Greta Constantine draws a big crowd at Century Room (yes, that Century Room) for the kick-off to Rogue Fashion Week

Greta Constantine draws a big crowd at Century Room (yes, that Century Room) for the kick-off to Rogue Fashion Week

Draped, as per usual (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Rogue Fashion Week is upon us, and Greta Constantine kicked it off last night with a show and after-party at King West’s Century Room. Designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong are known for their extravagant shows (held at car dealerships, Rosedale mansions and TIFF hot spots with celeb models), so it was no shock to see the bevy of gussied-up Torontonians at the typically bottle-service-heavy club (oft complete with heavy beats, and rowdy men and women) for Greta Constantine’s spring/summer 2012 show. This city always seems to show its love for the Greta boys, and last night was no exception, with the many guests including socialites Suzanne Rogers, Sylvia Mantella, Amoryn Engel, Jenna Naumovich, Alexandra Weston, Suzanne Cohon and Catherine Nugent, gossip columnist Shinan Govani, performer K-os, ET Canada’s Rosey Edeh and MuchMusic personality Sarah Taylor. We also spotted Global News anchorwoman Anne Mroczkowski smoking outside with FDCC chair Robin Kay (who carried out an entire conversation with someone across the runway during the show using only hand gestures) and club king Toufik Sarwa, but the most interesting gossip was about Vanessa Mulroney, who requested 10 front row seats for her gal pals, a collection of Maple Leaf hockey wives—no word of a lie. Sitting front row alongside socialite Mulroney were Emilie Witt, Brittany Perlman, Jessica Peczek, Katarina Brown, Ania Rembacz, Dale Chaplin, Jeanne De Partout, Mel Armstrong and Jessica MacArthur. Check out our full collection gallery after the jump.

Long waits are de rigueur at Greta events, but the Stoli shots handed out on the runway helped mitigate the fury of the hour-long wait (can all designers make alcohol part of their collections?). The clothes weren’t exactly surprising (one nearby guest was overheard saying, “Oh, Grecian dresses, how fresh!”), but the jersey boys are very good at what they do; while they are well-known for their ability to drape, ruche and pleat, we argue that showing fewer than 51 looks—the final count from last night—might have made the show seem a little less repetitive. But it wasn’t all typical, or “ethereal,” a buzzword we’re certain will find its way into many reviews—this season’s showing included some slight variations, like shorter hemlines (two dresses barely covered the leggy models’ derrieres) and a closer fit in the waist.

The Ezra men’s collection was again very indicative of something you’d find on an artsy bisexual man trolling the streets of New York City’s Lower East Side (drop crotch sweats, oversized hoodies and capes, with a brooding black and grey colour scheme)—but we’re still wondering who’s buying a shredded tank top in Toronto (we polled the audience, and collectively we knew three men in the city who’d wear it). Another round of womenswear was more avant-garde, with asymmetrical buckles and dangling pieces on pants, trailing fabric from capes and sombre colours like black, grey and olive green. The four final looks, which designer Pickersgill believed would “not be well-received,” were, in fact, some of the most accessible of the night—long, flowing grey jersey gowns that you could throw into your weekender bag for those quick trips to a money manager’s Muskoka mixer (the exception being the second of four looks, which sagged as though it was too heavy for the long, lean model). It certainly wasn’t the most groundbreaking collection, but Pickersgill and Wong continue to prove they’ve got the chops, and they got us into Century Room, which on its own deserve a round of applause.

Check out the spring/summer 2012 collections from Greta and Ezra Constantine »

Check back here for all the updates from Rogue Fashion Week and next week’s Toronto Fashion Week.