Toronto Fashion Week: Lucian Matis shows nipples, croc leather and bustiers for spring/summer 2013

Toronto Fashion Week: Lucian Matis shows nipples, croc leather and bustiers for spring/summer 2013

Toronto Fashion Week: Lucian Matis spring/summer 2013

Toronto Fashion Week runs from October 22 to 26, in a large—and stylishly appointed—tent at David Pecaut Square. We’re posting full galleries from the buzziest runways. It’s time to forget about the chilly weather and imagine what life (or at least fashion) will be like in spring/summer 2013.

DESIGNER
Lucian Matis

IN A SENTENCE
Matis, a Project Runway Canada alum with a penchant for the daring, has both a diffusion line and this, a more mature (read: expensive) editorial collection.

THE SCENE
The crowd amassed early and we spotted Suzanne Rogers, along with CBC’s Kristine Stewart and Zaib Shaikh in the throng. One model lost a bangle on the catwalk, but MSN’s Christopher Turner snatched it up before any pileups occurred. Matis, always a showman, walked to the very end of the runway and did a slide before catching up to his models.

THE COLLECTION
As with many shows we’ve seen this week, prints were a major focus. There’s oversized crocodile print embossed onto leather, paisley with pops of cobalt, teal, yellow and orange, and a sheer fabric that looks like snakeskin. Like Pink Tartan’s Kimberley Newport-Mimran, Matis worked bustiers into the collection, pairing them with blazers and capri-length pants. There’s a lot else to like—for instance, the structured sleeves and Matis’s work with prints—but, similar to his collection last season, Matis’s sheer pieces are too busy and show too much (models’ nipples were on full display through the transparent garments).

BEST PIECES
The oversized crocodile leather outfit in a golden yellow makes a serious statement. We also love all of Matis’s red and white frocks with a hint of chinoiserie, and the boho prints, made sexy with bustiers and flouncy hemlines.