FASHION Magazine

In celebration of Michael Kors’ 35th fall show, we took a deep dive into his life and career. Sequins for day might not sound like a big deal now but when Michael Kors sent them down his spring 1990 runway, they sure were. His cotton shorts covered in transparent sequins were a head-scratcher. So were the […]

The post Michael Kors 101: See the Designer’s Most Memorable Moments appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

To coincide with FASHION’s 35th anniversary we’re taking a look back at some Canadian beauty trailblazers that have made waves throughout the country and abroad over the past 35 years. Brands such as M.A.C, Ojon, Moroccanoil and Cargo may have started small, but are now recognized around the globe and have been providing consumers with makeup products and tips for decades. Talent-wise, from Kristjan Hayden to Grace Lee to Greg Wencel (and more!), Canadian-born hairstylists and makeup artists have left their mark on top brands and stars—including Alexander McQueen, Yves Saint Laurent, Gwyneth Paltrow, Gisele and Kristen Stewart. And the ever-growing green beauty industry is yet another area that Canadians excel at: brands like RMS Beauty, Consonant and Bite Beauty & Sula are getting noticed for their eco-friendly and all-natural approach.

See all the beauty trailblazers »

Jump to: BRANDS | HAIR & MAKEUP | FRAGRANCE | GREEN

It’s been a mind-bending year for actress Kristen Stewart. Sarah Daniel sits down with Balenciaga’s new fragrance face.

The 3 things we learned about Kristen Stewart during our interview »
Watch the behind-the-scenes video from the campaign shoot »

In the advertising campaign for Balenciaga Florabotanica (from $90, at department stores and thebay.com), Kristen Stewart, the face of the dark floral fragrance, stands amid a minefield of ominously beautiful botanicals, inspired by the same vintage Pierre Frey wallpaper that influenced Nicolas Ghesquière’s Fall 2011 collection. Hovering near a stoic Stewart is what appears to be a Venus flytrap, angling to chomp down on her head.

“I think he’s fucking amazing,” Stewart says of Ghesquière, the house’s creative director and the man who wooed her to front its latest fragrance, perhaps with the promise that she wouldn’t have to pose on satin sheets—or smile. Though, on set, she would have been willing to cooperate if that had been the order of the day. “I was like, ‘Do you want me to stand a certain way to show the curves of the dress? Do you want me to model it up?’ By default, you sort of learn these things over the years, but they were like, ‘No, no, no, just stuff your hands in your pockets and just stand there.’”

An Ottawa model, a Toronto-bred photographer and a Paris hotel room packed with haute couture. What a perfect way to illustrate FASHION’s mandate—bringing the international world of fashion home.

PHOTO SHOOT:
See the gallery of images now »

BEHIND THE SCENES:
Goes behind the scenes at our haute couture shoot in Paris »

VIDEOS:
Watch as we share two videos from the shoot »

ON LOCATION:
Hôtel de Crillon in Paris »

Back in the 1970s,Toronto Life magazine began to experiment with supplements about food and men’s and women’s fashion as a way of generating more advertising dollars. These looked like separate magazines, with their own covers, but they were stapled or bound into Toronto Life. FASHION became the first supplement to spin-off into a separate magazine. Current editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra sits down with FASHION’s first editor-in-chief, John MacKay, who now runs his own fashion and beauty publicity and marketing firm, MacKay & Co., to talk about some of the differences between then and now.

Take a look at some of FASHION’s early spreads »

ALWAYS IN FASHION

38 Fashionmagazine.com
42 Letter from the editor
44 Contributors
48 behind the scenes
50 Letters from our readers

ANNIVERSARY
53 FASHION began as a city magazine, but thanks to the talents of many over the past 3.5 decades, we have grown into Canada’s most-read fashion and beauty magazine. We look at the changes in shopping, runway shows, fashion media, models and more since our debut.

“Snakes. Paris. And Linda Evangelista.”

When ideas started percolating (a year ago!) for this 35th anniversary issue, never did I guess we would wind up here.

But I couldn’t be more thrilled.

FASHION was born as a city magazine helping Toronto women dress for success. Thanks to the brilliance of many over the past 3.5 decades, we have blossomed into Canada’s most-read fashion and beauty magazine. So there were two goals for this special issue.

One: to present a snapshot of Canadian women now to illustrate how far we have come since 1977, when “career woman” was a relatively new concept. Our second aim was to highlight FASHION’s mandate: Bringing the international world of fashion home.

For the latter, we dreamed of the ultimate fashion editorial—haute couture, shot in Paris. Toronto ex-pat photographer Benjamin Kanarek and Ottawa model Amanda Nimmo delivered that and more with a stunning spread set in and around the Hôtel de Crillon (“A Canadian in Paris,” page 204).

“Many of the interesting shapes featured in this photograph are duplicated,” says FASHION’s current art director, Maarten Sluyter. “The model’s hair mimics the volume of her skirt, and the V shapes are repeated. There’s a lot of contrast in this image—it’s stark white and jet black with very little grey. It makes me think of classic Man Ray or Herb Ritts photography. The model’s pose has a timeless, sculptural quality—it’s graceful, almost ballerina-like. Here, form takes the spotlight.”

ALWAYS IN FASHION
18 Fashionmagazine.com 
22 Letter from the editor
24 Contributors
26 Letters from our readers

FASHION FILE
30 PREVIEW From New York to Paris, FASHION’s first look at Fall 2012.
38 FLASHPOINT Stylish Canadian women take the spotlight in ’80s-inspired neon and one-shoulder goddess gowns.
40 MODELS Life behind the lens: Sarah Nicole Prickett traces the rise of models turned photographers.
46 THE LIST Designers are breathing new life into those old blue jeans.

2012 marks FASHION Magazine’s 35th Anniversary! To celebrate, each issue, we’re pairing up with a different Canadian who is also celebrating a milestone. We invite our readers to enter for their chance to WIN the designers’ featured show pieces. Good luck!

Enter to win this Rad by Rad Hourani coat »
Watch our behind the scenes video with Rad Hourani »
Read our interview with the designer »

“There is a dreamlike quality to this image. The Victorian-inspired parasol adds an element of mystery because the model’s eyes are concealed,” says FASHION’s current art director Maarten Sluyter. “Exploration and adventure await in this seemingly infinite desert setting.

The neutral colour palette strikes a harmonious chord while the ripples in the diaphanous skirt echo the patterns etched in the sand. It’s pure and simple, like a summer’s day.”

“This candid shot of Kirsten Owen has a strong grunge feel to it. It’s the graffiti on the wall and the dirt on the ground, and her messy blonde hair and clothes are almost anti-fashion,” says FASHION’s current art director, Maarten Sluyter.

“As a model, she was always creating other people’s moments—photographers, stylists—and this image captures her moment, her five minutes spent by herself. She seems completely unguarded and happy. It’s really street photography before street photography became a trend. Now, we see photos of models off-duty all the time, but back then most people probably wouldn’t have recognized her so dressed down. It’s about feeling comfortable, looking exactly the way she wanted to.”