12 evening gowns made of toilet paper at the 2012 Cashmere fashion show

By Frances McInnis | September 20, 2012

By Frances McInnis | 09/20/2012

Every year, Cashmere teams up with Canadian designers to produce a collection of extravagant garments made out of what everyone involved is very careful to call “bathroom tissue.” Sure, the idea is a bit of a stunt, but we’re still always blown away by the intricate feats of engineering that allow full garments to be made from toilet paper (for those who are wondering, the designers use large swaths of the stuff, not long rolls perforated into squares). This year, the show, held at the newly renovated Arcadian Court, had a Hollywood theme. Cue over-the-top evening gowns by the likes of Toronto’s Izzy Camilleri and Adrian Wu as well as Vancouver-based David Jack—plus a close call on a wardrobe malfunction.

This year, 15 designers took part in the charity event (Cashmere will donate 25 cents to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation for every pink product purchased in stores this October, plus a dollar for every person who votes for their favourite design online). Our faves included Laura Siegel’s draped, layered dress, which we’d almost consider wearing if it wouldn’t disintegrate in rainy weather, and Golnaz Ashtiani’s gown, which was painstakingly adorned with hundreds of tiny flowers. The raciest look was by Sonia Leclair; it was essentially a few pieces of lingerie precariously linked by sheer panels (most of the media types in the front row couldn’t look the model sporting it in the eye—or were too busy looking elsewhere). But our favourite moment was when we spotted a wispy piece of toilet paper trailing from one model’s shoe. One of the risks of the medium, we suppose.