Since it was founded in 2006, Greta Constantine has risen fast as a go-to label for red carpet and gala dressing—something that has been innate to the Toronto-based brand since the get-go. For spring, designer Kirk Pickersgill felt inspired to recapture some of that early-on fashion energy: He dove into his archives to inspire some of his new elegant designs. “This season, I thought, Let me just do me, said Pickersgill. “It was all about identifying myself as a designer, and going back into our archives, pulling pieces that we’ve done from the beginning, and incorporating them for what can be the future.”
Of course, there was a new mood to channel into his signature formalwear. Pickersgill admits he has been watching a lot of femme fatale films recently, and was drawn to the dark, glamorous clothes that film villains such as May Day (Grace Jones) and Lynn Bracken (Kim Basinger) wear on-screen. “These evil people are always in black,” said Pickersgill, “and I thought, ‘Why not add some beauty and color to it?’” The end result was an eclectic mix of party dresses that commanded attention.
Pickersgill’s magenta silk-faille cape, paired with a strapless red column gown, was wholly worthy of a Bond girl (or villain). Ditto his sheer, black polka-dotted tulle gown, which was styled over a gold sequin dress. But it wouldn’t be a true Greta Constantine collection without the label’s signature bright colors and voluminous silhouettes. The abstract-print bubble dresses and floor-length gowns—in a melange of bright shades like blue, orange, and pink—were constructed from three different fabrics, from lamé to silk wool. The slinky black gown with a ruffled chartreuse bodice offered just the right amount of head-turning pop. “You want to be noticed when you’re out, from a distance,” said Pickersgill.