FASHION Magazine

In today’s hyper-globalized world, the sharing, discovery and, hopefully, education of various traditions from around the globe is being made even easier. From food to music to holidays (who else dove into a margarita during Cinco de Mayo?) we’re all borrowing from each other. But how far is too far? When does appreciation of a […]

The post A guide to cultural appropriation: Why Native headdresses are offensive and when to skip the trend appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Read up on Angelina Jolie’s epic Maleficent transformation Do you like Angelina Jolie’s look? Talk about dressing the part! In what has got to be one of the most major red carpet looks this year, Angelina Jolie took Maleficent to the next level by showing up to last night’s Los Angeles premiere in a rubberized […]

The post Angelina Jolie takes Maleficent to the next level in a rubberized silk Atelier Versace gown appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See our Cannes red carpet top 10 »

Beyond the foamy curtain of the Côte d’Azur lays the scene of cinema’s annual cult gathering—Cannes, a festival like no other. It is an event that has captivated audiences for the past 67 years with its unique and intoxicating brand of Mediterranean glamour.

Besotted by champagne soaked parties, historic hotels, and delectable French fare, it is a veritable paradise of indulgences for the beautiful, rich, and famous (which is at least what reading Assouline books on the topic will lead you to believe). The level of exclusivity on the Cannes red carpet guarantees that only a negligible percentage of the population will ever be granted access beyond its velvet ropes, which of course only adds to its prestigious reputation.

Briefly, in the early 1990s, I was a smut peddler. I edited an anthology called The Girl Wants To, which included art and writing about sex and the body, from Roberta Gregory’s “Bitchy Strips” to Barbara Gowdy’s strange, beautiful account of a young necrophiliac, “We So Seldom Look on Love.” The anthology was part of a growing wave of heated discourse by third-wave feminists—women making sense of sex in the ’90s. These were women who felt the need to write about want, desire, pleasure and other taboo information. Taboo because we were talking about our bodies and sexuality in ways we never had, at least publicly and en masse. Think forward, and think of what even the sweetest pop star imaginable, Katy Perry, is saying in virtually all of her songs: that she is a bi-curious, sexy dream-girl/gurl who refuses to “bite [her] tongue” any longer. Having been pushed down to the ground, she is up and roaring in the old-school manner of  “I Am Woman.” She is Helen Reddy 2.0, in other words: no bowl-cut and cardigan, no dulcet tones, but the same fervent desire to tell us that we, as women, need not suffer oppression lightly; that we are a pride of powerful lions.

Lately, there has been a sea change, with a powerful sense of another killer wave coming—a “sexplosion.” Writer and former Variety editor Robert Hofler used the term in his fascinating book of the same name. But while his exhaustive, illuminating book focuses on the period from 1968-1973, the wild time that followed the sexual revolution, Hofler’s theories suggest that the future of sex will become less “man-made.” And it already has, of course. Female performers are busily upsetting ideas about sex and power, about the naked body and their perceived passivity.

In her graphic song “Pour It Up,” Rihanna sings, “That’s how we ball out,” in a voice that is virtually empty of inflection. And in the controversial video for the song—“The really sad thing is that she thinks she’s being edgy and sexy when in fact she is slowly destroying her soul,” commented one disquieted fan—she sings this chorus as she presides over a strip club, sitting on a throne in a diamond bra, collar and Lana Turner wig, talking like a man, acting like a woman and unsettling our idea of what it means to be either.

See the outfits up-close in our Miley Cyrus lookbook »

Miley Cyrus brought it all back home last night for a countrified edition of MTV Unplugged. As one of the only music-focused holdouts of the channel, Unplugged has long since been the place to make history (Nirvana’s cover of David Bowie’s “The Man Who Sold the World” and Lauryn Hill’s controversial follow up to The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill are two biggies). And while Cyrus might not have reached VMA level in her bootie-on-bootie smack duet with Madonna, she once again proved her vocal chops. To boot, she proved that tacky is real trendy as of late in two over-the-top Nashville-approved looks.

Opening with an ultra twangy version of “4×4,” Cyrus went full out hoedown in a white bejewelled cowboy hat, blond bob wig and head-to-toe gingham cat suit custom made by her stylist Simone Harouche. The top featured a stud-encrusted yoke, which was worn open and filled with a bedazzled white necktie and shimmering belt. It was classic Dolly Parton (minus those famous double Ds), whom Cyrus covered later in the show with “Jolene.”

See the Grammys 2014 Red Carpet »

Last night, music’s reigning royal couple, Beyoncé and Jay Z, continued to win at life, opening Grammys 2014 with one hella sexy lovefest courtesy of Bey’s new single, “Drunk in Love.” Aside from their amazing performance and some collaborations from our wildest dreams—hello Pharrell Williams, Daft Punk and Stevie Wonder!—there were some very unusual outfits. From country songstress Kacey Musgraves’ light up cowboy boots to Cyndi Lauper’s caped get up, fashion critics were split on most of the outfits from the night.

Taking a cue from Diane Keaton’s stylish tuxedo at the recent Golden Globes, Madonna went androgynous in a Ralph Lauren double-breasted tux, accessorizing with a sparkly glove, gold grills, and her son David who walked the carpet by her side. Katy Perry showed some love for Valentino, rocking a couture white tulle confection with staffs of sheet music splashed across the skirt. Some thought it verged on tacky, but we give her mad props for embodying the night’s theme so fully.

