Toronto Fashion Week: David Dixon inspired by Hitchcock's The Birds - Toronto Star

Videos for 2012 Toronto Fashion Week.

2012/03/16 10:42:00 Dixon was bold in his pairing of complimentary yet contrasting textures, such as dark lace trims on coats.

CARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STAR

Alfred Hitchcock, the master of macabre movies, has always been an unlikely inspiration for fashion designers. Most likely it’s due to those beautiful icy blond heroines the director was famous for employing.

And it was Tippi Hedren and Hitchcock’s film The Birds that served as an inspiration for David Dixon’s Fall 2012 collection at Toronto Fashion Week. That, and also a weekend at the cottage last summer where the designer said he marvelled at the variety of birds in the neighborhood.

PHOTOS: David Dixon Fall/Winter 2012 collection

But the collection that Dixon sent out played on the clean lines and textures of Hedren’s costumes in the 1963 film The Birds. Severe pencil skirts, hourglass dresses and demure lady-like cream coats edged in black lace. And of course, there were dark feathers — lots of dark feathers — on long evening gowns, cocktail dresses and one fabulous evening coat covered in plumes that drew a gasp from the audience.

But it wasn’t all dark killer birds that Dixon seemed to have in mind. The designer sent out some beautiful embroidered sapphire blue dresses, lightly embellished with sequins. It brought to mind a more beautiful fine feathered creature — the peacock.

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Dixon was bold in his pairing of complimentary yet contrasting textures, such as dark lace trims on coats.

CARLOS OSORIO/TORONTO STAR