Fashion met art today, Wednesday March 25th., at gallery Thrush Holmes Empire (http://www.thrushholmesempire.com) which is a gallery/event space with coloured neon lights over the entrance way. Inside the space which is surrounded by art (of course) set the creative mood for local Toronto designers Patricia O’Connor and Claire Warwick of Penicullus Bellum (http://www.penicullusbellum.com)  for their Fall/Winter 10 collection. Standing in the gallery space the models stepped onto pedistals where the audience stood around and munched on fabulous canapes as the models held their pose for seven minutes at a time. No matter where you stood you had a front-row view. Each model came out wearing their artfully designed coats which followed the trends of wide belts and high collars for women’s and are definitely not for the “shy and retiring” type. Thankfully these two didn’t forget the men.

The men’s collection was covet worthy and if you want a traffic stopping coat have I got three for you. These coats are not cheap however they are the type you will have for five to ten years and will get noticed every time. My favourite is the long coat in grey. What you can’t see about this coat is the designers kept the striping even on the back. So your entrance into a room will be as stunning as your exit. If you want to support a local designer this fall and want something new pick up a Penicullus Bellum coat before your competition does.

Penicullus Bellum Fall/Winter 10

This is my favourite coat from the collection. Gorgeous!!!

The three-quarter length coat.

Last season during the two weeks leading up to LG Fashion Week saw the return of something completely new. More menswear. Designers for Spring 10 were banking on the men’s market exploding and everyone from David Dixon (http://www.daviddixon.com) to Evan Biddell (http://www.evanbiddell.ca) were doing some for of menswear and if you loved clothes Spring 10 is your season. But why wait until the magazines and Fashion Television choose to run shows. What if you could see them before they were on TV? Well that’s what I am doing.

This season I am launching iMAXFashion where you will see the hottest shows in Toronto from my seat through my iPhone. Thanks to Apple technology I am bound and determined to bring you the best, first. To start here are a couple of images from the Philip Sparks (http://www.philipsparks.com) show on Thursday, March 11th. His collection was inspired this season after Moby Dick. After the show I schmoozed with designer Evan Biddell, Mary Simons (one of Toronto’s top fashion PR people) and Glen Baxter of In Fashion.

Right off the runway exclusively for GayGuideToronto.com

Right Off The Runway Exclusively For GayGuideToronto.com