What's on the September 2012 Fashion Calendar?

Smythe Warbler Tribute Blazer

September means the end of lazy summer days and back to school, back to work. Long before Kate Middleton started wearing the hip Canadian label Smythe, their blazers have been favourites in my wardrobe. With a bit of sleuthing and some help from one of my favourite sales reps, I scored the Warbler Tribute Blazer (shown above) inspired by the hit tv show Glee with proceeds to go to support  anti-bullying campaigns in Canada and the USA. This is what is on my fashion radar for September 2012 (and in some cases on my calendar).

September 6, 2012  7-10 pm: Holt Renfrew's 175 Birthday Party 
This Canadian retailer of designer fashion began as a furrier in Quebec City in 1837. Founded by William Samuel Henderson, the shop sold luxurious furs to customers such as Queen Victoria, the Empress Eugenie, Princess Louise, the Princess Beatrice, the Duchess of Albany. As the store evolved, more locations were added and it has become Canada's destination spot for high-end fashion labels. The store will be celebrating its 175th Anniversary with a street party and an outdoor film projection on Bloor Street in Toronto on Thursday, September 6th and the store will stay open until 11 pm.

September 5-13, 2012: Mercedes Benz NewYork Fashion Week Spring 2013 Collections
Spring 2013 Collections will be launched September 5-13 in New York. The line up includes American classic designers like Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Michael Kors, Donna Karan, Chado Ralph Rucci, Zac Posen, Diane Von Furstenburg, Tory Burch. I am sure they will all be fabulous, but what I really want to see is the finalists from Project Runway on September 7, 2012 at 10 am....

September 6-16, 2012: Toronto International Film Festival 
Toronto has become one of the leading international festivals for the launch of films and the celebrities usually get glammed up for their walk on the red carpet. In the 37th year of the event, there will be 289 films shown over 11 days of the festival. I will attend two of the gala events and I am already wondering what to wear....

September 17, 2012: Andrew Bolton presents a lecture on McQueen: A Case Study of Curatorial Process at the Pratt Manhattan Campus: 144 West 14th St. (Room 213), 6 to 8 pm. Given that people are still talking about the McQueen show at the Met, this event is bound to be a standing room only situation. I wish they were going to live-stream this....

September 18-19, 2012: Design Intelligence; Fashion New York is a two-day creative event for 100 key players from the international fashion industry and its periphery to share knowledge to encourage sustainable design and business practices. I will be one of the participants and am looking forward to the 15 international keynote speakers including Hazel Clark of Parsons The New School of Design and Sarah Scaturro of the Cooper Hewitt National Design Museum.

Photo courtesy of Smythe.

LG Fashion Week 2011 Opening Night Gala

Finale Holt Renfrew Presents Can't Live without Canadian Fashion 2011

We Canadians are a humble people. Not given to loud swagger, we simply do our thing and mind our business. But damn it, we should be proud of the many talent Canadian designers in our midst. Tonight during Holt Renfrew's runway presentation called Can't Live without Canadian Fashion for the opening night of LG Fashion Week 2011, I was in awe of the huge talent in evidence. Many of the looks by labels such as Greta Constantine, Smythe, Lida Baday and Todd Lynn could have come from the runways of New York, London or Milan.

Fall-winter 2011 in Canada will be a season of cocooning with cowls, fur, and draping in abundance. The grays and blacks were punctuated by beautiful deep reds and bright olive greens. I  almost wish I could wear these fabulous looks right now as we await more spring like weather in Toronto.

Lida Baday FW 2011 at LG Fashion Week

This is an outfit I hope to wear to work or perhaps for my speech for the American Costume Society Mid-west Conference. Check out the cool olive green socks and heels! What an elegant way to avoid blisters and cold feet!

Smythe FW 2011 at LG Fashion Week

And I think I'll take this Smythe outfit for my next trip to Aspen.

Me walking the red carpet in a Lida Baday skirt at LG Fashion Week

I'm still reveling in the glow of all that fabulous fashion, champagne and swag. Not surprisingly, it will be tough to get up to go to work tomorrow!