion Week began as it always does: street style photographers like WWD’s James Lourenço found many targets, like America’s Next Top Model’s silver fox Jay Manuel, accessories designer Maryam Keyhani, chanteuses Jully Black and Keshia Chante, designers Callianne and Samantha Beckerman, street style photographer Tommy Ton and more. Even society favourite Suzanne Rogers—or “stay-at-home mom” (her current occupation)—made an appearance, decked out in her finest Mary Katrantzou dress, with gal pal Jenna Bitove, wearing the same Stella McCartney number Rogers was seen sporting at the Hello! Canada TIFF party this year. Current FDCC head Robin Kay, with the council “for 25 seasons” (she says with a fist pump), gave her typical drawn-out speech, complete with multiple mentions of this season’s theme, “CanadaCool,” which still doesn’t have a space between the two words and still means nothing to anyone in attendance. (Kay says it means that each journalist endorses Toronto; as great as it sounds, this can’t be true, since we heard at least 20 journalists complaining about being there.) But it wasn’t all long drawn-out performances, because when There’s No Place Like Holts: Celebrating Canadian Fashion began, it picked up and kept moving (despite the earlier delay involving fashion journalists being pushed 12 times and being herded like cows on their way to Bovine University). Check out Holt Renfrew’s spring/summer 2012 runway show, featuring looks from Jeremy Laing, Smythe, Naked and Famous, Twentycluny, Denis Gagnon, Dennis Merotto, Wings and Horns and Lida Baday after the jump.  

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