Damzels in This Dress - spring/summer 2003
Toronto designers-to-the-hip Kelly Freeman and Rory Lindo premiered their spring/summer 2003 candy before rabid fans at Toronto Fashion Week. The warmer season really puts these little dresses in their element, though the label has isolated their market perfectly year-round. The show opened with some great sinuous-striped confetti print crepe dresses in red, black and white, criss-crossing in all the right places (if you know what we mean). The super-soft rayon knits in crimson and indigo solids have a raw, irreverent bias cut that slashes its sexy way across the fluidly draping forms.
When the harlequin lace dresses in peach and periwinkle are styled and layered with a touch of punk, the Damzels score a gothic subversion on ’20’s style while retaining all the elegance of the era. A new meaning to the term ‘retro’!
There is virtually something for everyone in this collection (save for the big burly man), and this is somewhat of an oxymoron for a niche label. Perhaps in getting so well acquainted with their market, Damzels in This Dress has realized it’s a bit wider than they thought.
Daniel Cox, Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo, Photographer
