FASHION Magazine

It’s no secret that Canada breeds incredibly talented young designers. And if you thought we were finished with fashion week coverage, think again! We saw a number of incredible Spring 2016 collections during World MasterCard Fashion Week a couple of weeks ago, but several of our favourite collections didn’t showcase at the tents, and they […]

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See the behind the scenes shots and outfit selects » For those who watched episode upon episode of charity galas, masquerade balls and silent auctions on Gossip Girl, wondering “yeah, but actually?”—This one’s for you. This year, I ascended the ranks of Waldorf wannabes everywhere by becoming a co-chair of Operanation, the Canadian Opera Company’s […]

The post What it’s like to co-chair Operanation (+ what to wear to this year’s event) appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the top Spring 2015 trends » Jump to: 1970s | CULOTTES | FEATHERS & FRINGE | THE TROPICS | RAVE | EASY SPORT | SHEER | LEATHER & SUEDE | WAIST DETAIL | NEW NEUTRALS Just like we’ve become accustomed to that fact that we’re likely to be knee-deep in snow for the next […]

The post Top Spring 2015 Trends: 186 runway and street style photos of fashion month’s 10 biggest moments appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Usually when you picture a ‘downtown girl’ you imagine mussed hair, probably toped with a black toque and slept-in eyeliner that somehow only looks better as the day goes on. Kaelen Haworth’s eponymous line—known for its effortless-yet-edgy aesthetic—usually stays away from such a look, keeping her models fresh faced. But for Fall 2014, the Kaelen collection had a distinctly more feminine feel, which called for a beauty change up.

For hair, this meant a subtle updo that had DIY appeal. It should “look like she dragged [the hair] back herself,” said Pantene consulting stylist Justin German of the half-updo style. After prepping hair with Pantene Pro-V Volume Root Lifting Spray Gel and a soon-to-be-released dry shampoo from Pantene, German teased the top section slightly before pulling hair back into a ponytail, securing it in place with a couple of exposed bobby pins. Tightness was not the name of the game, as per the designer’s desire for ease and edge.

See the Kaelen Fall 2014 collection »

Pretty, ruffled and pink all over—it was clear from Kaelen Haworth’s first look out the gate that this would not be the slouchy, downtown, all-black-everything Kaelen girl we were used to seeing. Though Haworth was quick to point out, “it’s a pant suit ruffle, so it’s not a 100 per cent lady ruffle.”

Indeed, the “not extremely feminine” designer made a point of countering each surprising new flounce of femininity (eyelets, ruffles, pink!), with a touch of grounding masculinity (squid ink dye, menswear fabric, a flash of silver zipper). And for Kaelen fans not ready to commit to full-on femininity, many of the extraneous frills, ruffles and peplums zipper off for a slightly toned down take on the girlier original.

Get the scoop for Fall 2014 »

Alexander Wang Fall 2014. Photography by STAN HONDA/AFP/Getty Images

Altuzarra Fall 2014. Photography by Peter Stigter

Chris Gelinas Fall 2014

Angel Haze at DKNY Fall 2014. Photography by Peter Stigter

Lacoste Fall 2014. Photography by Peter Stigter

1/5

Alexander Wang Fall 2014

Spectacles

It’s still pretty unclear as to why Alexander Wang set up shop at Brooklyn Navy Yard a.k.a. an hour’s trip out of the city, but boy did his mechanically-controlled stage of robotics, multi-snap pockets, neon windbreakers, chunky shearling-lined bombers and leather/nylon neon/neutral barrage deliver in the wow department. Not to be fun-outdone, Opening Ceremony designers Humberto Leon and Carol Lim closed the gap between their treats and those of Willy Wonka’s, with a wall of melting chocolate trickling down its runway wall.

2/5

Altuzarra Fall 2014

Technicolour dreamcoats

I’d like to that Joseph Altuzarra for making an Andrew Lloyd Webber reference possible with intarsia plaid mink jackets done in vibrant CMYK hues, shearling coats with magenta trimmings and cobalt wraps. And Alexander Wang, for bringing hyper colour back from the ‘90s with heat-activated coats that revealed swirling neon prints when put under the lamp. Elsewhere, Thakoon layered long puffers with Warholian floral panels and Prabal Gurung double-faced persimmon and tangerine on an outsized shawl coat.

3/5

Chris Gelinas Fall 2014

Ones to watch

Team Canada’s having a good run outside of Sochi too, with quite a few stellar shows from homegrown talent. Canadian-born Chris Gelinas showed a stellar futuristic yet vintage (and I know that makes sense cause I’ve seen Her) collection of sporty structural separates. Paris-based Calla Haynes finally made her scene-stealing chow Lilybear part of the business with a graphic effigy of the dog printed on trousers, trenches and more. Meanwhile, Kaelen played the monochrome game with a beautiful presentation of stiff gallerina coats in baby pink and power suit red.

