FASHION Magazine

If there were ever an excuse to wear Canadian, it was Saturday’s second annual Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA), which took Toronto’s swanky Fairmont Royal York hotel by literal storm. In the thick of Hollywood’s awards season, the CAFAs were probably as close to the Oscars as anything we’ll ever attend, with homegrown designers […]

The post CAFA Awards 2015: 35 glitzy pictures of Canada’s fashion industry all dressed up appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the Pink Tartan Spring 2015 show » When the strains of ZZ Top’s “La Grange” came pumping over the sound-system, it was clear we were about to meet a new incarnation of the Pink Tartan woman. In place of designer Kimberley Newport-Mimran’s signature 1960s femme was a full-on 1970s rebel, replete with psychedelic prints, […]

The post Pink Tartan Spring 2015: Showcasing a ’70s rock n’ roll-inspired collection to the tunes of ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the photos from Luminato 2014 Opening Gala »

A festival is never complete without an impressive party to kick it off, and last night’s Luminato art festival opening party was nothing but. Toronto’s elite, bloggers and artsy attendees joined co-chairs Rupert Duchesne, Joseph Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran to mark the launch of the 10-day art festival with creative director Jörn Weisbrodt and hubby Rufus Wainwright at the helm of the festivities. Besides drawing Canadian notables like Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow and celebrated stage director Atom Egoyan, Isabella Rossellini was there to promote her upcoming on-stage debut, Green Porno. In tune with the night’s theme, Berlin Underground, the opening party was held in the outskirts of downtown Toronto (Toronto Port Lands to be exact) at the Hearn Generating Station where the abandoned industrial space was transformed into a one-of-a-kind venue for a 450-deep dinner and party. Complete with leather-clad dancers/artists lounging in corners, 1930s German propaganda on projected screens and neon lights bouncing off the exposed industrial interior, the party could not have taken place in a more suitable location. Well-dressed guests (ranging from black-tie attire to jumpsuits and much-coveted crop tops) had the chance to not only get their makeup retouched by on-site YSL makeup artists in super glam vanity stations. From a hopping DJ and buzzy dance floor to a flipbook station and 3D printers, it’s safe to say that last night was nothing short of extraordinary.

Peek inside these closets »

Photography by Jake Rosenberg/The Coveteur

Photography by Jake Rosenberg/The Coveteur

Photography by Matthew Williams

Photography by Matthew Williams

Photography by l.A. Closet Design

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Sylvia Mantella’s Closet

Sylvia Mantella’s Closet

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Sylvia Mantella’s Closet

Sylvia Mantella’s Closet

3/5

Veronica Swanson Beard’s Closet

Veronica Swanson Beard’s Closet

4/5

Veronica Miele Beard’s Closet

Veronica Miele Beard’s Closet

5/5

Guliana Rancic’s Closet

Guliana Rancic’s Closet

By Shawna Cohen

What do Rachel Zoe, Tory Burch, Kim Kardashian and Mariah Carey have in common? They’re all household names, sure, but they happen to share something far more intimate: walk-in closets that could easily rival some of the world’s chicest high-end boutiques. Forget slick chef’s kitchens or luxurious, spa-like bathrooms—these days, it’s all about the closet. Once reserved as out-of-sight spaces for storing clothes, closets are quickly becoming the main attraction of multi-million-dollar homes. And they’re boasting everything from custom-designed couches and crystal chandeliers to wine bars, massage tables, oceanfront views and, in at least one instance, an escalator (how else to move around a two-storey walk-in?). Some closet connoisseurs are even incorporating “virtual styling tools” into the space, where they can be outfitted remotely by stylist via iPad or computer screen.

“It’s the last frontier of the home,” says Melanie Charlton, CEO and creative director of Clos-ette, a New York-based company that builds luxury closets for clients such as Kate Hudson and Jay Z. “Why would you put your All-Clad in a $250,000 kitchen but not outfit your closet that way? Let’s face it: Your Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Hermès [clothing] and your jewellery are often more expensive than the art and furniture in an entire home.”

That helps explain why people are dishing out hundreds of thousands of dollars—sometimes millions—to create spectacular closets that double as offices, dens or just quiet spaces in which to read a book, take a call or enjoy a glass of bubbly. “It’s becoming a sanctuary,” says Charlton. Consider it the female equivalent of the man cave.

Thanks to the popularity of websites like The Coveteur and reality shows such as Million Dollar Closets, we’re now more obsessed with peeking inside the closets of the rich, famous and fashionable than ever before. “We’re living in an age of fashion voyeurism,” says Erin Kleinberg, president and creative director of The Coveteur. “Because of social media—Twitter and Instagram, not to mention all those street-style fashion blogs—we’re used to it. In fact, we’ve come to expect it.” Since it launched in 2011, the site has featured more than 350 closets, showcasing the stylish wares of everyone from Anna Dello Russo to Margherita Missoni, but for Kleinberg the one that sticks out most belongs to Toronto philanthropist Sylvia Mantella. “She has this glass cabinet where she houses her Birkins—it almost acts as art,” Kleinberg says. “She also has a rotating closet, just like Cher Horowitz in Clueless!”

