FASHION Magazine

See the Under $100 photo shoot! »

You don’t have to spend a fortune to look like a million bucks, especially in a season of hot pants, top to toe florals and frankly faux gems. In this photo shoot from our February 2013 issue, we selected some of the best pieces of the season from mass retailers like H&M, Joe Fresh, Gap, Guess and more that will cost you no more than $100 each. And as any fashion fiend on a budget knows—under $100 ain’t no easy feat.

So go on, click through our photo shoot and sigh a big sigh of relief; the credit card devil needs not rear his ugly head this shopping trip.

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.

The fat has long been sucked out of our food in the name of health. Rani Sheen weighs the newest thinking on good fat.

Imagine a world where you got to the front of the coffee shop line and didn’t feel compelled to say the word “skinny” before the word “latte.” Or where, facing down the legions of yogurt options at the grocery store, your hand bypassed the zero per cent Greek yogurt, landing instead on the full-fat version. The idea that fat is bad for us has become so all-pervasive that it is now fixed firmly in our minds that full-fat dairy, bacon or even a hefty serving of avocado are flabby demons waiting to send chub to our waists and clog our arteries. But a growing school of thought is suggesting that actually, it isn’t fat that makes us fat.

The low-fat movement took off in the early 1980s, largely informed by the “Seven Countries” study begun in 1958 and published in 1980 by physiologist Dr. Ancel Keys (who popularized the Mediterranean diet and BMI as an indicator of body fat). It showed a strong link between dietary fat and heart disease, though Keys has since been accused of disregarding countries that didn’t fit the hypothesis, plus he only studied men. Other research followed, and in 1984 the National Institutes of Health recommended all Americans over the age of two reduce their dietary consumption of fat from 40 to 30 per cent of their total calories. Canada followed suit. This ushered in the era of margarine, skim milk and boneless, skinless chicken breasts.

We love clothes. And accessories. And makeup.

That might seem like an obvious statement coming from a fashion magazine. But it explains so much of what goes on here at FASHION headquarters. Like the debate that arose from “Math Test” (page 118).

Fashion editor-at-large Zeina Esmail was determined to pull together the season’s top looks with pieces that were $100 or less. With so many great brands available—from Jacob to Joe Fresh—that turned out to be easy. The trouble came when she fell in love with a $106 pair of earrings from BCBG. “They look like something Carole Tanenbaum would sell for $2,000,” she lamented. (Esmail even bought a pair for herself and I might do the same.) But that $6 put the ornate crystal shoulder-dusters over her self-imposed price ceiling. Assistant fashion editor Eliza Grossman called BCBG to ask whether the price could be amended. No. “But they look so good!” Esmail moaned, holding them up alongside the outfit Edmonton’s Jenna Earle would be modelling the next day.

The only solution? We amended the story to high style around $100 or less.

ALWAYS IN FASHION
18 fashionmagazine.com
22 Letter from the editor
24 Contributors
26 Behind the scenes
28 Letters from our readers

FASHION
34 NEWS The watch to wear now; Assouline’s latest gem; Geox gets a leg up on denim; and Thomas Sabo picks a Poppy.
36 FLASHPOINT Stylish women across Canada step out in the latest trends.
40 SPRING PREVIEW From the best shows to the hottest parties, our editors share 28 highlights of Spring 2013.
46 HOTELS Two posh properties to stay (and shop) at during fashion week.
50 LINGERIE Victoria’s Secret takes us to the circus.
56 RUNWAY Breaking down Spring 2013’s boudoir trend.
58 ACCESSORIES Canadian designers look beyond clothing.
64 DOSSIER The glamorous history of the tuxedo, as worn by women.