Happy 40th Birthday to FASHION! Here’s How We’re Celebrating This Milestone
by Noreen Flanagan
I was more daunted by FASHION’s 40th birthday than I was when I marked that milestone. How do you possibly honour all the talented people who worked at this magazine for the past four decades? The other daunting task was deciding who would be on the cover. For the magazine’s 35th anniversary, former EIC Bernadette Morra brilliantly landed the iconic supermodel Linda Evangelista. I tried for Shalom Harlow—who had her first-ever FASHION cover in November 1990—but it was a no-go.
On January 26, I saw an Instagram post from John Galliano’s Spring 2017 haute couture collection with Maison Margiela, and I was inspired/obsessed. Galliano had designed a white trench coat that was intriguingly embellished with a three-dimensional tulle sculpture of a woman’s face. “Why isn’t this in my closet this morning??!!” I wrote in my regram.
I wondered who was behind this fabric artistry and—more importantly—could this person be enticed to create a tulle cover for FASHION’s 40th? A quick Google search revealed it was U.K. artist Benjamin Shine. My next task was to send beseeching emails to Shine’s agent, Katherine Maginnis. She kindly arranged a phone chat, and, somewhat miraculously, Shine agreed to take on the commission.
Even more miraculously, he ended up being in NYC the day of our cover shoot with model Amber Witcomb. Shine worked with photographer Owen Bruce to capture the image that he used for inspiration. In “She Walks in Beauty,” an editorial shoot for our upcoming November issue (sneak peek below), Bruce captures beautifully nostalgic yet modern images of the season’s strongest looks. The title, which is a line from Lord Byron’s famous poem, became the theme for the shoot as well as the fashion film shot by Erik Swain.
The idea to use this poem as inspiration came from my 93-year-old father, Francis. On set, Swain suggested that Witcomb read a poem, but none came to mind. I emailed my dad—a kind-hearted fellow with a relentlessly poetic view of the world—for a suggestion. His reply: “There are many poems that capture a woman’s beauty and grace, but this one from Lord Byron is among the best that I have read or studied.
Six weeks after our July 20 shoot, my husband, David, and I picked up the portrait in NYC and transported it back to Toronto by train. The specially commissioned piece will be for sale via auction on Oct 3. Proceeds will go toward the creation of a fund to support emerging fashion design talent at Ryerson University.
Upon seeing the portrait, one colleague said it reminds him of Evangelista, while another suggested it looks like Harlow. That’s part of Witcomb’s allure. Her career is blossoming, but she told me that she will always remember this experience, as will I. From the tulle cover to the retro and future-inspired stories, our goal was to mark the occasion with a touch of nostalgia and a forward-looking sense of optimism and curiosity.
Click through the slideshow below to see how FASHION’s other contributors and editors chose to celebrate this milestone moment.
A Tulle Portrait of Amber Witcomb (Elite Toronto/Want Management) by Benjamin Shine
Photography courtesy of Trunk Archive.
Photography by Carlo Mendoza
Photography by Marie H Rainville; Styling, Caitlan Moneta & Eliza Grossman; Creative direction, Brittany Eccles & Nicole Livey
Photography by Lindsey Byrnes
Photography by Shalan and Paul; Editor, Lesa Hannah; Hair and makeup, Diana Carreiro; Manicure, Leeanne Colley; Model, Alexa
Photography by Owen Bruce;
Styling, Anna Katsanis; Creative direction, Brittany Eccles; Hair, Lucas Wilson; Makeup, Linda Gradin; Manicure, Rieko Okusa; Fashion assistant, Alexandria Rudolph; Model, Amber Witcomb for Elite Toronto/Want Management
“In an age of materialism and mass distraction, these works explore and expose the fragile relationship between the superficial and the spiritual” says Benjamin Shine of his medium. “The pieces aim to evoke a sense of self reflection, contemplation and meditation – a moment to slow down; to discern order from chaos and to connect with a feeling of clarity and the true self within.”
But how does it feel to see your own face emblazoned in tulle? “I’ve never seen work quite like Ben’s,” says cover star, Amber Witcomb. “It’s so incredibly timeless and beautiful. I’m sure I’ll always remember it once my modelling journey is over.”
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FASHION’s 40th Birthday
“There’s much talk about disruption in fashion (and the media), but that’s a very ‘in the now’ way of thinking. Every time period is in flux, and I think that is what we wanted to get across for this anniversary Style section.” says executive editor Jacquelyn Francis. “So we spoke with one of the greatest fashion magicians of the last 20 years, the runway producer Alexandre de Betak, whose thoughts on the fashion press and establishment are quite powerful but also non-traditional thinkers like a chemical engineer turned blazer designer and a museum curator who wanted to build an exhibit around ‘Garments that Changed the World’. Fashion is in constant motion, it’s unnerving but this is how it has to be.”
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FASHION’s 40th Birthday
“I went to New York for a exclusive customization experience with Coach before the service comes to Canada,” recalls FASHION’s associate fashion editor, Eliza Grossman. “When making our bag I chose pins and embellishments to honour FASHION’s anniversary. The marigold 40 is an obvious nod to our age, but the spaceship was chosen to represent the future and the dice to symbolize good luck. The hangtag says #1977 in silver for the year it all began.” Coach is giving away two customized leather handbag experiences (one in Vancouver and one in Toronto). For a chance to win, enter here.
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FASHION’s 40th Birthday
“Like black and white, blush has a timeless beauty,” says fashion market editor, Caitlan Moneta. “No matter how the fashion tides may turn, I could see myself wearing any of the special pieces we pulled for this story today, tomorrow and 40 years from now.”
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FASHION’s 40th Birthday
“It seemed only appropriate in a milestone issue to talk to an artist—or in this case, artists—who were celebrating a milestone of their own” says FASHION’s features editor Greg Hudson. “This year Tegan and Sara were celebrating ten years since they released The Con. What’s interesting about that milestone for them, though, was how difficult putting out that album was, and yet it is still something that is great enough to be celebrated a decade later. There’s a life lesson in there about the benefits of adversity, or perspective, about how you’ll never know how life will be once you’ve weathered whatever storm you’re experiencing now. But mostly, I just wanted to talk to Tegan and Sara. My sister is a super fan.”
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FASHION’s 40th Birthday
“For our 40th, I asked Sali Hughes, a beauty writer and author whom I greatly admire, to write about the current state of the industry as well as where she’d like to see it go,” says FASHION’s beauty director Lesa Hannah. “Elsewhere, we wrote about a new breed of beauty influencers who actually do research and know their shit. We also wrote about small batch skincare with expiry dates, and how cleansers are moving from not just functional but experiential.”
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FASHION’s 40th Birthday
“Amber is a very modern beauty who embodies the current direction of the fashion world. To photograph her, I kept things classic – daylight, hand-painted fabric backdrops and mid-century modern furniture,” says Owen Bruce, photographer for November 2017’s “She Walks in Beauty” editorial. “Overall, it was a nod to classic masters of photography and fashion.”
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FASHION’s 40th Birthday
“My parents came to Canada so their children could have a better life; they didn’t even know what ‘modelling’ was. Most magazines didn’t have black women on their covers. When I landed this, I thought, ‘Maybe I’m changing the face of fashion in this country.’” Model Lana Ogilvie speaks on being a model and a woman of colour in 1980’s Canada in our anniversary retrospective.