Toronto Fashion Week: Mikhael Kale Fall 2014

 A fashion collection around folded napkins?  Mikhael Kale's runway show at World Mastercard Fashion Week was allegedly inspired by the manipulations of the common serviette.  While other designers may cite artful origami or something more philosophical as their muse, Kale kept it real.

The clothing itself was far from simple.  You can see the multiple folds and creases in the intricate embellishments of his looks.  Many played on contrast and sheer fabrics.  Some were used as trim while more dramatic folds were built into the structure of the dresses.  The most successful looks were the ones that echoed the brightly colored marbleized prints in the pattern of the appliques.  Less successful was the one dress that looked like an overwhelming pile of fushia stuck to the front of a too delicate organza shift.

 A grouping of heavily studded looks that had overlapping or asymmetrical seams added a darker, punk element to this catwalk.  The designer directed the stylists to keep the faces pale with exaggerated, irregular eyelashes.  The models wore clunky silver soled shoes with wide black straps that did not complement the more elegant aesthetic of the show.

Mikhael Kale is Toronto's own budding designer star.  Luxe retailer Holt Renfrew wants his looks as well as international pop divas like Jennifer Lopez.  The designer has clearly mastered upscale looks, but also offers a more affordable line to stay accessible to all.  What a great start from the North!

Photos by David TW Leung

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The Passion For Fashion

It is the first official day of New York Fashion Week.  I won’t count on getting much sleep and diving into an onslaught of runway show after runway show.  I will spend most of it trekking from venue to venue dragging my gear with me.  I will likely be stepped on, kicked, condescended to, sneered at or ignored.  Why? I love fashion.

If you work in the fashion industry as long as I have, you understand that you are subjecting yourself to backstabbing, long hours and low pay compared to the cushy career paths of your non-“Garmento” friends.  The only reason to put up with this is because you truly believe in the beauty of fashion.

 I attempted to make little garments for my stuffed animals in grade school.  Ironically, I was not allowed to own a Barbie doll because my mother did not want me growing up to be obsessed with shallow endeavors like clothes and make-up.  #FAIL.

In high school, I started my own accessories line using origami and jewelry.  Attending the fledgling trade show at the Toronto Convention Center that served as the city’s only fashion week at the time cemented my passion for the industry.  I knew I wanted to create or share the beautiful work that went into the great design.

At Parsons School of Design, I created dresses that had a sense of humor or worked in an artisanal craft.  I loved dressing models backstage at Bryant Park for Isaac Mizrahi, or showing off the Carmen Marc Valvo collection to buyers in his showroom.

Now I consult with my favorite designers or new start-ups to help bring their collection inspiration to the stores as a textile or technical designer.  As a blogger and photographer, I have the joy of shooting my favorite collections from the front row and helping others appreciate the work that went into them!

Confucius was quoted along the lines of “Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.”   I disagree.  Anyone who loves fashion, works their ass off and will always do so.

Do you work in fashion?  What fuels your love of style?

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Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Nissan via Glam Media.  The opinions expressed herein are those of the author and are not indicative of the opinions or positions of Nissan.

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Trendspotting: Origami Fashion

I grew up making origami, originally taught to me by mother.  A traditional childhood paper craft, she never thought it would become a lifelong obsession with me... In high school, I graduated to making origami jewelry and greeting cards that would become my little side hustle at craft fairs.

For my senior year fashion design thesis at Parsons School of Design, I created a wedding dress out of silk gazar origami birds on a hooped satin organza base (see above).  This one got a lot of mileage, as fashion magazines from the U.S. and Spain asked to feature it.

Origami also became another side project in later years when I taught children to make their own creations at an Upper West Side restaurant which then turned into a business of creating folded paper decor for events.  Go figure.

In fashion, I am clearly not the only one to be inspired by this ancient craft... Mainstream couturiers like Chanel in 2009 and John Galliano for Dior in 2007 have had very popular collections.

The Pratt Institute and the MOMU Fashion museum at Antwerp had featured exhibitions of dresses made from folded paper.  Other artists and up-and-coming designers are also creating new couture pieces using manipulated folds in metallics, paper and fabric.

Etsy is full of artists creating everything from jewelry, handbags, t-shirts and party decor:

Some great DIY tutorials on origami-inspired fashion accessories

Origami flower change purse:

Origami Earrings:

photos by Giovanni Giannoni,Mauricio Velasquez Posada ,Bobbin Talk, David TW Leung,Francois Guillot,Francois Guillot

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