PRC Winner Evan Biddell's Collection

Project Runway Canada winner Evan Biddell opened up Toronto's Fashion Week with his new collection based on the "eco warrior," an environmentally conscious character inspired by Japanese animé.

Frankly, we're not seeing it. It's a nice enough collection rendered in whites and jewel tones. The looks range from basic, pretty dresses to slightly more out there pieces, but there's no reinventing the wheel here. Not that there should be, but he portrayed himself as more of a barn-burner than this on the show.

"A lot of the silhouettes I am using are egotistical," Biddell says of the high volume shapes in his collection. "I haven't seen a lot of really interesting, unique organic clothes ... there is a lot of casual wear in organic fabrics but there are only a few luxury designers, like Stella McCartney and Marc Jacobs, who are starting to go sustainable."



























Your thoughts, bitches?

[Photos: Pimentel/WireImage - Slideshow: Project RunGay]

Ripping the PRC Collections: Evan Biddell

Tom: Fucking stunning.
Lorenzo: The jacket/cape is amazing. Love the contrasting colors.
Tom: Agreed. And the silhouette was just beautiful. Pfft. Pockets.
Lorenzo: Get over it.


Lorenzo: I love it. I just think hoods are way done.
Tom: I agree, but the contrasting gold was just beautiful.
Lorenzo: It's just such a done version of "fierce," you know? Like the whole "unveiling the hood at the end of the runway" thing.
Tom: No argument there, but I still love this look. The detail on the skirt is really striking.


Tom: Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous coat. It's not exactly reinventing the wheel, but it's beautifully done.
Lorenzo: It's a shame you can't see it in the picture, but the back was a thing of beauty.
Tom: At first I thought that was a bag, but it's actually a giant pocket. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Love the giant buttons on the sleeves though. Can definitely see the cartoon vibe he said inspired him.


Lorenzo: I hated the whole thing.
Tom: It's just a basic dress with some embellishments that do nothing for it. I hate the color.
Lorenzo: I don't mind the color so much but I hate the detail at the waist and hem.
Tom: And I think the skirt's too full. Plus, giant bow. Do I need to elaborate?


Lorenzo: Absolutely love it. Just look at that skirt.
Tom: It's such a great silhouette. A very tight bodice with a very short, full skirt. Just looks fresh to me. Could do without the industrial gloves. She looks like she's laying tar on a roof.
Lorenzo: And the bow. Hate the bow.


Tom: Love it. Fantastic silhouette. Kind of a reverse of the previous look. Very tight bottom with a full, blousy top.
Lorenzo: I love the look but I think the shorts are a little too short.
Tom: No, I think they work perfectly, especially with the way the top balloons out in the back.


Tom: This model was horrible. Nothing wrong with bringing a little sass, but she looked like she was gunning for a fistfight.
Lorenzo: I love the look. Love the shorts and the way they're tailored. I love the weaving detail on the jacket.
Tom: I do too, but I hated the giant split hood on the back of it.
Lorenzo: And he went a little overboard on the buttons in the back.


Lorenzo: I didn't like this.
Tom: Well, I think we've seen the dress plenty of times before. It's just not that interesting.
Lorenzo: It's just very cartoony.
Tom: Well, it's supposed to be. I did like the jacket, especially the detail on the collar and hem.
Lorenzo: It looks too much like a cartoon villainess. Too "evil queen."
Tom: And not in the good sense.


Tom: I loved this.
Lorenzo: So did I. My god, the back of that skirt was AMAZING.
Tom: I know. It's a shame, because this is a really terrible picture of a really striking garment.
Lorenzo: Love the vest too.
Tom: And the collar.


Tom: I think this is stunning. I have just one complaint.
Lorenzo: I know what it is.
Tom: It's that Vosovic-esque triangle right in the middle of her torso.
Lorenzo: You're right. It serves no purpose and it could have ruined an otherwise perfect look.
Tom: Despite that, the pleating and the origami-like work on the cups is just beautiful.
Lorenzo: Another thing that is no small accomplishment: This was a skin-tight dress that went past her ankles and she had absolutely no problem walking in it. That is a well-made, well-designed garment.


To sum it up, this was, in our opinion, exactly the kind of collection that should always win a Project Runway competition. It was beautifully executed and it was unique and fashion forward and still consisted of the kinds of clothing that many women would wear or wish they could wear. It was youthful and exploding with creativity. It's something of an easy cliche, but in that sense, his collection really did remind us of Jay McCarroll's. Young, fun, beautiful and wearable.

