FASHION Magazine

See the complete Sarah Stevenson for Target collection »

Move over Peter Pilotto, there’s a new Target collabo in town. Almost a year after designer Sarah Stevenson nabbed top honours at Toronto Fashion Incubator’s annual New Labels competition; images of her upcoming collection for Target Canada have been released! Launched last night at a fashion show in Toronto, the 15-piece collection rings true to the designer’s signatures, but re-imagined for the budget conscious at only $25-$60 a pop. The 15-piece collection features laser cut, layered and multi-hued floral prints on dresses, trousers, blouses and a statement blazer.

“I really had the Target guest in mind and I worked really loosely with the Target design team to really understand who that guest is and what they’re looking for,” Stevenson said. “I still wanted it to have my aesthetic and all the elements that are signature to my high-end line but making it wearable for the urban Canadian woman. I thought a lot about transitional pieces, that can be taken from winter into spring.” Given how hot florals continue to be on both spring and fall runways, it’s pretty safe to say these pieces will be wardrobe essentials for seasons to come.

See the “A Dozen Girls” photos here »

A new era dawned on the final day of Paris Fashion Week, with Nicolas Ghesquière’s first collection for Louis Vuitton rebalancing the high-design equilibrium offset when he ditched Balenciaga back in November 2012. For Ghesquière devouts, the 48-look collection of pared-back cool girl clothes was like lifeblood. For him, I imagine it was the sartorial echo of Kelis’s sarcasm-filled anthem “Copy Cat” (“Oh come here, copycat! You’re my puppet, you know I love it! You could do it, I did it already”). You know, the Parisian way of saying “Step off, b*tch.”

There’s no comparing yesterday’s show with Marc Jacobs’ glittering spring ode to showgirls, and while choosing between the two would be fashion’s Sophie’s Choice, it looks like someone did: Jeurgen Teller. The German photographer long associated with Marc Jacobs ads turned down the Spring 2014 campaign starring Miley Cyrus, and instead shot an off the cuff lookbook for Ghesquière’s Vuitton collection entitled “A Dozen Girls.” The photographs feature a sampling of the collection on models including longstanding Ghesquière favourite Liya Kebede. Like the show, the photographs are, in a word, flawless.

Check out the Ela for Club Monaco collaboration here »

From high fashion brands to artists, mass retailers just love a good designer collaboration. And while Target and H&M may be the ones that first come to mind, Club Monaco has quietly been doing their own collabo thing since 2012, when they brand launched its “Makers & Muse” series. Previously working with such designers as Mark McNairy and Jane Mayle, Toronto-based handbag line Ela has just joined the ranks.

Launched on Monday, the Club Monaco and Ela collaboration features three handbags designed exclusively by Canadian design duo Ela and Martin Aldorsson. The mini collection includes a reworked neutral color blocked version of their M.I.L.C.K (money/identification/lipstick/cell/keys) and Editor’s Pouch Star clutch as well as a black version of their Scandi Drawstring Stud bag.

Take a look at Beyonce’s new tour costumes here »

If the last few months have taught us anything where Beyoncé’s concerned, it’s to expect the unexpected. At last Friday’s opening of the European leg of her “Mrs. Carter” tour in Glasgow, Scotland, Queen Bey gave her legion of fans a whole new godly experience by performing an entirely revamped set list, accompanied with a fresh crop of stellar new stage costumes. In a word: Flawless.

Like anything Beyoncé wears, curve-hugging glamour is front and centre in the new range of costumes created by Versace, Givenchy and Greek designer Vrettos Vrettakos.

Today, Loblaw Companies Limited announced that it will expand Joe Fresh to 23 countries worldwide by way of partnership deals with three separate international firms. Fawaz A. Alhokair & Co., Retail Arabia International and Origin & Co., Ltd., will help bring Canada’s largest brand to Europe, the Middle East and Asia respectively. Not too shabby for a brand that started in the grocery aisles, eh? (We’ll just keep using that one forever.)

“These first international agreements signify an important milestone for Joe Fresh as we build on the strong foundation we’ve established at home in Canada. We continue to evolve the brand forward and I’m thrilled to see Joe Fresh grow into a global brand, developing on the success we have had in the United States since launching there in 2011,” says Joe Fresh creative director Joe Mimran via press release. The partnerships will ensure that Joe Fresh’s highly coveted brand of womenswear, menswear, kids clothing, accessories and beauty is adapted for the new markets, the first of which will be in the United Arab Emirates and Souel, South Korea, which will open flagships later this year.

It’s that time of year again: the fashion crowd has descended on New York City to kick off yet another manic month of fashion shows, street style snaps and hoofing it all over town in heels. Adding fuel to the fashion week frenzy this year is Apple’s “Fashion In Conversation” series of talks with a lineup of industry insiders so impressive, conflicting shows may want to double check those RSVPs. Kicking off the series last night was none other than Vogue editor Anna Wintour, who sat down with host Kinvara Balfour to talk about her career, Lena Dunham as cover girl and favourite designers (sort of). If you couldn’t make it out to the event, you’re in luck—the video will be posted to iTunes at some point, but for the impatient, here are our favourite moments from Anna’s talk.

See the campaign images »

We’ll be the first to admit it—watching Say Yes To The Dress is one of our favourite pastimes. Not just for the dramas the tag-along entourage sometimes generates, but more so for a glimpse into the pricey world of wedding dress shopping. $10,000 for a designer dress you’ll wear once? You bet. The term “budget wedding dress” for most conjures up images of god-awful gowns that no amount of justification from a stingy mother-in-law could save. Well those days are long gone. Budget-bridezillas-to-be: meet you new fairy godmother, Zac Posen.

