FASHION Magazine

Much like a blank canvas, white fashions are the clean slate that every wardrobe needs. The versatility of the innocent hue lends itself to endless styling possibilities. With the no-white-post-labour-day rule behind us (how passé), we’re free to stock up on crisp white pieces for summer, fall and beyond.

Stars on and off the red carpet are choosing white as their colour of choice. The ongoing white trend can just as easily adopt a streamlined, clean-cut look with sharp tailoring, as it can a perfectly pretty one with embroidery and sheer silks. Whatever your flavour, the posh hue is the perfect choice for showing off some of your boldest accessories. Consider pairing your favourite whites with a fierce animal print bag as Beyoncé pulled off recently. In the jewellery department, try topping off a white frock with an edgy, head-turning necklace like Olivia Palermo. A bold lip can also make as strong a statement, with Karlie Kloss showing off the perfect red pout to avoid looking washed out by her all white red carpet getup.

Much like the stars they dress, A-list designers are showing their love for the always-in-style hue. To keep it fresh, Bottega Veneta combined white-on-white textures on its Spring 2013 runway. Chanel spiced up ensembles with pearl beads garnishing white pieces.

Still doubting the power of an all white palette? Fear not, because we’ve asked our style panel for tips on how to wear white.

Over My Styled Body’s Lyndsey Forest agrees that accessories are key to amp up a white ensemble. She also suggests trying an unusual hemline to keep your look fun. Alicia Fashionista’s Alicia Quan pairs her whites with edgier pieces such as a leather jacket to avoid a bride-to-be look. With Love Gabrielle’s Marta Tryshak thinks that white is easy and fabulous. She considers well-fitted white denim jeans a must-have and advises investing in a pair that can be worn well into the fall.

Question 62: How do you wear white while keeping it fresh? Read the answers now!

Four brains (and closets) are better than one. Or at least, that’s what the new site, The Style Common, shows us. Started by four Vancouver-based fashion bloggers (three from our very own Style Panel, no less), The Style Common is a collective that pairs online skills with companies looking to partner with bloggers.

Started by Alicia Quan of Alicia Fashionista, Alexandra Grant, Jen Tam of Her Waise Choice and Jennifer Pistor, The Style Common is tapping into a market that has been steadily building. Bloggers have started to work closely alongside companies with events like Tavi Gevinson touring with Urban Outfitters all summer or Leandra Medine of Man Repeller collaborating with lines like Dannijo. Bloggers have the ability to get the word out about brands, products or whatever through their personal voices and knowledge of what works for their readers.

It’s hat season, though many would like to avoid it. For some of us, the idea of wearing a hat may induce horrific memories of flat, static lifeless hair, and unfortunate style choices we may have made when we were young (we’re looking at you, Doctor Seuss hat). Let’s face it though, winter hats are hard to avoid, and actually quite essential to staying warm all season long.

Beanies and toques were the style of choice for many of our Style Panel members, and there is no question why. Beanies provide ultimate ear warmth while remaining the simplest style to wear on a particularly bad hair day. But if getting hat head is a concern, earmuffs and headbands do just the same trick while leaving your hair relatively untouched. For a more fashion-forward take on the look, trying a Russian-style faux fur headband like Barbara Solomon’s adds an extra touch of luxe.

Question 28: What is your go to hat or head covering for winter and why is it your favourite? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEXANDRA NIKOLAJEV, TORONTO | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | JEN TAM, VANCOUVER | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KAYLA SHORT, HALIFAX | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON | WHITNEY COSGRAVE, LOS ANGELES

See the Man Repeller party photos »

She may be The Man Repeller, but Leandra Medine draws a crowd of both ladies and gents. This time, it was a legion of Vancouver admirers that lined up for her Wednesday night appearance at Gastown boutique Secret Location.

A bounty of her kin, and by that we mean well-turned-out fashion bloggers, turned out including Little Fashionisto’s M’c kenneth Licon, A Fashion Love Affair’s (and Style Panel’s!) Cara McLeay, Bullet With Butterfly Wings’ Katharine Horsman, Alicia Fashionista’s Alicia Quan and Partly Sunny’s Sunny Shum.

See the Topshop Vancouver opening photos »

Vancouver’s media and fashion folk clamoured into Topshop’s glossy new Granville Street location in the basement of the Bay yesterday, taking tours through the almost maze-like black mirrored space as they absorbed the many and varied sections the British export had on offer. From mod silhouettes to a Scandinavian-meets-military line to the fast fashion retailer’s exclusive collaboration with J.W. Anderson, the sheer number of covetable pieces was almost overwhelming. And then, there was the shoe wall—any red-blooded woman alive would experience a flutter of heart palpitations upon walking into the sleek space, where studded fall-apropos suede booties took up residence alongside futuristic powder pink and gold heels.

Let’s be honest, mixing prints can be a scary and daunting concept for most girls out there. Sticking to a norm of block colours or one simple print in our sartorial choices is a safety net for many of us because we fear that mixing prints will result in a messy eyesore.

