FASHION Magazine

View Jeremy Laing’s Spring 2013 collection »

Jeremy Laing knows what’s up for Spring 2013 and his collection shown last night on the final day of The ShOws was undeniable proof. With details straight out of the ‘90s (think cargo pockets, tear-away buttons and cornrows), the collection of neutrals was layer upon layer of glory.

Laing found the season’s sweet spot—the spot where five layers are none too many and where a metallic slate button down looks downright staple. Mid-way through the show, a two-tone grey and white button down dress (ahem, the new tear-away?) helped it reach a sporty high. Other than the sporty slouch that Jeremy Laing perfected, the collection mixed in structure and many pieces had a sort of body armour vibe with cut-outs, exposed zippers and thick fabrics. Laing used beaded shoulder pad-esque pieces connected by thin black straps to create a sultry yet refined neckline like that of a futuristic sport playing goddess.

View the Louis Vuitton Maison Toronto interior photos »
View the Louis Vuitton Maison Toronto opening party photos »

Louis Vuitton’s got a brand new bag. Or rather, a gorgeous new Maison to house all those bags. The monogrammed megabrand finally opened the doors at its new Toronto location last month, revealing a palatial space three times as big as its last at 150 Bloor Street West. We haven’t stopped ogling since. Designed by none other than leather-daddy architect Peter Marino, the shimmering two-floor glass and steel mecca houses virtually everything that Louis Vuitton is known for, including full selections of luggage, small leather goods, bags, shoes, accessories, ready-to-wear and even custom-designed fine jewellery, unique to the location (LV + TO charm bracelets?). It is also the first store in Canada to feature Louis Vuitton’s exclusive “Haute Maroquinerie” service for made to order leather goods. Sounds pretty haute to us.

See the party shots »

While the rest of the city was busy setting off Canada Day fireworks and lining the streets for the annual blowout Pride Parade, Toronto’s hippest were hanging in the beautifully shaded backyard belonging to gallerist Daniel Faria. Co-hosted by Faria and alongside Rui Amaral and Andrea Beechey, the backyard soiree (complete with drag show by Mozza Fierce, tunes by DJ Diego Armand and drinks served by topless The Earl’s Men) was a welcome respite from the frenzied pulse beating through the city’s wears. Instead, guests like Trinity Jackman, Jeremy Laing, Frank Griggs and Catherine Dean favoured easy breezy Ts, loose summer dresses, tropical prints and strapped flats. Check out our favourite shots from street shooter extraordinaire, Textstyles’ Stefania Yarhi.

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Lauded as the hottest art party of the year, the Power Plant’s annual Power Ball fundraiser certainly lived up to expectations last night. Complete with wall-projected animations, Kobos hanging on trees, an old fashioned swing and a pre-party hosted by the much-hyped Soho House, almost 2,000 partygoers danced into the wee hours while carving off pieces of Marc Thuet’s bison on a spit. Some of our favourite duos—The Society’s Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakely, designer Philip Sparks and NOW’s Andrew Sardone, Knot PR’s Amy Burstyn-Fritz and Tatiana Read, designer Jeremy Laing and Frank Griggs, and eTalk’s Tanya Kim and CP24’s Melissa Grelo—flitted around the scene. There was a mock television talk show (which we took part in) with a dancing robot sharing hosting duties. There was a performance by Dragonette. There were ladies dressed as sailors and men dressed as women. There were, always, many types of cocktails a-flowing (shout-out to Grey Goose, who created a timely Diamond Jubilee mix at the pre-party). Surely, more highlights will come to us throughout the day, but we can’t be asked to recount them all, given how late we were up.

Summer weather—and the festival season that comes with it—is taking hold across the country. This weekend, we’re hitting up an all-day loft party in Toronto, a gallery opening in Vancouver, shops for runway looks (and accessories to match) and following Robert Pattinson on an epic cab ride across Manhattan (that was filmed in Toronto). Buckle up.

Read our List! »

Say it isn’t so! As we reported yesterday, the fashion world was hit with a major disappointment with the announcement that after 27 fabulous years on air, Fashion Television has stopped production. This end of an era certainly had us thinking “what happened?!” While FT had always been known for bringing insider access to the masses, it seems that the industry invasion of bloggers and runway live streaming has resulted in poor ratings as of late.

While Fashion Television certainly blazed the trail for leading fashion news and introduced many of us to the industry while giving us rare insights into the surreal worlds of Yves Saint Laurent, Alexander McQueen, Karl Lagerfeld and the like, the show has suffered a viewership plunge in its last years. Scarce one-on-one interviews are a things of the past with greater access to designers (most fashion houses produce their own branded media content).