Both Ciara and Alicia Keys showed how to make the most of curves. Ciara showed off her baby bump in a fitted Emilio Pucci dress, keeping her hair and make up perfectly low key, as to not overwhelm the sequined get up. Similarly, Alicia Keys, kept her coiffed hair and make up simple, and let her cobalt blue Armani Privé halter gown take centre stage. The plunging neckline might be too much for some, but Alicia pulls off the bold look effortlessly.

See the Versace ad campaigns » After months of Lady Gaga pulling from the Versace archives, the first ad starring the singer as the label’s face was released earlier this week causing Donatella double takes across the globe. Mother Monster’s transformative skills are in high gear for the photos, in which she dons the designer’s […]

The post Doing the Donatella: 10 stars from Gaga to Madonna who have morphed into the designer for Versace ad campaigns appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

View our gallery of the best curly hair on the red carpet »

Curly and wavy hairstyles are, without a doubt, one of our favourite red carpet looks. From perfectly coiffed Old Hollywood ringlets to messy beach waves, there are endless ways to wear your hair down—while still giving it some style. Curly hair is easier to master than an updo, looks much more dramatic than a ponytail and definitely has an appeal that straight hair just can’t match. Need further proof? We’ve gathered some of the best curly hair and wavy hair looks from recent red carpets all in one place. (If you haven’t already logged into your Pinterest account, now’s the time!)

See the photos from The Sound of Change concert »

Beyoncé, Florence Welch, Jennifer Lopez and others reaffirmed that girls do run the world as they took to the stage at last night’s The Sound of Change concert in London. The show was held to promote Gucci’s Chime for Change charity, of which Beyoncé, Salma Hayek and Gucci creative director Frida Giannini are co-founders.

Beyoncé, who played artistic director for the event, sang and danced through a forty-five minute set to a 50,000-strong crowd at London’s Twickenham Stadium. The star, who was recently crowned an icon on Time’s annual list of 100 Most Influential People and described by Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann as the “reigning national voice” of the US, performed some of her most major girl power hits including “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It),” “Run The World (Girls)” and “Grown Woman”. Oh and did we mention that her entire band was female? The not-so-single diva was radiant in a sexy black bodysuit and edgy ankle boots.

See the Met Gala 2013 red carpet photos »

The build up to this year’s Met Gala has been major. Designers, celebrities and the fashion elite have been scrambling to piece together a look that fits the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s theme, PUNK: Chaos to Couture and while admittedly, the punk-inspired looks were few and far between, we were certainly thrilled with a few.

Channeling her own recent V Magazine cover, Miley Cyrus went latter day Debbie Harry with platinum blonde spikes and a long fishnet Marc Jacobs dress. Anne Hathaway debuted a similarly bleached bob alongside her date and dresser for the night, Valentino Garavani, sending the twittersphere in a tizzy.

Co-chairs of the event Riccardo Tisci and Rooney Mara went punk-light with Mara in a beautifully detailed white lace Givenchy dress and a pop of crimson on the lips.

Also wearing Givenchy was none other than Beyoncé—the honourary chairperson for this year’s event. Pairing her custom-designed strapless black and gold printed gown with blinged out boots in the same shade, Queen Bey proved for her second year in a row that last on the red carpet is always best.

After finally receiving the Anna Wintour nod of approval, Kim Kardashian made an appearance at the Met Gala 2013 in a floral-print Givenchy dress with baby-daddy, Kanye West at her side.

Someone who is more known for consistently nailing red carpet looks than Kimye, is Emma Watson and she hit a high note yet again in a skin-bearing Prabal Gurung dress with a single silver drop earring hanging from her left ear.

And while Kristen Stewart has held fast to her role as the face of Balenciaga’s Florabotanica, she strayed from the house’s new wears, opting instead, for a crimson Stella McCartney pantsuit.

So who was the best dressed at the Met Gala 2013? Vote in our poll!

See the Vawk and Vawkkin Spring 2013 collection photos »

On the final night of World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto, those that were left standing were treated to a double dose of designer Sunny Fong for Spring 2013. Vawkkin, the affordable sister line to his primary label Vawk, offered a variety of tailored LBDs and separates. The brogues added a fresh spin to the frocks. Fong has gone retro ‘80s for spring. If Madonna’s “Justify My Love” blaring from the sound system didn’t tip you off, then his strong line-up of Madge-approved looks would have. Mostly shown in graphic black and white—colours were limited to a lipstick red and a rich eggplant—his latest Vawk collection checked off all the boxes for must-have Spring 2013 trends: exaggerated shoulders, thigh high slits, plunging necklines, leather LBDs and cut-outs with sheer panels. The gold cone bra paired with trousers showcased Fong’s flair for the unexpected but overall the collection didn’t stretch the sartorial limits. Then again, a sexy little leather number by Vawk will always make the cash register sing.

It’s a scalding 32 degrees in lush Prince Edward County, two hours east of Toronto, and Canadian pop trio Dragonette is taking cover on a 52-acre woodland estate owned by lead singer Martina Sorbara’s family. Her dad, Greg, is a longtime Liberal MPP and former Ontario finance minister. The Sorbara compound is the group’s official HQ for the weekend. Cooling their heels in a man-made lake after a feverish tour cycle, the Juno winners—Sorbara, her husband, producer and bassist Dan Kurtz, and drummer Joel Stouffer—are trying to unwind. But a cellphone ring echoes among the flora, fauna and even a few fawns, and FASHION’s shoot in a converted barn turned photo studio calls them away from nature.