A look at Sid Neigum’s super-hyped Fashion Week presentation

Local design star Sid Neigum closed out the first day of Toronto Fashion Week with a buzzy, gallery-like presentation instead of a typical runway show. “I wanted it to be more of an interactive experience with a chill atmosphere,” he explained. Complete with a live DJ and statuesque models, the event was a magnet for scenesters eager to get an in-person glimpse at the ten-piece collection. Here’s a minute-by-minute look at how it came together.

8:00 p.m.: Neigum takes stock of his looks, and makes sure everything’s properly steamed and pressed. The items in the collection were inspired by the golden ratio (“I was math-obsessed growing up,” he admits), and use lots of technical materials. This seamless coat is crafted from double-bonded neoprene.

8:10 p.m.: Models who weren’t in the 8 p.m. show get their hair and makeup done at a civilized pace. The look: twisted top-knots with flicked two-toned eyeliner, thick brows and matte lips.

8:20 p.m.: Other models have about 10 minutes to completely switch their hair and makeup. This takes a village of stylists.

8:30 p.m.: Models start getting dressed in the prep room. This moto jacket is made from metal coated in polyurethane. It holds its shape when scrunched.

8:40 p.m.: The girls get final hair and makeup touches (and squeeze into tight-fitting shoes). Neigum gets the five-minute warning. “I’m keeping cool but at the same time I don’t want to look outside because I know it’s not ready yet,” he says.

8:42 p.m.: Since the girls will be standing like statues for the duration of the 45-minute presentation, Neigum’s main concern is that they’ve eaten properly and are hydrated.

8:45 p.m.: On the runway, the models get their final choreography instructions and take their places on their individual pedestals.

8:50 p.m.: Photographers and press are allowed in to get photos of the pieces before the public swarms them.

8:55 p.m.: It starts to get a bit too crowded, so a photographer yells, “Everybody get out!”

9:00 p.m.: People move aside, and the photographers get a clear shot of the presentation.

9:02 p.m.: Outside, attendees are jostling each other in line. The DJ starts playing beats, the doors open and security guards start letting in a few people at a time.

9:10 p.m.: iPhones held high, show-goers Instagram the looks and mingle with the fashion set.

9:20 p.m.: High-profile attendees included Glen Baxter and eTalk’s Tyrone Edwards.

9:45 p.m.: At the end of the presentation, the models pose for more photos backstage. They’re pleased to be off the pedestals and out of the hot lights: “I feel like I just came out of an incubator,” one laughed.