Mendonça On Top
The look at Soia & Kyo
We made it to Day four of World MasterCard Fashion Week powered on sandwiches, prosecco, a hope and a dream.
The evening shows kicked off with Rachel Sin in the studio space. While waiting for this show to start I was reminded of the role sponsorships play in getting designs to the runway. In this particular case, the runway was actually made of marble – that’s right, Rachel Sin’s show was sponsored by Ciot a natural stone manufacturer. The connection is pretty interesting because Sin is a trained architect. What I didn’t understand was why the emphasis was on Ciot rather than Sin herself. Each seat had pamphlets touting Ciot’s products while there wasn’t anything about the clothes we were about to see. Corporate sponsorship is one thing, but its presence should never outshine designer’s efforts. Sin’s Spring / Summer 2013 collection featured peplum’s, exposed thick zippers, mixes of black and navy and lots of intricate draping. The dark colours were shaken up with the vibrant coral Sin sent down the runway. With pieces that would fit into any wardrobe, it was definitely a wearable collection. However it was reminiscent of what you would see in stores like Zara and H&M. I left the show wanting Sin to take more risks in order to differentiate herself from mass retail design. That being said, I also left wanting the navy and black blazer, so decide for yourself what you prefer.
Montreal based Soia and Kyo was up next. I adored the styling of this show as it was spot on with the inspiration for the collection which was ‘the escapist’. The colours were a mix of soft earth tones and bolder shots of burgundy and cobalt. There was lots of layering and atop each model’s head sat a wonderfully thick turban. As always Soia and Kyo showed outerwear that is made for the every-girl.
Finally (finally!) Arthur Mendonca was up. The joy me and my fellow show-goers felt for this fashion week veteran was palpable. There was no better way for him to celebrate his 10th anniversary than with cinched waists (wide obis and skinny belts galore), the acidic yellow, the metallics, and my personal favourite – the black sequin blazer with dangerously wide shoulders. The great thing about this collection is that I could see the entire thing living in one woman’s closet. She could wear the tailored suits to work and then change into the dresses in the evening. There is even a modern varsity jacket that could take her to a casual Saturday brunch. Mendonca proved that not only does he know what a woman wants, he also knew how to breathe life into a sometimes lackluster fashion week.
I left the tents at the end of day four exhilarated. There will always be the high and low points of fashion week, but I can’t help but live and hope for more highs than lows, more fashion than sponsors and more beauty than buck. Thanks Mendonça, you’ve kept the dream alive.
Similar Posts:
- World MasterCard Fashion Week: Day One
- World MasterCard Fashion Week: Day Three
- World MasterCard Fashion Week: Day Five
- A 3 Ring Circus World MasterCard Fashion Week (Part 2)
- Scene & Heard: Pigs fly at Toronto Fashion Week
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