LG Fashion Week beauty by L’Oréal Paris

Designer Profile: Coccolily

3/17/2010 9:16:42 AM

Coccolily, born just ten months ago, is the brand of Naana Tennachie Yankey; a woman who describes her personal style as sensual and cool, and we could not agree more. Naana is truly the definition of a Canadian success story. Born in Ghana, West Africa, raised in the United Kingdom and Holland, she is an eclectic melting pot of design styles. Her personal style gives her the canvas to take her collection to new heights and make big statements – because the Power of Style, to Naana, is the expression of self.

Europe and haute couture have a big influence on the Coccolily vision and it is in this arena that Naana’s bold and edgy ideas are expressed. Couple that with her love for classic silhouettes and vintage touches and you have a collection that is sure to impress and inspire.

Fall 2010 promises to do just that. With muses such as Marie Antoinette, the Duchess of Devonshire, and the Ladies of Tudor Court, we can expect luxurious fabrics, embellished details, and a bold design statement fit for any modern day royal. But what strikes us as most fascinating about Naana and the Coccolily brand is the fashion forward thinking without focusing on trends.

Perhaps it is her propensity for glamour together with her gift of simplicity, or her ability to think outside of the neatly wrapped box that makes this up and coming designer so exciting to follow. Whatever it may be, we look forward to experiencing the Fall 2010 Coccolily collection April 1^st at 3pm.

Until then, fan her on facebook, follow her on twitter and check out her website for more information.

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Guest Contributor: brasandranties

3/16/2010 9:47:51 PM

the f/w fashion weeks of the world pepper our winter calendars like little saviors; stepping stones of white runway helping the style-hungry across this season’s long and barren road. the industry’s embrace of the digital age has allowed most of us - the unlucky masses - to live vicarious, shows streaming live (even 3d) at office tower-stacked desks, tweets buzzing blackberries like whispers from a wall of fashion’s flies.

paris. new york, milan. glimpses of our future closets, of impending costumes and fashion waves. style brought to life off the runway as much as it is on. it’s impossible for a girl not to get excited. and as toronto’s own turn fast approaches, i’ve been struck with the theme for the week: the power of style.

like many, i’ve long been enraptured by the artistry in fashion; spirited visions of form brought to life from deep within a designer’s imagination. words may spill out of a writer’s nib. a gifted eye can turn a moment immortal with an camera’s blink. a sculptor can blindly form the shapes of his soul with his fingertips. yet no art can lend accompaniment to the fabric of life like fashion. like the imagination and creation of clothing.

except, of course, the wearing of it.

while exploring personal style as artistic medium is a practice about which many remain skeptical, few things seem to me more creative. to bring the (art of) fashion to life uniquely and extraordinarily is an art in and of itself. it is an art of the self.

style is a pastiche of influence and emotion, wrapped around person to reflect a mood. a personality. an energy. an iconography. it’s a visceral feeling, desperate for real-world declaration. it’s a whole new notion of wearing the heart on the sleeve.

having a unique personal style has now taken a starring place within fashion culture; diaries documenting closets and collaborations now sharing mind with glossy bibles. inspiration is just as likely from the streets of paris as a texas farm town. it’s not about what you are wearing, it’s about how you are wearing it.

i hope this upcoming fashion week breathes fresh life into our city’s style, a tapestry of takes on fashion and its tools. i hope we are more daring, experimental and extreme than ever before. i hope we find a unique sartorial voice. i hope we each find the power in our own style.

(i’ve already started planning what i’ll wear)

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jennifer newton is a toronto blogger, brander and style-enthusiast.

her outfits and opinions come to life on her site brasandranties.com

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Designer Profile: Jessica Biffi

3/8/2010 8:46:05 PM

It has been just under a year since Jessica Biffi, the brand, was born. But already this Guelph native, who now calls Toronto home, is creating quite a stir in the Canadian fashion community. Her personal style is a mixture of urban and girly, and this fun and youthful feeling reflects perfectly into her design aesthetic. Jessica Biffi truly understands the female body and as such, she uses sexuality to create a sense of confidence within the women wearing her designs.

Inspired heavily by the late Lee Alexander McQueen, we have learned to expect an element of surprise with Jessica’s vision. This season, Jessica is designing two collections. The first is a collection for Addition Elle with the phoenix as her muse. The myth of the phoenix – symbolized by the use of bold colours – is colourful, powerful, and vibrant. She will also be designing the Bold Biffi for MXM collection. This collection, while also colourful and bold, is an ode to the exotic cultures of India and Morocco.

Jessica Biffi has been all over the internet since her jaunt on Project Runway Canada. She has embraced social media in a very whole and authentic way and we are certain this powerhouse designer will be around for years to come. We look forward to her bold statements and youthful charm, and we are excited to celebrate the annoucements of her new lines at a BIO reception on Wednesday March 31^st at 5:30pm during LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris.

For more Jessica Biffi, fan her facebook page, follow her on twitter, and check out her website!

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Designer Profile: Comrags

3/2/2010 2:37:52 PM

Comrags is the Toronto-based team of Judy Cornish and Joyce Gunhouse. Born on opposite sides of the country – Judy in Burlington and Joyce in Victoria – both have lived in Toronto and have been deeply influenced by this city for the past 30 years. The women are striking opposites in their style, but what they can always agree on is the Comrags aesthetic: easy to wear, quality clothing that can be manipulated by each wearer to fit their unique personality.

Every season, Comrags creates a character. This character, whether man or woman, becomes the muse for that season’s collection. This season’s inspiration comes from Hunting and Collecting. Seeing it all come together is the moment Comrags waits for. When that very first model hits the runway exactly as they’d envisioned her – hair, makeup, and accessories in place – with music perfectly orchestrated to complete the story, “it’s like seeing the collection for the very first time”.

Their collection is sure to exude confidence; as that, to Comrags, is the essence of the Power of Style. We look forward to celebrating their Fall 2010 collection Thursday April 1^st at 7pm.

Fan them on facebook and check out their website for everything Comrags related!

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The Power of Style

3/2/2010 2:23:30 PM

Welcome to a new decade of LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris!

I am pleased to announce this is the decade of power and this season is the season of The Power of Style.

The Power of Style embodies the strength, force and intensity that design and style provides to a person, a place, an idea, and a vision. The Power of Style has the ability to visually communicate to the world a statement, and to visually vocalize an idea. The Power of Style is reflected on the runway, infused by designers, by the editors, the stakeholders of the fashion industry, and now infinitely via the internet.

We look forward to a fabulous season and to seeing you at the runway and online.

Robin

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