Isabella Blow, the late British magazine editor, was a legendary eccentric, clotheshorse and champion of her country’s design talent (not to mention a devoted hat-wearer). This week, the first international exhibit of her wardrobe, Fashion Blows, will open at The Room in Toronto. It includes pieces by some of the U.K. designers she nurtured and promoted, including Alexander McQueen, Hussein Chalayan and milliner Philip Treacy. In Blow’s patriotic manner, Globe Style editors donned their most outrageous fascinators and selected four homegrown jewellery, clothing and furniture designers Canadians can get behind.
Arielle de Pinto
Great jewellery is like red lipstick: You can get away with wearing pretty much anything if you’ve got it on. The trick is finding the right shade (something that doesn’t make your teeth look yellow or your skin sallow) and the right amount of bling (eye-catching enough to fetch compliments, not so distracting that you look like you’ve raided the crown jewels). Montreal designer Arielle de Pinto makes exactly these pieces, though the word “makes” is an understatement. With a team of five artisans, de Pinto crochets gold, silver and steel into net-like rings, bracelets, necklaces and earrings. The effect is surprisingly soft-looking. For her most recent collection, de Pinto developed two new metalworking techniques, one mimicking knife pleating and the other a thickly ribbed sweater. “It’s fairly subtle, like most of what I design,” she says, “but I think it is just so chic on.” Agreed. – Carley Fortune
Jennifer Torosian
Since I came across Jennifer Torosian’s line at a press event last season, she has quickly become one of my favourite emerging designers. She launched her brand with partner Raed Ali in 2013, a sleek workwear wardrobe for the have-it-all woman. And after only a few seasons, Torosian’s vision has grown leaps and bounds. Her fall 2014 collection comprises slim trousers, geometric-detail blouses and trim jackets in an elegant and earthy palette. While the chic, contemporary vibe of her work initially caught my eye, it was handling the garments (as a stylist, I do that a lot) that impressed me most; the finest wool and silk was used to craft pieces to simple yet striking effect. For a young brand, this kind of attention to detail goes a long way; Torosian’s focus and confidence is also proof positive that our fashion industry has exceeding promise. – Odessa Paloma Parker
Sarra Tang
The first time I interviewed Sarra Tang, the Toronto accessory designer told me that she wanted to get to a point where everything in her store – including the hangers – was designed and, ideally, made by her. So it’s fitting that the new coach-house studio she’s building in the city’s west end will feature Shaker-style hooks that she’s sculpting by hand. (Her lofty store remains in the Distillery District.) Tang’s Hoi Bo collection – the bulk of it made in her Scarborough workspace – is best known for its bags, especially purses in waxed cotton that’s folded into a signature pleated shape, but she also creates refined clothing and gold jewellery. Not surprisingly for someone who puts the craft of fashion first, she stands behind her products long after they’ve left the shop floor, offering repairs and alterations to a clientele that would never part with the pieces they’ve purchased for a lifetime. – Andrew Sardone
Christian Woo
I stumbled upon B.C. designer and woodworker Christian Woo’s sleek, clean-edged work in 2009, when I attended IDSwest, the West Coast’s premier design fair, for the first time. The following year, Woo unveiled his debut furniture collection at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in New York and was named “one to watch” by Western Living magazine. Since those heady early days, he has only gotten better, adding ever handsomer pieces to his line (his Cluster tables are particular favourites) and installing impressive kitchens and millwork in seriously chic homes across the Vancouver area. More than just creating beautiful objects and rooms, however, Woo has brought the art of woodworking into the 21st century, making it sexy and contemporary. I can’t wait to see where he will take it next. – Danny Sinopoli