The shOws – Steven Tai & Jeremy Laing Collections

I was lucky enough to attend two great fashion shows in one night last week as a part of The shOws, a seasonal event that brings Canadian designers and their work home. Aside from the actual runway shows which were amazing, I had a blast mingling with other bloggers, journalists and fashionistas while chowing down on delicious hors d’oeuvres (yes there was food!) and drinking wine in a beautiful space. We got to fill our own gift bags with treats and beauty products from the event sponsors which was a nice perk, if only we could have taken home some of those gorgeous clothes, the night would have been perfect!

Steven Tai’s show was first. I liked how easy to wear a lot of his clothes seemed right off the bat, and was intrigued by the variety of texture in his work. Steven spoke about the techniques he used to achieve these effects, and I was amazed to find out just how much thought went into the look of the actual fabric even before the garments were put together! He worked with embroidery, grid patterns, laser-cutting and layering of different fabrics like silk and crepe to create some extremely unique pieces. The focus on texture and pixelation was carried over in the hexagon pattern on the white baseball caps worn by each model as they walked the runway. Combined with the very pale colour palette (mainly white) and subtle makeup on the models, I thought it was a fresh and modern collection. 

 Next up was Jeremy Laing. I had heard great things about him from Monica and the show definitely didn’t disappoint! The collection mixed 90s nostalgia with a futuristic vibe and was amazing to look at. Laing worked with fine artist Julia Dault to convert her paintings into beautiful prints that he used in many of the pieces, and these were my favorites by far. When he spoke about the collection it was obvious that he really had fun creating these clothes not only by collaborating with Dault, but in the way he chose to combine different fabrics. I was surprised to learn that Laing also designed all the shoes for the collection - his first time – and was impressed by the hand carved and hand painted result, very funky. I was a big fan of the bright pastels that dominated this show because they added to the playfulness of the collection, and loved them even more when Laing told us he had been inspired by, among other things, Tiger Tail ice cream – a Canadian Favorite! 

I found it interesting that both designers used similar techniques to create floating patterns and original prints for their collections, it definitely made me think about clothes a little differently and respect the artistry that goes into a designer item. Both designers also chose to keep their models made up very naturally which allowed the details in their work to stand out.  Backstage in between shows, I got to see exactly how all those stunning models were prepped for the runway:

Backstage Beauty Makeup for Steven Tai

Face - COVERGIRL Clean Liquid Makeup Sensitive Skin (with COVERGIRL Wetslicks lip gloss in Clear Radiance to create a dewy effect) and COVERGIRL Cheekers Blush in Natural Twinkle.

Eyes – COVERGIRL and Olay Eye Rehab CC Cream Concealer under eye and on eyelid with COVERGIRL Clump Crusher Extensions Mascara in Very Black on top lid.

Lips – COVERGIRL LipSlicks Smoochies Lip Balm in Be Sweet over-top of concealer to unify lip colour.

Backstage Beauty Makeup for Jeremy Laing

Face – COVERGIRL Clean Whipped Cream Foundation for a matte finish. No colour on cheeks.

Eyes - COVERGIRL and Olay Eye Rehab CC Cream Concealer under eye and on eyelid with COVERGIRL Clump Crusher Mascara in brown on top lid.

Lips - COVERGIRL LipSlicks Smoochies Lip Balm in Be Sweet over-top of concealer to unify lip colour.

Sidonie Wybourn is an actress and freelance writer based in Toronto. She is a self-professed Sephora 
addict, and has previously been published online at Explore Music and The Circumference