FASHION Magazine

See the street style photos »

We’re already more than halfway through New York Fashion Week Spring 2014 (day five to be exact) and the street style stars just keep knocking it out of the park, layer by layer.

While the crop top is certainly a mainstay, our cross border friends proclaimed their love for the Canadian tuxedo. Case in point: this fashion enthusiast who strutted the streets in a full on onesie carrying not one but four 3.1 Phillip Lim shopping bags (We’d love to be her friend).

While fashion show regulars like Caroline Issa and Miroslava Duma flirted with the black and white trend, Man Repeller aka Leandra Medine played with a softer side with a pastel pink oversized blazer.

See the street style image from New York Fashion Week »

The sun was out on day four of New York Fashion Week Spring 2014. So were the style stars and their accessories. Carine Roitfeld’s wrap-around sunglasses were totally Star Trek and totally amazing. Just as great was Giovanna Battaglia’s pilgrim belt that was so wide it could probably double as a shirt (see below re: crop tops).  But it was neckgear that was the must-have accessory of the moment. These jewels were so chunky they were essentially clavicle armour. Case in point: Man Repeller Leandra Medine’s Frankensteinian choker.

Also out in full force? Shoulders. Like those of Moda Operandi’s Taylor Tomasi Hill and Danielle Prescod, who were just two of the showgoers to embrace the off the shoulder and strapless looks. And it if wasn’t a shoulder it was (still!) definitely a tummy. If the sidewalks have anything to say about it, crop tops will be around for a while.

See the street style image from New York Fashion Week »

We’re deep into New York Fashion Week Spring 2014 and the sidewalks are officially stacked with the biggest names in fashion—-Solange! Hanne! Giovanna! Put all those fashionistas together and you get a sidewalk-turned-runway full of inspirational, colourful, and sometimes outlandish clothing.

Being total ‘90s children, all the grunge styling had Nirvana on repeat in our heads for the third season running. Plaid and denim were featured in everything from Canadian tuxedos (what what!) to jumpsuits to ankle length denim skirts. So totally ‘90s!. Leather showed up on track pants, dresses, and the sleeves of the most covet-worthy trench of all time. Even The Newsroom’s Emily Mortimer was wearing leather Jason Wu get-up.

See the street style photos from New York Fashion Week »

And we’re back! New York Fashion Week Spring 2014 has officially kicked off, and with it a whole new season of street style photos are en route. While designers like BCBG, Tadashi Shoji, Richard Chai and Toronto-born, New York-based Tanya Taylor were busy yesterday showing us what to expect for the Spring 2014 season, photographer Stefani Yarhi had her eyes on the attendees outside the tents.

The beauty of September is that the weather allows for us to play with both spring and fall trends. While temperatures may be getting cooler, fashion die-hards were definitely keen to get more use out of their spring pieces—mini dresses, graphic tees and gladiator sandals were definitely favourites outside the shows. Sport jersey dresses also made appearances on some of the ladies—perhaps a nod to NYFW’s recent kickoff with the NFL?

However, there was no doubt that fashion enthusiasts were eager to include fall trends to spice up their outfits: Plaid and prints popped everywhere from jackets to skirts to bags. But the two ladies who pulled out hot pink to brighten up the scene were the ones who really caught our eyes.

It’s here! The streets of Toronto will be taken over on Saturday night for the city’s annual all-night art party. Given just how much there is to see during the 12+ hours of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche, we’re dedicating the entire Weekend To-Do to the most stylish exhibits and goings-on—from the festival’s kick off at 7:03pm and well into sunrise. On our list? A photo exhibit at the Philip Sparks boutique, an all night-dance party and a fancy mug of hot chocolate. (With some great art and live music thrown into the mix!)

Start planning your Nuit Blanche itinerary! »

What to read, see, hear and do this fall »

MUSIC »
Legends of the Fall: From Azealia Banks to the xx, we break down the next-level sounds of the season.
By Sarah Liss

MOVIES »
Chic Flicks: This season’s film forecast.
By Alexandra Breen

THE ARTS »
Beaton, Baroque & Beyond: Captivating art and performance on the horizon.
By Caitlin Agnew

THE T.V. »
Screen Grabs: Reality shows are retreating, dramas are breeding and ensemble casts are back to reclaim the prime-time throne. Here is a preview of the best in fall television.
By Siofan Davies

By Betty Ann Jordan

The art world—much like the fashion world—loves to redefine colour every chance it gets. Recently, a new batch of materials and technologies has enabled artists and designers to work with exquisite light-infused hues, ranging from peek-a-boo prismatics to sizzling minerals and gleaming metallics.

