Phreshly Squeezed

Last Friday evening, fashionistas and socialites gathered at the downtown Audi dealership to preview the Greta and Ezra Constantin fall-winter 2010/11 collection. Commencing with a short dialogue between a man and woman, thumping bass followed, as did the slew of draped, sleek, and black outfits form the Greta collection. Notably, the show notes read “not touched by Gaga” as Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong sought to move away from the current Lady GaGa phase of over-the-top clothing. The broken glass pieces that embellish many of the first component of this collection are wonderfully placed and constructed.

Breaking away from the women’s collection is the insertion of the men’s (Ezra) collection, which tackles a new theme. Instead of sleek and mystery, Ezra embodies the rough and gruff hues of the military look. Committed to their inspiration, the boys go all out and add the make-up of blood and bruises to their models to emphasize the aggression.

The women’s collection soon resumes with elegance. Dazzling the dark runway, the spotlights follow the models as they grace the audience with the gleaming dresses, extravagant fur embellished tops, and neatly designed leather pants for which the boys are well known. In the final walk, the models and designers are greeted with a round of applause.

Making their way up the stairs back to the main floor, guests treat themselves to the open bar, which has since opened (prior to the show, they were only serving Vitamin Water and Smart Water), with glasses of wine and bottles of beers.

Sleek look adorned with that shattered glass accessory

Leather and fur together? My dream.

Wasn't kidding about the military's rough and gruff look

The boys did cast some casual elegance into the men's wardrobe

Absolutely love these shoes; wish I could walk in them

The two designers strike a victory in the hearts of Canadians

My friend Angelique and I, after the show, and enjoying the party

Images courtesy of Will Ngu of “Lost in the Willderness”

Overlooking SoHo, 82 Mercer’s 2nd floor was filled with excited guests and previews of the hottest Japanese designers in anticipation of next week’s Japan Fashion Week in Tokyo. Featuring three preview designs each from aptform, CHAOLU lab, MIKIO SAKABE, Naoshi Sawayanagi, SHIDA TATSUYA, The Dress & Co. HIDEAKI SAKAGUCHI, tiny dinosaur, and YU, models stood on risers and spotlighted with strong lighting, while waiters meandered through the crowds serving hors d’oeuvres and wine.

When we often think of foreign designers, especially from Asia, there is a perception that the aesthetic is incredibly different. However, this preview seems to disprove such thoughts, as we can see similar taste in trends for this upcoming fall and winter. The bohemian look is ever present, but with more hints of warmer palettes than what we have seen so far from the tents. Furs were present plain and with patterns,as well as blazers and plays on what was once seen as purely office wear.

On the way out of the venue, guests were handed their coats from check-in and a canvas bag, which contained an invitation to the Japan-FPO Exhibition this weekend at La Venue featuring several of the designers seen at the presentation.

Tinydinosaur - adorable name for a company

The white dress with silver neck decoration was gorgeous

The overall concept of how the previews were set up

Shida Tatsuya; lovely preview

The Dress Co.

Live DJ makes all the difference

The crowd marvels at the presentation

Featuring the theme artificial life, Toni Francesc boldly explored the realm of androgyny, technology, and the future in his new collection, which debuted Tuesday night at Bryant Park. Seated in my chair, I watched as look after look came out to impress me. The only opposition I had to the show was the music, which I found to be a little slow and dragging for my taste.

With hair slicked back and molded into the shape of the back of an alien’s head, the concept of forwardness and future was well conveyed. The color palette was fairly muted with colors that were not extremely strong, and that were in fact a reference to industrial and rusted metal elements. What was key to keeping collection interesting, though, were the many shapes in designs that were introduced. Bat wings were incorporated to provide a looser fit in some looks, whereas in others, Francesc made use of slimline silhouettes and high waist pants. One of the favorites is a slim-fit jacket, which has pointed shoulders – not only is there attitude in the jacket itself but there is also a sense of class with the tailoring.

The beauty truly lies in the lookbook itself, which best conveys the fusion of technology and man. Here are several snapshots from the catalog below, which feature electrical wires and other industrial elements intertwined with the model and Francesc’s designs.

Grey dress on the runway

The suit of the modern day

With wires and a hue resembling copper

Hello modernity

Gorgeous photograph

Slim-fit jacket featuring pointed shoulders

Lookbook images and profile picture courtesy of People’s Revolution.