David Dixon decided to show his collection outside in the courtyard. Great idea but it was a logistical nightmare. There was a bottleneck effect around the small entrance and some people were cutting through the covered tunnel to the courtyard. Press, sponsors, buyers and the public were all vying to get seats. Thank god for Tiff from Toronto Street Fashion as she secured me a spot in second row.

The courtyard had a big stone fire pit in the centre that sent smoke in the direction of the photographer's pit. I thanked god the wind didn't change and blow towards me. The crowd circled the pit and the runway was between the pit and the crowd. The ominous presence of rain hung overhead.

My seat happened to have this HBC bag on it. I thought it was a seat cushion at first but it was actually a blanket. Volunteers were running around providing iconic HBC blankets to the crowd. It was at this moment I thought about how Canadian this situation is; hanging out by a campfire with friends. David's theme, Kumbaya, reflected the nature of the song and this quintessential Canadian experience.

David's fabric list was quite extensive, handcut appliqued cotton, boiled, wool, wool jersey, glazed herringbone denim, wool pinstripe, sequined twill, silk, crinkled wool, silk glen plaid with chiffon embroidery, wool crepe, silk organza with silk lame and wool moire. The colour palette was neturals, black, white and grey. There was the occasional touch of green in the collection.

David focused on classic dress silhouettes, A-Line, shift and the coatdress. The wide legged pant dominated and there were no skinny legs around. Jackets came in cropped, 他 length, bolero and wrap versions. Details like lantern sleeves, sequins and embroidery added something special to the pieces.

After a show, I would wonder how the theme of the collection expressed itself through the clothing successfully. I didn't see any relationship between the Kumbaya theme and the clothing presented. It was beautiful collection but campfires and camp songs didn't come through. In David's case, I threw these thoughts out the window, it didn't matter. Anytime he wants to show his collection in such a beautiful setting,, I'm going to be all for it.

Runway Clip

Final Walk of the Models

You can view pictures from the show at my flickr page, the official site and Wire Images.

I'm slowly getting my coverage of L'Oreal Fashion Week up on blogTO, thanks for your patience. I have 7, eep, more shows to cover.

images: www.lorealfashionweek.ca