FASHION Magazine

See our favourite shoes from Fall 2013 »

Forget diamonds, everybody knows that shoes are a girl’s best friend. As the Fall 2013 trends begin to emerge, so too do the must-have heels, boots and flats of the season. This round of fashion week has brought with it oodles of new shoe trends to look out for. From strappy suede booties to architectural high heels, the New York, London, Milan and soon-to-be Paris runways are filled with quirky designs that can certainly be the finishing touch on any outfit.

So far, many designers are reinventing old classics and updating them with modern details. Case in point: high-heeled loafers, seen at Mulberry, Rag & Bone and Moschino, which gave a new feminine twist to menswear’s most classic shoe by using fresh yellows, and unexpected patterns. Speaking of unexpected combinations, one of the most unusual footwear trends is the emerging sandal-boot. Open-toe booties are nothing new, but this time designers such as Prada have created a boot customized with cutouts around the sides and front of the shoe.

Check out our top picks at Barneys Warehouse »

Bargain hunters and designer addicts rejoice! Today marks the launch barneyswarehouse.com, the long-lauded online hub for Barneys New York’s semi-annual designer blowout outlet sale. With big-named duds (think Manolo Blahnik, Alexander Wang, Rag & Bone, Yves Saint Laurent, Marni and more) discounted up to 75% off and easy shipping to Canada worked in, there’s no doubt the website will be as huge a hit for the company as it is us shoppers.

See Jerome LaMaar’s illustrations »

Fashion illustration has long made our hearts skip several beats and luckily the blogosphere is full of talented artists who love to take the latest runway looks and turn them into beautifully rendered imaginative hand sketches (giving our eyes a fashionable feast). But with the recent rise in this art form’s popularity, it can be difficult to find sketches that really stand out among the many. Which is why we’re loving the work of a Mr. Jerome LaMaar, whom we discovered this morning reinterprets classic cartoon characters in the coolest looks from the Spring 2013 collections.

Everyone’s favourite Sailor Moon girls don labels like Balmain, Céline, Prada, Givenchy and Dries Van Noten’s grunge couture; Betty Boop flirts it up in Alaia; Jem (of The Holograms) gets attention-grabbing Balenciaga and Daria trades her usual green jacket and brown pleated skirt for colourful Marni prints. And that’s just naming a few. Alexander Wang, Chloé and Roberto Cavalli all get mentions as well.

By Randi Bergman and Meredith Gillies

2012 has been quite the year. We’ve waited for Carly Rae Jepsen’s phone to ring since what feels like forever, we developed major girl crushes on Girls director/writer, Lena Dunham, and we felt like we’d never be as cool as Azealia Banks. Jepsen, Banks and Dunham may have rocked our worlds this year, but in the world of fashion, important things that have gone down too. There have been soaring highs, crashing lows, and shocking changes for celebrities, designers and even journalists.

Designer shifts at Balenciaga and Dior that are just a sampling of what seems like an endless list of fashion shakeups that went down over the past 12 months including Stefano Pilati and Hedi Slimane at Yves Saint Laurent, YSL becoming simple Saint Laurent Paris and more. And speaking of shakeups, Kristen Stewart’s rise from a teen queen to a heartbreaking fragrance face has been epic to say the least. So let’s look back, reflect, and count down together the events that made 2012 so real.

See our list of 2012’s top influencers »

It’s officially official. Balenciaga has issued a press release stating that Alexander Wang will take on the role of creative director of the fashion house, succeeding Nicolas Ghesquière, making last week’s rumours a reality.

“I am deeply honored to embark on this new role for a brand and house that I have such great admiration and respect for,” said Alexander Wang in the press release. His new role at Balenciaga will include designing women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, accessories and maintaining the house’s image. His first collection for the almost 100-year-old house will be for Fall 2013—which is only a few months away. Wang’s role at his eponymous label will not change.

The fate of Balenciaga has been decided. Alexander Wang has been unofficially named the new creative director, succeeding Nicolas Ghesquière—whose final day at the French fashion house is today.

What has been a month of rumours and suspicions about who will take the helm of the brand was settled with a new report from WWD early this morning. According to market insiders, PPR—owner of Balenciaga—has selected the New York-based Alexander Wang to take over although neither Balenciaga nor Alexander Wang has confirmed just yet.

