FASHION Magazine

Valentine’s Day is not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a holiday to celebrate love, but some may ask: why do we need a holiday to tell us? Let’s be realistic, sometimes we just need an organized day to remind us to show and share our love and thanks with those closest to us. Valentine’s Day is a carefree one, so why not dive in and have fun.

So, what to wear on Valentine’s Day? We usually think of a few options: feminine, flirty and plenty of red and pink. Paging Rihanna at the Grammys? Maybe. But for tips on how to break that down for a date or a night out with the girls, we asked our experts in residence, the Style Panel.

Miss Melissa’s Melissa Knight loves dressing girly, but hardened her short red dress with studded overcoat for an added unexpected touch. Stephanie Sterjovski went for the tricky pink and red look, which we daresay she pulled off with flying colours (no pun intended). Kassandra Camponi of Kastles went fairly literal, and chose to wear hearts from head-to-toe. So, without further ado, let’s help you find out what to wear on Valentine’s Day.

Question 38: What is your favourite way to dress for Valentine’s Day? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KAYLA SHORT, HALIFAX | MELANIE MORAIS, EDSON | MELISSA KNIGHT, VANCOUVER | STEPHANIE KOCH, KELOWNA | STEPHANIE STERJOVSKI, TORONTO | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

Coachella officially kicks off 2015 festival season this weekend, and whether or not you’re going to be in attendance, what better excuse to don crop tops and all-fringed-anything?

’70s style dominated Spring 2015 runways from Gucci to Saint Laurent, proving that the flower child look is here to stay for yet another season. And it’s with that in mind that we look back to these Style Panel looks, submitted last summer and just right for Coachella 2015.

White lace and denim shorts seem to be the sure way to accomplish the festival look. To take your basic summer look to the next level, add statement pieces like The Pretty Secrets’ Sandy Joe Karpetz did with her festival-inspired kimono. If you’re looking to add a pop of colour to your outfit, our newest Style Panel member, SummerxSkin’s Anum Khan suggests a maxi skirt and multicoloured bangles paired with a white crop top. And if you’re really confident with the trend, The Ordinary Peoples’ Alyssa Lau shows you how to dress for a festival by taking on three spring trends (bold colours, a crop top and patterns!) in one chic look.

Question 54: How to dress for a festival? Read the answers now! »

Spring 2013 may have been about bold thick stripes on jackets, crop tops and dresses, but this year, the perennial spring trend was refreshed with thinner and finer takes on the Spring 2014 runway. Cases in point: Altuzarra showed vertical stripes in pajama-esque lady-like attires while Proenza Schouler worked the lines into its crisscross bodices and metallic pleated skirts. So, as the least complicated trend to incorporate into our everyday outfits (one may argue), this week we asked our Style Panel to inspire us with updated versions of their take on stripes for this spring.

While it’s easy to stick to one striped piece per outfit, To Vogue or Bust’s Alex Grant played with a striped scarf and top in reverse colours adding an understated elegance to a casual day ensemble. Where stripes only existed on tops, blazers and dresses in her closet, Dainty Girl’s Nicole Wilson’s broke out of her comfort zone and worked a pair of vertical striped pants to a work-appropriate outfit. And if wearing stripes isn’t really your thing, Kayla Short of Short Presents works a striped weekend bag into a monochromatic look to prove that this spring trend isn’t exclusive to just clothes.

Question 102: How do you wear stripes this spring? Read the answers now! »

Can you believe it!? The 100th challenge. For nearly two years, our trusty Style Panel has been conquering style challenges from coast to coast.

In honour of the 100^th challenge we wanted to look back at the best-of by asking the Style Panel bloggers to chose a favouriite-ever look. This turned out to be the hardest challenge of all, since narrowing it down to a single look is no easy task. (Asking a fashion blogger to choose a favourite piece of clothing is like giving someone a litter of puppies and then telling them they can only choose one—nearly impossible, and sort of mean.)

The Panel, a handpicked group of Canada’s best-dressed fashion bloggers, has been answering your fashion queries using their unique fashion know-how. They’ve helped figure out Canadian tuxedos, taught us how to conquer normcore and fearlessly navigated through pastels. The Panel has been there like fashion seraphs leading through the sometimes-confusing trend terrain.

Question 100: If you had to choose, what would your favourite look be from recent years? Read the answers now! »

Soft shades of pink and blue are often associated with spring, so we’ll forgive you for thinking this trend is one you’ve seen before. For Spring 2014 it’s all about making a statement with pastels, from head-to-toe looks that stand out to unexpected mixes of feminine shades with masculine tailoring details. But when you’ve had a closet full of baby blue and baby pink items for a few seasons now, how do you make it look new again?

We asked the Style Panel this very question and, as always, they provided many helpful tips and tricks for refreshing your take on pastels the season. For Northern Style ’s Kira Paran, a pastel leather jacket serves as an edgy way to wear the shade—and, as an added bonus, is an item that doesn’t require above-average spring temps to wear. The blogger behind Barbara Ann’s Style Blog , showed us her take on wearing monochromatic pastels, with a few easy tips on how to make the look less head-to-toe and more grounded. And should you still not be brave enough to wear all-over pastels, Coco and Vera’s Cee Fardoe shows us how this trend works just as well with pastel-hued accessories. So, how do you wear pastel shades? Flip through for inspiration on how to change it up this season.

Challenge 97: How do you refresh the pastel trend so that it looks new? Read the answers now! »

We may be mid-blizzard season, but thoughts of tank tops and sunny weather have us wishing we were a million miles away. And while we can’t deny that winter’s demise is still at least a month away, one creative way to wish winter away is by wearing some of our most beloved summer pieces while it’s still cold outside.

