FASHION Magazine

No one does high-end sci-fi mash-ups better than Nicolas Ghesquière and Balenciaga Fall 2012’s outsized Star Wars meets Elizabethan England printed sweaters are just the latest indication. Otherworldly yet utterly wearable, we took the challenge of DIYing the look. To boot, we came in under $100 (ahem, the original is almost $4,000!)

Let’s DIY! »

Fashion’s favourite season is finally here and we’ve got the chock-a-block trend report to prove it, complete with 138 of the top looks that take you from Fall’s dark fantasies into Winter’s light and feminine pastels. Go on, get clicking!

See all of the trends »

JUMP TO A TREND:
NIGHT VISION | EMBELLISH THE STORY | PANTS | GREAT OUTDOORS | FINE CHINA | MISS ‘60s | JEWEL TONES | SUGAR RUSH | SPECIAL FX | SIZE MATTERS | PEPLUMANIA | KNIT PICK

Drink in the magic of Fall 2012 with FASHION’s first look at the hottest shows, most bewitching sets, best new trends and more.

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JUMP TO: NEW YORK | LONDON | MILAN | PARIS

To celebrate fashion’s biggest season, we’ve put all of the most major ads (So much image slicing!) together in one space. We’ll be adding new creatives as they become available, so be sure to check back for all the biggest and best.

See all the campaigns »

Last week we were in Paris to interview Kristen Stewart about being the face of Balenciaga’s new Florabotanica perfume, which launches this fall. Between attending a garden party—hosted by Stewart and the fashion house’s creative director Nicolas Ghesquière—and chatting one-on-one with the actress the next day about everything from fashion to fragrance, here are three things we learned about KStew.

Up until she was hand-plucked by Balenciaga designer Nicolas Ghesquière to be the face of the label’s latest fragrance, Florabotanica, Kristen Stewart was a perfume virgin. Growing up, her interests were more of the rough-and-tumble variety than sneaking samples of her mom’s cosmetics. Considering that the Snow White and the Huntsman star admits she’s “a terrible liar,” there was some anxiety leading up to her first encounter with Balenciaga’s new scent—but by the sounds of it, Stewart is now hooked:

A piece of fashion history could be yours as The Daphne Guinness Collection hits the auction block tonight. Daphne Guinness, the heiress-turned-fashion-icon, has put 102 pieces of haute couture and runway fashion from her personal wardrobe up for auction with Christie’s auction house. The collection — which includes pieces from Alexander McQueen, Balenciaga, Christian Lacroix and Christopher Kane — reflects the quirky sense of style that has made Guinness a muse and friend to some of the biggest names in fashion, including the late Alexander McQueen.

Hailed as one of Canada’s e-queens, Joanna Track is the founder of one of the country’s first fashion e-tailers, eLUXE.ca (formerly Dealuxe.ca), which carries the covetable likes of Smythe, Pink Tartan and J Brand. Track was first the genius behind the much beloved Sweetspot.ca, and clearly has a killer taste for talent (our once–fashion director now fashion editor-at-large Susie Sheffman now works over at eLUXE) and a sense of what the ladies want. So without further ado, let’s see what she wants!

Let’s explore! »

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Amidst the mass hysteria (how else could one describe it?) that was the Dior succession saga of 2011/2012, you may have heard the name of a little-known French couturier, Maxime Simoëns, thrown around. And while those rumours may have been totally unfounded, today’s announcement that LVMH would be investing in his eponymous line has made it crystal clear that his is one name to remember.

In a surprising turn of events, LVMH head honcho Bernard Arnault has invested a significant but undisclosed amount in the 27-year-old’s two-years-young label. And while Arnault is famous for treating the global luxury market as one gigantic game of Hungry Hungry Hippos (hint: LVMH=the hippo, everyone else=the balls), the mogul almost never invests in new labels.

Despite his young age, Simoëns is no stranger to the fashion world. He studied fashion at the famed École de la Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture and then apprenticed at Elie Saab, Jean Paul Gaultier, Balenciaga and—get this—Dior under Galliano. Not to mention his Maxime Simoëns line that shows during Paris Couture Week and his bevy of celebrity clients (mostly French) including Canadian Rachel McAdams.

Arnault must think the wunderkind has got some serious talent—and with his track record, can you blame him? This has people wondering if Simoëns is being readied to take the reins at one of LVMH’s more established labels. Could we see Simoëns at Givenchy post-Tisci? Or at Fendi post-Karl? Given this year’s intense, never-ending game of fashion musical chairs (Jil! Raf! Stefano! Hedi!), we can’t help but applaud Arnault’s foresight.

By now, you must know that Pippa Middleton was in Paris this weekend. And her friend was pointing a gun at some paparazzi.

“Gungate,” as it is now known, blew up over the past few days with people wondering: Was the gun real? Will Pippa go to jail? Is Queen Kate mad? Will the royal sister be plucked from the front row at Temperley and thrust into Balenciaga’s Fall 2012 spy-themed collection ads? And what about Isabel Marant’s cowboy collection?

Before you get your knickers in a knot, apparently Jr. Middleton was not impressed with the violent act—at least, according to a rather gentlemanly public apology from Pippa’s carmate Viscount Arthur de Soultrait who said, “Obviously Philippa had no idea that he was going to do that and told him to stop immediately…She did not find it funny.”

Luckily for The Royal Family and Pippa, the scandal has slowly fizzled into nothing but a small pile of inert gunpowder. For starters, it’s since been discovered the gun was, in fact, a toy (though why any grown man would be carrying one of those around anyway is completely beyond us). It also appears no one has actually complained to the French police about the incident, so Pippa is not likely to face any criminal charges. Phew.

While she may not have committed a real crime this weekend, she most definitely committed a fashion one. The royal sister-in-law was in Paris for the 1700s-themed birthday party of the aforementioned Viscount and wore an unforgiveable fucshia, bow-covered, corset thing (there is no better word) atop cropped lace leggings that had some questioning her status as a fashion icon. This apparently paled in comparison to the other partygoers who, according to E! Online, wore “dog collars, chastity belts and surround[ed] themselves with dwarves.”

This week, you’re in for a treat! Well, a few of ‘em to be precise. Not only are we giving you a peek inside the life of one of Canadian fashion’s head honchos, but we’re giving you a twofor bag snoop as well! Now presenting the lemon yellow Balenciaga Papier Tote AND the Prada pouch belonging to Holt Renfrew’s VP of fashion direction, Barb Atkin. At the helm of the luxury retailer, Atkin is to thank for bringing some of the most coveted brands to the country (ahem, Tom Ford?). Now for a bit more coveting, let’s explore all her amazing belongings.

Let’s explore! »