FASHION Magazine

See the AGO Massive Party photos »

Last night’s Massive Party at the Art Gallery of Ontario was just that. Massive. The ninth annual fundraiser sprawled across much the AGO’s Frank Gehry-fied space with gold glitter, gold jewels, gold-inspired exhibits and even gold body paint on scantily clad models. The theme for the night, if you haven’t guessed by now, was indeed luxury’s finest metal: gold. Inspiring many of the night’s 1,800 attendees to dress their blingiest, gold may as well have been a metaphor for “top tier,” with many of Toronto’s top artists—Maylee Todd, Thrush Holmes and Tibi Tibi Neuspiel to name just a few—participating with one-off installations and performances for the night. Even the night’s curator, multidisciplinary artist Justin Broadbent created exclusive pieces for the event, our favourite being a graffitied “Poor Hipster” painting bookended with gold streamers.

See the photos from Patti Smith at the AGO »

Patti Smith is taking Toronto by storm. Body and soul, too. With a solid-week of press conferences, appearances and sold-out shows in support of her exhibit “Camera Solo” at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the once reluctant high priestess of punk has morphed into a veritable art shaman, worthy of the same worship she attaches to the figures she features in “Camera Solo” through photographs and objects of their belongings, abodes and resting places.

Last night, the 66 year-old singer took to the makeshift stage in the AGO’s Frank Gehry-fied centre court for the first of two back-to-back sold-out performances as part of the museum’s monthly 1^st Thursdays art party program. Along with her daughter, Jesse Paris Smith on piano and guitarist Tony Shanahan, she lit the night with renditions of songs like “Ghost Song,” “Pissing in a River” and “Because the Night” as well reading excerpts from her book Just Kids. The excerpts, which seemed to tie in with the canonizing theme of the exhibit, included tales of Allen Ginsberg and a poem for Robert Mapplethorpe.” He didn’t live to read it, so I’ll read it to you,” she said.

If you’ve gone through our 500-item holiday gift guide and have yet to find perfect Christmas gift ideas (impossible!), perhaps the personal picks of FASHION’s staff might get you inspired. Our editors are sharing the luxury gifts they are hoping to see under the tree come December 25, but have also given us some ideas as to what their loved ones will be receiving. From fashionable books, jewellery and clothing to opera tickets and spa gift certificates, our editors are lusting after many things this year. But Christmas is a season of giving, and judging from the items that our editor’s will be giving this year, we know it will be a very lucky holiday season for all.

View the list »

Jump to an editor: Bernadette Morra | Nicole Stafford | Elio Iannacci | Rani Sheen | Lesa Hannah | Randi Bergman | Paige Dzenis | Sarah Daniel | Sarah Casselman | Caitlan Moneta | Jacquelyn Francis | Caitlin Agnew | Eliza Grossman | Brian Fleming | Sonya Van Heyningen

See all the Christmas gifts
for kids »

Christmas is the time when the younger ones in our lives declare what they want to see under the tree. And if you’re sick of hearing “puppy!” year after year it’s time to take back the reigns from Santa and plan creative gift ideas for kids all by yourself. While our selection of holiday gift ideas represents a wide range of ages from tiny toddlers to teenagers, they are all products that will make them look forward to your gifts for years to come.

If you want to head down the clothing route for girls, step away from the cutesy pink dresses and choose a studded and totally trendy Topshop headband—which is sure to make the other girls in class envious. And leave it to Marc Jacobs to create a high fashion version of the swappable and coveted Silly Bandz that all spell out his name—a fun and new take of the popular rubber accessory. And when you’re young, the $16 price tag means nothing, but the designer name says it all.

Last night, the Art Gallery of Ontario was filled with some of the country’s grandest doyens and doyennes (Mulroney! Eaton! Weston!) for the official kick off to the gallery’s Picasso exhibit, which opens to the public next Tuesday, May 1. Infusing the Gehry-designed space with a bit of Barcelona-meets-Paris flavour, the room was decked out with brightly-hued bohemian essentials, which were certainly not limited to the nude models being sketched (in Pablo’s famed style, of course) in plain view. At the centre of it all? Kim Cattrall, looking as va-va-voom as ever in a printed tie-neck blouse, and slimmer-than-slim black pants. If only Samantha had been there to make an off colour nakie remark…

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See all the party pics! »

Art lovers and party enthusiasts alike flocked to the Art Gallery of Ontario last night for its eighth annual Massive Party fundraiser. Spread throughout many of the gallery’s floors, guests mingled among works of art from the AGO’s collection and special exhibits that played off the party’s theme of “LIGHT SOUND OBJECT PAST PRESENT FUTURE.” While this message was projected as part of a light show on the very-coveted third floor, it might not have resonated with all the guests. “I think the theme is high school?” one attendee said after getting pinned with a “2nd Place” ribbon by a team of mock cheerleaders dressed in blue and white. (Their cheer? “Second is the new first!”)

Word: Lubok

Meaning: Russian popular folk art print, common from the last half of the 17th century through the beginning of the 20th.

Usage: “It was the naive coincidence of picture and narrative that gave pleasure to the spectator-reader of the lubok.” — from some textbook on Russian post-modernism

For the past eight years, Canada’s top designers have joined forces with Cashmere Bathroom Tissue to put together what may very well be the most unique fashion show on the planet: the White Cashmere Collection. Presented this past Wednesday at Toronto’s Art Gallery of Ontario, the Collection of bathroom-tissue outfits supports the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation, heralds the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and boggles the mind (how is that made out of toilet paper?!).

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Word: Anthropometry

Meaning: Literally, it’s the measure of a man or a woman; it’s the measurement of human parts relative to the whole. Art historically, it’s the name used by Yves Klein for some of his more infamous work.

By Randi Bergman and Jordan Porter

Cottage, Schmottage! Sometimes it’s easy to forget the fun factor right in our own city, but from under-the-stars romantic date nights to air-conditioned art escapes to pink-umbrella-clad beaches to let-the-music-set-you-free dance parties at NXNE, we’ve discovered a gold mine of sweet summer to-dos. And to properly appreciate all Toronto has to offer, you’ve got to be stylishly prepared, so we’ve included a list of our fashionable urban essentials. Oh, and don’t forget to stay tuned in the coming weeks for more summer-in-the-city tips from Joy Pecknold, our West Coast editor.

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