TORONTO -- They did it in unusual places like a renovated movie theatre, an underground garage, a historic building and a church.

Toronto fashion designers who presented fall/winter collections took their runway shows to places they had never been to before.

It was a sort of rebellious reaction to being forced to go it on their own, with each designer organizing his or her own event during Toronto Fashion Week.

Weeks earlier, the cigarette company Imperial, through its Matinee Fashion Foundation, pulled out as main sponsor of the twice-annual Canadian event that normally puts more than two dozen designers from across the country under one roof.

The setback didn't stop Toronto designers, including Brian Bailey, Joyce Gunhouse and Judy Cornish of Comrags, Marilyn Brooks, David Dixon, Crystal Siemens and Joeffer Caoc, who were anything but timid in their solo efforts.

There were few overwhelming trends, although hemlines tended to be at the knee or longer and shapes were looser and more relaxed. Innovations in fabric did most of the fashion-forward talking.

Brooks, president of Designers Ontario which helped organize the fashion week, said holding individual shows cost designers more money.

"It costs everyone more, but the spirit that has resulted and the creativity that we've seen is one of the most important things we've learned from this," said Brooks.

Imperial is still supporting designers through business grants and advertising. But federal anti-smoking legislation restricts tobacco advertising at cultural and sporting events.

Toronto Fashion Week participants carefully chose specific venues to attract fashion media and buyers.

Siemens' venue -- in a dank underground garage near Union train station -- was perhaps the most original, with Caoc using the Ontario Place amusement grounds along Lake Ontario as his backdrop.

The collections presented by more than a dozen designers ranged from stylish frump inspired by previous decades, to techno-glam.

Traditional and natural fabrics like wool, mohair, leather, denim and organza were used on their own, or mixed and matched with technologically advanced versions and other high-tech fabrics.

"Fall 2000 is a season of contrast," said Bailey, a Camrose, Alta., native whose regular and large-sized collections were paraded down stairs and along a carpeted runway in the living room of the historic Ontario Heritage Centre.

His show started with stunning cashmere, such as black and grey floor-length hidden-button and wrap coats. Deep, strong colours like crimson red and chocolate brown were accented with lilac, tangerine and apple green.

Stretch techno-denim and leather were staples in Dixon's collection shown in his new studio -- a renovated downtown Toronto church.

Dixon said his inspiration was watching high-style women and men in the Roman Catholic church he attended as a child. He's put an understated-sexy slant on glam dressing for men and women this fall and winter.

"Fashion today is really about mixing the old with the new," he said. "You can make new statements with old looks."

Dixon's strapless tunics, halter tops, lean and cropped pants, strapless dresses, sweaters and suits were in a range of fabrics -- from old-fashioned tweed and cashmere, to laser-cut plaids and wool, latex and fur.

Cornish and Gunhouse, whose show was at the renovated Capitol Event Theatre in mid-Toronto, embraced vintage looks, with pieces like A-line skirts and wrap sweaters that could easily have been in grandmother's closet. But for the millennium, they loosened the fits to accommodate a growing number of women who want casual-dressy comfort.

The duo stuck mostly with wool, silk and cotton, with an emphasis on typical fall colours such as black, grey, rust and olive, because women prefer natural fabrics that move and breathe, they said. But recognizing the growing influence of man-made fabrics, they also threw in vinyl pants and skirts.

"We're living in a technological age," said Cornish. "A lot of designers are looking at techno-fabrics because they feel they should, but nothing works like wool, silk, cotton and other natural fabrics to make clothes look good."

Brooks, who's into her fourth decade of designing, waved her patriotic flag with a line called Upper Canada Impressions, using thick, rich wools blended with angora and cashmere, with details such as hand-cut fringes, scarves and native British Columbia beads. Her winter-garden prints featured large rose patterns in jersey separates.

Her hairy tube dresses, tops and wide pants in lilac and burgundy signalled she means business in the new century. The "strand" pieces were an updated Stone Age look, reminiscent of what Betty and Wilma wore on the Flintstones, complete with chunky clear plastic jewelry.

New designers Olena Zylak, Kafi Wilson and Karen Uhm of vir-go, and Shelli Oh of harebell injected energy and creativity to fashion week. The four are with the Toronto Fashion Incubator, which houses newcomers in a building with mini-design areas to give them a start in the business. Dixon sponsored their show at his church studio as a thank-you for receiving incubator support when he was starting out.

Trends

Old-fashioned and funky fabrics: Old and technologically advanced versions of wool, denim, leather and suede, with man-made latex, vinyl and other high-tech fabrics; also natural fibres like tweeds, silks, cottons, organza, angora, cashmere, mohair and fur.

Warm colours: Typical fall colours like dark brown, black, rust, olive, deep orange and red, with secondary colours such as lilac and apple green adding interest.

Hemline ups and downs: Hemlines are all over the map, with an emphasis on knee-to-ankle lengths.

Pushing pants: Relaxed fit, with some skimming the body but mostly looser. Belts aren't an issue because many styles have no belt loops.

Details: For many pieces, belt ties around sweaters and jackets replace buttons; top stitching; funnelnecked tops; ruffles.

No-sweat sweaters: Knits are big, in chunky and streamlined styles of dresses, tops and skirts.