Photo Credit: Pimentel (Wireimage)

Former Bay Street lawyers Shawna Hewson and Ruth Promislow turned in their litigious lives in 2002 to start Bustle (bustleclothing.com) and we’ve had our eyes on them ever since.

Showing on the first night of LG Fashion Week in Toronto, it was clear that rock was on the runway with a collection fusing Mad Men with prints and pastels. The dress shirts rocked – lots of unusual prints, stripes, checks, and light colours like pink and powder blue.

Not on our favourite list was the boxy shape of some of the blazers and the over styling of excessively busy prints, even if they were in the same colour scheme – sometimes less is more.

Photo Credit: Spencer Xiong

For the third time, former Project Runway winner Sunny Fong presented his latest VAWK collection (vawkcollection.ca) at the Art Gallery of Ontario on October 18, 2010. It’s undeniably a great fit for him — artistic, expressive, and architecturally jaw-dropping.

Entitled Toro Safari, the collection blends cultural cues from Spain and Africa in a highly textural collection. Real models, like 50 year-old real estate agent Helen Mara, graced the runway with oversized earrings, camel coloured attire, cargo pockets, embossed crocodile jackets, animal prints, and sizzling eveningwear that would be fun to flamenco in.

Overall, it looks like Bond Girl is going to the jungle and we approve!

Photo Credit: Jenna Marie Wakani

What’s not to love about Philip Sparks? The much-lauded Toronto menswear designer mixes nostalgia with geek in a trendy way that keeps us coming back for more.

And frankly, anyone who pairs a colourful plaid shirt with shorts and suspenders or a bowtie with a dress jacket and pants, both cuffed, is in our good books. And just like every other season before this, we weren’t disappointed.

But on the rainy evening of Philip Sparks’ Spring 2011 runway collection on October 13, 2010 at The Burroughes Building in Toronto, the excitement was over the debut of his first women’s collection. And ladies, let me tell you, it was everything we hoped for.

Pretty prints. Girl next store jackets. Tailored trousers and shorts, all in the coveted Philip Sparks styling! Simply put, we love it.

Carrie Bradshaw would be proud of Toronto designed and Italian made shoes by Abel Munoz, who graduated from ARS Arpel Institute of Shoes and Accessory design in Milan before returning to his hometown of Toronto.

Whether you are looking for something feminine and fun like the bubblegum pink Jackie ($460) heel, the functional Roman ($550) boot, or the sexy Talitha ($430), Abel Munoz Accessories has something for everyone.

Check out more haute heels at www.abelmunozaccessories.com.

It’s hard to believe the Vancouver 2010 Olympic games will be coming to an end in a matter of days. We have experienced moments of frustration as athletes were disqualified for touching another athlete’s skate or entering the wrong lane in the heat of the moment. Our hearts sunk into our stomachs when the fatal luge crash ended the life of Olympian Nodar Kumaritashvili.

But it is important to remember that there have been moments of great triumph as well. Take the first gold medal on home soil by Alexandre Bilodeau, the flawless Ice Dance by Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, and the unexpected defeat over Russia in men’s hockey. But the things Vancouverites will remember for years to come are the people and parties.

And yes, it’s true: Vancouver has felt like a maze with miles upon miles of fencing and cattle call like lines, herding the masses to wait endlessly pretty much everywhere.

The zip line running through Robson Square has been a crowd pleaser – to watch at least. If you actually want to experience the magic of the 20-30 second ride you’ll have to wait in line for about 8 hours. I think we’ll be heading up to Whistler this summer, instead, thank you very much.

Rest assured the fashion community has not been left out. There have been countless events all over town to attend and even the provincial houses have been keeping it interesting.

On February 21, Alberta House had Paul Hardy in to share his inspiration for his 2010 collection and preview one of his signature pieces with Heather Marks. The established designer has dressed celebrities like Kate Hudson, Alanis Morissette, Bette Midler, Kelly Rowan, and Sarah McLachlan.

It is Ontario House, though, that has been touted as one of the best attractions, with stylish white and blue ropes hanging in the hundreds along the front of the building. But perhaps the best part of this pavilion are the vests (pictured with designers above), designed by Toronto Fashion Incubator’s in-house designers Jas Banwait, Paris Li, Mana Mojaver of MANAM, Sylvia Bora of Bora Birs, and Natalie Good/Rebecca Lipson of Andy Hall.

“The vest is an encompassment of five completely different styles – menswear, streetwear, eveningwear, funky and chic daywear,” says Jas Banwitt of Savillian (savillian.com). “Like Ontario, our diverse talents have been positively brought together to create a work of art! We have a lot of up and coming strong talent in Ontario. This vest represents the future of fashion.”

The vests, worn by 26 Ministry of Tourism employees including the Deputy Minister, are fashionable and functional, with hidden zippers and white contrast piping along the placket, a high collar, military-style epaulettes, and an optional cinching waist tie for women.

“We are extremely grateful to be awarded this incredible opportunity,” notes Susan Langdon, the Executive Director of the Toronto Fashion Incubator (fashionincubator.com). “The fashion industry is an important economic sector in Ontario and having a platform like the Olympics to showcase the calibre of local design and manufacturing is very meaningful to our community. It’s also the perfect occasion to show the world that although the TFI designers who came together to create the vests aren’t world-class athletes, they share that same Olympic spirit of teamwork.”

Credit: Joseph Saraceno; source: dandimaestre.com

They are dull! Most accessory labels look the same as the next and the distinction between brands is barely noticeable. It drives me crazy. Introduced to Dandi Maestre by a good friend at Magnolia Boutique’s fall preview party, I was instantly blown away by the creativity and quality of the designs.

The Colombian-born Toronto designer uses natural materials like shells, coral, antlers, bones and horns. Animal components are sourced from taxidermies across the globe, forming artistic yet wearable masterpieces.

Not for the faint-of-heart, a large antler necklace or chunky cuff made from bone will be a conversation piece. Look for stores in Canada and the United States online at www.dandimaestre.com.

Spotted on the likes of Blake Lively, Katy Perry, and Kim Kardashian, Canadian label Smythe has more going for it than just celebrities. The line of coats, blazers, and boyfriend blazers are perfectly tailored by Toronto designers Andrea Lenczner and Christie Smythe.

Try the Slouchy Boyfriend Blazer ($525) in heather grey, the Dickens Jacket ($495) in blue plaid, or the dressier Tuxedo Jacket ($595) in black. Smythe is available in Canada at select Holt Renfrew locations.

Boring is one word that Toronto siblings and designer-duo Alia and Jamil Juma would never be described as. Their collections are androgynous, daring, and pique curiosity with tucks and pleats that create interesting textures and dimensions to make Juma stand out.

A great piece for holiday parties is the Pleated Wrapped Back Dress ($300), made out of wool and cotton and available in black, blue, and grey. Find this dress online at www.juma.ca.