Many designers jumped on the bold print bandwagon for Fall 2012, from the delicate floral seen at Dolce & Gabbana to the fun geometric prints at Prada, but it’s a matter of mixing the two together that leaves most of us in a fashion pickle.

This week’s Style Panel has risen to the mixed-print challenge, and our members have come up with many new and comfortable interpretations to try out. An easy go-to print for some of the girls was stripes, as seen on The Style Mogul’s Christina Cravero’s floral and stripe combo and A Fashion Love Affair’s Cara McLeay who accented hers with gingham of the same colour. Also, please give a warm welcome to our newest Style Panel member, I’m a Little’s Alex Nikolajev, who kept her mixed prints classy and subdued by using colourful accessories from the same colour palette on her printed skirt. Leave it the Style Panel to take care of all of our fashion fears.

Question 22: How do you combine two or more prints in one outfit without looking like a mess? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, VANCOUVER | ALEXANDRA NIKOLAJEV, TORONTO | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | DANIELLE ROCHE, TORONTO | JEN TAM, VANCOUVER | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | MARTA TRYSHAK, TORONTO

From strong shoulders to wider than wide pant legs, the big and boxy look has been revamped to epic proportions for Fall 2012. A far cry from its 1980s shoulder-pad incarnation (hello bargain basement bin!), the look suddenly feels modern again with runway takes by Haider Ackermann, Alexander McQueen, Viktor & Rolf and the like. Modern, yes. But easy to pull off? Maybe not. As big as the big trend may be, it still ranks high on the hard-to-do scale.

In attempts to figure out this boxy challenge, we asked our Style Panelists how they work the style. Check out the four awesome answers, including one for our latest Style Panel member, Toronto-based blogger Christina Cravero of The Style Mogul.

Challenge 20: The boxy look is a big trend for fall but it’s often hard to do for fear of not flattering your body. How do you wear it? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, VANCOUVER | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON

As we’ve already proven on the site, there are many ways to get into the Olympic swing. And since our main expertise involves how one might wear it, we’ve melded the two in this week’s Style Panel feature! From sea to shining sea, we asked our panellists to show us their best patriotic outfit, by styling pieces from the Bay’s Team Canada collection. The results, as usual, are as awesome and unique as each panelist. Want to score a piece of your own? Head on over to thebay.com for a peek at what the brand is offering.

Question 12: What’s your favourite way to sartorially support Team Canada? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | ÉLODIE PARTHENAY, MONTREAL | JEN TAM, VANCOUVER | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | NIKI BLASINA, NYC VIA VANCOUVER

Bright lips are another one of those things that was once seen as statement, but has now made it mainstream. Despite its popularity from the runway to the red carpet, though, some still find the colour pop hard to do. To help, we asked the ladies of Style Panel for their unique tips on how to dress for their favourite shades. New this week, we’ll be hearing from beautiful Montreal-based blogger and vintage maven Élodie Parthenay, the latest addition to the panel.

Question 11: What is your favourite way to wear a bright lip to correspond with your style?
Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | ÉLODIE PARTHENAY, MONTREAL | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX

Ah, the summer wedding. It’s one of the most special events of the year, and yet it poses one of the biggest fashion challenges. Can I wear white? Is floor length too much? How much skin is appropriate? Do I look like a doily? To answer your these dilemmas and others like it, we’ve turned to our Style Panel for some much needed help.

Question 7: What is your favourite way to dress up for a summer wedding while avoiding the many faux pas? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | ALYSSA LAU EDMONTON | CHLOE WISE, TORONTO | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDERICTON | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL

View the runway photos »
View the party photos »

Vancouver announced it’s coming out of the closet and into the streets and stores to throw its own official Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) on September 6 of this year. The invite for the launch-come-fashion show decreed “afternoon elegance” as the dress code to suit the Shangri-La Hotel location, and most attendees obliged.

At the press conference, details of the event were announced by Vancouver Fashion Showcase, the licensed local organizer of the global initiative instigated in 2009 by Anna Wintour, and advisory team Alexandra Suhner Isenberg of Searching for Style and designer Jason Matlo. The September event is expected to include the participation of 90-some fashion and beauty retailers, as well as restaurants.

Despite how widely worn and loved vintage clothes are, some of us still get that familiar icky feeling when entering a second hand shop. The racks seem endless (and not in a good way), the air seems stuffy and the amazing finds are not a sure thing. Nonetheless, vintage shopping is still one of the cheapest, most eco-friendly and fun ways to get in on the trends you love. Moreover, it will ensure that you wont see your outfit doppelganger around every corner. To ease you into the treasure hunt, we asked our Style Panel, now including Vancouver’s Alicia Quan of Alicia Fashionista how to wear vintage.

Question 5: How can you break into vintage if it’s not your thing? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALICIA QUAN, VANCOUVER | ALYSSA LAU EDMONTON | AMY NELSON, CALGARY | GRACIE CARROLL, TORONTO | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDERICTON | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON