TOP TEN MOMENTS IN FASHION 2011
We break down the good, the bad and the “It only happens in Fashion” moments of the past year—and you won’t find Kate Middleton’s ubiquitous wedding gown anywhere!
1. At the start of 2011, the fall of couture master John Galliano was on everyone’s lips—not just the fashion crowd—after he was caught at a Paris café making anti-Semitic remarks, more than once. And over the past 11 months, speculation of who would take over at Christian Dior ran hot, cold and everywhere in between, with everyone from Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang and Jason Wu as possibly ‘the one.’ Now, there are reports that Jil Sander’s Raf Simons is set to sign a deal any day. The Belgian designer, 43, has been at the front of the house of Sander since 2005.
2. Australian male model Andrej Pejic, who is equally at ease in men’s clothes as he is in women’s (including lingerie!), walked in three shows during the Spring 2012 season of LG Fashion Week in Toronto. First seen in a brown metallic suit for Arthur Mendonça on opening night, he ended his run by sauntering down the Pink Tartan runway (he was a major inspiration for Kimberly Newport Mimran this season) in a white skirt and black top, as well as a navy shirt dress. Rumours that circulated at the time that Pejic was also shooting the cover for a major Canadian title have now proven to be true, as his gorgeous face will grace the February issue of FASHION magazine.
3. The potential Dior signing of Raf Simons came hot on the heels of another ‘story of the year’ that occurred just this week when Vogue announced every page of every issue over their almost 120-year lifespan would be available online for the low, low price of $1,575 per year starting in 2012. Posts on social media deemed the price to lofty for most, even with the magazine’s extensive past.
4. The kids are alright indeed and scandals involving children popped up all year—from Carine Roitfeld putting models as young as 10 in her last issue of French Vogue to a pic of Jenna Lyons painting her sons nails pink in the J.Crew catalogue. And who can forget French lingerie label Jours Après Lunes aimed at kids? Thylane Blondeau aside, we were excited to see a crop of new bright young things come to the surface in 2011, including young, strong minded muses such as Elle Fanning, Hailee Steinfeld and Tavi Gevison.
5. With the invasion of online shopping sites, blogs and the like, the world of fashion continues to be turning on its pretty little head. Think pre-order site Modaoperandi.com, TheCoveteur.com’s insider style posts, the sheer volume of sales on Cyber Monday and the influx of Canadian shopping sites such as Dealuxe.ca, ThePeacockParade.com, TheVolts.com and Prive.com, to name a few.
6. He has a way with words, beats and his own personal style, but Kanye West’s ill-received Spring 2012 collection had more designer attendees than favourable reviews. Maybe next time, ’Ye.
7. Continuing the ‘us vs. them’ debate, shoppers at the newly opened J.Crew in Yorkdale mall were less than impressed with the high prices seen on their stylish wares. Though we were thoroughly excited when the line started shipping to Canada earlier this year, where prices remained somewhat on par with the American site and include $10 shipping.
8. Fashion wars are not uncommon and this year they were famously pushed into the public eye with battle royales between Louboutin and Yves Saint Laurent over red-soled heels, New York and London fashion weeks collectively taking on Milan and Paris over when exactly to show their Spring 2012 collections, Tim Gunn vs. Lady Gaga and more than one design house hoping to sue the Kardashian klan for copyright infringement after the launch of Kardashian Kollection for Sears.
9. Canadian collaborations were everywhere this year, including über-talented stylist George Antonopoulos’s collection for Danier (the leather brand also paired with Mark Fast, Greta Constantine and Philip Sparks) Lancôme, Aldo and Bedo’s continued support of Denis Gagnon (the latter have yet another line up their sleeves!), Marie Saint Pierre and her holiday dress collection for Reitmans, Patrick Cox for Geox and Calla Haynes’ floral denim infusion with April 77.
10. Fast fashion power house H&M caused quite a few sartorial storms in 2011, what with a collection by Versace, one in homage to the fictional Lisbeth Salandar, as well as announcing a Marni for H&M capsule for 2012. Also to round out the year, the Swedish brand, that employs over 87,000 employees, used digital mannequins to present some of their latest looks, much to the chagrin of many a model agent.