The New York designer has come together with David’s Bridal and to create Truly Zac Posen, an affordable line of bridal gowns and bridesmaids dresses ranging from $215 for cocktail sheath to $1,400 for tulle ball gown. Posen is a favourite of red carpet celebrities, known for his figure flattering mermaid gowns and cocktail frocks, and has done one-of-a-kind big-ticket bridal gowns for Portia De Rossi and Coco Rocha.

See the Aldo Fights AIDS bracelets »

Photography courtesy of Aldo

Photography courtesy of Aldo

Photography courtesy of Aldo

Photography courtesy of Aldo

Photography courtesy of Aldo

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Aldo Fights AIDS Waris Bracelet

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Aldo Fights AIDS Waris Bracelet

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Aldo Fights AIDS Waris Bracelet

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Aldo Fights AIDS Waris Bracelet

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Aldo Fights AIDS Waris Bracelet

In the world of business, profit is the bottom line (See Wolf of Wall Street if you don’t believe us), so it’s always refreshing when big brands use their immense resources and influence for the greater good. For almost 30 years, Aldo has been fundraising against AIDS and just released the latest product in the Aldo Fights AIDS campaign—stackable friendship bracelets. The new rope bracelets are in collaboration with cool-kid Waris Ahluwalia, the designer behind House of Waris.

In four chic hues and retailing for just $5 each, the friendship bracelet is an easy way to fight the good fight while looking fly. The rope bracelets feature a gold arrow charm that symbolizes truth, justice and a forward movement, as explained by Ahluwalia via press release. The bracelets will be available worldwide tomorrow (February 1, 2014) and all net proceeds will be donated to Partners in Health.

See the Barneys spring ads »

As calls for diversity increasingly infiltrate the fashion industry, it seems like major brands are finally starting to take note. So far, this season has seen a wheelchair-bound model front at Diesel and an increased racial mix at Prada.

The latest to break the mould for Spring 2014 is luxury retailer Barneys New York, whom debuted its “Brothers, Sisters, Sons & Daughters” campaign today, which features 17 transgendered people from all walks of life. Shot by legendary boundary-pusher Bruce Weber in New York City, the subjects, often posing with their loved ones, are confident and stylish in the high-end likes of Ann Demeulemeester, Saint Laurent outfits and more.

In one of the first four photos released, we meet Arin Andrews and Katie Hill, transgendered friends and a former couple both raised in the conservative Bible Belt of America. In another, Ahya Taylor is pictured with fellow model Dezjorn Gauthier on a Central Park bench, both wearing Balenciaga.

See the Gap Spring 2014 lookbook »

There’s nothing the fashion world loves more than a new style muse and when Gap hired Rebekka Bay as its creative director last year, our sartorial spidey senses went into overdrive. The mastermind behind upscale H&M sister brand COS, the soft-spoken Danish designer has already achieved cult standing among editors, bloggers and cool kids alike for her sophisticated approach to modern minimalist dressing.

Spring 2014 marks Bay’s first collection with Gap, and if insider reactions at the presentation in New York back in October were any indication, she hasn’t lost her Midas touch. Featuring a summer-ready lineup of acid-wash jeans, bleached pastels and perfectly slouchy sweatshirts, her spring collection is a lust-worthy first look at a re-imagined Gap and a new American style that’s refreshing, relaxed and seriously cool. We sat down with the newly minted creative director after her spring presentation to talk icons, Americana and giving Gap its mojo back.

Hot on the heels of one of the most moving viral videos from last year, Diesel has cast Jillian Mercado, the face behind the popular blog Manufactured 1987, in its Spring 2014 campaign. While tapping bloggers as style icons and models isn’t anything new (Tavi Gevinson for Rodarte for Target, Leandra Medine for Tibi, and many others come to mind), what’s different about Diesel’s campaign is that Mercado is bound to a wheelchair and suffers from muscular dystrophy.

Always known for pushing the envelope, Diesel has chosen to change the way fashion advertising portrays women, aptly put in the campaign’s slogan #DieselReboot. The campaign, the brainchild of Diesel’s artistic director Nicola Formichetti, is focused on shifting the branding of the company by inviting us regular folk to steer the creative direction through the hashtag #DieselReboot on various social media platforms. A simple photo upload to their site could land you a major campaign contract—just like it did for Mercado.

See the Alexander McQueen ads starring Kate Moss »

In just her latest chameleon turn, model superstar Kate Moss is a futuristic urban warrior for Alexander McQueen’s Spring 2014 ad campaign images, which debuted online today. Part tribal goddess, part bondage queen, Moss looks totally fierce in a decidedly dystopian and unnatural setting shot on location in East London. Despite being a friend of the late designer, this is Moss’s first appearance in an Alexander McQueen ad, this time shot by long time McQueen collaborator Steven Klein.

In the ads, Moss’s Day-Glo cropped hair is gelled back for maximum impact, making her signature gaze all the more enchanting. Zipper-encrusted collars, pleated leather skirts and full feathered pieces show off the model’s svelte 40-year-old bod, while the gold arm cuffs highlight the vibrancy of her hair. Even the lookalike voodoo doll Moss shares the camera with is outfitted in replica miniature get ups.