FASHION Magazine

Growing up, one of my favourite things about summer vacation was hitting up the local library and checking out as many books as I could jam into my backpack (shout-out to anyone who remembers being a VIP of this uber-exclusive club). There’s something about the arrival of summer weather that still revives my urge to […]

The post All the runway looks our favourite literary characters would wear appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Dan Zevin’s latest four books, which are disguised as cute, wallet-sized paperbacks for kids, are anything but childish. Meant to be a fun-house mirror to classic children’s books written by Roger Hargreaves back in the 70s and 80s (remember Mr. Strong, Mr. Greedy and Little Miss Bossy?), Zevin has taken a biting, comedic and thoroughly modern […]

The post Introducing Little Miss Hot Mess and Little Miss Overshare, the stars of Dan Zevin’s new books appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

As fashion’s reigning It girl, it was only a matter of time before Chloë Sevigny released some sort of retrospective. It’s been over 20 years since she burst onto the scene with the release of Kids in 1995 and the title still fits like a glove. The self-titled book, out today, features film stills, modeling […]

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See all the photos from the Upgrade book launch party »

Is there anything more enticing than a promise to make your regular old life extraordinary? It was this premise that inspired Rana Florida to write her latest book, and the reason why a very swishy crowd gathered to celebrate the launch of Upgrade on Tuesday night. Held at the home of Suzanne and Mark Cohon, the party attracted a mix of Toronto’s most stylish and most social. It was certainly a who’s who of the city’s creative set—a group more likely to be featured as an Upgrade case study than those in need of the book’s advice.

Holt Renfrew’s Moira Wright (in a sleek black pantsuit and tuxedo jacket) mingled with Greta Constantine’s Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill, who were just days away from jetting off to Paris. The guest of honour was decked out in a stunning Clover Canyon dress—purchased just for the occasion—and Rana wasn’t the only one in digital prints and vibrant colours. Alexandra Weston toned down her purple, blue and grey Peter Pilotto skirt with a leather moto jacket, while Jane Apor’s fluro-orange clutch and heels added a pop of colour to her ensemble. Twitter Canada’s Kirstine Stewart was also rocking some orange, with a pair of bright pants that should probably be on everyone’s fall must-have list.

See all the Christmas gifts
for kids »

Christmas is the time when the younger ones in our lives declare what they want to see under the tree. And if you’re sick of hearing “puppy!” year after year it’s time to take back the reigns from Santa and plan creative gift ideas for kids all by yourself. While our selection of holiday gift ideas represents a wide range of ages from tiny toddlers to teenagers, they are all products that will make them look forward to your gifts for years to come.

If you want to head down the clothing route for girls, step away from the cutesy pink dresses and choose a studded and totally trendy Topshop headband—which is sure to make the other girls in class envious. And leave it to Marc Jacobs to create a high fashion version of the swappable and coveted Silly Bandz that all spell out his name—a fun and new take of the popular rubber accessory. And when you’re young, the $16 price tag means nothing, but the designer name says it all.

It’s a good week for fashionable female icons. Just a mere day after it was announced that Lena Dunham is writing a book, it has been revealed that Alexa Chung is planning on doing the same thing.

While both books will offer advice and personal anecdotes, the comparisons end there. According to British Vogue, Alexa Chung’s “will allow fans to step inside her world, as she reveals how she decides what to wear, her fashion influences and style tips.” Due out in September 2013, the book will feature Chung’s writing, as well as personal photographs, drawings and sketches—some of which can already be seen if you follow her on Twitter. (Fingers are crossed for an entire chapter on quirky nail art inspiration!)

While Alexa Chung has secured a publisher, Lena Dunham’s search for one is part of the publicity for her forthcoming book.

Pippa Middleton may often join her sister at various royal appearances, but whereas attending the Queen’s Jubilee or Wimbledon is a typical day’s work for Kate Middleton, Pippa’s own job is a little less public.

To get into the London swing, we’ll be giving away 10 copies of Lindsey Kelk’s latest hilarious read, I Heart London, about a gal falling in love with the city once again.

I Heart London by Lindsey Kelk, $16.

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See the full giveaway calendar »

It’s hard to think we could ever have anything but unbridled excitement for a $20 Céline-esque find at the mall, but a recently released book is warning that fast fashion’s trend machine may have some serious repercussions.

In Elizabeth L. Cline’s Overdressed: The Shockingly High Cost of Cheap Fashion, she points a finger at fast fashion retailers like Zara, saying they may be churning out cheap wares at the cost of much more: namely, our planet, our market and our wallets (not to mention our groaning, filled-to-the-brim closets).

“In a very short period of time clothing has gone from something that we need to save up for and something that people valued and took care of, to something that is an impulse and disposal purchase,” she told Fashionista.

We see her point: most of us get a cheap retail fix at least once a week, which is an entirely different approach than generations past, when women used to save up and invest in clothing (what’s more, their clothes were usually custom-made). And we can’t argue with the fact that cheap fashion giants are our first stop when we want to try a brand new trend without the big financial investment.

According to Cline, the issue is that despite the fact that our clothes cost less, we’re consuming more of them. Cline says we’ve developed a toss-away attitude to passé trends, throwing away our month-old rayon or polyester wares only to immediately replace them with the latest week-old offering.

Not only is this bad for our bank accounts and our wardrobe, she says, but fast fashion companies either place pressure on or drive out niche companies. Many independent retailers are forced to drastically reduce their level of craftsmanship, while others simply can’t keep up with the competing rate of production and close up shop. Finally, Cline points out that the more we consume, the more strain we place on our natural fiber providers, meaning that more and more clothes will be created out of synthetic materials.

What do you think: does Cline have a point, or is she ignoring the fact that many of us dabble in both high and fast fashion, and that there’s a place for both?

Nearly 10 years after penning her “fictional” book about geek-turned-chic assistant Andrea Sachs and ice-queen editrix Miranda Priestley (who is famously inspired by Anna Wintour, who the author was a personal assistant to), Lauren Weisberger has put pen to paper again to bring the characters back to life.

Revenge Wears Prada: The Devil Returns takes place eight years after Andrea triumphantly left Miranda in Paris. Andrea has teamed up with her nemesis-turned-friend Emily to create The Plunge, their very own magazine, and is engaged to a “social media scion” called Max (poor Nate). Thanks to New York’s small media world, Andrea’s path once again crosses with Miranda’s and, of course, drama ensues.

The gossamer lace dresses printed with a profusion of blooms in Erdem’s Spring 2012 collection called to mind a few things: a summer of leisure, innocence about to be lost, perhaps a girl one step removed from reality. London, U.K.–based Canadian designer Erdem Moralioglu explains that he conceived the designs after reading Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, “and it stuck.” The French Riviera–set story of a girl’s complicated relationship with her widowed father and his lovers was written by Sagan in 1954, when she was just 18.

This literary link in Moralioglu’s design process isn’t out of the ordinary. A voracious collector of books—he estimates his current count at close to 1,000—he frequently looks to them for inspiration. “I can point to books on my shelves that were catalysts for different collections,” he says.

From our photo shoot with 82 year-old China Machado to top tips from icons like Sophia Loren and Twiggy, we’re celebrating all things age-appropriate with a jam-packed guide.