Nuit Blanche

Every year in early October, the city of Toronto organizes a free, all night art event called Nuit Blanche in partnership with Scotia Bank. Nuit Blanche translates to "white night". The event aims to make contemporary art accessible to the masses, in one large festival. Nuit Blanche in Toronto was first introduced in 2006, and has since showcased 850 art projects from local, national and international artists. The event starts at 6 p.m. and runs till 6 a.m. It is all throughout the downtown core in Toronto, in public spaces and various buildings. Nuit Blanche originates Paris, France where the festival began in 2002. Today Nuit Blanche is based in over 25 cities internationally, but Toronto was the first city to replicate the event in North America.

Nuit Blanche 2013 took place on October 5th and 6th. Three of the major projects are as follows.

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei created an outdoor installation in Nathan-Philips Square called "Forever Bicycles". The installation was a massive sculpture consisting of 3,144 interlocking bicycles.

French artist Boris Achour created an installation in Nathan-Phillips Square called "the rose is without why". A short poem by German poet Angelus Silesuis was spelled out in neon light which spanned over 300 feet.

Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata created an installation called "Garden Tower in Toronto" in front of the Metropolitan United Church on Queen Street East. The tower consisted of various pieces of wooden furniture.

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Toronto based [R]ed[U]x Lab created a light installation called "Ad Astra" at the Bata Shoe museum .

Toronto Based Nathan Whitford, John Farah, and Sarah Keenlyside and London, UK Based Konstantinos Mavromichalis created a light and sound installation called "lightbridge" at the Puente de Luz bridge. Watch a video of the installation here.

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These were just three of the installations I saw at Nuit Blanche. There were many other excellent installations that I couldn't find information and-or photos of on the internet. A list of most of the projects involved with Nuit Blanche 2013 can be found on their website. 

I have been to 4 of the 7 Nuit Blanches in Toronto. I went with my parents for the first two, and with friend's for the last two. I definitely prefer to be with a group of people in my age group. Nuit Blanche attracts people of all ages and walks of life. But theres definitely a youthful presence at the festival. Some of the projects this year were really good, others were a bit disappointing. I'd like to see more installations in neighbourhoods like Queen Street West, Kensington Market, and Parkdale. I don't feel a creative vibe in the downtown core of Toronto as I do in those neighbourhoods. Also, it would be nice if the installations were a little more spread out.

I had a lot of fun this year with my friends. We saw excellent contemporary art from some of the greatest artists in the world. However this years Nuit Blanche definitely had it's downsides. There were definitely more people in the streets than I have ever experienced before, and it was extremely hard to move around without having to push through crowds of people. I also witnessed a lot of ignorant, intoxicated people. I understand that it is an all night event and people want to drink, but are you really enjoying the art if your inebriated and falling over? I definitely had some really annoying encounters over the course of the night. To add to that it began raining at about 2 a.m., which was unfortunate for me because I was about 5 kilometres from where I was staying at the time.

All together it was a good night. Hopefully next year will be just as good, if not better!


-SFH

Rick Owens SS14

Paris Fashion Week is quite predictable in some aspects. Fashion houses spend large amounts of money on extravagant shows including set designs, lighting, music, invitations, after parties, and of course models. Models on Paris runways are typically around 6 feet tall, ages 17-25, and thin or toned. Very few exceptions are made. It's a very strict (and in some cases degrading) industry in that sense.  Models walk up and down the runway with flawless strides and that's about it. But this Spring/Summer 2014 season, American designer Rick Owens decided to try something different and completely new to Paris Fashion week. The following are pictures of Rick Owens Spring/Summer 2014 collection debut.

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Rick Owens recruited four squads of female "steppers" to step-dance down the runway for his spring/summer show. According to Wikipedia "Stepping or step-dancing is a form of percussive dance in which the participant's entire body is used as an instrument to produce complex rhythms and sounds through a mixture of footsteps, spoken word, and hand claps." The dancers came from institutes in the US such as Howard College and The University of Maryland. The squads began practicing five months before the show to prepare for the complex, motion filled display of Rick Owens's collection.

I think that this fashion show sent an important message to the industry. This is because these models are considered "plus-size" and most of them are African American. Unfortunately, the truth is that the vast majority of models on European runways are caucasian. In addition, models are typically very thin. In the last few months, both super model Naomi Campbell and Kanye West have spoke out about the lack of models of colour on the runway. There is no excuse for not having models of different ethnicities. It's really up to the casting directors who book models for these shows to choose more variety. Hopefully they will begin to do so after this season. However it should be noted that models are typically around the same height and weight so there is consistency throughout the fashion week. It makes it much easier for the designers to fit their 30-50 different looks if the models have a similar body type. The dancing models were a total surprise to the industry. Rick Owens is known for his outlandish shows, but this is definitely his most extreme to date. He chose not to conform to the typical orientation of a Paris fashion show. I'm glad Rick Owens chose to do so. After seeing this show I feel much more open-minded about how models should look and walk on the runaway. By using these dancers in his show, Rick Owens is creating meaningful fashion that incorporates performance art and politics.

