Walk the Walk: TOM*FW Jacket Roundup

Grab your jackets gentlemen! Last week at the newly launched TOMFW in Toronto, a group of talented menswear designers showcased their lines for SS15. Among the mix were some incredible blazers and jackets. In no particular order, here are my must have jackets for SS15.

First up are three tailored blazers/suit jackets for all you party goers. The perfect blazer is simply a must when stepping out to attend one of Toronto's many A-list parties. 

This broad shouldered white blazer from Worth by David C. Wigley has a single button closure and thoughtfully placed graphic. 

 photo: Arthur Von Tyrpa

Paulo Succar presented this incredibly tailored suit ensemble in a tasteful statement making black and white print. Personally, I would let this jacket do all the talking and pair it with solid pants, shirt and tie.

 photo: Che Rosales

OK, I admit I have a thing for black and white... and bold prints... which might be why I also fell for this sexy graphic blazer from HD HOME. The fact that the fabric has just the slightest sheen is icing on the cake. 

photo: Che Rosales

Now life is not all about parties, sometimes you just need a good jacket to keep you warm in the cool Canadian Spring season. From bold colours and florals to yes, even more black and white prints, these four jackets have it all.

Looking for something a little more sporty on a casual day? This easy to wear jacket from Noel Crisostomo, has just the right combination of colour blocking and will work for any age.

 photo: Jonathan Lapada

In need of some bold flower power? From fuchsia shorts to classic denim, this  Worth by David C. Wigley bomber will go with just about anything you want to pair it with below the waist.

photo: Constantine Digovets

Feeling a little more bad boy meets confidence? Then check out these final two jackets to meet your needs.

OK, let's just skip over the fact that I chose yet another bold black and white graphic and talk about the bad boy feel oozing from this racer jacket from Sons of Odin. The zipper detail is done just right and breaks up the floral print perfectly.

 photo: Constantine Digovets

Last but not least is this gem from the incredible Christopher Bates. Pretty much every Canadian loves a good solid black outerwear piece and Bates delivers a sure fire garment ready to fly off the racks.

photo: Jonathan Lapada

Congratulations to all of the designers who were part of Toronto's first ever mens fashion week. Make sure to visit each of the designer's pages to learn more about them and to see their past and present collections.  To learn more about TOMFW and the TOM* Magazine, click here.

Trendology: Worth by David Wigley 2014 Presents - Clan Gordon

For this year at |FAT|, David Wigley has given a new label to his womenswear collection - Clan Gordon, which the designer is the decedent of this clan. Unlike his previous seasons, the collection has a stronger street style vibe, and some of the pieces are adorable.

This collection is inspired by the the designer's Scottish heritage, as you can see from the green and blue tartan (Black Watch tartan) pieces. David always likes to create unique prints for his collections and for this season, he presents the cat prints (painted by Elizabeth Winnel, where she combines traditional portraits of members of Clan Gordon and David's own kitty's faces), which are very fun to look at.

During the show, a lot of people I know are wondering what is the styling inspiration for this collection and I have the answer for you here.

"I was looking for a group of rowdy bar brawlers and hooligans who were given very high end clothing and didn't really know what to do with the them. Therefore, they created the high/low street style of the perfectly tailored blazers with ripped tights and toques."

So, what pieces do you like the most?

Courtesy of Johnathan M. Hooper

Trendology: Worth by David Wigley F/W 2013 Collection

David Wigley showed his latest collection at FAT (Fashion Art Toronto) yesterday and once again, it wowed the audience.

This collection is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock's films and it is shown through the clothing shapes and prints. The color palette is quite refreshing for a F/W season but what I really like the most is the different collaborations in this particular collection.

Benjamin Edward, one of my favourite illustrator in town, is the mastermind behind these 4 amazing digital prints. Dylan Uscher, the master of knitwear in Toronto, is responsible for knitwear pieces in this collection. As for the jewellery pieces, they are designed by Kristen Laborde, one of my favourite jewellery designers in Toronto.

Overall, this is a solid collection and I really hope this collection will be selling in store one day.

[Re]Visit: Behind the Scene of Worth. by David C. Wigley Look Book Shoot

I am so thrilled to be invited by David to go to Mckenzie James' studio to check out Worth. by David C. Wigley Look book shoot! Unlike FAT, this time, I can actually touch and see the collection up close and I am loving them a lot. The models are amazing in the shoot and David's team has done an amazing job styling the models! I have seen some shots of the models on Mckenzie's camera and I have to say they have blown my mind.

