Courtesy of Chloé Comme Parris
THE SISTER ACT:
CHLOÉ COMME PARRIS
"We design things that we look for and can't find," says Parris Gordon (bottom right), 21, one half of the Toronto/Halifax sibling design duo Chloé Comme Parris (the other half is Chloé, 23, left). The sister's sophomore (fall) season offered a hit list of what downtown types desire: noir-on-noir velvet and knit layers (Chloé's contribution, as the textile and ready-to-wear designer of their brand), plus handmade silver jewellery and buckled leather bags tinged with Goth. (Parris is completing her metalwork studies at Nova Scotia College of Art & Design and creates all of the accessories for the label.) "We trust each other in the design process and we know that we complement one another without even trying."
Photo by Emma Mcintyre
THE PURIST:
DENNIS MEROTTO
Dennis Merotto may be the subtle luxury lover's new go-to designer, but in actuality he's been quietly contributing to her closet for the past decade. "After 10 years at Lida Baday, which was a great ride, you reach a certain age and ask yourself, What am I doing?...I needed to shake things up," reflects Toronto-based Merotto on his decision to start his own label, which was recently scooped up by Holt Renfrew. It's full of sublime essentials--the perfect stretch-silk T-shirts, elegant overcoats and tweed shifts--that we're forever hunting for. "There are no 'ruffles' in my work," he says as if it were a dirty word. Instead, the designer replaces extraneous flourishes with a true minimalist's sense of shape and clarity, evoking the strict regime of menswear. "There has to be some masculine element to it," he says. "It's not uptight; just about pieces to throw on and go."
Photo by Chris Nicholls
Photo by Felix Wong
THE COMEBACK KID:
ARTHUR MENDONÇA
When Arthur Mendonça shuttered his label in 2008, he left a vacancy for modern evening wear with sizzle. Thankfully, he's back with a covetable label, new financial backing and come-hither style. "I took some time off in Italy," says Mendonça on his escape to Milan, where he studied Italian. "It was my Eat, Pray, Love moment," he laughs. Upon coming home to Toronto, he became inspired to return to the atelier after spotting a friend (Holt Renfrew's Natalie Lecomte) in a long evening dress amid a sea of mini-frocks at a party. "She just looked so cool. I thought, 'That's my look,'" he says of the starting point of his fall collection. "I think in the past [my line] was very sexy, but a bit younger. Now it's more sensual and restrained." Indeed. Back and better than ever.
Photo by Moo
Photo by Justin Borbely
THE NEWCOMER:
RAPHAEL CASTELMEZZANO
Joining the current contingent of London-based designers with a Canadian connection is Toronto native Raphael Castelmezzano (top right), 23. While working as a freelance stylist for cult London magazines Dazed & Confused and AnOther Man, he met Central Saint Martins fashion student Thomas Wakeford (top left), 27, and they began working on a line of tomboyish tops, boxy skirts and tailored leather separates. Now in its second season, the London-based line--called Thomas Wakeford--is quickly gaining traction on both sides of the pond for its irreverent touches: think raw denim quilting, patent separates and frayed silk tunics. Or, as Castelmezzano calls it, "urban hard-edge." For fall, that translated to a collection with True Grit-style flair. "Moving from styling to design just seemed like a natural progression for me," he says. "It was the next level."
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