FASHION Magazine

In honour of the upcoming world premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s Hadrian (on the Canadian Opera Company stage in October), the COC dedicated the theme of this year’s #Operanation to the gods of ancient Rome. The 14th annual Operanation transformed the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts into a coliseum of wonder. The atrium filled […]

The post 40 Stellar Photos From Operanation 2018: Into the Stars appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the Blue Is the Warmest Colour party pictures »

We’re just one day into TIFF 2013 and it’s possible we’ve already reached a gossip fever pitch. At last night’s Blue Is the Warmest Color party, the biggest buzz was about a certain Daily Beast article that’s been making the media rounds all week. While the Thompson rooftop filled with partygoers—basically everyone from Toronto Life’s Most Stylish party plus TIFF fans fresh from The Fifth Estate red carpet premiere—the crowd was eager to see how Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos would act around director Abdellatif Kechiche. (There was also many a mention of the infamous prosthetics used in the film, but we won’t get into that.)

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 El Catrin launch photos »

Last week, Toronto launched its newest dining hotspot with a margartia-fuelled patio party. El Catrin, named for the dapper Mexican skeleton-in-a-suit icon, is a mix of family-friendly dining and stylish fiesta, located in an expansive space in the Distillery District.

Aside from its name, the decor at El Catrin features many takes on Day of the Dead imagery, from miniature shadowboxes to an impressive multi-dimensional mural. Created by Mexican street artist Oscar Flores, the vibrant work was photographed by party-goers throughout the night just as frequently as the food. (We were so enamoured with the mural we wanted to take it home with us!) Equally impressive was the rest of the restaurant’s design: oversized, laser-cut lampshades, rustic tiling and fluoro-bright tables and chairs make El Catrin stand out from the rest.

See 12 Power Ball wardrobe picks »

Power Ball is but a day away, and as you can imagine, it has Toronto’s creative crowd in an anticipatory tizzy. For the 15th year in a row, The Power Plant’s annual fundraiser has managed to maintain “art party of the year” status and this year is sure to be no different. As such, you can imagine the importance placed on wardrobing. If you’re going to this year’s event and still don’t know what to wear, we turned to 9 of the city’s most stylish (plus 3 FASHION editors!) for clues as to what they are wearing. For more, see last year’s coverage.

Tickets are still available at thepowerplant.org but by this time tomorrow they’re likely to disappear. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

See all the photos from the Opera Atelier Versailles Gala »

In a city that’s packed with artistic endeavours, it can be hard to stand out and get noticed. But based on the fashionable crowd that gathered for last week’s Opera Atelier Versailles Gala, the independent opera and ballet company has made quite an impression on Toronto’s arts community. Jeanne Beker played emcee for the evening and—after impressively prancing across the stage in sky-high heels—reminded guests to “bid fiercely!” on both the silent and live auctions that happened throughout the night.

After all, the fundraising gala’s main objective was to support Opera Atelier’s international touring, which includes a very prestigious performance in 2014 at the Palace of Versailles. As in, at the opera theatre that was built to celebrate the wedding of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette—no big deal. The company’s founding co-artistic directors, Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, took to the stage throughout the night, both to introduce performances from the school’s students as well as performing with them. Impressive costumery was a big part of the gala—as Opera Atelier’s mandate is to perform rare operas from the Baroque era, authentic attire is a must. Costumes from past productions with gold brocade, intricate embroidery and elaborate hoop skirts were all on display throughout the Ritz-Carlton ballroom.

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.