Evan Biddell Spring 2009 – Toronto Fashion Week

With two corporate sponsors in K-Swiss and a Canadian investment company (who were each allowed a video commercial prior to the show), Evan Biddell showed that he was no stranger to commercial self-promotion. He received plenty of it after he won the first season of “Project Runway Canada” last year.

It’s probably why the first quarter of the show featured a garish, Roy Lichtenstein-referencing cultural artifact of a print emblazoned on a variety of clothing pieces. Tops, pants, tights, all with that unwearable pattern. Maybe he was commenting on the pervasiveness of trashy pop culture after his reality TV stint? Given that Biddell also threw in topless men in denim kilts, boots and tights with that same print, it’s clear that he doesn’t think it’s restricted by gender. And since Biddell ran out on stage after the show for a bow wearing a balaclava of that same poppy print, he clearly enjoys a bit of self-deprecation alongside a little cheeky humor.

Other designs were either too subdued to stand out or too misused to be considered a hit. Stripes in two different flavors, black and white or solid and translucent, failed to stand out. Gingham dresses worked better — particularly one that featured a demure see-through black material on top — but several were ruined by bubble skirts. Eyelets were prominently featured in some pieces as well. They added texture to dhoti paints and sleeved vests; however, painted in dark colors and on top of skin and whites, they were too weak of a pattern to take over outfits. One eyelet-covered jumpsuit was just too much to take.

Although it was entertaining, it was hard to tell how much of Biddell’s show poked fun at or embraced media overexposure. After all, the finale consisted of a walkthrough of the models who were clad only in a white t-shirt and those same printed tights, each carrying a box of K-Swiss shoes as an accessory.

Photo Gallery: Evan Biddell Spring 2009 – Toronto Fashion Week
all photos by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine