FASHION Magazine

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.

See all the pictures from backstage »

When I arrived backstage at Jason Wu, the designer himself was receiving a touch-up from makeup artist Diane Kendal. These are the things you witness if you get to the venue early enough. Once he scooted out of her chair, Kendal proceeded to rhyme off all of Wu’s references for his Fall 2012 collection: the Ming Dynasty, the Chinese military, and ’40s Hollywood.

NYFW continues, and we have more than 90 pictures from the crowds at Peter Som and Jason Wu! Day two brings even more bright colours, pattern mixing, and some of the best shoes yet. And from Olivia Palermo to Joanna Hillman, furry toppers continue to dominate the streets of New York.

See all the pictures! »

It’s that time again! The semi-annual ushering in of awesome new things we can’t afford but want SO badly. The month of running around like a headless chicken in shoes that feel “just okay” but look “so amazing!” And so it began yesterday morning with a ceremonious full-body search at Billy Bishop Airport and a quick Porter jaunt over to New York City (the flight was like a FASHION invasion, with our editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra and features editor Elio Iannacci both coincidentally on board). Arriving with just enough time to plop my stuff down, overdo it with the Elnett, and pop into a cab for Jason Wu, I was off.

Welcome to New York Fashion Week! Our photog Lewis Mirrett will be sending his best snaps from the streets all week long. First up is a look at the goings on outside Milk Studios before Erickson Beamon presented their debut ready-to-wear collection.

Take a look! »

Day three was a lull in the Montreal Fashion Week storm. Fashion mavens, it appeared, were saving their most spectacular looks for day four’s finale. Today was a time for investment shopping.

Since I met Cinthya Chalifoux, the scissor whiz behind CIN Tailleur, I’ve enjoyed her feminine approach to made-to-measure. Having learned her trade from an old-school Montreal master tailor Roger Paquin, she’s been carving out a nice little niche for herself, crafting quality, fitted clothing. The short-but-sweet collection she presented in the cocktail lounge totalled about a dozen looks (for both men and women), all of them showcasing a suave English-countryside sophistication in tweed and cashmere, but amped up with black over-the-knee platform boots—for the women, that is.

View the collections »

How to survive Montreal Fashion Week? A roll of Mentos; it’s like breath-freshening gum that you can swallow. And breathe! I don’t mean simply inhale, but breathe in the moment. Season after season as I watch the evolution of designers maturing with each collection, I feel like I’m learning and growing too.

View the collections »

I started Montreal Fashion Week with a major misstep; I missed the Tavãn & Mitto show. But Dressed to Kill’s EIC, Stéphane Le Duc, raved about T&M’s expert cuts and the luxurious repositioning of the brand—also how they’re going to sell exclusively from their boutique. It’s an interesting move that seems in line with the city’s growing niche market of quality and made-to-measure garments. As for the clothes, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Hours before, I had received an early-bird Tweet from stylist Cary Tauben that he’d be styling DUY’s runway. “Get ready for a couture show,” he wrote, dropping a few crumbs about a “surprise.” Indeed, Duy Nguyen delivered a very haute-lifting experience. The Parisienne Madame focus was clear; the rich urban palette was solid. The “surprise” was Tauben himself, who—in an obvious Andrej Pejic–inspired move—strut his bare, model-esque legs beneath a fur-collared coat down the stage to rippling applause.

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Miuccia Prada rounded up her men for Prada’s Fall 2012 menswear collection with a mouth-full of a title: Prada Presents: Il Palazzo. A Palace of Role Play.

In typical Prada fashion, there was plenty of pattern-on-pattern clashing, and ornate prints turned into football helmets—aboriginal headdresses upon closer inspection. This time, mixed into the model assortment were actors Gary Oldman, Garrett Hedlund, Jamie Bell, Emile Hirsch, Adrien Brody, and Tim Roth. (Who better to walk a collection based on role play?) Double-breasted suits and Hugh Hefner robes were the wears of choice, complete with a dangling pair of rose-coloured glasses (get it?).

See all the backstage pictures »

The eyes were impossible to miss at Chanel’s Métiers d’Art show—dark black and deep set, they set the tone of Bombay decadence for the Pre-Fall 2012 collection. Chanel’s creative director of makeup, Peter Philips, created the almond-shaped eye with a new coal-black Illusion d’Ombre shadow, “Nirvana”—part of the exclusive Bombay Express collection due at counters in June 2012. Phillips built an almost-winged shape with the shadow and then used Le Crayon Khol in “Black” to completely line the eye, going from waterline to lower lash line and around the entire lid. The rest of the face was kept very simple, with Rouge Coco Shine in “Empreinte” (from the 2012 Summer collection) on the lips and Joues Contraste powder blush in “Brume d’Or” across the cheeks.

Although many of us are dreaming of the spring collections, the FDCC has confirmed, via fashioncalendar.ca, that the LGFW Fall 2012 shows will take place March 12 to 17. Once again, our favourite Canadian designers will show their latest collections in the tents at David Pecaut Square, the super-convenient downtown location that was introduced for […]

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