Dennis Gagnon: Toronto Fashion Week

October 29, 2008 – Dennis Gagnon closed both Montreal and Toronto Fashion Week. Now that’s impressive. See for yourself: Below you’ll find the designer’s Spring/Summer 2009 show that took place on Friday October 24, 2008. As for those 7 + inch shoes he custom made, some of the girls in Toronto did find them challenging! Enjoy.



For complete video coverage of Toronto Fashion Week (and better quality vids) visit: LGFashionWeek.ca

Kreesha Turner: Scene At Toronto Fashion Week

October 29, 2008 – The celebrity attendees at fashion shows can generate just as much attention as do the designs. Toronto Fashion Week was no exception. To name a few, seated front row at the Denis Gagnon show was stylist to the stars Phillip Bloch and spotted front row at the Gsus Sindustries show was model coach/judge on Canada’s Next Top Model, Stacey McKenzie.

After wrapping up the week, I was surprised to bump into Kreesha Turner - Canadian singer best known for her single, “Don’t Call Me Baby” – at the restaurant my friend and I were at. She attended a few of the week’s shows including Afshin Feiz and Denis Gagnon. For what it’s worth, she was very approachable and open to conversation.

Thank you Kathleen for taking this picture!

Picture: Kreesha Turner and Sachin Bhola

Alyssa Lambert: Model Moment

Please note that my blog has moved. Check out the upgrade at: http://www.sachinbhola.com/blog - Sachin Bhola

October 28, 2008 - While at a casting, I met Alyssa Lambert – a familiar face I had seen on the Tyra Show (yes, I watch the Tyra Show). That episode covered the A-Z’s of New York Fashion Week and followed three models around as they went on a Pamela Roland casting. Not only did Alyssa book the show, Tyra sat down with her and gave her advice on being a new model.

We know that media makes good use of editing during production to create a story, but I didn’t realize to what extent until I sat down and heard Alyssa Lambert's side of the story.

On T.V.: Alyssa was portrayed as the typical beginner model, new to New York City, holding a map in her hands, walking out of the subway looking lost… You get the picture.
In Reality: Alyssa was familiar with the area, but the show’s production team asked her to reshoot the bit looking confused and disoriented.
On T.V.: Tyra sits down with Alyssa and gives her advice on being a new model.
In Reality: Alyssa was asked by the producers to think of a question to ask Tyra. She was not given this opportunity on screen as Tyra jumped into her own pre-set answer (modeling advice) to a question that was never raised.

Thanks Alyssa!

Alyssa Lambert's hometown is Winnipeg, Manitoba and she is represented by Elite in Toronto and Specs in Montreal.

Picture: Alyssa Lambert and Sachin Bhola

Toronto Fashion Week: October 20-25 2008

October 28, 2008 – 40 runway shows in 6 days, over 600 media onsite and some 20,000 attendees made up Toronto Fashion Week. Produced by the Fashion Design Council of Canada, this marked its 16th season running and 3rd season building tents in the heart of downtown Toronto, Nathan Phillips Square.

As the business hub of Canada, Toronto provides the Canadian fashion industry a better platform to develop their global position – attracting a larger number of buyers (national and international) and media (notably English media) compared to Montreal Fashion Week. In fact, some Montreal-based designers, such as BODYBAG by Jude and Morales, decided only to show in Toronto. However, a significant number of designers, such as Andy Thê-Anh and Aqua Di Lara, opted to present at both fashion weeks. Montreal’s edgier and worldlier market is a more suitable fit for these brands' images.

Business aside, the event was “fabulous” – the official title given to this week-long event. Designers presented their collections for Spring/Summer 2009 in two runway rooms. As I was working backstage, I kept a watchful eye on who/what was on/off the runway.

For more information on Toronto Fashion Week visit LGFashionWeek.ca

Travis Taddeo: Montreal Fashion Week

October 19, 2008 – Newcomer Travis Taddeo stood out from the lineup during Montreal Fashion Week with his younger aesthetic (think American Apparel meets Heatherette). This high energy, “scenester,” club-kid style was a refreshing contrast to the other designers who are targeting a slightly older market (30-40’s). Looking past some of his futuristic and costumy elements, he showed a nice range of clothing (unlike some designers who showed nothing but dresses) and left me with a clear idea of who his customer is and the lifestyles they live. Bravo.

Denis Gagnon: Montreal Fashion Week

October 19, 2008 – Denis Gagnon was the last to present during Montreal Fashion Week and perhaps they really did save the best for last. In the brief time I spent chatting with Montreal Gazette’s fashion editor, Eva Friede, backstage, we both agreed that his was our favorite collection of the week.

Moments after the show, the representative from Giovanni Models appeared backstage in tears, commenting on how beautiful her girls looked (Denis had an agreement with the agency to exclusively book Giovanni girls for his show).

Beautiful they were. As I assisted Denis Gagnon backstage during Montreal Fashion Week, preparing for his show, I quickly learned just how talented this designer was. For Spring/Summer 2009, his color palette began with black, followed by red fused with pink, and for the final lineup, white and gold. He worked with leathers and suedes executing them in intricate rouching – Dennis Gagnon's signature style. In my opinion, he has a very sophisticated and edgy aesthetic that would appeal to a global market, unlike some of the other designers who showed.

Finally, let’s talk about the shoes! Denis custom made these 7 + inch heels giving the girls quite the challenge. Luckily, none of them tumbled over - I’m holding my breath for Toronto Fashion Week, where he’ll be presenting on Friday October 24, 2008.

Montreal Fashion Week: October 13-17 2008

October 18, 2008 - Montreal wrapped up its 15th edition of fashion week held at Marche Bonsecours in Old Montreal.

The shows highlighted a range of talent from recent Project Runway Canada finalists Evan Biddell and Lucian Matis to up-and-comers like Travis Taddeo. Among the more established designers, Simon Chang celebrated 25 successful years in the business and was inaugurated into the Order of Canada – recognizing his contributions to the fashion industry and for his socially responsible business practices.

On a broader level, the week served to advance Montreal’s global position as a major North American city with creative talent and a solid apparel industry. In fact, this event is the third largest in North America. On a personal level, I had the opportunity of both attending some of the shows and working on others backstage. Stay tuned for that!

For more information on Montreal Fashion Week visit MontrealFashionWeek.ca