Here, I have shot some behind the scene photos to share with you and let you feel the atmosphere of the shoot (Have not been a behind the scene person for a long time, so this is fresh to me)! Stay tuned to this blog to get the exclusive look at the look book photos!

Trendology: Worth by David C. Wigley

Worth by David C. Wigley is the first one to showcase his collection on day 3 of Alternative Fashion Week in Toronto tonight and it starts off with a bang. The theme of the day is Rage and he has used the color red to associate the rage emotion. The collection is bold and surprisingly, it has a touch of softness too.

I personally like the prints a lot because it gives me a dooms day feeling when I look at it. As in the menswear, my personal favorite is the red suit because not a lot of brands are willing to use red as the main color of the suit. Also, I really like the womenswear because most of the pieces are close to what I think a modern woman should be wearing. Overall, this is one of the collections that I will always remember after FAT is over.

If you haven't read my interview with David, you can read it here now.

[Un]Discovers: Worth. By David C. Wigley

Today is the 2nd day of FAT Toronto (Toronto Alternative Fashion Week) and it is also our 2nd last fashion designer feature for this event. Today, I am going to feature David Wigley, whom has his first collection showcased last year. I really like the edginess of his clothing so I am excited when he is willing to answer some of my questions.

Hi David, thanks so much for taking your time to answer my questions. So, how did you get into the fashion industry and how did you come up with this brand?
I actually kind of fell into the fashion industry. Growing up I was always leaning more towards the sciences, I had my sights set on paleontology or forensics, but I've always had a passion for art. For as long as I can remember I've always had a pencil in hand filling up sketchbooks by the hundreds. I typically would have a sketch book full of sketches in a week or two. In high school I focused a lot on the arts, painting, sculpting really just using my hands. When I was about 15 or 16 however I started modeling which really got me into the industry and started to develop my appreciation for clothing. Before then I really didn't have much interest. I knew how to sew however, my mom taught me when I was young and I'd hand sew little outfits for my teddy bears out of my mom's scraps. I remember once I couldn't figure out how to thread a needle (it turned out I was using a pin) and I had just tied the thread around the head of the pin and couldn't figure out why I couldn't get it through the fabric! Needless to say, as creative as I was, I wasn't a natural at sewing. I had to learn all of that in college, and it was really hard without any natural talent. When I was around 18 I was approached by a performer who had seen my art, and she asked me if I could design her some costumes. I found it to be a challenging but exciting possibility, I had never actually designed clothing, but she had a strong idea of what she wanted but basically just need it visualized. After doing about 15-20 of these designs for her I started to really understand and appreciate how clothing was designed beyond just the final finished product.
When it came time to apply for college I found I hadn't focused enough on the studies needed to get into forensics or paleontology, but I had also developed a love for design and illustration. After some research I found that illustration wasn't really all that lucrative, so I narrowed it down to interior and fashion design and applied for both. I got accepted to fashion design at George Brown and well from there I fell in love with fashion.

All through college I participated in as many competitions as I could, I was a finalist for Canada in a world wide competition 3 years in a row, as well as a finalist for the Canadian Fashion Design Awards 4 years in a row in different categories including most promising designer all 4 years. After graduating college with a post grad in the history of fashion and costume studies, I worked in the theater industry for 5 season doing set design and continuing to work with private clientele on the side. Vanja has always been a supporter of my work and was asking me to be a participant of FAT since the first year, but I was never really in the position, till last year. I put together a modest 10 outfit collection in stream lined muted palette of black, white and charcoal grey. It was mostly just a capsule collection to see if there was much interest in my ready to wear. The show was a fantastic success which lead me to develop it into an actual label. The foundation of the label is to create clothing made of sustainable fabrics if the choice is available, I also try and use only natural fabrics. The majority of this season is made of 100% virgin felted wool, bamboo rayon, and organic cotton. The name 'Worth' came from hearing people question the worth of clothing. My collection is designed for a consumer who cares about what they are wearing, and want something classic and lasting, clothing that has worth. I have a strong belief in quality fabrics and impeccable fit which are very important to me. To me it feels like our entire culture is disposable, we have disposable food, disposable cutlery, disposable dishes, our clothing is disposable, our furniture is disposable even love in this age is disposable. We are so ready to get rid of everything from our lives and replace it with the newer shiner model. I wanted to create a line of clothing that will always hang in your closet and that you can always go to weather it be this season or 10 years from now and it's just as wearable, relateable and reliable as the first time it went down the catwalk.