LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oreal Paris Is Back

Canada’s biggest, most glamorous fashion event is back with more power than ever. Featuring Spring 2011 collections, this season’s theme is The Style of Power, which is a followup of last season’s The Power of Style theme.  In its 12^th year, Fashion Week continues to celebrate the talents of Canadian designers alongside media, industry workers, buyers, consumers and fans.

The mastermind behind North America’s second largest Fashion Week is the Fashion Design Council of Canada (FDCC), who since 1999 has supported the Canadian fashion industry. This year’s venue, the Heritage Court at Exhibition Place, puts 45,000 square feet of classic, urban architecture in the hands of designers to showcase their collections.

Besides traditional runway shows, designers and artists have put together installations, presentations on models and mannequins, and exhibits to present their collections. The credit crunch of the past two years has pushed designers to think out of the box in terms of their designs and the way that they show their collections. Renowned designers like Betsey Johnson and Vera Wang have stopped scheduling fashion shows during New York Fashion Week and have instead made films and used mannequins instead of live models.

Although some shows, events and presentations are strictly invite-only, many shows will be open to Canada’s fashion lovers and supporters. In between shows is the Fashion Environment, where attendees can relax, sip on a drink and mingle with people in the industry. L’Oreal Paris’s beauty lounge, located in the Fashion Environment, will be giving makeup and hair touchups for show-goers looking to take their style to the next level.

More than 500 models will be strutting their stuff down the 100-foot runway for famous names like Pink Tartan, Joe Fresh Style, Evan Biddell, Lucian Matis, Rudsak, David Dixon for Barbie and more. In the past, top model appearances were made by Stacey McKenzie, who has appeared on the hit shows Canada’s and America’s Next Top Model, Crystal Renn and Kirsten Owen. Renn, who’s been in campaigns for Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, H&M and Saks Fifth Avenue, made a much-applauded appearance in Joe Mimran’s Joe Fresh Style collection.

But none of this would exist without the FDCC, who has worked hard to make Toronto an internationally respected fashion destination. The FDCC is a non-government, not-for-profit national association created to provide support and recognition for Canadian designers and the fashion industry. Acting as the blood of Canadian fashion, FDCC’s bi-annual Fashion Week event has grown substantially since its launch in 1999.

Fashion Week will be taking place from Oct. 18 to 23. Media and industry week passes are available for purchase as of now; consumer tickets will be available for purchase as of Oct. 1. Visit the LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oreal Paris website at lgfashionweek.ca for more information.•