The ShOws, Canadian designers Bellavance runway show Toronto
Spring Comes Early this Year at the ShOws
This past Wednesday, Bloor news attended The ShOws, a series of runway shows of Canadian design talent and their Spring/Summer 2014 lines that took place at Andrew Richard Designs in Toronto.
The night started off with attendees and media schmoozing over cocktails in the lounge. What was impressive was the table filled with products by CoverGirl and Pantene who were sponsors of The ShOws. Attendees got to grab an empty bag at the table and fill it up with as many products that they wanted to such a lipgloss, nail polish, shampoo and candy.
People slowly started making their way upstairs to where the runway shows were held. The first show featured the line Bellavance by designers Nolan Bellavance and Ava Hama. Stoic models came marching out one by one wearing very impressive outfits. The outfits were Ready-to-Wear and all of the outfits were very wearable. It showcased light-coloured dresses and pant suits with the obvious element that were consistent throughout the line being stripe motifs. The main colours of the line were white, light greys, beiges, white/black combinations and hints of light violets and blues in many of the outfits, very reflective of the Spring season. The clothes were very casual chic and loose-fitted, perfect for the office and easy to wear from day to evening. Seeing practical clothing in a runway show is very refreshing as opposed to avant-garde, artistic lines.
After that show there was a little break and the next show featured Calla, by Toronto designer Calla Haynes. There was a lot going on in this line, with many different patterns, textures and colours. It was hard to pinpoint any consistency in this line but as the designer said herself, this line was reflective of the surfer and skateboarding cultures. There were body suits paired with loose-fitted blazers and caps, blazer and skirt combinations, peplum dresses (a trend that surprisingly will still last until next season) and quite a few outfits with midriff tops paired with pants and skirts. There were a lot of different prints including floral print. The main colours were neon green, neon pink, grey, black, electric blue and violet; very appropriate being a Spring 2014 line. This line was very line back and had a sporty aesthetic.
From both these shows, it’s obvious that the main trends for Spring are violet colours, black/white combinations, pairing different textures and prints.
By: Sheena Osman
Pictures by Paul