Lucian Matis for the Fall/Winter 2012 Season

Just received my invite for Lucian Matis' Cocktail Reception and Showcase (in celebration of his Fall/Winter 2012 collection), pre-Fashion Week, at the Fairmont Royal York next month! I'm an avid believer in supporting local artists with real skill and Matis, unlike many others, is one of Toronto's most talented gems when it comes to design work. His pieces are usually strikingly beautiful and very feminine with incredible structural detail and fantastic quality of construction. He is one of my favourite young designers to emerge with strength and character from this city, and considering his recent success, it's easy to see that he has an even brighter future ahead. I will be covering his wonderful reception as well as his runway show come the beginning of Toronto Fashion Week in March! I'm totally excited! Are you?

Rodarte Being Fantastic (F/W 2012)

Rodarte's latest runway is a wonderful exhibition of 30's-inspired frocks and almost militant-esque 40's-inspired jackets and suits. Fantastic leather work staple this entire collection together; did you see those rounded lapels!? They are just divine. Vintage is always understated and never boring, and if re-created correctly, is always in style. These are classic shapes that will never die. I have a new love for Rodarte.

Rodarte FW2012 New York Fashion Week Runway Show from Bo Matthew Metz on Vimeo.

▲D

Parkchoonmoo Fall/Winter 2012

The ponchos, the flowing knits, the fur, the silk, the black, the slate, the white! Korean designer Choonmoo Park's latest Fall/Winter 2012 collection (at New York Fashion Week) redefines what luxury can actually look like. This showcase is anything but gauche, but at the same time, it is just as interesting. I love the way she has feminized the traditional masculine form, as well as her use of strong lines of demarcation. Everything is blocked and angled; it almost looks like it could be casual recreational wear 1000 years into the future. This is one of the most interesting collections I've seen at Fashion Week.

Parkchoonmoo - NY Fall Winter 2012 from FashionStock.com on Vimeo.

▲D

Michael Kors Fall/Winter 2012

Michael Kors' latest Fall/Winter collection at New York Fashion Week is a stunning, glamorous reminder of what his brand, identity, and aesthetic is all about. In true Kors style; luxurious, rich, and very American - classic shapes, rustic warm colours, and total, over-abundance. Over-sized fur toned and tailored to be almost primal in shape are the epitome of cabin chic in this brilliant showcase of proportion and texture. And of course, what would a Kors collection be without a few stunning staple evening gowns? 

Michael Kors Fall 2012 #MBFW from Envision Studio on Vimeo.

Watch the show in its entirety below, courtesy of FashionStock.

Michael Kors - NY Fall Winter 2012 from FashionStock.com on Vimeo.

▲D

The Libertine Aesthetic

Libertine Fall/Winter 2012
New York Fashion Week

I find this collection unusually impressive. Libertine is expanding on a new aesthetic; the over-sized and exaggerated proportions of brilliantly constructed coats and sweaters. The metal detailing on every piece adds, simultaneously, a punk edge and a glamorous sparkle. The monogram pieces are brilliant and in-your-face, and just chic enough to be reminiscent of Louis Vuitton in a small way; except maybe meeting Westwood halfway. Libertine is liberation.

▲D

3.1 Phillip Lim, Fall/Winter 2012

Phillip Lim (3.1 Phillip Lim) is an extraordinary tailor. The simplicity of his forms are so powerful because of the finest details; blocks of colour, intersecting lines, layers of fabric. Even the way he creates flowing knitwear is of masterful structure. His latest Prét-a-Porter Collection in New York for the 2012 F/W Season is no exception to the aesthetic.

3.1 Phillip Lim Fall 2012 Women's Runway Show from 3.1PhillipLim on Vimeo.

Monochrome neutrals are back and brilliant. What began the SS'12 Collections of Fashion Week has once again inspired an embrace of the basic. Black, white, slate, camel, navy, forest, even scarlet; have become the new staples of Winter. Over-sized, flowing knits of incredibly crisp white meet powerfully tailored blouses and coats of almost regal stiffness. There is a real amalgamation here of a gone-but-not-forgotten 80's aesthetic with crisper, modern lines. A new embrace of an imagined torso, an exaggerated silhouette, which gives the entire collection an almost youthful whimsy, despite it's contemporary palette. It is effortlessly rich without the need to be, and in true Phillip Lim style, is a complete abandonment of everything overly-textured or overly-accessorized. Simple shapes, simple blocks, interesting lines, brilliant hues; with the slightest metallic just in sight. It is a fantastic expression of a timeless, chic, and urban aesthetic. And those over-sized clutches! Did you see the over-sized clutches?!

▲D