This 16-piece collection blends both designers love of vintage with their playful side, creating a collection of classic swing coats, fur-trimming fit for a Russian empress, floral patterns reminiscent of Chinese brocade from the 30’s.  Not ones to shy away from the sassy side of things in fashion, each piece was seductively opened or removed giving the audience a quick flash of skin and tattoos in the same respectful and classy way you would see at any burlesque show.

In the end it doesn’t really feel like |FAT| without seeing what the girls from WallacePlayford have in store for us, with the shows over for this season we are forced to wait with bated breath until we see what these designers bring to the runway next.

Photography by: Raymond Chow www.canadawears.ca 

Having previously made it onto the radar last season and being touted as one of Elle Canada Online most outrageous moments of |FAT|, the husband and wife designer duo behind the line have always strived to build up their business around four key points;

• Every shape must be celebrated
• Our battle scars make us more beautiful, not less.
• The secret to ageless beauty is found in the mind, not in a bottle or surgery
• Softness, compassion, grace and sensuality are all words that mean strength

Traditional silhouettes were used with the corsetry while full-length dresses were constructed from latex and lace accenting, a few pieces even included cage-like skirts using a simple under-over interlacing pattern giving the outfits the outfits an even larger boost to the overall sensuality the collection exudes.

All Photography provided by: Raymond Chow www.canadawears.com

Photo courtesy of Michael Ho www.michoho.com

Vietnamese rice paddy hats get glammed with shovelfuls of silver sparkles in YDNA’s show.  Clothes are comfy/casual with a cyber-street edge.  Models looked like fencers with black masks, but seem none the less at ease with under showers of glitter, leaving volunteers frantic with brooms and audience members using full restraint to keep from rolling around in the glitter piles left at our feet.  Watch out for YDNA – it gets everywhere!

Photo courtesy of Michael Ho www.michoho.com

Photo courtesy of Michael Ho www.michoho.com

Soft comfy jersey is sculptured into walking works of art by Malafacha, part of the Focus Mexico program.  Strong black and white graphics are layered on top of black leggings and skirts, and masterful draping creates a fluid look.

Connor's first walk! Photo courtesy of Michael Ho www.michoho.com

Photo courtesy of Michael Ho www.michoho.com

Photo courtesy of Michael Ho www.michoho.com

Inspired by the cassocks of orthodox priests, Masha’s floor length gowns are seductive and elegant.  Slinky leatherette is accented with silver crosses and needle sharp spikes.  This is an accomplished collection, every piece is perfect.  The contrast of harsh black with delicate florals is bang-on beautiful, and Masha would do well to explore this aesthetic in future work.

Photo courtesy of Michael Ho www.michoho.com

Years ago, Chanel invited us to “share the fantasy”, and escape the horrors of everyday life with the fantasy of fashion.  This year, |FAT| takes us even further afield with the style of Mexico.  Many people equate a holiday in Mexico with drunken slumbers at the beach next to other tourists, but our friends at the Tourism Board remind us there is more to Mexico than sipping a Pina Colada in a new bikini.

In a spectacularly gorgeous short, dripping with colour, visions of a Mexico you might not have imagined are offered.  Who wouldn’t want to take their morning coffee in front of a waterfall, watch the ancient splendor of indigenous cultures, have a spa treatment in a candle-light cave?  This film is unique, in that it invites people to become travelers, not just tourists.  What’s the difference?  In most ads, the tourist is what is glorified, the sexy couple, or lovely family play on a beach.  If there is any representation of the people who live there, they are always shown as servants, smiling waiters and maids.  In this film, the Mexican people in and of themselves are celebrated for their style, as they offer to share their culture, stories, and wisdom.

Try to tell a Canadian in January that they don’t need a sun and beach holiday.  Not going to happen.  But in Mexico, you can get from the beach to an ancient or colonial city in an hour.  You can go from surfing to mountain biking in no time, get your sun-gold on during the day, and dance in a festival at night.    Mexico is much more than a beach.  Next time you book your holiday, check out the  Mexican Tourism Board’s website at http://www.visitmexico.com/en/.

(God I could go for a churros).

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

Wendy Ng’s Valhalla collection is worthy of a Norse warrior.  Sheer nylon is accented with leather, and Geiger-esque leather hoods.  A shapely sarong is topped with a helmet that seems part executioner and part beekeeper.  Ng’s construction with notoriously difficult fabrics is flawless.

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

If you ever thought the bad guys in Resident Evil looked pretty good, you can get your fix for Racoon City style with FutureState.  Sporty fascist chic keeps the Black Ops mercenaries looking good in this collection of black streetwear.  Clean, classic pieces will help you get through the apocalypse in style.

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

House of Diehl takes the runway by storm with dresses sculpted out of dried acrylic paint, creating an incredible lace-like effect.  An “audience member” is picked out of the front row, and her clothes are cut off her.  In a minute, an umbrella is deconstructed and reconstructed onto her body as a dress!  Talk about up-cycling!

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

Drama day at |FAT| is perfect for fashion on film.  Shawn Venasse’s Savage Film Company produced the official |FAT| film, starring gender-bending beauty Myles.  We’re taken on a slick and sexy tour of a hospital ward offering all five therapies that will be explored through the week – Drama, Craving, Crisis, Escape and Euphoria. 

Sky Fairchild-Waller’s Caveat refuses traditional norms of constructed narrative, and instead offers a collage of a black and white film set in the luxurious apartments of Versailles.  We gaze at a black tie theater audience who move from the theater to statuesque poses.  At the same time, we are taunted by a superimposed text painstakingly revealed to be incomplete – “I wish your options more fully” – ensuring meaning, if any, will be constructed by the viewer, and not dictated by the film.   PerfectoMag’s Click and Drag, presents a fresh and funky video with great street fashion. 

The Fashion on Film program continues throughout the week, so grab a Steam Whistle and enjoy the show.

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

Crowds of Sexton devotees were screaming for the debut of Myles Sexton’s jewelery line.    Sexton, famous for his daringly transgendered beauty, and an ass that swings like a pendulum, plays the starring role in the official Arts and Fashion Week |FAT| film.  Tonight he teams up with Dutch Blonde to launch his first collection.   Spidery deconstructed fabrics drape over the models like shredded crochet, and are a perfect backdrop to Sexton’s post-punk accessories which include an eye-patch bristling with spikes.  These are statement pieces that could draw blood!

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com

Delicate silver chain  gets heavy as its  massed together in hundreds of strands and whole crystals jut out of necklaces and bracelets.  Massive spikes deliver the perfect punch from rings that are both extraordinarily elegant and viscously threatening.  Of course Myles walked his own show to screeches of approval.   Sexton’s surprisingly mature and resolved collection stems from a pure vision of what fashion is for.   “It’s not just about showing pretty jewelry on the runway, its about never being afraid to be yourself.”

Photo courtesy of MICHAEL HO www.michoho.com