The World MasterCard Fashion Week SS14 has just wrapped up, and it would still be a little while before we start embracing the 2014 Spring and Summer trends.  However, there was one special show on day 4 of WMCFW that we can all dive right into—Target Holiday 2013.  Let's back up a little and talk about the preparation right before the show.

Check out Maybelline's backstage media lounge:

On the last day of Toronto Fashion Week, there was one more fashion show happened outside of the tents.  It was the Lucian Matis's Monochromatic Collection.  I had the opportunity to go backstage and chat with the Revlon Nail Expert Leeanne Colley and Gucci Westman Lead Assistant Mimi Imanishi.  First let's talk about the nail looks:



The above nail tips were hand painted by Leeanne Colley and her team for the show. Going with the Monochromatic theme, Leeanne came up with the charcoal black and vanilla nail designs for the show.  In the Monochromatic Collection, Lucian played with textures like leather as oppose to prints like his other collections.  Therefore, Leeanne wanted to create texture on the nails to compliment the collection.  Leeanne said  “I created a combination of sharp geometrical lines to complement Lucian’s monochromatic look. The whites in the collection are winter whites, soft and creamy not stark. I’ve combined them with a rich charcoal gray and strong black accents.”

I'm digging the porcelain shade

The leather-like finish is actually sponged on by using 1 layer of Revlon Nail Enamel in Iconic (a charcoal grey), 1 layer of Timeless (light grey), and finally another layer of Iconic and sponge it to give the texture.  After the center part, they used acentone to clean up the sides.  To create that creamy vanilla ice cream colour, Leeanne used a layer of Revlon ColorStay Longwear Nail Enamel in Porcelain (vanilla cream), a layer of Revlon Top Speed Fast Dry Nail Enamel in Spirit (white), and then another layber of Porcelain to finish it up.  Here's the end results

Model is photoready even pre-makeup... life's not fair... =P

To compliment the boxiness in the clothing of the Monochromatic Collection, Leeanne also created some outlined mani.  She used the fine tip of Revlon Nail Art Expressionist in Night & Degas (the black one) to outline the nails.  She said everything is hand-drawn, talk about skills.



Leeanne was so down to earth and enthusiastic, I got to chat with her more about nails.  I asked her to give us some tips on at home manicure.  She said the key is how you hold the brush.  When you take the brush out from the bottle, you could brush one side of the brush along the side of the bottle, so that only one side has nail polish on it.  Then you would place your brush on the center of your nail and push it towards the cuticle, then brush it back to the tip of the nails.  This way, you can avoid having too much nail polishes on the cuticles and avoid smudges.  I also asked if she has some tip for nail art because I struggle with my right hand all the time.  She said start with the hand that you have the most trouble with.  It made so much sense, because if you were to start on your easy hand, by the time you're done, you will be tired and frustrated, and don't want to do the second hand.  But if you start with the trouble hand, then when you're done, you know your easy hand is gonna be easy, and you will be able to go through with it :D.

Warning: this is going to be a slightly pic heavy post

Entrance of WMCFW

Last week was the time of the year again when every fashionista in Toronto (and nearby cities) gets excited - it's Toronto Fashion Week again, or, better known as now, World Mastercard Fashion Week!  I had the opportunities to attend a few shows on Day 2, as well as going backstage for a bit between shows all thanks to Maybelline's #tweet4aseat Twitter contest!   And I am very excited to share with you my experience!

First thing first, you gotta think of your outfit for fashion week.  I pulled out what I have in my closet, and here's the look:

Top: J.Crew denim shirt | Skirt: J.Crew tweed skirt | Bag: Rebecca Minkoff M.A.C. Shoes: H&M x MMM glass wedges | Bracelet: Pinkbarry | Necklace: House of Harlow 1960

It is the time again for Toronto Fashion Week, or now known as the World Mastercard Fashion Week!  I had the opportunities to attend a few shows on Day 2.  On my way in, Mr. Max Kopanygin snapped a few photos of me outside the tents, and it made it on FLARE Street Style!

Credit: FLARE.com

Photo by Max Kopanygin | http://maxkopanygin.com | @maximkop

Nice weather is not the only thing that is taking over Downtown Toronto, so does World Mastercard Fashion Week!  Yesterday, Joyce invited me to go to Adrian Wu's Hierarchy of Needs Studio Catwalk.  It was my first Fashion Show ever!

The stage was decorated in a simple but cute way.  I can't get over how adorable the balloon trees are.


On to the collection, the theme can be summed up in three words: drapes, polka dots, and bubbles.  Everything is very bubble and cute.  So kudos to the Adrian Wu team who designed such a cute set up that suited the collection so well!

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Add caption

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

All the models were wearing V for Vendetta masks, which means we didn't get to see what makeup, if any, they're wearing.  But the hair braid on all models look very polished and I wish I could braid like that!  See the back of one of the models:

Love the model's tattoo behind her ear.

Also worth noting are the shoes, which are all from town shoes.  This is a Fall/Winter collection, so the shoes are very winter-ish.  I am quite a fan of suede and tie up booties, already got two pairs in the past season, so I'm excited to be able to wear them again next year!

Oh, so my favourite look out of all the pieces will have to be the navy blue and mustard yellow mini dress:

An even better shot at the braid lol

 I personally like to pair mustard colour with navy a lot, in fact I was wearing that at the show lol.  So this has to be my favourite among the bunch!

I'm not going to talk about his Parisian-and-American-politicians underlying meaning of the collection, because that is kind of confusing, for me at least. Befuddling inspiration aside, there is no doubt that Adrian Wu is a very talented young man.   His signature draping, tucking and pinning dresses are very bubbly cute and full of life.  What people might not know is that he is also quite a cutie lol.

Photo Credit: Adrian Wu team's photographer

Anyhow, I have so much fun attending my first fashion show in the Toronto World Mastercard Fashion Week!  Even though we were in such hurry, it was worth the rush.

So what's next?  Mélissa Nepton show tomorrow at 8pm!  Everything from her previous collections are whispering "take me home..." in my ears lol.  I can't wait to see what's new for her in Fall/Winter 2012.  And I will definitely be back with more on that.

x Rica