His exclusive interview with Hannah Yakobi and a sneak peak into his latest collection.
Photography by Dmitri Moisseev.
Videography by Dmitri Moisseev and Hannah Yakobi.
Richard Robinson walks on the podium with his grandson and models at Grande première 2010.
Richard Robinson has been one of Canada’s top designers for 41 years, but his work never ceases to amaze fashionistas.
The audience at his latest show clapped, oooh-ed and aaah-ed endlessly and with great enthusiasm.
This year’s collection – Grande première 2010 – was held at the lavish Hilton Lac Leamy.
It attracted hundreds of top fashionistas from the national capital region, the mayors of both Ottawa and Gatineau, owners and directors of three top modeling agencies in the region and some of the most well-recognized faces from the media industry. Think Colleen McBride, Sophie Beaudoin, Angie Sakla-Seymour and Carol Anne Meehan.
The background story
The collection focused on delicate fabrics and light shades of pink, as it was dedicated to the fight against breast cancer. Robinson noted that he knows a lot of women who have fought breast cancer, including his mother-in-law. His fashion show supported the Canadian Breast Cancer Network.
What made the collection extra special was the personal touch added by the designer. He opened the show by having three of his toddler grandchildren walk down the catwalk. The audience was genuinely touched by their presence and kept cheering them on, as they confidently paraded down the podium. Robinson joined them later and waived back at his supporters. Apart from its introduction, the show itself maintained this personal touch, as Robinson’s wife – Louise Robinson – was one of the models.
The show
Robinson’s show was followed by collections from designers at his fashion school. The categories presented were First-Year Students, New Designers, Graduates and Couturiers.
The spectrum of styles ranged from classic silk dresses, Barbie-doll outfits and business attire, to shirts à la Star Trek, masks and dominatrix-themed glamour.
(Videography: Hannah Yakobi.)
Who stood out?
Particular highlights were:
- Zoë Lianga’s patchwork style dress that was a celebration of colour
- Janessa Ott’s soft satin, deep burgundy collection
- Geneviève Couture’s wedding gowns (she also won the title of the Designer of the Year)
- Meaghan Simard’s glamour of layers, whips, eye patches and feathers (she won the title of the Couturier of the Year)
- Sophie Leclerc’s collection à la Royal Ascot
- Hisham Malik’s exquisite combination of emerald and brown with flowers, hats and lace
<width=”500″ height=”369″>
Richard Robinson – 10 trends for 2010
- Dresses (from very slimming to very puffy)
- Frills
- Crystals on all outfits
- Soft and natural fabrics
- Slits (often thigh-high)
- Hats
- Sparkling jewelry
- Unconventional designs (think of a dress that has one full sleeve and the other sleeve completely chopped off)
- Hair updos (à la Audrey Hepburn)
- Five to six-inch stilettos
Other designers – 20 trends for 2010
- Explosion of bright colours (from deep green and fuchsia, to sky blue and bright yellow)
- Layers
- Puffy shirts
- Delicate femininity
- Dresses, dresses, dresses (from office chic to summer tie-dye options)
- Straight-cut mini skirts and wrap skirts
- Denim, PVC and fake fur
- Three-quarter sleeve blouses
- Silk and linen
- Patterned stockings and knee-high socks
- Deep v-necks
- Lace
- Oversized eyewear
- Oversized jewelry
- Patterns
- Flowing numbers
- Bare tummies
- Longer gloves
- Clutches and tiny purses (must precisely match the outfit)
- Vintage chic
For further information, go to http://www.richardrobinson.com/
Programs & Courses is a section that might be of particular interest to starting designers, regardless of their age.
All photography and videography by Dmitri Moisseev. http://www.modelmayhem.com/artisto
Excellent, insightful interview! The fashion is breathtaking, and the interview itself evoked the passion this designer feels for his lines, for the causes he supports, and for his family. Exemplary, well put-together piece!
what a fantastic exclusive!! i really love that you included the runway video :) i honestly felt like i was watching Fashion Television when I was watching your interview with richard robinson.
the photography is also excellent (great job dmitri!).
another impressive feature, hannah. well done!
xox
Thank you Hannah, very interesting. I enjoyed the combination of text, photos and videos for a full, “panoramic” presentation.
Excellent Richard Robinson Fashion Show 2010 coverage. Article, video and photos together is a great way to cover a fashion show!!!
I like the “point form” format for the 2010 trends, it’s easy to read and absorb.
Appreciate proper credits given to every segment (this is very important for people who work with you but, unfortunately, quite often this part gets forgotten when material comes out).
I like the gallery design and flow but the pictures are way too small when you try to see individual image in more details.
Looking forward to your next article! Keep them coming!!!
DMitri
Thanks, everyone! I’m glad you enjoyed my report.
Dmitri – a pleasure working with you. I chose this gallery format because I know that many of my readers prefer to view all photos at a glance, and then click on the ones that grab their individual attention, without having to go through each picture, one by one. But – food for thought! Thanks for your suggestion.
Hannah! Awesome work ! Loved the interview, the write up, the video of the runway and the photos. The pictures could have been bigger though as I’d love to see the details of those dresses!
Great interview!
I totally agree…little, cute dresses are totally in!
well done.
I have slightly changed the gallery, so you can view all photos in a larger format now.
Stay tuned for more stories!
Great article and visuals!
Excellent, well written and very informative article. Lots of good and helpful details (Pink is a very feminine and interesting color). You bringing good fashion sense back to the readers. The layout and format is very innovative and reader friendly, and could potentially be a successful way to new articles. Let call you a graphomaniac.
So, write, Hannah, write!
There is a little of everything in here. The photos (great job Dmitri) and the video combined give a great impression fo the show.
The interview give the story some perspective.
Great job. It makes me want to sew myself a dress!
I love how you’ve used different media and made them flow so well together in this piece. It gives the article that extra oomph.So much better than simply reading about his show. You’ve got the designer taking, little bits of information on him inbetween, and my favourite – the video and pictures of those wicked clothes!
love, Love, LOVE IT, Hannah! Excellent work!
Can’t wait for your next feature! x