The rumour mill has steadily been churning since the announcement of Nicolas Ghesquière’s departure from Balenciaga. Effective tomorrow, the seat of the creative director will officially be vacant, but as of today it seems that Alexander Wang has pulled ahead of the bunch and is the front-runner for the position.

According to the French newspaper, Nouvel Observator, Wang has emerged as the shoo-in for the job, and this statement was followed up by, New York Times writer, Cathy Horyn—who was one of the first to break the news about Ghesquiere’s departure—in an article that said the announcement of Wang’s new role at Balenciaga could come as early as next week.

Check out Rihanna’s looks from the 777 tour »

“Hello! This is 777. Let’s get drunk! I love you!” Rihanna announced into a Boeing 777 PA as the first leg of her tour promoting her newest album, “Unapologetic” took off. The tour, which consists of seven shows in seven countries in seven days, is a lot of performing to say the least. But Rihanna is up for the challenge.

She also told the 200 fans, journalists and her personal entourage, “It will be the coolest thing I’ve ever done.” We won’t disagree with that statement.

View the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show 2012 photos »

Or jump to: THE SHOW |BACKSTAGE | FRONT ROW | RED CARPET

Glitter, gloss, wings, 6-inch heels, plenty of pink, big, sexy hair and legs that go on for days—the Victoria’s Secret Angels know how to give good glam. Hours before the annual Victoria’s Secret fashion show began, we headed backstage amidst clouds of hairspray, racks of Swarovski-encrusted pink satin Victoria’s Secret robes and throngs of editors/bloggers/photographers to get the inside scoop from the heavenly ones (The jitters! The diets! The costumes!). Pre-show, Twitter was a-buzz with news of Karlie Kloss’s new ‘do but post-show it was all about her controversial Native American-inspired costume, which subsequently will be pulled from the televised show on December 4th. From Justin Bieber to Bruno Mars to mega-babe Rihanna, the musical performances didn’t disappoint, nor did the star-studded front row which included Alexander Wang, 30 Rock’s Katrina Bowden, Debbie Harry, members of Kings of Leon , Gossip Girl’s Jessica Szohr and Vanessa Hudgens and her boyfriend Austin Butler. Here, FASHION shares our all-access pass to this year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, backstage and beyond….

See all the Christmas luxury gifts »

Holiday shopping for the men and women in your life that have exquisite tastes can be a tricky task. But by taking hints from the Fall 2012 runways, shopping for Christmas luxury gifts can be managed a lot easier. We’ve compiled a list of luxury gift ideas just in time for the holiday season to be upon us.

Geometric prints were one of the biggest trends that came down runways for Fall 2012, so impress a lucky lady in your life by honing your Prada knowledge by choosing a luxury gift that is reminiscent of the brand’s fall collection. Or how about looking to the East for Asian-inspired prints in a shoe from Aldo or beauty travel case from Salvatore Ferragamo—both of which wouldn’t look out of place on the Proenza Schouler Fall 2012 runway.

Christmas luxury gifts can come in all shapes and sizes, but it all depends on the giftee’s personal style and tastes. That being said, a fan of Ralph Lauren’s Fall 2012 collection may not appreciate a D.L. & Co. skull candle; so choose your luxury gifts based on his or her sartorial favorites.

The influence of fashion on the gifts featured in our Christmas luxury gift guide will ease you into checking off the stylish family and friends in your life when doing your shopping this holiday season.

Jump to: CABIN FEVER | GOTHIC GLAM | CLEAN SLATE | PRETTY SWEET | SHANGHAI NIGHTS | DREAM WORLD | PREP SCHOOL | SLICK SPORTIF | PRINTS CHARMING

We were given 24 hours to reflect upon the departure of Nicolas Ghesquière from Balenciaga before the rumour mill started up, and the rumours will only continue until the Parisian fashion house announces whom it has selected to take the reigns.

Chief executive officer, Isabelle Guichot, told WWD that they will announce the successor of Nicolas Ghesquière “as soon as we’re ready” but added that they “have a short list.”

Although she declined to delve into the short list, speculation has already been made about who will be stepping in. According to sources, American-based designers Alexander Wang and Joseph Altuzarra are rumoured to be candidates for the coveted role as well as London talents, Mary Katrantzou, J.W. Anderson, Thomas Tait and Christopher Kane.

See the Holt Renfrew showcase photos »

The post Video: Watch the Holt Renfrew designer showcase in motion (and drool over Stella, Prada, Dolce and more!) appeared first on FASHION Magazine.