FASHION Magazine

See photos from the Holt Renfrew Rag & Bone party »

Toronto is so desperate for springtime, that not even last night’s biblical style storm wouldn’t stop its style inclined inhabitants from flocking to Holt Renfrew for a party in honour of Rag & Bone’s neon-heavy spring collection. Packed to the racks of the department store’s third floor, partygoers—including designers Marcus Wainwright and David Neville, who made it in the nick of time after hours of flight delays—seemed especially eager to throw down to the DJ tunes and get crafty with the makeshift graffiti board that had been installed on a nearby wall.

And now for the fashion: Spring’s graphic black and white trend was embraced by many partygoers, most notably by stylist Mariko Lauren who channeled Wednesday Adams in a peter pan collar dress and wide brimmed hat and the always-fabulous Kealan Anne Sullivan, who artfully paired a vintage policeman’s hat with a black velvet cape, a white turtleneck sweater and beat up jeans. Socialite Stacey Kimmel braved gravity in a skin-baring halter black dress with selectively geometric fabric slashes. And at the other end of the spectrum, designer/photographer Ashley Rowe went for the kaleidoscopic effect with her lime green active suit suit, turquoise-dyed hair and gal pal stylist Cara Joy Purkis who wore head-to-toe red.

See all the Holt Renfrew party pictures »

Not even a micro-blizzard can stop Toronto from celebrating the start of World MasterCard Fashion Week in style. Open-toed shoes and floor-grazing hemlines were spotted on many of the attendees at Holt Renfrew’s cocktail kickoff party, with barely a salt stain or goose-bump in sight.

The party, which started after the last of Monday’s shows, transplanted the front row set—that is, a mix of editors, designers, photographers and buyers—onto the third floor of Holt Renfrew. Ambient music (courtesy a Bellosound DJ in a white Jeremy Laing dress) mixed well with on-brand magenta lighting, making for quite the party den far away from the tents at David Pecaut square. And magenta wasn’t just everywhere thanks to the lighting: from Ashley Rowe’s dip-dyed hair and bright caftan to Lisa Tant’s magenta bolero jacket to a pocket square (that may have actually been a pair of panties, according to one onlooker) worn by a crafty male guest, the evening was filled with shades of pink, purple and red.

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Size matters for Fall 2012; volume has been turned up and proportions maximized. Boxier silhouettes, broad shoulders, and architectural layers come together to create striking visuals in our October issue.

On the runways, we saw Comme Des Garçons create a whole new body shape (think: human gingerbread man), Mugler restructured the peplum to add some renewed intrigue to the trend, and Pheobe Philo for chose to supersize her collection for Celine with coats of epic proportions.

View the photo gallery »

It’s not very often that an evening can be described as unforgettable, but Operanation 8: A Muse Ball was exactly that. Last Friday, the Canadian Opera Company’s annual gala took over the three-storied lobby of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, a glittering venue that had passersby on University Avenue gawking through the windows, and with good reason.

Yorkville’s Rac Boutique put together a fashion installation of custom-made designs by Canadian labels like Calla, Joeffer Caoc, Ashley Rowe, and Greta Constantine. Since the wares were showcased by models more mannequin than mortal, more than one of the 1,100 guests was excused for mistakenly fondling the ladies’ outfits. But really, who could resist copping a feel of that floor-length, electric-purple Arthur Mendonça number?

In our second installment of The FASHION Experiment, we go on-set at Ashley Rowe‘s fall 2011 runway photo shoot and put the designer’s muse, photographer/videographer Betsey Berger, in front of the camera. Think she can make it as a model? Watch to find out!

The post The FASHION experiment: Is this photographer the next it-model? appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Designer labels like Prada, Ralph Lauren and Dolce & Gabbana roll easily off the tongues of the average Canadian fashion enthusiast but less so names like Breeyn McCarney, Zoran Dobric, Heidi Ackerman and Nella Bella. Toronto-based online store and community Ukamaku (ukamaku.com) hopes to change that.

Siofan Davies spoke to Ashley Rowe about her juice-inspired spring show, which she presented last week in Toronto. See a gallery of the full Ashley Rowe Spring 2011 collection» Read our full coverage of Toronto Fashion Week»

The post Video: Ashley Rowe talks about her spring collection appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

When a designer dips into tie-dye, you expect they’ve been influenced by a historical reference (Chip & Pepper tracksuit–wearing surf kids of the late ’80s? Dead Heads in psychedelic T-shirts?) or perhaps a traditional technique, like the Japanese shibori treatment utilized by Proenza Schouler, but for Toronto’s Ashley Rowe, the point of inspiration was juice. […]

The post Toronto notes: Ashley Rowe presents a juice-inspired tie-dye collection appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Toronto designer Ashley Rowe has collaborated with a five local style personalities on a handful of get-em-until-they’re-gone T-shirts. The collaborators, including fashion writer Sarah Nicole Prickett and Bras and Ranties blogger Jen Newton, provided Rowe with the inspiration and the designer went to work, splattering–and apparently baking–the tops. Rowe specializes in high-quality wardrobe staples, so […]

The post We want: Ashley Rowe’s splattered tees appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Greta Constantine: Spring 2010 trunk show and personal appearance (November 20 and November 21, 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor St. W., Toronto.).

Ashley Rowe: Up to 90 per cent off silk, leather dresses, pants and jackets at this invite only sample sale. (November 20, 5 p.m. to 9 p.m., contact rsvp@ashleyrowe.com for location and invite).

We visited Toronto designer Ashley Rowe to talk about her new signature line and what she has on tap for Spring 2010.

P.S. Recognize that model in the look book shots? That’s Chelsea Coyle, star of three Beauty 101 videos and owner of a fantastic head of hair.

Video after the jump.