Check out the photos from the Joe Fresh after-party »

Given the well-heeled ladies and gents that show up for a Joe Fresh fashion show, you’d never believe the label’s wears run as affordably as they do. Though as any Loblaws shopper in Canada knows, they do. After last night’s punky all-black Fall 2013 outing, showgoers were looking to kick off their heels (proverbially speaking) with signature orange cocktails, mini tacos and pulsing DJ beats at the private watering hole, Storys.

Fresh off the Fresh runway, models Heather Marks, Meaghan Collison and a group of studly males in tight sweaters flooded the room with just enough impossible beauty to make the ogling worth it. Creative director Joe Mimran and wife Kimberley Newport-Mimran showed up in coordinated head-to-toe black suiting, adding their own luxe touch to the non-colour of the night. As the two cozied up to Loblaws frontman Galen Weston, nightclub impresario Charles Khabouth and our favourite dandy, Bruce C. Bailey, an informal dance party broke out with queen of the moves, Andrea Bolley, at the forefront. Just an average rip roaring night in Toronto as of late, it seems.

On the first night of World MasterCard Fashion Week, we caught up with Pink Tartan designer Kimberley Newport-Mimran and chatted about the dark and mysterious inspiration behind her ladylike Fall 2013 collection. Visit our Fashion Week page for complete coverage » See the full Pink Tartan Fall 2013 collection »

The post Video: Behind the scenes with Pink Tartan at Toronto Fashion Week Fall 2013 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the Pink Tartan Fall 2013 Collection »

Marnie Edgar meets Betty Draper meets American Horror Story’s Constance Langdon—a troika of off kilter blondes make the perfect heroines for Pink Tartan’s Fall 2013 collection. “There’s something a bit off about these girls but they are really put together,” said designer Kimberley Newport Mimran backstage after the show. A bit off? Maybe. Perked to perfection? That’s more like it. Newport-Mimran’s signature sunny approach shines through in any collection, and this season, particularly so—even despite its influence. Below the blond bob wigs and wide black headbands, the label’s latest wears proved ladylike once again while hitting all the Fall 2013 trend marks. Faux fur was one, which stood out as a bright cobalt blue coat. The winter floral was another, which renewed the label’s requisite shirtdresses for another season. And because faux fur may not satiate the luxists of the city, real fur appeared as well, most notably as thin black trim on a long, backless evening gown.

See the Pink Tartan Spring 2013 collection photos »

The post Toronto Fashion Week Spring 2013 Video: Watch the Pink Tartan show in motion, plus backstage interviews with Kimberley Newport-Mimran and Charlotte Free appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the Pink Tartan Spring 2013 collection »

Kimberley Newport-Mimran returned to her signature sunny disposition last night during the first night of World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto, showcasing a confection-sweet Pink Tartan collection of 38 looks for Spring 2013.

Opening with the aptly pink-haired Charlotte Free in a butterfly-printed crop bustier and pale pink full skirt, the looks that followed worn by the homegrown likes of Alana Zimmer, Irina Lazereanu and Amanda Laine were shaped with the kind of sixties-inspired aesthetic that always seems welcome. Staying within a predominantly pastel palette of mint green, cornflower yellow and lightly-sheened gold and silver, Newport-Mimran gave shimmering shift dresses, baby-dolls, flared jumpsuits and light car coats yet another life. And while a particular silver metallic jacquard jumpsuit may prove interesting for real-girl wear, the bulk of the collection is extremely easy to translate into closet worship for all ages.

See the Versailles ’73 party photos »

Though it marked a monumental shift in fashion history, November 28, 1973 has passed through history with none of the mythological treatment as 1962’s Black and White ball or even a single Met ball. Until now that is. Brought to life by director Deborah Riley Draper, Versailles ’73 tells the story of a fashion show of French and American designs which was originally meant to simply fund the palace’s much needed repairs but became the moment that brought American fashion into the forefront. With legendary fresh-makers Liza Minelli, Kay Thompson and Pat Cleveland at the forefront of the American presentation, the show of designs by Halston, Oscar de la Renta, Bill Blass, Stephen Burrows and Anne Klein rocked a guestlist of Princess Grace of Monaco, CZ Guest, Andy Warhol, Lee Radziwell and Baroness Marie-Hélène de Rothschild and more to its feet with simplistic and impactful presentation and lively African American models (spearheaded by Pat Cleveland, who literally spun from one end of the stage to the next).

View FASHION’s 35th anniversary party photos »
Check out our archive of every FASHION cover since 1977 »

What’s better than a birthday party? Your own birthday party! On Wednesday night, the FASHION team (well, that’d be us) celebrated the magazine’s 35^th anniversary, and as you might expect, Toronto’s most stylish guys and gals were out in full force. 700 of our closest friends packed into the Distillery’s Fermenting Cellar to toast us with Skyy Vodka cocktails, mini burgers and musical performances by Divine Brown and The Parallels.

View the Fashion Cares performance and party photos »

The 25th annual M.A.C Fashion Cares gala set off with a bang on Sunday night, with a sequin-suited Elton John performing alongside Janelle Monae, Scissor Sisters, Chantal Kreviazuk and others in support of the the AIDS Committee of Toronto and Elton John AIDS Foundation. Co-chaired by Michael King and Elton John’s husband David Furnish, the show, aptly billed as a night of glitter and light, also featured speeches (and even a little runway work-out) by Linda Evangelista and Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared.