This season, designers offered men more exotic ensembles than seen in recent years. Unconventional looks composed entire collections, including head-to-toe florals, white-on-white layering and pops of pastel. Navigate through the whimsy with our top trend picks for the season. White Noise White, white and more white. Layering of this non-colour was a key trend from designers Philip Lim, Gucci, and Givenchy. Popular for women over winter, the clean, sophisticated look is now masculinized. Invest in a great pair of white chinos, or a well-tailored trench to pull of the look with effortless poise. Secret Garden Florals made dashing appearances in many menswear collection and we’re yearning to see this trend walk from the runways onto sidewalks. Find inspiration from Raf Simons’ lengthy floral jackets, showing the print in its most wearable light. Even safer, incorporate the print into your look with accessories such as ties or pocket scarves. Color Theory Spring 2013 runways served bold brights and even pastels for colour thirsty men from the likes of Lanvin, Louis Vuitton and Givenchy. If a head-to-toe pastel pink suit is too intimidating, try easing into the palette by layering the daring hues under your current wardrobe neutrals. But bottom line: go bold or go home. Bombs Away Athletic-inspired apparel rounded the bases this season, including one distinct item – the bomber jacket. Sported in every print, colour and fabric the options are limitless. Party hoppers and fashion insiders might opt for a bomber in red satin and floral print as seen from Dolce & Gabbana , while those looking to flaunt their boyish charm might lean towards a wool or cotton jacket in traditional hues such as navy blue, greys or army green.

Spring/Summer 2013 is a season to be excited about. Stripes, brights and other fashion delights debuted, offering up some fun and fresh trends worth investing in. Smarten up that wardrobe and step into spring with these easy-to-wear trends freshly picked from the world’s runways. Peek-a-Boo Peek-a-boo cutouts offer a more playful, conservative approach to showing a little flesh. Simple and intricately cut details are trending on tops and dresses, found on necklines, right below bust lines and waistlines. The slits let all body types play with sexing up even the most conservatively designed garment. Walk the Line Marc Jacobs set the standard for this spring trend, pairing up stripes top to bottom for a high contrast look. Go bold and mix and match with varying patterns for a fashion forward feel, or keep it simple matching stripes with solid basics. Bright On Spring hatched some shockingly bright colours, bordering on neon at times. Jenni Kayne decked out models in electrifying pink pantsuits while Diane von Furstenberg paired fluorescent green with aqua for a juicy colour combination. Be brave and play matchy-matchy, layering one bright on top of another for a chic monochromatic ensemble. Short and Sweet Short suits are the essential trend for women this season. Take this put-together look from nine-to-five straight into cocktail hour following the lead of designers such as Jil Sander, Carven, Jenni Kayne and Marissa Web who perfected the look with well-tailored blazers and shorts in high-end fabrics and feminine details.  

It’s an exciting time for us at Mode Models, as we are entering our fifth season supporting Western Canada Fashion Week! We shot five models wearing five Edmontonain designers to celebrate our partnership with the start up. The image proudly commemorates the growing fashion community and our collaborations with talented Edmonton designers in the last few years. Supporting local talent and bringing light to Edmonton’s burgeoning fashion industry has been of utmost importance to us. WCFW has served as a fantastic training platform for fresh faces looking to gain experience on the runway and many of those promising young models are taking the skills learned at the Transalta Arts Barns to propel themselves forward in the international market. Since March 2011 we have been honoured to support Malorie Urbanovitch, Angelique Chmielewski, LUXX, Suka, and Nicole Campre among others. Malorie started working as a stylist for Mode Models. She started showing her eponymous ready to wear line in October 2010 and since then she has been featured in Fashion Magazine and British Vogue. Nicole Campre won WCFW’s inaugural Emerging Designer competition in April 2012. After getting a head start locally by designing for Loft 82, she is now moving forward with her ready to wear line. Nicole has also been featured in Fashion Magazine and British Vogue. Angelique Chmielewski is now based out of New York after graduating from New York’s prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology and working under contemporary designer Yigal Azrouel. Her collection can be found at Coup Garment Boutique. Designers Alisha Schick of Suka Clothing and Derek Jagodzinsky of LUXX RTW have been local design darlings for many years. Alisha celebrated 10 years with her women’s line last year and teaches fashion design and illustration at MC College to the next generation when she isn’t designing her next collection. Derek graduated from the U of A with a Bachelor of Design, followed by an internship in New York with Michael Kaye Couture. In his spare time he is a graphic designer for WCFW and Phabrik Magazine as well heavily involved with their initiatives to support local designers. Both designers stock their wares locally at Bamboo Ballroom (Suka) and Thread Hill (LUXX). These five local trendsetters have received incredible national and international attention, and are quickly raising the bar for the next generation of local artists. We chose to celebrate them as they continue to push the limits of Edmonton fashion and take it to new heights. We look forward to watching these talented individuals continue to grow in the next five seasons.

- Photographer: Ernest studio-e.ca - Photo Assistant: Angela MobergMake Up: James KershawHair: Sandy Tang - Art Director/Stylist: Sandra Sing Fernandes - Models: Julian PHABRIK artist management - Featuring musician Martin Johann Kloppers - Location: Red Piano