NRT FASHIONS || AFW S/S 11

Jill Belland, one of the hosts of the second night of Alberta Fashion Week and the On Location host of Citytv, describes Nicole Rita Tomney of NRT Fashions as a “very young talent with a very bright future”. Tomney was dressed to impress in one of her own designs – a catchy one piece with a black stretch top and black and white thin striped bottom, cinched at the waist.

Tomney breathes life into her paper designs by producing fashion masterpieces for the runway. In this collection named Pure in Plastic, Tomney played around with draping, clean edges and rough cut-outs. Also, the absence of color and the edgy designs of her fashion line were a bit reminiscent of work by Alexander Wang.

This year, NRT Fashions featured apparel for both women and men, proving Tomney’s versatility and advanced skills in developing fashions for both men and women. The mood of the runway focused on the punk trend of this summer. The women’s wear was strikingly seductive, accentuating the curves and length of the female body, while the menswear highlighted the best features of the male models.

Stripes were definitely the theme for NRT’s runway. The winning piece was the first dress to kick of the runway – a slim fit, thin striped dress with shoulder cut-outs and an extended, rigid hoop neck. The harem (parachute) pants also made a definite comeback, sported by both women and men of the runway. Tomney also featured pieces made with heavy wools and leathers decorated with silver pieces – zippers, chains and studs to create a moody, tough biker style.

NRT Fashions 2011 collection was definitely couture with some pieces that could double as ready-to-wear attire. Her great attention to detail and passion for designing definitely marks her line as the brand to watch for.

Words by Elle Nguyen

Photography by Eymeric Widling