Photography by George Pimentel
When 1960s mod meets Mad Men, throw a bit of Hitchcock in there for good measure, and you have the Pink Tartan Spring 14 collection. But, I’m not here to tell you what I saw – I’m here to tell you what I liked. And these flowers just did me in! The brand’s designer, Kim Newport-Mimran, is brilliant at appropriation. She is able to take past trends, cultural references and even current influences and make them look anew. Here we have an abstracted Prada-esque floral print on classic pieces such as the flared and pencil skirts. The neon florals set on black reminds me of this old game I used to play as a child called Lite-Brite, and I mean that association in the best of ways.
Pink Tartan isn’t trying to re-invent the wheel, or the handbag for that matter. It’s a brand that knows exactly what works and continues to create pieces that women actually want to wear, season after season. Sometimes avant-garde designs on the runway are perhaps too abrasive for the streets of Toronto – Pink Tartan is not going to shock (well, except for some nipples) nor confuse (again, the nipples). Instead, Newport-Mimran strikes a balance between trend and innovation, which seems to work well for what is arguably one of the most successful Canadian fashion exports. And it’s probably one of the main reasons Pink Tartan appeals to real women – not just the fashion set. Even though she appeals to us, too, certainly. I could get my dirty little hands on that flared skirt any day of the week, in any decade.