4/5

DKNY Fall 2014 Angel Haze

Common People

DKNY played its hometown’s heartstrings once again, with a cast of “real people” walking the runway which included gender-bending model Andre Pejic, It girls Hannah Bronfman and Chelsea Leyland and hip hop hype man A$AP Illz. Rising rap star Angel Haze, who also modeled at DKNY, has been making quite the fashion week rounds, from Helmut Lang to Alexander Wang. Oh, there was also a streaker at Prabal. Cause YOLO. (He must have thought to himself)

5/5

Lacoste Fall 2014

Ones to watch

Seeing red
Head-to-toe monochrome has been a big thing on the runways, especially with red. At Lacoste, a redhead model made for the best burgundy bomber/trouser/toque match, while at Prabal Gurung, another was wrapped in a scarf/sweater and asymmetrical skirt.

I just licked chocolate off the wall… isn’t that just the best ever fashion metaphor? Here at New York fashion week, there’s a show every hour on the hour. Sometimes on the half hour. It’s a perpetual carousel of Fall 2014 treats, treats we’re mean to synthesize, analyze and tell stories about. So hey, here’s your first batch of the 5 trends and cool stuff you need to know about from New York Fashion Week Fall 2014—including the chocolate bit.

Next Friday, all eyes will focus on New York for the latest onslaught of fashion week shows. For those attending Fall 2014 fashion week, that means T-minus 7 days to get your sartorial sh*t together. For those designing, it’s probably high time for panic. As most creative types would find easy to empathize with, one week till takeoff is the time when everything goes wrong. Model castings, seating charts and beauty briefs—they’re all going down right about now. We reached out to a few of our favourite Canadian designers to see how they were doing and to our shock, they all seem pretty cool and collected. Meanwhile, they gave us a peek at what they’ve got on slow burn for their upcoming shows during New York Fashion Week.

See the process and fitting photos »

If you’ve ever been on this site before, you’ll know that we party. A lot. Especially during the fall months, event calendars seem to be constantly brimming with one glitzy invitation after the next. And while attending an event seems straightforward enough, looking good at said event proves a little more challenging. Someone who knows a thing or two about the constant need to look fabulous is Amy Burstyn-Fritz, director at Knot PR and all around glamour gal. Year round, Burstyn-Fritz seems to flit around gala to gala in one A+ look after another. We’re always fairly astounded at her consistent chicness, which is why we went behind the scenes with her as she preps for Operanation, an annual gala she co-chairs benefitting the Canadian Opera Company which takes place tonight.

Burstyn-Fritz one-upped herself this time, enlisting long time pal turned client, New-York-based designer Kaelen, to create something unique to wear at the night’s event. “I wanted to work with the [event’s] theme of ‘temptation,’ but not be too literal,” says the designer. To whit, the dress is something wholly unique, featuring a masterful cloud-inspired dye job created by dye artist Audrey Louise Reynolds made of sumac, wood, iris roots, boiled carob and squid ink. (It dried in sage and rose quartz bundles.) For real.

See the street style photos »

New York Fashion Week officially kicked off the Spring 2013 show season yesterday with a full day of fashion shows around town. As shows from BCBG Max Azria, Tadashi Shoji and home-grown label Kaelen took place inside Lincoln Center, our street style photographer extraordinaire Stefania Yarhi was busy snapping Advanced Style favourite Rita Hammer in her signature circular glasses, PR dynamo Kelly Cutrone in head-to-toe black and gussied up Nylon editor Michelle Reneau sporting new bangs. While the A-list scooted inside, Yarhi snapped an awesome gent in the most awesome red suit (the red hat!) and even a little baby fashion show attendee. (Diaper changes are the new street style shtick.)

Yet another of the hot young Canadian talents burning up NYC, Toronto native Kaelen Farncombe is one expatriate you might want to keep dibs on. Relocating to the Big Apple to study fashion design at Parsons New School for Design a few years back, Farncombe honed her skills while interning for designers Stella McCartney and Jenni Kayne. Channeling the easy sophistication favoured by those two designers, Farncombe launched her own effortless line of standout separates, Kaelen, early last year. With only three collections to date, the 26-year-old has developed a reputation for spinning unusual inspirations (her starting point for Spring was literal tornado chasing) into richly modern pieces that seem to transcend trends. The young designer’s aesthetic is already easily identifiable: effortless, elongated geometry with pops of colour like fall 2011’s riffs on chartreuse, red and tangerine.

We chatted with Farncombe about her aesthetic, chasing tornadoes and the business of fashion.