FASHION Magazine

Elections are big business across the border, meaning that the rich and famous are quick to publicly support their choice candidates. But when you’re Barack Obama, you get some pretty fashionable names—one look at Obama’s fundraising shop and you’d think that American political merch was the latest H&M or Target collaboration! Jason Wu, Prabal Gurung, Marc Jacobs and Alexander Wang are just a few of the many designers who have created official custom campaign items, from printed sweaters to tote bags to…nail polish?

Alexander Wang is known for his weathered Tees and dresses—but it’s the workers making his clothes who are feeling worn, due to apparent grueling working conditions. After reportedly enduring mistreatment in the form of unreasonable deadlines and unpaid overtime, 30 of Wang’s employees have filed a $50 million labour lawsuit against their employer.

This story reads like a scene out of Oliver Twist, with The New York Post reporting that the workers were “forced to work 16 hours a day or longer—without overtime—in a suffocating, windowless, 200-square-foot room.”

Wenyu Lu, one of the 30 employees of the New York studio, claims that he once fainted and was hospitalized for several days as a result of working a 25-hour day.  He also had to “knit and perfect” a pair of leather trousers (a lengthy 12-hour process) in just four hours. According to Lu’s attorney, the company eventually fired him on February 16 after he filed for worker’s comp.

Wang, who reportedly earned $25 million in 2011, has been a shining beacon of success this early in his career. We only hope that his future is paved with more fairness and honesty.

Princess Diary
By Dennis Hensley

Lily Collins embarks on a thoroughly modern fairy tale with her first starring role,
as a sword-fighting, prince-saving Snow White.

When Lily Collins arrived for her first costume fitting as Snow White on the Montreal set of Mirror Mirror, she assumed the most fabulous getups would go to her co-star Julia Roberts, who plays the evil queen. “I saw all these dramatic, colourful, amazing outfits and I thought, ‘Wow, Julia’s so lucky,’” says the 23-year-old British-born actress who’s best known for playing Sandra Bullock’s daughter in The Blind Side. “And then they started bringing them in, and I said, ‘Is this for me?’ The first outfit took 25 minutes to get into, and when I looked in the mirror I got teary-eyed.” Then there were the elaborate sets; she describes a giant indoor forest and 40 tons of salt for snow. “I was sprinting through this huge room of trees, in my ball gown, sword-fighting, going up cliffs,” she marvels. “When the crew brought their kids onto set, they would see me and start crying. They were like, ‘Blanche Neige!’”

View Lily Collins’ wardrobe picks »
Read the interview with Lily Collins »

As I get ready to hand the reigns over to Rebecca Tay for her coverage of London Fashion Week, let’s take a moment to digest what went down this week in New York. From the top trends developing to some of the best moments, I attempt to break it down in an orderless top 10:

Read up on the week »

What felt like a week-long whirlwind at the time (and realistically, actually was!) has now come to a close. From wind-tunnel hair to blue cat eyes, a Harper Beckham cameo, and one awesome T-shirt, here’s our top 10 backstage moments from New York Fashion Week.

Let’s count ’em down! »

By Lesa Hannah and Sarah Daniel

It was sink or swim backstage, where wet hair and glistening skin were major beauty themes to surface this season. At Bottega Veneta and Diesel, Guido Palau crafted dripping chignons and misty ponytails. At Alexander Wang, models looked like they had just hopped out of the shower. The sopping effect wasn’t achieved with H2O but with argan hair treatment “until you really get it looking wet,” says Palau. Super-hydrated skin with a healthy sheen was reminiscent of an Olympian post-workout, or in the case of Missoni, a girl who had been up all night flamenco dancing—the models’ dewy complexions achieved through artful placement of metallic cream shadow. That shine could also result from plenty of Botox, according to makeup artist Val Garland, who simulated that supernatural skin for Giambattista Valli by strategically applying a pink-gold pigment on the planes of the face.

See the backstage beauty »
See our editors’ product picks »

Today we’re taking a look inside the Danier bag belonging to Anita Clarke. A fixture on Toronto’s fashion scene, Clarke has been running her blog I Want – I Got for almost seven years. Her no-nonsense attitude, infectious laugh, and impeccable sense of style ensure that she’s always surrounded by other interesting industry peeps—so it’s no wonder that we’re curious about the things Clarke surrounds herself with!

Let’s explore! »

Day four and we can’t stop won’t stop! We predicted that the scene outside Alexander Wang would be full of bustle and we were right. Lewis Mirrett captured fellow photog Terry Richardson, the Very Classy Derek Blasberg, and Gisele, amongst others, all waiting to get into Wang. (Well, Gisele walked the show, so no wait for her!)

Hit the streets! See all the pictures »

Barely any makeup is par for the course at Alexander Wang, where his downtown girl is so cool she doesn’t need to wear much. In keeping with this recurring idea, makeup artist Diane Kendal created “a very sculpted look, keeping it almost kind of androgynous,” using M.A.C Pro Sculpting creams. With “Coffee Walnut,” she contoured the cheekbones, temples, and the side of the nose, and then added highlights in the same areas with “Accentuate.” Brows were kept straight and boyish, and lip balm was dabbed on models’ mouths. “He just wanted the girls to be strong and a little bit warrior-like,” said Kendal. Manicurist Jin Soon Choi applied “Bandage,” to the nails—a beige shade from the designer’s second collaboration with Sally Hansen.

Day two of the shows began with another early rise, this time for Lacoste’s Fall show at Lincoln Center. The intrinsically sporty brand took an edgy spin for Fall, with designer Christophe Lemaire turning up the zip-age on the collection from the first look—a quilted high-necked vest over a long and oh-so smooth black leather jacket and colour-blocked leggings—to the last—a black leather mini with sleeves that zipped off above to give the appearance of a jacket worn just on the shoulders.

Next was Jill Stuart with a gussied up Nikki Reed and Olivia Palermo in the front row. The designer’s penchant for vintage girliness extended to a ‘60s soundtrack dubbed over models who showed off gold-threaded embroidery on turtleneck dresses, slim trousers, and pleated skirts. Continuing on the blowout spring trend, a peplum showed up mid-show to amp up the au courant.

By David Livingstone

Start the slideshow »

Louis Vuitton show for Spring 2012 opened with the tinkling of a music box and the rising of a scrim to reveal a carousel carrying girls in pale dresses on cream-coloured ponies. It might have seemed a saccharine set-up, but such a response could just be a bad case of not getting it. The news of the season is gentle news. That’s what Marc Jacobs got so right at Louis Vuitton. All the white and those whitened pastels—a key colour trend, favoured by both traditionalists such as Ralph Lauren and more experimental types such as Christopher Kane and Hussein Chalayan—might have appeared to be borrowed from a bag of miniature marshmallows. But the candied palette was not there simply to satisfy a sweet tooth. It also appeals to a Bluetooth appetite when dished out in fabrics that are marvels of modern technology—things like foam organza, silk cellophane and laser-cut leatherette. For the theory-minded, it’s tempting to conclude from the fact that we live in times when you see toddlers dressed in skull patterns and infants swaddled in camo-print blankets that it’s only logical their moms should start playing with pink and baby blue.

From ladylike lace to colourful clashing prints, we present your complete guide to Spring 2012’s freshest new runway looks.

Start the slideshow »

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