Fashion Week: TOM*FW 2017

Ah Toronto Men’s Fashion Week. It’s always such an awesome reunion with fashion friends and a glamorous time sitting #frow and being inspired by the colours, styles and fabrics blazing down the runway.

I’ve always had a crush on the fashion industry. From its glitzy parties, cutting-edge outfits and made-up faces, what’s not to love! Being a petite eliminated any chance of ever being on the runway (but increased the chance of being a Petite at Fashion Week circa 2012!), but that only made me think of other ways I could be involved in fashion. I was raised around fabrics, with my aunt being a fashion designer, I always played with the leftover pieces. In 2014, I thought of launching my own women’s fashion accessories line. And while having a full-time job makes any hobby just that – a hobby, I still hope to one day create something that is mine.

TOM*fw makes the fashion world so much more realistic and attainable in Canada. True to Canadianisms, the men’s fashion industry is warm and cozy. Full of bloggers ever ready to learn what you do and how they can partner with you, or just to simply discuss the latest fashion and beauty trends and share whom they’ve partnered with recently. It’s a tight-knit industry of hard-working individuals. From the designer aspect, I wish I knew more, but among those I’ve met, they’re an inspired hard-working bunch aiming to break ground with something different and against the norm. Enter SWAM (previous years), Biddell’s Value Village collabo (this collection deserves a blog post all on its own – such a cool concept and project), Tassoni, etc.

This year marked the return of Toronto Women’s Fashion Week. One could instantly see and feel the difference in the lounge area, lineups and runway attendance at TW. The brand activations were a lot more intense, with the Maybelline lipstick mirrors, selfie cameras and a Redkin experience. Bright lights and mirrors and tons of smooched lips in selfies defined this zone. Head out of the lounge and it’s a crowded line with a much more elevated sense of style. All outfits at TW are to leave an impression and turn heads, while TOM’s outfits are more likely to start a conversation. Head into the runway area and I suggest you get in early so you can watch the “pre-runway show.” This means the glamorous minutes watching the #frow attendees (#frowrunners?) strut their stuff and have their publicists help them find their seats all while they pose for their runway shot – we all do it! The outfits! Damn! Toronto’s up-and-coming fashion elite bring all their cards to the table. This is as much their runway show as the designers, at least this was definitely the case at TW.

TW will always have the feeling of the “cool girl” you really want to be friends with. Even though, owner Jeff Rustia refers to TW as TOM’s little sister, she’s already got more cool cred that TOM. Women’s fashion and you-can’t-sit-with-us kinda glamour is what everyone thinks of the fashion industry and TW does that job for Toronto.

However, TOM will truly continue to always have a soft spot in our hearts. It will be appreciated in Toronto as we have quite the edgy meets dapper menswear scene. It’s warm and it’s a refreshing experience in comparison to the snootier perceptions of (women’s) fashion week. TOM is the fashion show where you can sit with us. Either way, Toronto is putting itself on the map, one runway-stomp at a time.

First written by me on madderandshade/wordpress on April 1, 2017: https://madderandshade.wordpress.com/2017/04/01/tomfw-2017/

Reposted on this final madder and shade site in 2018