Mikael D presented his newly minted eponymous line of evening wear gowns Friday night to end Toronto Fashion week. In true Pavoni fashion, he ended the week with a bang.

The smoky haze traveled across the black, glistened runway as the audience waited in anticipation for the Mikael D show. Then a stunning succession of evening gowns emerged under the blue light and the show began. From bold colours, to intricate embroidered details and lace to a seriously dramatic introduction – the black reflective runway sparkled as each model strutted in beautiful ornate gowns and sky-high heels.

The collection had no shortage of drama, details and elegance as dresses sported plunging necklines, figure-hugging silhouettes to ball gowns, and of course lots of glitz. Each jewel and sequence was strategically placed to highlight the female figure, maintaining that artistry that Mikael D is known for.

There were plenty of show stoppers but one item in particular stood out from the crowd and had people talking; The bejeweled gold leggings styled with tiered lace one-shoulder ruffle top. I heard oohs and ahhs from everyone in the audience and people continued to talk about it after the show. Another favourite was a white mermaid gown with embroidered lace and sweetheart neckline. I immediately envisioned myself wearing that gown on my wedding day of which isn’t in the near future but needless to say I was mentally planning it.

Mikael D has a way of engaging his audience and making a woman feel like a woman by embracing their natural selves with a little added glamour.

After a remarkable show, I had the opportunity to interview the talented designer backstage.

GOTO: What was your inspiration for the show?

Mikael D: Mainly my inspiration was this artist called Afram Sumtra. I was walking down the streets of Paris and I saw some of his work at one of his stands and I was really mesmerized.  Not that I hadn’t encountered it before but I didn’t really know the entity of that artist so what happened was I took meaning of his beautiful geometric detailing that he used on border frames and incorporate that with advertisements and old Italian cinema that brings that bold element and romanticizes it. So it’s really a great clash between the two and you see it with a lot of those bold lines. Some of them were done in a tonal base, some more tone on tone, others were a lot softer and some were harsher like black on blue.

GOTO: Who is the woman you design for?

Mikael D: I think ultimately it’s the showstopper; always ahead of the trends, completely confident and not a follower but rather a leader. She’s a woman who identifies with her own style, conformable in what she wears because if you’re wearing these dresses you have to be comfortable to stand out. You have to own it.

GOTO: What did you learn growing up with your parents who also worked in the industry? Did they give you any advice?

Mikael D: Without giving me any advice, growing up in the industry you see the ups and downs, the goods and the bads so you learn along the way. But you really need to have the passion for it, it’s not something that’s passed down to you I mean my brother grew up in the same circumstances and loves cars. Go figure!

GOTO: What advice would you give to young Canadian designers trying to break in the fashion industry?

Mikael D: Be confident in who you are and work extremely hard because nothing is easy. And when I say work hard, I mean I worked everyday for 20 hours and even now I answer my 200 emails a day personally, on top of sketching and designing, working with my production and management teams. So you really have to go that extra mile. You cannot be lazy; you cannot hesitate for a second. Yes you have to sacrifice a lot but what you earn and what you gain is worth it.

GOTO: What is your future plans for the label? Will you decide to design ready-to-wear line?

Mikael D: Absolutely. I think now I want to make a statement and want people to see my designs and say ‘wow this is a Mikael D Dress’. I want them to identify with that and the silhouette – the Mikael D aesthetic. So from there hopefully we’ll expand to day wear and do a lot more with that and working with a bigger collection, and a basic collection but regardless I don’t think I will lose that sexiness, drama, attention and glamour that I love so much.

GOTO: What is your favourite thing about Toronto?

Mikael D: The food. Everywhere you go is good. Yesterday we went to Rock Lobster which was amazing and even the hotel room service is good! We also had pizza at L’Unita in Yorkville.

My kind of guy. The talented Mikael D is just as warm and lovely as his collection and we can only predict big and better things from the Canadian designer.

The sky is the limit!

Pictures via WMCFW

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