Fashion Royalty

ABDI OLOW

As fashion weeks go, if there is one designer that has earned the most praise, awards, and admiration in Canadian fashion in the last few years — as Canadian fashion has really taken off — it would without a doubt have to be Joeffer Caoc. Showcasing at L’Oreal Fashion Week in Toronto season after season, Caoc has become fashion royalty. Never disappointing, Caoc is a force to be reckoned with in the design world. His collections are always breathtaking, and they exude an air of glamour and sexiness that would delight any confident woman wishing to be elegant and sexy in an understated way. Ask any woman, and she will tell you his wide-leg pants are to die for.

Sitting down with GLOSS just two days after his widely lauded 2008 Fall showing at L’Oreal Fashion Week in Toronto, Caoc gives us a glimpse into the world of his highly successful label, Joeffer Caoc, his ideal women to dress, and what some of his favourite pieces are from his Fall 2008 collection. Plus with his recent foray into the accessory world for his Fall 2008 collections, Caoc reveals to us why he has chosen to design accessories, and why Fall, of all seasons, is his favourite to design for.

Fall Inspiration

GLOSS: Your fall collection is very dark and moody. Why did you want to go this route for your Joeffer Caoc line in Fall 2008?

Joeffer Caoc: A lot of the whole theme of the collection for Fall 2008 was about the mysterious women. The whole collection was inspired by the character Belle Du Jour. And it was about her exploration of the darker side of things, and I wanted to use those colours. They’re dark colours, but yet they’re very saturated and sort of luxurious and mysterious.

Sexy Backlines

GLOSS: The Joeffer Caoc line would not be complete without those beautiful backs on your dresses. Your focus on backs has become somewhat of a staple for you. Is this something you always wanted to focus on — having dresses with beautiful backs?

Joeffer Caoc: Beautiful backs always make for a dramatic exit; the draping is something that I really like, and that was something I wanted to further explore more with Fall, the draping toward the back, seeing that people normally tend to not think about the back because they’re always thinking about the front. I wanted to focus on the back and highlight its beauty

The Joeffer Woman

GLOSS: What is the ideal Joeffer Caoc woman?

Joeffer Caoc: She is very confident. Her clothes are simple. She appreciates detailing. When you look at the clothes [the Joeffer Caoc line] up close, you see all the little tucks and folds and the details. She has an artistic flair, and an intelligent, sexy way about her that is beautiful.

Joeffer’s Favourite 2008 Fall Pieces

GLOSS: What are some of your favourite pieces from your Fall 2008 collection?

Joeffer Caoc: I like all the toppers. That was a focus for Fall 2008 — the longer jackets with the bigger collars and the ones with the folded collars. And I like how they could be worn with dresses, because normally you would see them either with a skirt or a pant suit. And then there is the knit one that I really like, that is very soft, and I like the mystery of the topper; it makes you guess what’s underneath, kind of like a spy.

Joeffer’s Feathered Skirts of Fall

GLOSS: Your feathered skirts were very extravagant pieces. Where did the idea come of incorporating feathered skirts [into] your Fall collection?

Joeffer Caoc: The whole thing was about playing with a lot of random textures, and putting them all together. And that’s how we styled it — like one thing that came after the other and [that] would blend to the next outfit. And you can pair that jacket with that skirt, and that dress with that top, and the feathered skirts worked really well with this concept.

Joeffer’s Favourite Season

GLOSS: What is your favorite season to design for [fall or spring]?

Joeffer Caoc: Definitely Fall, because there is depth to it. Fall is a longer season, and you can play with a lot of luxurious fabrics. Spring is a lot lighter and shorter, whereas Fall has a lot layering pieces you can work with. I like doing a lot of drape things, tailored pieces, and Fall is really great for that.

Charitable Endeavours

GLOSS: How did you get involved with the Heart Truth Fashion show, which was sending out a powerful message on staying healthy this year at L’Oreal Fashion Week?

Joeffer Caoc: We were assigned to Jeanne Becker, and we like to participate in several charities, and this one was pretty important. And it was a new event that they did, and I definitely wanted to be a part of it.

Developing the Joeffer Caoc Brand: Accessories

GLOSS: We saw a lot of accessories on the runway in your Fall 2008 Joeffer Caoc collection. Was this your first foray into the accessory world?

Joeffer Caoc: Yes, the accessories were mine. It’s something we were looking into to expand the business, something that we wanted to do in a small way. We had the gloves and necklaces and the bags, and they were part of the fabrics that we used in the collection.

GLOSS: How is designing accessories different from designing clothing?