A respected voice in Toronto’s fashion scene, Sabrina Maddeaux, heralds Soia & Kyo‘s Spring 14 the only outerwear fashion collection that “felt fresh and worthy of the time it took up on the Toronto Fashion Week schedule.” As you can see, Maddeaux has the rare luxury of being a bit critical without losing her front row stronghold. 
I have to agree with the NOW Magazine fashion writer, Soia & Kyo has come a long way from puffy winter jackets in nauseating merlot with kitschy label-labels you find in the clearance section at Winners (another true story). If you had blindfolded me into the runway room and asked whose collection I was viewing, Soia & Kyo probably wouldn’t have been at the tip of my tongue. But here they were, proffering a springtime wardrobe of more than jackets – and the jackets were really quite lovely, too.
My favourite piece was the velvety suede trench coat in an icy stone hue, which would require a spray tan if I ever decided to wear it. The palette of pastel grey, blue, peach and every single shade of beige lends itself to a sun-kissed, less paler versions of ourselves. And I’m totally OK with it being a bona fide spring collection – unlike some outerwear brands that have separation anxiety from the colour black. Soia & Kyo embraced soft textures for spring and even a white, quilted bomber jacket that looked best for men. In fact, this whole collection was a home-run for menswear. Guys, I wouldn’t cross Soia & Kyo off your lists this season. Girls, thank me later.
