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   It was race day at the Jason Bunin fall 2002 fashion show. There was a generous sprinkling of highlighting piping (somewhat reminiscent of firemen uniforms and racing stripes) on most of the designs, which for the most part were cropped close to the body. His signature half-’n’-half jeans and jackets came in various colour combinations, with my favourite being his highland green ultrasuede jeans.
   To the naked eye, Mr Bunin’s designs always seem to be one heel on the precipice, but his innate sense of balance saves him in the end. He knows how far to go to catch your eye and his hidden strengths includes a great sense of colour and its multiple variations as well as his training in cutting and draping fabrics. This is most apparent in his coats and vava-voom half-’n’-half “peel-out” dresses. I highly recommend his double-breasted car coats (in green, black and white), and his black cotton twill weekender jacket is a keeper as well.
   The collection was slightly uneven in that he still has some work to do when it comes to some his designs for women. He can sex it up with the best of them and his trousers were to die for, but his evening pieces did not go over as well as they should have. I saw the possibilities in his chamois jersey “low shoulder” gown but the others gave me pause. Mr Bunin is primarily a sportswear designer but the fact that he ventured into this field gives me hope for the future. Another minor quibble was the way in which some the shirts and pants reminded me of the Michael Kors fall 2001 collection. But then again, Mr Kors himself got his “inspiration” from other sources as well.
   The Cloak design team held their show in a tiny space and overall, it was a good effort on their part. If you take away the unventilated air, the frequent start-and-stop of the musical soundtrack and concentrate on the clothes, you see the promise therein. I was most impressed with the hand-knit basket-weave sweaters and the vintage wash pants and jackets. With the right exposure, this collection should find an appreciative audience.

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