On day 3 of World Mastercard Fashion Week, I checked out Mackage‘s Fall Winter 2015 collection. Having just attended the Marques’Almeida/TOME/Kaelen party at The Room, I was already a few wines deep and halfway to happytown. This turned out to be a good state to be in while attending a fashion show. Despite being underwhelmed with the predictable procession of outerwear, I still enjoyed myself immensely.
Designers Eran Elfassy and Elisa Dahan have built a successful brand on a foundation of well-made but stylistically unremarkable coats. This is not a diss necessarily. As a commercial brand, the ability to move merchandise in large numbers should be top priority. And when it comes to coat-shopping, wearability and practicality are major determinant factors. For their Fall Winter 2015 collection, there were lots of motifs we’ve seen from past seasons in New York and Paris. Trends like fringe, shearling, and fur were all touched on. I was especially impressed with the quilted parka and trousers, which looked both cozy and stylish.
The Malorie Urbanovitch FW15 collection was a pleasant surprise. A new presence at the tents this year, Urbanovitch’s colourful, playful knits were a welcome respite from the monochrome/leather/eveningwear that seem to flood Toronto Fashion Week season after season. I liked the all over knit sets and obsessed over the orange suede skirt and turquoise coat & skirt set.
3.Paradis was also a new player at this season’s fashion week, and their brand of edgy menswear was appealing, albeit somewhat derivative. The leather bomber with white fur across the front was beautifully made, and the tailoring on the monochrome looks were impeccable. Where the collection faltered, in my opinion, were the striped ensembles. Done sparingly, it lent the garments a graphic pop of colour. But when applied all over, it felt cartoonish (and also UK flag-ish) in its execution. I also wasn’t a fan of the oxygen masks. Not only has this clinical accessory been used better many times before, its presence in the 3.Paradis show also felt like more of an afterthought. In press releases, designers Emeric Tchatchoua and Raymond Cheung talked about lab coats and dystopian hospitals as influences for their collection, so I get why the masks are there. I just wish they looked less slapped on and more integrated into the ensembles.
Click after the jump for photos from the Malorie Urbanovitch and 3.Paradis shows!
The Pack 