What does this all mean? The Globe and Mail writes “spending tens of thousands of dollars on travel is no longer considered a smart investment when access to designers and tastemakers […]”

The world may have changed since FT first aired in 1985, and the show’s end may seem inevitable, but we’re certainly going to miss seeing Beker’s trademark quirky charm and can’t wait to see what she what future endeavor she has up her stylish sleeve. And according to Bell Media, we do not have too long to wait: “Bell Media remains committed to the fashion genre & will continue to grow FTC to deliver a broader appeal for viewers & advertisers. Jeanne Beker remains with Bell Media & we look forward to new projects with her.

Last night, Toronto’s favourite wunderkind-turned-blogger-turned-photographer-turned-designer returned home for the celebration of his latest venture. Said venture? The much-talked-about limited-edition bag collection designed by Tommy Ton in collaboration with Club Monaco (also one of Toronto’s proudest exports, if we may say so). But you knew that, didn’t you? In fact, you must be on the already-at capacity waiting list for one of the two models, which will apparently sell out as soon as they hit stores. That didn’t stop the city’s finest—including our editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra, blogger Anita Clarke, Jeremy Laing and the recently eye-operated-on Frank Griggs (so you can forgive the indoor sunglasses, just this once) —from stopping by the brand’s Bloor Street flagship to take a peek. We didn’t leave with the bags, but we were lucky enough to snag mini flipbooks created at the event.

View the photo gallery »

See our behind-the-scenes gallery from Ruffian »
Learn how to do the gold foil mani! »

In the final days of Toronto Fashion Week, one thing was starting to become very apparent: deep red nails are going to be huge for fall. Chloé Comme Parris and Pink Tartan both used the same maroon Essie shade—“Wicked”—and similar colours had been popping up at international shows all season, including Ferragamo, Jenny Packham and Bill Blass. Rachel Roy leaned towards an aubergine-tinted red, while Yigal Azrouel dubbed his shade of choice “pinot noir.” At L.A.M.B., burgundy polish covered just the moon, leaving the rest of the nail bare. And where red appears, gold seems to follow: the Toronto shows for Jeremy Laing and Ruffian paired both colours on the same nail, whereas Marchesa alternated all-burgundy (Deborah Lippmann’s “Single Ladies”) and all-gold manicures down the runway.

See our gallery of backstage beauty snaps »
View the full collection »
See all Toronto Fashion Week coverage »

Clean, simple and slightly androgynous was the idea for hair and makeup at Jeremy Laing. “It’s masculine, but with feminine tones to contrast the gender-bender look,” explained CoverGirl makeup pro Greg Wencel. Eyebrows were defined with a brow pencil, but the desired effect was for a full, soft brow—not a harsh or bold statement. Eyes were equally soft, with a light wash of CoverGirl Intense ShadowBlast in “Beige Blaze” and a dusting of warm eyeshadow on top. In a very Downton Abbey sort of move, no mascara was applied—this further impressed the idea of a masculine, androgynous look.

View the full collection »
See all Toronto Fashion Week coverage »

In bowling, it’s called a turkey. In hockey, it’s called a hat trick.  Now that we’ve seen Jeremy Laing’s Fall 2012 collection three times (via both New York and Toronto) we want to know: what is this called in fashion? Given the wearability (no, it’s not a dirty word anymore) of Laing’s current line-up of tailored menswear-inspired separates, maybe the word for it is smart? Fewer architectural dresses found their way into the mix this season. Instead, big bleach-stained jackets, skinny trousers and strong coats took the spotlight. You’re not a Laing girl if you aren’t into layering—think jackets over diaphanous dresses over trousers. Zippers snaked their way down coats and maxi dresses, adding a familiar technical touch to his design aesthetic. Despite the many covered looks, he didn’t batten down all the hatches; a plunging neckline here and a sliver of skin there offered up a side of sexy that complemented this utilitarian feast that wrapped three weeks of shows.

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See all Toronto Fashion Week coverage »

Ball changes, box steps and skilful splits kicked off Holt Renfrew’s celebration of the Canadian catwalk as an enthusiastic tapper danced his way down the runway. It was an upbeat way to engage the crowd and usher in homegrown design talent, that’s for sure. Here’s the rundown of the best in show:

As I get ready to hand the reigns over to Rebecca Tay for her coverage of London Fashion Week, let’s take a moment to digest what went down this week in New York. From the top trends developing to some of the best moments, I attempt to break it down in an orderless top 10:

Read up on the week »