One other thing: the criticism levied by many regarding the fact that he basically made the whole collection at the very last minute. We have absolutely no idea why that matters at all. What matters is the end product, not how he got there.

Ripping the PRC Collections: Marie Genevieve Cyr

Lorenzo: Love the top, love the skirt, love everything.
Tom: Me too. I agreed with Iman when she pointed out that the model looked just like her. It would have been cool if they'd all been styled that way.
Lorenzo: Yeah, the styling for this collection was the best out of the three. Loved the barrettes in the hair.
Tom: And I can't believe I'm saying this, but I loved the colored tights. Anyway, the dress. Loved the hem, and the strap across the bust.
Lorenzo: This is asymmetrical done right. Jeffrey, take notes.
Tom: It's a clean form of asymmetry.


Tom: Dirty, dirty asymmetry. This one just does not work for me.
Lorenzo: I hate the pockets. They make her look wider. I hate where they're positioned.
Tom: I hate pockets in skirts generally. That jacket looks like she put it on upside down.
Lorenzo: I just don't understand the jacket at all.


Tom: I think this is gorgeous.
Lorenzo: I agree, but that strap across her boobs is just wrong. It's too tight.
Tom: True. It kinda looks like a pink bandage, but I love the "belt" under the bust and the color combo.
Lorenzo: And that's the right way to do pockets.
Tom: If you say so.
Lorenzo: Bitch.
Tom: I just don't get pockets in skirts. What, is she gonna put her car keys in there?


Lorenzo: That's a mess.
Tom: I like the dress.
Lorenzo: I kind of like the dress but I hate the jacket.
Tom: Okay, true. And the line in her stockings looks like she bleeds pink, but there's a cool kind of punk rock architectual vibe going on here.


Tom: I think this is awful.
Lorenzo: Is she pregnant or something?
Tom: Do Canadians carry their young in their hips?
Lorenzo: You're awful.
Tom: No, THAT's awful. Terrible proportions and I hate the overall shininess of it.
Lorenzo: And her Cinnamon bun tits are too small.


Lorenzo: GORGEOUS.
Tom: I agree. Best look in the whole collection.
Lorenzo: She's still working that architectural vibe, but more sophisticated.
Tom: And great color combo. Although I'll say this: it's good that her color story was so cohesive, but there's such a thing as being too cohesive.
Lorenzo: It's basically the same three colors going down the runway.


Lorenzo: I love this.
Tom: I don't love it as much as you do.
Lorenzo: I just don't like the color of the tights. I think it was too much for the look.
Tom: Funny, that was one of the things I do like. Although I agree. To use a Gunnism, that's a lotta look.
Lorenzo: True, but I think she brings it all together nicely.
Tom: It's an "almost, but not quite" for me. I like each piece individually, but all together there's too much color, too much shiny and too much of that criss-crossy ruching.


Lorenzo: I would have loved it if the sleeves matched.
Tom: She's going for that asymmetry. I don't mind it. It's got a fresh look to it. It's just that her left boob looks like it has lips.
Lorenzo: True. Fresh is the right word. She's doing a lot but she's keeping the whole thing simple.
Tom: The Barbie colors are really getting to me though.


Lorenzo: I absolutely hate this. I hate everything about it.
Tom: Aren't we cranky? No, I agree. It's pretty awful. She must've been in a bad mood the day she designed this one.
Lorenzo: It's like a bad mood in dress form.
Tom: It's that fabric. It's so heavy and dour-looking.


Tom: You hated this one, right?
Lorenzo: No, I just don't get that jacket. What's that thing on the right lapel?
Tom: It doesn't bother me that much but man, is that a high waist or what?
Lorenzo: High waists are back.
Tom: I know, but something about this doesn't work for me. Maybe it's the colors that are setting it off. It just seems like it should fit her a little tighter.


To sum up and to address a couple points in yesterday's comments, this collection felt new and young to us. Does that mean "old" is bad? Of course not. But we're talking about fashion, not about clothes. Fashion is about the new thing, the next thing, or about taking old things and rethinking to make them seem new. Fashion always moves forward. Iman said something during the judging that we thought was absolutely brilliant: "At the end of the day, I don't need another dress." You can buy clothes in a million places, but there are only a few places and a relative few people who are truly doing Fashion, capital F. MG's collection had its flaws, but to us, it was pure fashion.

[Photos: slice.ca]