It’s World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto

It’s World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto! Running from March 18th to the 22nd, Toronto is the city to be at to admire Fall 2013 fashion on the runways and Spring 2013 trends on the streets!

Now if only the weather would cooperate! :/

“But Aeryn, you’re a plus-sized fashion lover…”   Oh, I know.  Last fall, we were given one show to enjoy – Allistyle.

And boy were the reviews mixed. Both on what happened on the runway and off, I’ve heard tales of snickering in the seats to uninspired attire for a fashion show.  The clothes look fab for street wear, but were they suitable for the stage?  Since Allistyle didn’t have a sponsor for the show, I’m wondering if that’s why we saw more of  consumable wear instead of artistic flare; the founder, Pam Shainhouse, even admitted to nearly cancelling the show a month prior due to time constraints of the last minute scheduling.

And now we’re here for Spring 2013, and alas, not a plus size show in sight.  I would love to know why the majority of designers are afraid to touch plus size fashion, or generally disinterested.  Perhaps they’re afraid of a larger canvas to work with?  There are gorgeous plus sized women out there that need a designer’s touch.

One of my fave curvy wonders would be Adele, and she needs a serious make-over for red carpet wear.  Google her image and you’ll find a ton of drab black and greys.   She’s such a brilliant singer/song-writer, but her wear far from shines when she’s on stage.

And then there’s my girl Melissa McCarthy who shows you can have an amazing gown for the 2012 Oscars, but not so much for 2013’s, nor the Golden Globes…

And it’s not like there aren’t gorgeous dresses out there.  I’ve got a few pretties for parties in my closet… are they Oscar worthy? No not really.  They certainly don’t have the designer labels that you expect to hear about on the red carpet, and maybe that’s the issue.  Maybe these fabulous gals are stuck with whatever the high-end labels give them, instead of what would look fantastic.  Its such a shame that these designers aren’t willing to take on the challenge.

What to Keep An Eye Out For at World Mastercard Toronto Fashion Week

There are a few shows that I want to keep track of for Fall 2013, though. They may not be for plus-sized women to enjoy, but they’re mostly inspiring nonetheless.

The Heart & Stroke Foundation: The Heart Truth

“The Heart Truth Fashion Show features Canadian celebrities from the worlds of film, television, sport and media, modeling one-of-a-kind red dress creations by top Canadian fashion designers.”

Celebrating survivors of heart disease, this show will also be showcasing three vibrant Canadian women ages 70 to 100, all of whom live inspiring, healthy, fabulous lifestyles.

Miz by Izzy Camilleri

“Izzy’s latest work is the MIZ Collection, launching for Fall 2013. This collection is geared to the female baby boomer interested in fashionable clothes that are sexy, yet comfortable and easily wearable. The line is cut with distinct considerations for this new confident woman, who isn’t interested in looking like she once did, but wants to look like the woman she’s become.”

You may think Fall 2013’s Mastercard Toronto Fashion Week is for the Boomers (and earliers), with these two shows alone, but it’s ONLY two shows out of 28.  And I’m so pleased of the acknowledgement that fashion doesn’t stop at 25; it’s rather a life-long love.

cholé comme parris

“Chloé comme Parris is a womenswear and accessories brand based out of Toronto, Canada. Founded by sisters Chloé and Parris Gordon, the brand references historical design elements within a modern context to create a sophisticated aesthetic.”

While not showcasing older, nor plus size fashion, this group is partially based on accessories.  And earrings are one of those few things that is mostly one-size-fits-all, (and I say mostly, ’cause I have a pair of earrings made in India that do not fit!  The stem is way to thick for my ears.)

STYLICITY

This is where the fun of Fashion Week truly begins for me!  I love street wear.  I love checking out what trends translate to for Torontonians, ’cause we’re such an eclectic mix.  You will be hard pressed to find our huge assortment of personal fashion elsewhere.  Montréal is considered to be the fashion destination all year long, and yet everyone on the streets looks the same.  It’s kinda creepy seeing women from their teens to way older all wearing the same make-up and similar clothes.  I’ll admit that when I was in Vancouver for a month, it was during the Olympics, so you saw a LOT of Olympic wear, but street wear looked mostly preppy otherwise with a sprinkle of grunge here and there.

So yeah, I love my city’s love for fashion.  Just sit on one of the upper floors of the Eaton Centre, and you’ll totally get what I’m saying while staying out of this awful weather, lol.

Stylicity is a showcase of city flare, and they have shopping deals for us to boot!  There are actually a few stores that cater to plus size fashion, though you wouldn’t know this unless you knew of these stores in the first place.  Unfortunately, they’re ALL online based instead of shops that you can check out downtown, but I will hopefully have the Geek with Style’s local/Canadian fashion directory rectified so that you CAN find the stores you want with the plus sizes to fit!

Here’s a list of clothing stores available in the Stylicity offers directory (there are a bunch of shoe/accessories shops too, but I’m not listing those here.)

• TrendTrunk.com – the only reason why I feel you may find plus size clothes here, is because I tried selling my own stuff through this online 2nd hand store.  I’m sure I’m not the only one!
• Rent Frock Repeat – this online company is all about renting an amazing, sparkly dress for those occasions that you need to look fabulous.  And some of their gowns are plus sized.  They do have a physical location where you can go try one the dresses and get an idea of what you love for when you need that perfect something a month later.
• Beyond the Rack – this online shop has a specific section just for us curvy gals!  It doesn’t always have clothing selections to choose from, but the clothes are fab when they do!
• ASOS – a “secret weapon” of any full-figured fashion lover’s closet.  There is always something gorgeous available on this site, and they have a great plus-size collection, though if you blink you’ll miss the link to it!  They call their collection “Curve & Inspire”, so you’ll have to click that in their menu to find the curvy wear.

Are you going to any Fashion Week shows at the David Pecaut Square?  I would love to hear about your experience! 🙂