View the gallery »

Iridescence, for example, can be seen in both cutting-edge exhibits and the latest fashion collections. A visual property of mother-of-pearl and moonstones, oil slicks, alloys and minerals, iridescence occurs when light plays over micro-grooved surfaces and separates into prismatic colours. For a visual cue, see photos of Carey Mulligan at this year’s Met Ball: her scaled Prada halter dress, made entirely of metal paillettes, reflected a different spectrum of hues in nearly every red carpet shot.

Fashion Television (RIP) was ahead of its time in several ways, and here is one of them: In 1985, when executive producer Jay Levine launched the program, he imagined it might become a channel for short narrative videos about clothing. Fashion films, now so inescapable a phenomenon, were then just a thought without a name: if music videos could revolutionize the way we consume pop, couldn’t a little cinematography do the same for clothing? The ’70s had seen then-living legends Guy Bourdin and Richard Avedon experiment with the moving image, and as film-recording cameras became less expensive, it seemed likely they’d land in the hands of younger, emerging lensmen. As MTV was to music videos, so might Fashion Television be to this new mode of image-making.

Strategic cut-outs, thigh-high slits and body-con shapes: Sébastien Peigné and Nicola Formichetti of Mugler are bringing sexy back.

Reviving Mugler is a monster task. After designer Thierry Mugler took his final runway bow at his couture show in July 2000, this kinky house of cool (remember Demi Moore’s bondage-style dress in 1993’s Indecent Proposal?) started flatlining. Ten years later, the resuscitation began. In 2010, following months of speculation, Nicola Formichetti (Lady Gaga’s stylist) was tapped to lead the revival of the French house known for its over-the-top theatricality and sex appeal. Besides outfitting Mother Monster, this 34-year-old half-Italian, half-Japanese, techno-savvy superstar is also the fashion director for Vogue Hommes Japan and global retailer Uniqlo. His debut Mugler womenswear show during Fall 2011 Paris Fashion Week had the twitterverse buzzing about its latex-dipped leggings, body-stocking dresses and the catwalk pièce de résistance: Gaga, smoking in every sense of the word.

Read the interview »
See the slideshow »

“Those girls started riots, because Chinese people thought they were ugly,” says Phillip Ing, vice-president of global retail and special events for M.A.C. He’s describing the public’s reaction to a series of images by Beijing-based photographer Chen Man, published in 2003 on the covers of Vision, an avant-garde Chinese fashion and art magazine. OK, so they weren’t actual riots, but there was plenty of hate mail; resistance is a common repercussion when one is blazing a beauty trail in a conservative country. Her images were arresting and fantastical, and they instantly garnered attention, as did the artist herself. At the time, she was only 23 and still in school, but she represented the next generation, who no longer felt constrained by many of the limitations their nation imposed.

Continue reading about Chen Man »
View the gallery »

Bookmark this new online store: A.D.F.M. (theadfmstore.com). Based in Vancouver, the name stands for Art Design Fashion Music, and it sells a slick selection of exactly that. Curated by style-loving dj Michelle Wong, it stocks art prints, design tomes and music downloads (creative V-Day gifts, anyone?) alongside fashion lines such as Funktional, Mackage, Eryn Brinié and Dolce Vita. The website also offers 24-hour personalized advice from stylists for those wanting a little wardrobe 411.

Tonight through Sunday, the certified design-conscious Gladstone Hotel in Toronto is hosting their annual alternative design event, called Come Up To My Room. Artists and designers are handpicked by event curators and given free range to go wild in one of 25 rooms and public spaces throughout the hotel. With past whimsical installations including a ceiling of hanging jellyfish and a room full of tennis balls, you’ll certainly have your imagination stretched further than you ever expected.

See 5 of our top picks for exhibits to check out »