-SFH

(Y)SL

In March 2012, the historic French fashion house Yves Saint Laurent appointed designer Hedi Slimane as it's creative director. Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer who is revered in the world of fashion for his work at Dior Homme (the menswear line of Christian Dior). When Slimane was appointed creative director, he was given total creative responsibility for the brand image and it's collections. He decided to drop the Yves in Yves Saint Laurent, and rebrand the house as Saint Laurent Paris (or SLP). However the classic YSL logo will still be used, and the beauty and fragrance lines will stay branded as Yves Saint Laurent.

There was a huge backlash in the industry when the rebranding was announced to the press. At first people were very critical of Slimane's decision to change the name of such a legendary fashion house. It was called disgraceful, and many people still refuse to refer to the house as Saint Laurent Paris. Yves Saint Laurent himself founded the brand in 1962 with his partner, Pierre Bergé. Yves Saint Laurent essentially pioneered the concept of ready-to-wear collections: show bi-annual ready-to-wear collections in addition to haute couture to capture the imagination of consumers, then mass produce pieces from the runway and sell them at comparatively affordable prices. He is with out doubt one of the most innovative designers who ever lived. Slimane had alot to live up to when he was appointed creative director. Unfortunately Yves Saint Laurent passed away in 2008. However his partner Pierre Bergé is reportedly okay with the name alteration. The rebranding was actually inspired by a collection launched by YSL in 1966, entitled Saint Laurent Rive Gauche. The 1996 logo and the current SLP logo are as follows.

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Personally, I really like that Hedi Slimane has rebranded the house as Saint Laurent Paris. At first I didn't, but it grew on me. I love that it has a retro inspiration. It's also a very modern touch to the brand image, something I think the house needed. It's humorous to me that people can't accept the change, especially since Hedi is such a talented person. Not every parisian fashion house can last forever. Is it not a good thing that someone is taking YSL in a new direction, and putting life into one of the most influential brands in fashion?

Hedi Slimane is one of my favourite designers. He is famous for his skinny Dior Homme suites, which changed the whole tailoring market about 10 years ago. His aesthetic is largely inspired by music. Hedi Slimane is also a professional photographer. He has an amazing online diary of his photography work, and has collaborated with some of the most exciting fashion magazines in the industry. His aesthetic is unique and rebellious in a way that is very relevant to todays youth culture. He has taken classic pieces, such as a leather biker jacket, and applied his aesthetic to them. Hedi Slimane's vision for Saint Laurent Paris has been very successful in winning over the loyalty of customers since the rebranding. I think as a creative mind he was the perfect choice for Saint Laurent Paris. Although, many people in the industry would disagree. He has been criticized for producing luxury collections inspired by "teen grunge" and "punk rock". He has also been criticized for his reoccurring skinny silhouette, as some people feel it might encourage youth to become dangerously skinny to obtain the look. Despite peoples negative opinions, Saint Laurent Paris is selling extremely well. In fact, this seasons $7275 Saint Laurent leather biker pants have sold out in 3 sizes on Canadian website SSENSE.

Another sign of prosperity for Saint Laurent Paris was when the brand cancelled an order of their fall/winter 2013 collection from French department store Colette. The reason Saint Laurent Paris cancelled the order (which could have amounted to over a million euros in retail sales) was because Colette had stocked the following shirt after the SLP rebranding.

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Unfortunately for Colette, stocking the above shirt ended a 15 year relationship with the brand formerly known as Yves Saint Laurent.

-SFH

LCM Favourites

Back in June of 2013, the third season (Spring/Summer 2014) of what is now known as London Collections: Men (LCM) was showcased in London, England. LCM is a biannual showcase of fashion collections from emerging British fashion talent, innovative international fashion talent, global menswear brands and the classic British tailors of Saville Row. With the help of the British Fashion Council, Dylan Jones (Editor of GQ UK), has successfully established LCM as an important showcase of menswear on an international scale. 

LCM is basically a way of rescheduling the London menswear collections to a more relevant part of the London Fashion week schedule. Before LCM was conceived, the menswear shows were inconsistently scheduled. This made it challenging for buyers, editors, and the industry in general to keep track of the new menswear seasons being debuted in London. The collections are now condensed into 3 exciting days of fashion shows and presentations. This past season's schedule is the most impressive line up thus far, including brands such as Tom Ford, Alexander McQueen, Burberry and Paul Smith to name a few.

London has become known in the fashion industry as being at the forefront of innovative fashion. LCM is an interesting juxtaposition between the new generation of menswear designers, who really push boundaries with their clothing, and the very classic tailors of Saville Row, who have been dressing posh Englishmen for decades. 

