FASHION Magazine

By Tammy Eckenswiller

Feeling sad (not really) for all of you poor Torontonians slogging through the slop and slush of that nasty snow storm on Friday while those of us in N.Y.C. click around happily in our new stilettoes and light winter coats… The weather is like the beginning of spring here, sunny and mild! Thank goodness because it’s difficult to be fabulous in slush-friendly gear!

As most party people know, January tends to slow down after the hectic holiday season. But as we kick-start 2008, there has been no downtime for this fashionable girl, what with new bar openings and a quick Jamaican retreat with the BF—but we wouldn’t have it any other way.

A local told me today that on this, the first Saturday of the festival, the city reaches its maximum capacity. I felt the sting of that truth while waiting 30 minutes to get a cup of coffee at Canada’s own Cow’s ice cream parlor/café—oddly, a festival hot spot.

CELEB SPY: Star spottings around town.

Trick or treat: Canadian songbird Nelly Furtado was very generous this Halloween. Before jetting off to Munich for the MTV Europe Music Awards, the “Promiscuous” singer, with her bags packed and waiting by her front door, was handing out two big chocolate bars to each goblin and princess who happened to stop by her mid-town Toronto home. The next night in Germany she took home Album of the Year! Congrats, Nelly.

Despite the parade of bomber jackets, ribbed tights and ankle boots, spring is in the air. Held at their brand new digs at Exhibition Place, the Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) held their annual press and buyer’s breakfast to showcase 18 up-and-coming designers on the Canadian scene. The fashion pack was looking for two things that morning: caffeine and the coolest new collections. FASHION spotted a lot of fab new things, but there were a few standouts in this vast sea of style.

By Kate MacLennan

Fashion parties always trickle to a minimum under the August sunshine, but by the first week of September, the bulk of the style community has happily bid sayonara to its summer threads and is eagerly embarking on the important mission of building a new autumn wardrobe. So if there’s one event you don’t want to miss, it’s fall’s first fashion fête, bound to be a gawk-fest of au courant clothing, not to mention a choice opportunity to network and dish.

By Kate MacLennan

Almost a decade ago, back when I was but a fashion kitten (not a full-blown fashion feline), I made the gross miscalculation of wearing a vintage Roots T-shirt whilst strolling through Sydney’s Paddington Market on a trip to Australia. There was nothing wrong with the shirt in and of itself—I even thought I looked pretty cute having paired it with denim capris (which were just gaining popularity then).

Despite a few stiletto-wounded whimpers overheard in the show lineups last night, the energy was still electric aprés a full four days of the FDCC’s Canadian-cool Fashion Week. While the shows (thus far) have ranged from dazzling to disappointing, one thing is certain: All work and no play makes fashion a dull industry. Hence, the word on everyone’s collagen-plumped lips ce soir was: after-parties!

But before we can mix ‘n’ mingle in our Manolos, I hear the call of the styled…