As usual, Bustle’s spring/summer 2012 collection could use an edit, but we we’re pleased to report the tailoring has improved

As usual, Bustle’s spring/summer 2012 collection could use an edit, but we we’re pleased to report the tailoring has improved

Bustle spring/summer 2012 (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

There’s one thing that designers Shawn Hewson and Ruth Promislow wanted us to take away from the spring/summer 2012 showing of their collection Bustle: they represent the boating class—those people who are day traders from Monday to Friday and cottagers and revellers on weekends. There’s nothing wrong with the theme, and the three swimsuit-clad female models paid to dance for our enjoyment while drinking champagne (likely just water) seemed to be enjoying themselves. But although Bustle has certainly grown leaps and bounds from past seasons in terms of tailoring, we’re still not certain they’ve really hit the nail on the head as far as capitalizing a market for people who don’t shop at GotStyle. Check out the scene, our review and a full gallery of Bustle’s spring/summer collection after the jump.

Click on to see Bustle’s spring/summer 2012 collection »

As we said, the strength of the collection was in the tailoring—gone are the days of incredibly boxy and loose two-piece suits, and this season, Bustle has ushered in clothes whose fits are comfortably snug to the body, with the exception of some shorts that were cut much too long and much too wide. Our favourite look was a jewel-toned purple suit that seemed far less King Street broker than past collections, but once again there was a series of pinstripe blazers, pants and shorts to keep those fellas happy—nothing offensive, just lacking any real runway appeal. Bustle also launched its collaboration with shoemaker Tretorn, which we took interest in, given how comfortable the shoes looked and the fact that they were in various spring-like pastel tones (we liked them, anyway). We also saw some great blazers with bordered lapels that looked very Ryan Gosling–friendly, but were somewhat confused by a silk-screened anchor on the pocket that cheapened the look. The same anchors would appear on shorts and T-shirts, which were obviously meant to contribute to the breezy, boat-side feeling, but we didn’t think they were successful—save the anchors on the brass buttons of a white two-button blazer, which were a classic addition to a functional white jacket. It may not have been the most successful show for Bustle, and the looks, as usual, may have been typically repetitive, but it was the night of a successful shoe collab, and we wouldn’t mind strutting around in a shockingly purple suit come next spring.