Photography by Jenna Marie Wakani
A few days ago, as my alarm-radio clicked on, I awoke to the distinctive sound of Jay Manuel’s voice. He was describing his humble fashion beginnings as head honcho of his Scarborough high school fashion show. Last night, the hometown boy did his alma mater proud, and Sears has taken notice⎯Jay equals cache. He brought a slick, polished feel, lacking from the Attitude collections of seasons past, as well as a serious dose (and strong nod) to the international designer runways. Strutting out in a tailored, sharp shouldered, white pantsuit, Yasmin Warsame led the way for a collection dominated by work-wear separates, a clever move for the Sears customer. What began as an ode to black and white, quickly turned to a lesson in colour theory with on-trend combos of eggplants, pumpkins, periwinkles and teals. My must have? The saturated cerulean coat sure to inject a little “Attitude” into my fall fashion lineup.
It’s wasn’t hard to imagine at least one of the tall, leggy girls standing in line at Toronto’s Fairview Mall to audition for Canada’s Next Top Model as the latest Daria, Stam or Coco. And thankfully Elmer Olsen was there to guide the producers, potential models and us, through who might be the lucky winner of Cycle 3. Here’s a peek at the procedings.