Toronto Fashion Week: Breakfast with Canadian fashion at Holt Renfrew

Judging by Holt Renfrew‘s early morning (8:45 a.m.!) fashion week kick-off, it’s clear that breakfast is the new cocktail hour. Unlike the department store’s usual après-work pack-‘em-in-like-sardines fashion week fete, this season’s mini–fashion show and designer panel (emceed by Fashion Television‘s Jeanne Bekker) was a welcome change for the select group of industry insiders who gathered at the Holts Café yesterday. Post air-kisses and OJ fueling, Bekker interviewed the five designer darlings that Holts chose to highlight--Denis Gagnon, Jeremy Laing, Mikhael Kale, Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine, and Lida Baday, who was not in attendance--while models took to the intimate salon-style runway. Our’s favourite looks du jour included Gagnon’s Matrix-esque black leather and fringe mini dress, Greta Constantine’s sophisticated jersey day dress and Laing’s softly folded tunic. Fashion math: 5 innovative Canadian designers + 1 perfect setting - multiple lengthy speeches = complete fashion success.