FASHION Magazine

I’m staring at a giant blue shaggy rug embedded with splotches of fuchsia when designer Calla Haynes swoops over, points to the fuchsia bits and whispers, “that was my prom dress.” We’re in a well-appointed Rosedale mansion replete with OTT meat-and-cheese-spread for the launch party of The Boucharouite Project, the name of Haynes’ latest artisanal […]

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See the Calla Spring 2014 collection »

Sun, sand and ‘90s surfer babes were the retro cool inspiration for the Calla Spring 2014 collection at day one of The Shows in Toronto. Models in beach-friendly digs, from neon coral frocks with chunky scuba zippers to Body Glove-esque swimsuits with sexy scooped backs, walked down the runway to the cheerful, appropriately laid back Beach Boys tunes. Crop tops, skater dresses and wild-style baseball caps added a whiff of Venice Beach skateboard culture to the Californian surf aesthetic. Our favourite looks saw slouchy pullovers paired with feminine skirts, either short and sweet or full with couture-like cuts.

As always with designer Calla Haynes‘ collections, prints and fabrics were highlights. Alcantara—an ultra luxe, ultra thin Italian fabric—appeared on a flirty frock, slouchy board shorts and an oversized moto-inspired jacket. Customized with a watery Japanese calligraphy print and crinkled to create a casual well-worn effect, Haynes called the print “Shonan” after the famous Japanese surf town. Meanwhile, we saw paper tweeds (created by Malhia Kent, the French mill that produces haute couture tweeds for Chanel) in a structured boho poncho that calls to mind the beach bum style of Australian surf brand Kuta Lines, and in a crop top and high-waisted skirt combo worthy of Cher Horowitz. Long live ‘90s nostalgia!

New York, London, Milan and Paris may host countless (and mind-blowing!) shows during September, but with October quickly approaching our minds are already prepping for Toronto Fashion Week. When it comes to saving the best for last, our city is wrapping up the Spring 2014 season with stellar home-grown talent.

The packed Toronto schedule includes both The ShOws and World MasterCard Fashion Week, both of which are sure to show spring collections that will have us wishing we could just sleep through winter. Need more intel? Read on—we’ll be updating this guide to Toronto Fashion Week Spring 2014 as the details roll in.

Jump to: World MasterCard Fashion Week | The ShOws

Two Canadian-born designers (and former FASHION Ones to Watch!) have been announced in the running for the prestigious French ANDAM Fashion Award. Both Calla Haynes and Thomas Tait have been nominated for the award alongside Vika Gazinskaya, Cedric Charlier and Nicolas Andreas Taralis, which means each stand to win 230,000 euros—an impressive sum that would […]

The post May the best (Canadian) designer win! Calla Haynes and Thomas Tait are both nominated for the ANDAM Fashion Award this year appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Say it isn’t so! As we reported yesterday, the fashion world was hit with a major disappointment with the announcement that after 27 fabulous years on air, Fashion Television has stopped production. This end of an era certainly had us thinking “what happened?!” While FT had always been known for bringing insider access to the masses, it seems that the industry invasion of bloggers and runway live streaming has resulted in poor ratings as of late.

While Fashion Television certainly blazed the trail for leading fashion news and introduced many of us to the industry while giving us rare insights into the surreal worlds of Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld and the like, the show has suffered a viewership plunge in its last years. Scarce one-on-one interviews are a things of the past with greater access to designers (most fashion houses produce their own branded media content).

What does this all mean? The Globe and Mail writes “spending tens of thousands of dollars on travel is no longer considered a smart investment when access to designers and tastemakers […]”

The world may have changed since FT first aired in 1985, and the show’s end may seem inevitable, but we’re certainly going to miss seeing Beker’s trademark quirky charm and can’t wait to see what she what future endeavor she has up her stylish sleeve. And according to Bell Media, we do not have too long to wait: “Bell Media remains committed to the fashion genre & will continue to grow FTC to deliver a broader appeal for viewers & advertisers. Jeanne Beker remains with Bell Media & we look forward to new projects with her.

Whether it’s through Stella McCartney’s tireless battles to bring eco-awareness to the forefront, or with H&M’s bringing it to an affordable price range, we’ve learned that fashion really should not come at the price of being at odds with the earth. And since we know you’d love to do both, we’ve made it a cinch with this foolproof eco-friendly guide that hits all the marks with the hottest trends for spring.

View our picks »

Day two of the shows began with another early rise, this time for Lacoste’s Fall show at Lincoln Center. The intrinsically sporty brand took an edgy spin for Fall, with designer Christophe Lemaire turning up the zip-age on the collection from the first look—a quilted high-necked vest over a long and oh-so smooth black leather jacket and colour-blocked leggings—to the last—a black leather mini with sleeves that zipped off above to give the appearance of a jacket worn just on the shoulders.

Next was Jill Stuart with a gussied up Nikki Reed and Olivia Palermo in the front row. The designer’s penchant for vintage girliness extended to a ‘60s soundtrack dubbed over models who showed off gold-threaded embroidery on turtleneck dresses, slim trousers, and pleated skirts. Continuing on the blowout spring trend, a peplum showed up mid-show to amp up the au courant.

Introducing our new weekly video series, in which we’ll be bringing the freshest crop of homegrown designers and video artists together with unique collaborations. First up, Eva Michon confronts the apocalypse with Calla’s Spring 2012 collection. Enjoy this visual feast, and go behind-the-scenes with Lewis Mirrett’s photo gallery of our day on set. View the […]

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Go behind the scenes »

Welcome to the set of our first fashion film, the apocalyptical Welcome End, by director Eva Michon. Starring the Spring 2012 collection by Calla Haynes, the film is the stylish telling of what might be the last day on earth. And what better place to prep for the end of the world than a North Toronto mansion complete with marble fireplace, glass tabletops, and a cavernous book-filled library?

Lewis Mirrett was on set to capture all the action, from Fashion Television’s visit, to model Devon Owens hissing at a porcelain cat.

For the Calla fans who appreciate a little less frill, the Toronto-born and Paris-based designer is now bringing her heavenly digi prints to everyday, with a Spring 2012 collaboration with denim brand April 77. The brand’s cult silhouettes get the Calla treatment in mostly grey and off white, but we’ve got our eye on the deep-cobalt Seurat-meets-Pollack print on the brand’s Marky jean pictured above.

View the collection »

View the Thomas Tait runway photo gallery »
View the Calla runway photo gallery »
View the Calla backstage beauty gallery »

View the backstage beauty gallery »
View the runway photo gallery »
View the runway video »

Soft and romantic, the look at Calla Haynes was a modern approach to ‘60s beauty—and if that brings to mind visions of fresh faces and at-home hot rollers, you’re on the right track. For hair, Justin German, Pantene’s consulting stylist, created two different versions of a rough half-updo, with a textured bump—“For lack of a better word,” he noted—on top and loose, brushed-out curls at the back. German pointed out that the finished look included visible bobby pins to make the hair look “almost like you did it yourself.”