TORONTO - The City of Light illuminated the latest looks from Joe Fresh as the homegrown brand injected an abundance of Parisian chic into affordable apparel offerings unveiled at World MasterCard Fashion Week on Wednesday.
Creative director Joe Mimran cited Malcolm McLaren's 1994 concept album "Paris" as a source of inspiration for the largely black and white collection, which sought to deliver a modernized spin on styles from the '60s, '70s and '90s.
The fall-winter line prominently showcased two contrasting sides of womenswear with dainty, feminine fashions interspersed among tougher, menswear-inspired styles.
Headscarf-sporting models donned the more demure designs, which encompassed two-piece knit sets, sheer, polka dot blouses, sequinned shifts, ruffled silk tops, laser-cut neoprene and sweet, pleated skirts.
But it was the edgier looks in the collection that were the standouts — and extra-heavy on embellishments. Oversized studding adorned denim shirts, jeans, belts and faux leather jackets — a decided contrast from slim, satiny pants and wide-legged trousers showcased in the fall-winter line.
Message T-shirts and an Eiffel Tower illustration etched into a knitted pullover were among the range of large-scale logos and amplified graphic illustrations incorporated into the statement-making collection.
While largely spare on accessories, the brand's signature fiery orange hue added eye-popping accents on the soles of smoking slippers and metal chain-accented pointy pumps featured throughout the showcase.
