FASHION Magazine

See all the photos from the Purple Party 2013 »

Remember that heart-swelling Buzzfeed post “21 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity”? Well, last Thursday was officially the IRL version, as Childhood Cancer Canada hosted its second annual Purple Party. The sold-out event filled Toronto’s Drake Hotel, with purple-clad partygoers, notable guests and, most importantly, inspirational childhood cancer heroes.

At the centre of it all was the Purple Party’s duo co-chairs—who, coincidentally, represented two mainstays of Canadian culture. Murdoch Mysteries star Yannick Bisson and wife Shantelle and former NHL player Brad May and wife Brigette kept the party going strong all night long, as well as spurring on a very competitive live auction.

See all the photos from The Libertine launch party »

In the grand tradition of secret bars and speakeasies, The Libertine may have one of the best locations out there. Hidden behind a tarot card reader’s business, the basement entrance to Toronto’s newest restaurant is sure to prompt many double takes. However, thanks to the crowd that gathered for last night’s launch party, the secretive snack bar is destined to become quite well known in the months to come.

A mix of fashion and foodie guests mingled while hand-crafted cocktails and bites of fried chicken made the rounds. Anita Clarke, wearing a custom plaid Philip Sparks jacket, looked just as dapped as her well-suited table mates, including the designer himself and NOW’s Andrew Sardone. Holt Renfew’s Blaire Borins matched the mysterious mood of the decor in a slate-grey Greta Constantine dress while ornamental necklaces and bright lipsticks were accessory of choice for other guests.

See the Queen’s Plate Hats & Horseshoes party photos »

Horse races and ladies in fancy hats make for a most stylish pairing. From the Kentucky Derby to the Royal Ascot to Canada’s very own Queen’s Plate, an afternoon at the race track demands a wide-brimmed hat. (Or, in the case of a fascinator, a hat as tall as it could be wide!) This past Sunday saw the 154th running of the Queen’s Plate and many of Toronto’s most fashionable crowd made the journey to Woodbine Racetrack, hats in tow. To celebrate the race, Woodbine’s annual Hats & Horseshoes party took over the grounds around the walking ring, bringing together food trucks, betting stations, a Grey Goose-sponsored VIP lounge and, of course, the aforementioned stylish racing fans. Milliner David Dunkley was also on hand with many of his couture creations available for partygoers to try on—or buy if they happened to arrive sans hat. Compared to previous Queen’s Plate races, this weekend it was quite apparent that fashion has become a huge focus. Yee haw!

See the party photos »

Heels may always take top fashion honours, but sneakers are most definitely the shoes of the last century. On Thursday night, they were officially inducted into shoe history with the opening of Bata Shoe Museum’s Out of the Box: The Rise of Sneaker Culture, the first exhibit of its kind in North America. Beginning with ultimate function’s first pair made in 1873 (they were called plimsoles at the time), the exhibit features everything from the iconic— Nike Dunk Supremes—to the hyper fashionable—Pierre Hardy’s Poworama sneakers.

Matching the exhibit’s out of the box theme, the museum had Toronto-born and internationally lauded industrial designer Karim Rashid, who is known to collect a sneaker or two himself, design the exhibit. In signature monochrome (this time it was head-to-toe white) Rashid kicked off the exhibit alongside the museum’s iconic founder, Sonja Bata and FASHION’s editor in chief, Bernadette Morra. After taking in a break dancing performance from Unity Charity, the crowd, which included persistent girl about town, Jen Kirsch and recent Come Date With Me Canada bachelorette Gail McInnes, hiked up three flights of stairs to take in the exhibit. To those who hiked in heels, we salute you.