1.WHO: Jody Leigh (www.jodyleigh.com) does nine-to-five chic with all the classic staples — tailored dresses, coats and separates — for a curve-packing silhouette. “Any woman any shape or size wants to feel beautiful,” says designer Jody Leigh McMillan.
WHAT: Sepia-toned WWII family photos inspired the collection’s ’40s spin: a moss green, broad shouldered, straight skirted two-piece suit; the pewter button, flap and tab sleeve dress details appropriated from the military uniform of McMillan’s grandfather.
ODDS: Heavy on nostalgia, McMillan’s runway presentation will rely on leather accessories and chain details to convey a modern interpretation. Of course, aren’t the classics always worth investing in?

2. WHO: Former one-of-a-kind designer Faren Tami is a founding member of Freedom Clothing Collective (939 Bloor W., www.freedomclothingcollective.com), and integrates Freedom’s recycled aesthetic with materials like textural tweed in structural separates that are in keeping with the tight times. “People are spending their money on versatile and wearable pieces rather than pieces they’d buy from H&M and throw away the next season,” says Tami.
WHAT: The “Futurology” theme informs Tami’s construction of muted-toned garments that inspire a sense of play, like a black jersey cocktail dress that can be dressed up or down with draping chiffon pieces.
ODDS: Tami’s avant-garde experimentation — a range of fabrics, shifting shapes — is innovative. But futurism has been the catchy fall/winter impulse, and doesn’t exactly lend itself to cohesion.

3. WHO: GUSHUEswim (www.gushueswim.com) is the six-year-old resort label of Cheryl Gushue (think well-cut two-pieces in comfortable sheer or jersey ready for mix-and-match). A professional makeup artist who teaches at the Champlain Institute, the designer “used to design back in the day when everything was a bodysuit,” citing early stretch Copa and Diamond Club wear that was sold in Jet Rag and Route 66.
WHAT: Skimpy burnt orange and navy teal monokinis, accessorized for the runway with boho head wraps and floppy hats. “I was listening to samba and bossa nova on my internet radio,” explains Gushue of the Brazilian Carnaval inspiration that hit during a January snowstorm. “And I was like, ‘I wish I [were] in Rio right now.’”
ODDS: Gushue has the quality, fit and focused styling, but does beachwear really have a chance at the title in the midst of all the expected winter layers?

4. WHO: Sonja den Elzen is known to the West Queen West crowd for the architectural yet playful Thieves eco-apparel line, carried in the Thieves eco boutique (1156 Queen W., 416-823-0700, www.leagueofloversandthieves.com) she established with former partner Dana Takeda two years ago. The self-taught designer works with sustainable materials, but doesn’t go out of her way to sell the enviro-conscious ethos: “It’s good for people to see that things can be stylish without it being obvious as to being eco-fashion.”
WHAT: The collection’s nomadic tundra tribe theme inspires an on-the-go blend of wool suiting and big chunky knits in soft tones (see the long-sleeved, slouching low-pocket dress with the soft-pleated take on this season’s pinched-up, pointy shoulders and the cognac vegetable-tanned leather beanie cap).
ODDS: Last week’s F-List Designer Spotlight bodes well for den Elzen as a designer who’s continually developing a trademark aesthetic. But will judges go eco-fashion for the second time in a row? (Last year’s winner Eugenia Leavitt did cocktail wear in organic materials — though we won’t complain if this becomes the norm.)