The following are three of my favourite collections from LCM SS14.

Christopher Kane:

James Long:

Xander Zhou:

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-SFH

Style Study: Head-Coverings

The Parti Quebecois recently proposed a controversial “charter of Quebec values” that would ban public-sector employees from wearing religious symbols such as hijabs, burkas, turbans, kippahs and other items. Hearing about this charter got me thinking about fashion similar to religious customs, head/face coverings in particular. 

A law similar to this charter was passed in France in 2004. The law banned religious symbols from all government-operated institutions. I found this quite interesting, because Paris is arguable the Fashion capital of the world. Therefore I would assume that France as a whole would be more accepting of self expression through ones choice in dress. Unfortunately it's quite to the contrary. 

The following are just a few photographs of various head-covering fashions I have seen through the internet. 

 

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I think that wearing a piece of clothing that covers your face is a very interesting choice in dress, whether religious or not. It creates a sort of anonymity that I find intriguing. In many societies around the world, your face plays a huge part in how people perceive you. The face conveys emotion and attitude. It's on official identity documents. It essential in many ways. To take your face out of the equation gives people less they can connect to. It forces people to find other ways to understand you as a person. Not being able to see someones face in it's entirety can make some people very uncomfortable. 

But why should it matter if someones face is visible or not? Does it affect them as a person and their ability to function as a productive member of society? The answer is of course not. Whether you are wearing a head-covering piece of clothing for a religious purpose or experimenting with an innovative style, it shouldn't affect how you are treated in society. 

-SFH

Bonjour, hello

Toronto may be the largest city in Canada, but I would argue that it is not the most fashionable. However, I do love Toronto all the same. Having lived in Ontario for most of my life, I have become very familiar with the metropolis that is the GTA. Perhaps a little too familiar.

It may be that i'm feeling a classic case of "the grass is greener on the other side" but I find myself infatuated with the city of Montreal. I have been to Montreal 4 times now, and every time I am discovering something new and exciting. Montreal is truly a globalized city (with a strong French influence obviously) that is full of great people, food, music, art, and of course fashion.

Being someone interested in Fashion, I realized right away that people dress very differently in Montreal. Montrealers have a certain elegance in the way they live and dress themselves, it's very expressive. It's sensible and put together but often more daring and avant-garde than what I typically see in Toronto. Toronto's fashion industry is frankly much more commercial. Sometimes I feel as if Toronto is trying to be like New York City, rather than creating it's own unique Fashion identity. Toronto is motivated by business and capital more so than creativity and art. I find it to be a much more judgmental, negative place than Montreal.

Now to be fair, this is just my personal experience. It's possible that as I become more familiar with both cities my opinions will change. I'm not saying one city has a better fashion scene than the other, i'm just trying to describe my current impression. It's hard to put into words, but I get very different vibes from each city. There is definitely a certain difference in culture in Montreal. This difference could very well be the European influence in the city, but truthfully I can't speak to that level of knowledge at this point.

Two reasons why I am so interested in the city of Montreal are as follows.

I have been looking at several Montreal based designers in the last few years, and I have been very impressed. My favourite of which is Rad Hourani. Rad Hourani is from Montreal, but originally from Jordan. Rad (who is now based in Paris and New York) designs beautifully cut, timeless, luxury clothing for unique and confident individuals. "Most of my designs are symmetrical and they are very graphic, 90 degree angles, very rectangular" Rad explains in a 2013 interview. I find Rad very inspiring as a creative mind. It's exciting to me that a Canadian designer from Montreal has become so successful. Rad gained world-wide attention when he debuted his entirely uni-sex couture collection in January of 2013 in Paris, France. Rad became the first invited designer by La Chambre Syndicale de La Haute Couture to design and show a unisex Haute Couture collection in fashion history. 

The following pictures are of some of Rad Hourani's work:

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Montreal has plenty of great places to shop for clothing. My personal favourite is the Boutique SSENSE. SSENSE is a world renowned web retailer known for their large selection of carefully curated clothing from international designers. They are also known for their clean minimalistic website, free shipping offers, bi-annual sales, editorial work, collaborations with musician etc. I have watched the company become extremely successful in the last few years. If I could work for any retailer in Canada, SSENSE would be my first choice. I had the pleasure of visiting their first physical boutique in Old Montreal last time I was in the city. It was, with out doubt, the chicest shopping experience I have ever had in Canada. The interior design and display of the store was amazing. I was also surprised to find that the sales associates were kind and genuinely interested in conversing with me (which is almost never the case in Toronto). The boutique is located at 90 Rue Saint Paul Ouest, within the district known as Old Montreal.

The following pictures are of the SSENSE boutique in Old Montreal:

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To conclude this post, I would recommend anyone interested in fashion, art, and culture to visit the the city of Montreal. I feel an inspirational, creative energy when i'm in the city. Hopefully other visitors feel something similar. 

-SFH