Carte Blanche starts a Cult De Laissez Faire

Carte Blanche parties almost look like a pastiche of a fashion event: thrown in a warehouse-like space, everyone is very thin, very chic, and very dressed in black. Arty videos are shown. They are not messing around, so it's very good for people-watching.

We watched a video, too--in this case, the video was the premiere "show" of the brand-new men's label Cult De Laissez Faire from Carte Blanche co-owner Daniel Augustino and graphic designer Corey Gibbs.

The aesthetic is very simple, very utilitarian (there's a multitude of sheer tees, tanks, and henleys for layering), but with a slightly punky edge, a la the chunky sleeveless motorcycle vest studded with zippers, the leather-and-wool hooded blazer, or the tres-tight high-waisted trouser (I commented to The Social owner Richard Lambert that I could very clearly see everything: awesome).

Whether the more out-there pieces like the linen poncho and the drop-crotch track-pant will catch on among Toronto's often high-fashion-shy men will remain to be seen (or not).

Either way, we need more hometown designs for the boys in our life, and I think the Carte Blanche crowd has a good start in solid basics from Cult De Laissez Faire.

Photos by Jonathan Loek.