Annie Thompson’s talents are myriad. She designs her own line of clothing. She paints. She teaches a textiles course at Ryerson and most recently created sculpture installations for the Urban Architecture and Design awards and NY Olympus Fashion Week. She believes artists shouldn’t limit themselves.

“There’s no reason to be narrow’,” she tells me. “If you’re creative, why would you do one thing and not another? All it takes is time and effort.” She pauses for a second and then concedes, “a lot lot of time and effort. But if you wanna do shit, then do it".

She might as well be summing up her personal philosophy towards life. After all, she’s spent over 25 years in a business where a year is a lifetime and seems to have as much love for it as the day she started. If anything, her vision has only become more focused as she has branched out into new avenues.

Now the lights are dimming and the show is about to start. The house is packed and a slightly creepy life sized stuffed doll lies on the runway. Abstract acrylics line the walls and Thompson’s paintings are projected onto curved screens mounted behind the runway. Every detail has been thoughtfully planned and executed.

The fabulous production is all the more remarkable in light of the fact that the whole show is a family affair. Directed by Thompson’s daughter Haley, the show was her debut as an event co-ordinator and also her fourth year thesis project at Ryerson.

So how did mother and daughter like working together on such a big project?

Well, they were still talking when I saw them together, posing playfully for photographers before the show. According to Annie, Haley is a hard worker. “She’s e-mailing me. I’m sleeping. She’s calling me. I’m trying to sleep.” Maybe this is Annie’s secret to staying poised in the middle of so much chaos - always getting enough sleep! But ultimately they both enjoyed the experience. “Our first real mother - daughter working relationship. [It was] challenging and beautiful.”

The show begins with a dancer instead of a model, alone on the stage in the spotlight. She picks up the gigantic doll and begins to dance with it, Coppelia-style. Another and then another dancer comes onstage, all of them dancing with the life-sized dolls. It feels like more than just a fashion show - it is a living piece of art.

Then the models. Her designs are a mix of structure and softness. She is best known for her ‘basics with a twist’ mentality, combining practicality with unexpected cut and colour. Even a basic pair of pants, like this seasons ‘Jane Pocketeer’ pants named for Jane Martin, a longtime friend and fan, have ample detail in stitching and pocketing to distinguish them from anything ‘mass marketed’. Her jackets are her strongest pieces. Her colour palette has been influenced in the past by trips to India and Africa, but this year it is more sombre. Skirts are given a ‘balloon’ effect with randomly placed pleats and folds on the generously cut fabric. The show ends with bikini bottomed models holding heaps of her trademark messenger bags, to the delight of the crowd.

After the show Mother and Daughter hop on stage to thank the crowd. They seem startled for a moment that they are on stage together - as the crowd cheers, it is a new context for each of them to see the other in, as partners rather than a mother or a daughter. They both graciously thank the volunteers and models and everyone else who helps put a fashion show together. As I put away my camera, and stop at the door to pick up my Annie Thompson gift bag, I see Haley standing in the middle of a mob of models and friends. And she looks right at home.

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