FASHION Magazine

See the street style from outside Vancouver Eco Fashion Week »

Vancouver’s Eco Fashion Week (EFW) really nailed it this year. In its eighth edition, the three-day event delivered fashion, function and even taught us a few things about the clothes we wear.

Without question, the styles outside Eco Fashion Week were just as alive as they were on the runway. Case in point: On opening day, founder Myriam Laroche, wore an impossibly colourful dress by Canadian designer Jason Matlo made from scraps and reworked just for her. KurateStyle stylist Jessica Karalash paired a faux leather pastel topper with a floral romper, taking care of two spring trends at once. Fashion writer Samantha Sito, milliner Dominique Hanke and artist Atom Paradise were challenged to style head-to-toe Value Village outfits, once again proving that fashion doesn’t have to be fast, it can also be sustainable.

View the Mugler party photos »

A good-looking crowd of Vancouverites elected to put on their Tuesday Best (lipstick, heels, an exaggerated shoulder) last night and head to The Room at the Bay rather than sit at home in sweatpants glued to the Obama-Romney battle royal. What lured them away from CNN? Two other men, Mugler creative director Nicola Formichetti and women’s designer Sébastien Peigné, plus an exhibition of out-of-this-world dresses from the archives.

As we approach September 6, three of the country’s top metropolises are prepping for Canada’s first-ever Fashion’s Night Out, a veritable fashion fiesta that began with Vogue and CFDA’s first FNO in New York City in 2009. The one-night, after-hours festivities celebrating everything fashion will see exciting events taking place in Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. […]

The post Full Frontal FNO: Our complete (and constantly updated) guide to what’s going down in Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal on Canada’s first Fashion’s Night Out appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Vancouver announced it’s coming out of the closet and into the streets and stores to throw its own official Fashion’s Night Out (FNO) on September 6 of this year. The invite for the launch-come-fashion show decreed “afternoon elegance” as the dress code to suit the Shangri-La Hotel location, and most attendees obliged.

At the press conference, details of the event were announced by Vancouver Fashion Showcase, the licensed local organizer of the global initiative instigated in 2009 by Anna Wintour, and advisory team Alexandra Suhner Isenberg of Searching for Style and designer Jason Matlo. The September event is expected to include the participation of 90-some fashion and beauty retailers, as well as restaurants.

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Pattern princess Mary Katrantzou’s first-ever visit to Vancouver (“We’ve got fantastic weather, and I was expecting gloomy rain!” she enthused in an earlier interview) turned out a colourful crowd at The Room at the Bay last night. A noticeable number of party people sported kaleidoscopic looks from the designer’s new collection, which has gained equal notoriety for its elevation of everyday objects such as spoons and typewriters, as well as its trippy, engrossing patterns reminiscent of Magic Eye images from the ‘90s (a comparison Mary acknowledges with, “Yes, I heard that recently! I wasn’t sure what those magical eye drawings were.”)

Jason Wu returned to Vancouver, his childhood home and the place he first learned to sew, to woo the waists of many a grown woman with his Kaws-inspired Spring 2012 collection. The Thursday night preview and cocktail party at The Room drew a mix of fashion folk and moneyed madams. Models in Wu’s punchy frocks worked the room, as did Wu himself, snapping photos with his fans. A few even paused to notice the Kaws-drawn pink paws worked into some of the floral prints.

What are the designer’s recollections of the city? “I had a tutor here named Muriel, she taught me English through reading fashion magazines, because that was a subject I was interested in,” says Wu. “That’s how I got bit by the fashion bug.” It’s safe to say the Wu bug infected more than a few at the bash—the only cure, a cascading gown of neon green.

View the photo gallery »

View the photo gallery»

A black carpet, sprinkled with male models in white tuxes, beckoned guests to the second floor of the Bay Downtown Vancouver for the Thursday night grand opening of The Room, the department store’s second den of high fashion. Erdem Moralioglu and Brian Atwood—both on their first visit to Vancouver—Jason Matlo, Monika Deol, and Jessica Stam (to name a few) were among the crowd of well-dressed revellers air kissing, clinking glasses, and noshing on Hawksworth Restaurant–made canapés.

Montreal fashion week is strutting an eager new February time slot (sayonara March!) that puts the city’s Semaine de la mode literally at the forefront of fashion ⎯ starting the 2011 fashion cycle ahead of New York. From a packed schedule of shows, presentations and parties, I’ve distilled my top moments. Here are the highlights.

By Dahlia James What better way to welcome wedding season than by admiring Jason Matlo’s 2010 bridal collection. This spring, we got a peek at the second bridal wear outing for Vancouver-based designer, who also has a ready-to-wear collection. Our picks for the stylish bride-to-be: A frothy ruffled off-white chiffon number, perfect for an idyllic […]

The post Vancouver: Jason Matlo’s bridal collection spans fairytale nuptials and urban cool appeared first on FASHION Magazine.