FASHION Magazine

In the wake of Montreal Fashion Week, Fashion Preview has sprung. As the city’s newest platform for showcasing fresh talent, the three-day event, now in its third incarnation, is gathering worthy attention. While Montreal veteran and Canadian icon Denis Gagnon was no doubt the most anticipated (and talked about) attraction of the line-up (his black-and-white collection featured matching headscarves), the […]

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See the photos from the Renata Morales dinner »

Last week in Montreal, I attended an exclusive dinner at Centre PHI to fête the up-coming exhibition The 8-day Week curated by Renata Morales, a multidisciplinary artist who designs clothing as well creates as various artworks.

Guests were seated at a single 40-person dining table decked out in gold sequins and personalized Moët & Chandon bottles of sparkling wine. Besides Morales herself and fashion icon Denis Gagnon (the two are part of an eclectic group selling select items in an avant-garde pop-up shop), featured artist Joe Becker was present. He unveiled three of his paintings, amongst them was Not everybody can sh*t rainbows, as well as a Kurt Cobain portrait imagined just moments after his suicide.” Leave the little kiddies at home.

Showcasing Morales’ love for underground music, guests received a compilation of artists who will be performing during the event. The handpicked line-up is clearly a showcase of Morales’ eccentric universe. Mark your calendars for shows by such acts as U.S. Girls, Petra Glynt, Prison Garde and Young Paris.

View our photo shoot starring Grace Mahary »

Or jump to: BEHIND THE SCENES | SHOP THE SHOOT

In just under a year, Edmonton-born model Grace Mahary has become a star on the international fashion scene. launching her international career as an exclusive on the Givenchy Fall 2012 runway, she then landed big for the Spring 2013 season, walking runways at Marc Jacobs, Chanel, Prada and for Hedi Slimane’s first collection at Saint Laurent. For this photo shoot from our February 2013 issue, we cast the model as an It girl in transit alongside fellow model Angela Page, checked in for a night at Toronto’s brand new Four Seasons Hotel with a suitcase full of homegrown designer pieces. From Pink Tartan’s minty fresh pant suit (pictured above) to Vawk’s strict black leather dress, Grace Mahary’s star shines bright in the best of Canadian fashion for the season.

See the full gallery of Operanation party pictures »

Last Thursday opera lovers, patrons of the arts and faces who frequent Toronto’s party circuit came together to support the Canadian Opera Company for Operanation 9: Sweet Revenge. Attendees reflected the event’s theme of high-brow-opera-meets-pop-culture-concert well: Women in floor-length evening gowns navigated the many staircases of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with ease—proving there’s no architectural challenge a mermaid dress can’t master—while others used the Centre’s sprawling steps as seating throughout the night.

Actress Gabrille Miller looked stunning in a peplum’d dress from Lucian Matis Fall 2012 while Nelly Furtado had two costume changes throughout the night, starting with a gown by Denis Gagnon and later switching into a Holy Tee dress. On the third floor a group of Argo players attracted many eligible ladies—perhaps the popularity of The Bachelor Canada has given the CFL a new social standing?

View our Montreal Fashion Week Spring 2013 photo gallery! »

It sure wasn’t easy getting into the groove of fashion week the day after Labour Day weekend, but this season’s Semaine de la mode was a success on many levels. A brand new venue, the return of practically all of Montreal’s cult fave designers and the city’s first ever participation in the global event of Fashion’s Night Out made for four fabulous days that will be hard to forget—and difficult to outdo next year. Here’s our round up of the top moments from Montreal Fashion Week Spring 2013:

Summertime in Montreal is festival season. The city is one party after another with jazz, comedy, French music and, just in time for back-to-school, the Montreal Fashion & Design Festival. Now in its 11th instalment, the MFDF once again takes over McGill College Avenue. From August 1 to 4, the downtown artery will be blocked off to traffic from de Maisonneuve Boulevard to Ste-Catherine Street. Here are five reasons the fashion fest rocks:

Whether they are coming, going or waiting their turn for hair and makeup, models show their savvy in both clothes and attitude. Check out our August issue ode to model off duty style.

View the photo shoot now »

Floral prints were in full bloom in our spring trend report and given that we seem to be experiencing the balmiest March weather on record, a floral manicure was a natural choice for this week’s Nail Corner. From Marni and Mary Katrantzou to Erdem and Prabal Gurung, flowers were bright and best done in matchy-matchy all-over arrangements. And, because we’re right in the middle of Toronto Fashion Week, it seemed appropriate to seek inspiration from one of our favourite TFW Spring 2012 shows: Denis Gagnon.

Read on and feel the flower power! »

View the photo shoot »

He’s no lady. Boy wonder Andrej Pejic brings his dry wit and supermodel moves to the top Canadian designs for spring.

Watch our video with Andrej Pejic »
Read our interview »

Boxing Day: It strikes fear in the hearts of retail workers, and trumps Christmas celebrations for all bargain addicts. For the rest of us, it’s an opportunity to pick up what our well-meaning significant others didn’t end up buying us for the holidays. If you are willing to brave the cold, the lineups (like the one pictured above at Toronto’s Eaton Centre), and the inevitable Christmas hangover, here are some shops that you should check out.

View the photo gallery »

Keeping on trend with spring’s no-makeup natural aesthetic, the look at Denis Gagnon was intended to be as basic as possible. “He said to me, ‘I want [the models] to look like they just got out of bed,’” reported Eric Del Monaco, L’Oreal Paris’s official hair artist and colourist, about Gagnon’s direction for hair. “Because the clothes already have a lot of things going on, we didn’t want [the hair] to get mixed up.” The result was a so-simple-it-hurts style: Del Monaco applied a touch of Studio Line Architect Wax, roughed up the hair a little bit, and then pulled it all to one side in a loose folded half-bun with—quelle horreur!—the elastic showing.

View the photo gallery »

A 15-minute film that had us whispering qu’est ce que c’est? to our seatmates wasn’t an ideal way to close out LG Fashion Week (though the dramatic sponsor shots—champagne and Birks jewels—undoubtedly pleased certain peeps in the crowd) but all was forgiven when Montreal designer Denis Gagnon finally marched out his stellar Spring 2012 lineup. We saw flirty mini floral prints, avant-garde versions of the traditional tux, satin rompers, sharp capri pants, blouses with sheer backs (perfect for making dramatic exits), kicky checks, parachute dresses, and dominatrix-style leather straps and harnesses. Gagnon mixed up a garden variety of masculine and feminine looks, a nice departure from his signature dark and moody aesthetic. Models skipped and twirled down the runway, and even blew a few kisses. Optimism? Joy? Spirit? Now, that’s something we hope blooms year round.