FASHION Magazine

With Milan Fashion Week just kicking off, here are my top five obsessions of day one:

1. Gucci‘s opulent romanticism: Judging from the miles of velvet and silk, iridescent feathered frocks, croc saddlebags, leather capes, uniform-inspired dress coats, and innovative fabric mixes (mink inlaid on chiffon, anyone?), Gucci’s Fall 2012 collection begs for a crisp night and a brilliant moon.

2. Brian Atwood: We love the man and the shoes. I popped into Atwood’s showroom to preview his new Fall 2012 collection, which includes his first full line of handbags. Editors and buyers were asked not to tweet, so you’ll have to use your imagination: over-the-knee lace-up leopard-print boots, giraffe and Dalmatian patterns, blue fringed cross-body bags, multi-coloured python clutches with metal rivets, and plush minaudieres. One word: WANT.

A few hours after the Erdem show ended on Monday, pictures of the lacy, camouflage-esque floral print started popping up across Twitter, Facebook, and Pinterest. It’s always interesting to see which elements of a collection achieve viral (for lack of a better word) status on social media sites and go on to become ubiquitous within months—Miu Miu’s swallows, anyone? So, in effort to start canonizing Erdem’s vibrant print, I took the Fall 2012 design to my nails.

See the Erdem manicure! »

View the full gallery »

While London Fashion Week just ended and the shows in Milan started this morning, we’re going back to revisit the fourth and final day of Montreal Fashion Week. This year Groupe Sensation Mode launched a new event, Exhibit 22, that showcased up-and-coming designers. Most of the invitees were from Montreal, including Betina Lou by Marie-Ève Émond. New discoveries included knitwear designer Maude Nibelungen and accessories line Aime by W. by Bertrand W. Delancourt. I’ve also been personally following fellow local ladies Evelyne Fay from White Label and Hayley Gibson from Birds of North America, but I must send out a special shout-out to B.C.-boy Earl Luigi from LLUI—we’re both from the Philippines and I love how he incorporates Filipino textiles into his work.

It brings a tear to my eye that London Fashion Week is almost all over for another season—but my feet are not-so-silently rejoicing. A 9 a.m. start at Peter Pilotto meant leaving the house just past 8 this morning, but it was worth it. The Topshop venue, which is the old Billingsgate Market this season, always serves up coffee, tea, and all sorts of yummy dishes (yesterday there was a creamy soup with truffle oil; today there was porridge for breakfast); there’s also the NewGen pop-up where I scored the Erdem tank with a blue porcelain print and white lace collar and the Mary Katrantzou floral tee. Breakfast, shopping, and a show? Every day, please.

View the many (and we mean many) Mulberry celeb attendees »

Where to begin. With the celebs? Lana Del Rey (carrying the namesake Del Rey bag from the ever-growing fashion house), Michelle Williams, the surprisingly petite Elizabeth Olsen, Leigh Lezark, and Ladies Mary and Edith Crawey—I mean Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael—all sat front row at Mulberry; and then there were the models (Jacquetta Wheeler, Irina Lazareanu) and It girls Poppy Delevigne and model/It girl/socialite Caroline Sieber at Matthew Williamson.

Day two of London Fashion Week was a day of literal show themes. First off was Moschino Cheap & Chic, showing in London for the first time—its “Make Up Your Life” Fall collection set in Portland Place (random factoid: this is near the Portland Hospital, where everyone from Victoria Beckham to Claudia Schiffer have given birth). Before the show, we were treated to cocktails and lemonade in the grand living room of a Georgian house; makeup chairs had also been set up to go along with the theme, though the Brit celebs I spotted—Nicola Roberts, Pixie Lott, and a pregnant Peaches Geldof—didn’t seem to take notice. Also present: Olivia Palermo.

What better way to start London Fashion Week than practically getting physically violated at Topshop, where Mary Katrantzou‘s collection launched this morning? Not! But forget that—on to the shows!

As I get ready to hand the reigns over to Rebecca Tay for her coverage of London Fashion Week, let’s take a moment to digest what went down this week in New York. From the top trends developing to some of the best moments, I attempt to break it down in an orderless top 10:

Read up on the week »

It’s no secret that we’re huge fans of inventive manicures (check out our DIY Nails video series and Nail Corner column for further proof) and without a doubt the best inspiration comes from the runways. It’s worth pointing out that nude nails—that is, sheer taupe shades in barely-there colours—continued to dominate in New York. However, despite the abundance of one-colour manicures, CND, M.A.C, and Essie produced some very exciting nail-art designs for Fall 2012.

See our top manicure picks from NYFW! »

What felt like a week-long whirlwind at the time (and realistically, actually was!) has now come to a close. From wind-tunnel hair to blue cat eyes, a Harper Beckham cameo, and one awesome T-shirt, here’s our top 10 backstage moments from New York Fashion Week.

Let’s count ’em down! »

If this post is any indication, there can really be no cap on how many beautiful people go into one post. From the breathtaking photo of Lindsey Wixson above, to the black and white still of Arizona Muse, to the always beautiful Euro gals Ulyana Sergeenko and Giovanna Battaglia, you’ve certainly got your fill today!

See all the style snaps! »

Nothing like a surefire collection to make stock market bells ring, right? At Michael Kors’ Fall 2012 showing—the first since his company went public in December—he pulled out all the stops to make the registers go ka-ching. The celeb-filled front row, including Jessica Alba, Stacy Keibler, Anjelica Huston, and Debra Messing (and me, in case you were wondering), oohed and ahhed over the heritage-style buffalo-check skirts, overcoats, and capes, the sequined flapper evening gowns, and the ultra-glam layered furs. The designer’s colour of the season, red, was particularly winning on a retro tailored overcoat combo’d with removable fur collar that was elongated to one side. It was that Bay-blanket feel but double the luxe.