Ezra Constantine pulls back on the black draped jersey at Toronto Fashion Week

Ezra Constantine pulls back on the black draped jersey at Toronto Fashion Week

Ezra Constantine fall/winter 2012 (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill showed their menswear line Ezra Constantine to the biggest crowd we’ve seen yet in the smaller studio space at Toronto Fashion Week, with guests like MTV’s Aliya-Jasmine Sovani (who also showed support at last week’s Greta Constantine show), hair stylists Tony Pham and Paul Venoit and vintage store owner Sarah Magwood in attendance. Like in their womenswear collection, the boys took a step back from their typical draped silhouette and had a more structured line on the runway. The looks were more wearable for the average guy—not everyone can pull off an asymmetric tunic cape, after all—like black crewneck sweaters with sequins on the torso or arms (the Ezra guy hasn’t turned into a Banana Republic model or anything), cozy trousers that looked like well-tailored sweatpants in charcoal and white, and chunky knit sweaters (a collaboration with knitwear designer Dylan Uscher).

Dudes sported pleather half-balaclavas, fingerless gloves and oversized safety pins affixed to collars, which evoked a certain kind of “dungeon-master chic,” but Wong and Pickersgill refer to their inspiration as “protection, whether it be from the elements, others, or himself.” Our favourites were a pair of trousers and a white button-up that takes the tie bar to the next level, with silver hardware built into the shirt itself. A silvery deep V-neck top and pants might best be left to club kids from the late ’90s, but with designs that are both wearable and edgy (especially by Toronto standards), this is a line we expect to be seeing on more and more creative types this winter.

Click here to see every look from Ezra Constantine’s fall/winter 2012 collection »