But how to master seasonless dressing without dying a million blizzard deaths? Take a cue from our Style Panel, who has seamlessly integrated summer pieces into winter wardrobes.

Kira Paran takes a page out of Prada’s fur-for-spring book by pairing her cozy fur topper with a sporty baseball cap. Meanwhile, both Kayla Short of Short Presents and A Fashion Love Affair’s Cara McLeay layer summer dresses overtop long sleeve tops.

The end of winter can’t come soon enough, but trying some of these Style Panel-approved tips might speed up the process. Come spring time, you’ll already be ahead of the game.

Challenge 91: What are your tips for wearing summer pieces during the winter? Read the answers now! »

Nothing brings out show stopping outfits like Fashion Week Month. But we’re not just talking about the runways—the style always continues outside of the venues. Editors, bloggers and wealthy patrons tend to go all out, wearing their most attention grabbing outfits, and sometimes changing between shows. So we couldn’t help but wonder—given the chance, what would our Style Panel wear to fashion week?

In the first few days of shows, we’ve seen some jaw-dropping looks from fashion go-ers. Most notably, Michelle Harper, the queen of shock and awe, was out in a sleeveless dress with a completely see through upper-half, despite the frigid temperatures. But seemingly one of the biggest trends among fashion’s players is to mix contradictory pieces, seamlessly blending them into cohesive looks. Case in point: camp socks and gladiator sandals or a floor length grey satin skirt with a Carhartt workman’s jacket. There are no rules when it comes to Fashion Week. And if you’re ever in doubt about how to style an outfit worthy of Fashion Week, just remember: arms never go in the sleeves.

Question 90: What would your big fashion statement be for Fashion Week? Read the answers now! »

Our Style Panellists, no strangers to trying new looks or mixing it up in the name of fashion, showed how they would rock Fashion Week. Barbara Anna Solomon from Barbara Ann’s Style Blog kept things quirky with a peek-a-boo skirt and throwback sweater. Becky Kung of Velvet & Vino kept things ladylike while at the New York Fall 2014 shows with a midi skirt, it-bag and statement coat. The biggest takeaway, however, was that all of our panellists put their own unique spin on their outfits— proving that the best look for Fashion Week is something that is totally you.

Valentine’s Day can bring with it a certain amount of anxiety. Dinner plans, gifts, the right outfit… it can all be overwhelming. Thankfully, blogger Cara McLeay (from A Fashion Love Affair and our very own Style Panel) is as talented with beauty as she is with fashion. To help you check one to-do off your V-Day list, she’s created a video tutorial for a romantic half up-do—and best of all it’s super easy to do.

Layering is an art in and of itself. On frigid days, it can be a necessity for survival. On warmer days, it’ll help you go from day to night sans effort. Learning how to do it well can be tricky because simply put, the challenge in these days of the Great Canadian Winter, it seems to be more like “how to layer without looking like the Michelin Man” than anything else.

Luckily for us, many recent fashion collections have dealt some great tips. In Elizabeth and James’ Pre-Fall 2014 lookbook, a check shirtdress did double duty when worn open as a duster coat in one look and then layered underneath a pencil skirt in another. Helmut Lang, the patron saint of layering, lives up to its name, layering as many as four pieces in some Pre-Fall 2014 looks. On the fall runways, the coat trend made for some extra-interesting pairings. The key? A mixture of fabrics and textures achieve a cohesive and interesting look with depth.

Question 88: How do you layer to keep warm while still staying stylish? Read the answers now! »

New Year’s Eve is the perfect time for statement making. Sartorially speaking, piling on the glitz and glam is never more warranted. While big time resolutions for 2014 percolate, it’s one last chance to go all out for the year. To help us raise a stylish glass to the New Year, 13 of our Style Panel members are sharing their outfit picks for tonight.

Question 84: What to wear for New Year’s Eve? Read the answers now! »

Ah, what to wear to the holiday party. It’s one of our most common refrains this season, and yet, never ceases to puzzle. As we juggle an ever-surmounting social schedule of cocktail parties, dinners and the like, falling back into the fail-safe LBD can be tempting. We’re here to take you away from the typical and get you going with some out of the box inspiration.

Channeling the holiday literally with red and green is always fun, but why not go the extra mile and blend those hues with high fashion flair? You can be flirty and feminine or even grungy glam if you please. So whether you’ll be a host, attend a glitzy affair at work or be entertained by family or friends, we’re challenging you to be unexpected just like the holiday style ninjas that make up our Style Panel.

Schooling us on the art of mixing and matching sequins, stripes and metallics is Lyndsey Forest of Over My Styled Body while Jen Tam of Her Waise Choice rocks a Topshop jumpsuit that is sure to make her the flyest hostess when she entertains guests at her annual party. Showing that one can never be too dressed up during the holidays is Cara McLeay of A Fashion Love Affair who is stunning in a BCBG Max Azria maxi dress.

So consider what to wear to the holiday party your next great adventure, not challenge.

Question 80: Party style! What’s your look going to be this holiday season? Read the answers now! »

ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | AMBER DESILETS, LONDON | BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | BECKY KUNG, CALGARY | CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | IVA GRBESIC, TORONTO | JEN TAM, VANCOUVER | LEAH GUST, TORONTO | LYNDSEY FOREST, EDMONTON | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | NICOLE WILSON, TORONTO | SANDY JOE KARPETZ, EDMONTON | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

Despite the mercurial weather, our Style Panel shows you how to wear plaid in various ways. Barbara Ann Solomon of Barbara Ann’s Style Blog boldly warms us up in monochromatic red-to-toe buffalo check plaid, while Iva Grbesic of Falling in Style shows us how to pair plaid with faux-fur while keeping it business casual. Meanwhile, […]

The post How to wear plaid: 10 Style Panel tips for reinventing the classic print this season appeared first on FASHION Magazine.