Montreal native, Melissa Nepton brought her S/S 2013 cruise collection entitled an “Enchanted Summer Morning” to the Wednesday runway of World Master Card Fashion Week 2012 in Toronto, Canada. Known for her modern, ready to wear couture and ultra feminine silhouettes, Nepton presented a fresh, delightfully romantic spin to her trademark colour blocking and draping techniques. We adored her elegant, ‘oh so wearable’, Japanese and ‘70’s inspired collection. Chic dresses, wide pants, silks, soft diaphanous fabrics and stripes with a distinctive marine influence lent the cruise flamboyance to the runway.

We were treated to ethereal sheer separates in black and white, sherbet accents and prints that were light and dreamy all showing an enviable effortlessness and elegance. Models sported sherbet tipped bobs reminiscent of the pastel bobs recently on the runway in France in Chanel’s “Palace of Versailles” S/S‘13 Cruise collection. Not a big surprise since Melissa Nepton went to Paris to complete her education as a designer at L’École Nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs de Paris. It was a formative year for her where she prepared her very first runway show. She went on to realize her dream of having her own label in 2009 when she presented her collection as part of the Montreal Fashion Week that year.

While we saw plenty of the S/S ‘13 trend of pastels and sherbet colours, it was Nepton’s collection that avoided the juvenile twist often associated with the “Jordan Almonds’ inspired colour palette, with a leisurely ease to every piece. Melissa cares deeply about her client – the woman wearing the clothes and it is apparent in her meticulous attention to detail and design.

Japanese cuts, which Nepton admits she adores, were abundant in full-length sheer dresses and colour-blocked capes. Dropped waists, airy palazzo pants and plunging necklines lead to the sexy silhouettes that would have been worthy of starlets from the ‘40’s like Katherine Hepburn and Greta Garbo. Silk garments, playful colour-blocked wrap jackets, tunic shirts and capped sleeves graced the runway. Nepton’s S/S’13 pieces summoned images of sun-kissed skin and a bikini, soft sea breezes, and some elegant seaside resort like St. Tropez.

A loveable quality about Nepton is her keen eye to design made for function: her Fall/Winter collections always include impeccable, luxurious layering and chunky knits while her Spring/Summer lines are always light and effervescent. Every piece is designed to be totally comfortable, flattering and wearable no matter the climate, which makes her designs so irresistible.

“For me, fashion is a vigorous expression that impacts women’s lives in a positive way. And in return, women bring to fashion a sense of sensuality, fluidity and femininity. It’s a communication rooted in comfort, practicality and confidence”- Melissa Nepton

-Lauren Schell