FASHION Magazine

By Malwina Gudowska

While most childhood memories are composed of bosom friends and pivotal events, my youthful days can be mapped out in a connect-the-dots trajectory—literally. I rarely spent serious time in the sun, but I have plenty of little dark marks on my skin, including the four moles on one side of my face that I’ve had since birth.

At seven, when I dressed up as Madonna circa 1984 for Halloween, my mother drew a small mark above my lip with her brown eyeliner to mimic Madge’s signature mole. A couple of years later, as if I’d willed it to happen, a mark appeared above my lip, just a centimetre down from where the Material Girl’s spot had been. I was no longer a fake; I was part of the Marilyn (Monroe), Cindy (Crawford) and Madonna club. Plus, my mole quintet was complete! But what I thought was a blessing—who wouldn’t like the comparison to Cindy Crawford?—became a curse when a cruel classmate took notice and used it as a source of inspiration for his playground intimidation tactics. Upset and teary-eyed, I sought refuge near the balance beams, and a teacher came up to ask what had happened. “David says that if you connect all the moles on my face, they make an upside-down house,” I said.

“Those aren’t moles, my dear,” the teacher replied. “Those are beauty marks.”

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There are a few outfits that have had a lasting impact on society. Kate Middleton’s blue Issa engagement dress, for example. Marilyn Monroe’s white dress in The Seven Year Itch. Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl halftime show costume. Okay, maybe not that last one.

Amongst that iconic list, the pink bouclé suit Jackie Kennedy wore the day her husband, John F. Kennedy, was assassinated (she famously refused to take off the bloodstained jacket), stands out. In fact, it was so iconic that Carine Roitfeld told Tim Blanks it was the first Chanel piece she recognized: “The first Chanel jacket that I saw–that I knew was Chanel–was on TV. It was on Mrs. Kennedy–the pink one.”

Sorry, Carine, but it looks like you “knew” wrong. Karl Lagerfeld quickly countered, saying it was a line-by-line fake. Wait, Jackie Kennedy wore fake Chanel?!

Well… not exactly. While the Kaiser seems to think Oleg Cassini made the line-by-line copy, consensus is it was actually tailored at the Chez Ninon dress shop in New York. Apparently, the store had received the OK from Chanel to copy the dress and used Chanel fabrics, buttons and patterns to make it.

It appears Kennedy wore the “knockoff” (though with Chanel’s approval, it probably can’t be classified as one) suit to show patriotism and support American clothiers. And considering all the fuss that was made when Michelle Obama wore Alexander McQueen (not American) to the Chinese State Dinner, we think we can understand why she went in that direction.

Either way, the iconic suit will be locked away in a vault in Maryland until 2103. Chanel or not, this is one piece of fashion history we’d love to have seen.

“There’s something extremely appealing about Jessica Stam’s red hair, electric blue eyes and red lips; they stand out against the white background,” says art director Maarten Sluyter, who joined FASHION in February 2011. “The lighting is so soft and fresh, like a Sunday morning when you’re just waking up and there’s no rush to get out of bed. It makes me think of Marilyn Monroe’s last photo shoot; Stam has captured that same feeling of desire and vulnerability. Because there’s very little fashion in this shot, it has a timeless quality. I could see this photo a hundred times and never get tired of it.”

Today, one of our favourite royals and style icons turns 30 years old. Happy birthday, Kate Middleton! While there are rumours of celebrations at a private ‘80s-themed party tonight, yesterday the duchess was in the public eye—on the red carpet at the War Horse London premiere. (And most of us would certainly accept that black lace Temperley dress as an early birthday present!)

By Emily Burke

We’re still buzzing about My Week With Marilyn, the newly released film starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe, a great film based on the actress’ time in London while filming The Prince and the Showgirl during the 1950s. Williams is a premier indie darling, famed for her heartbreaking (and Oscar nominated) roles in Blue Valentine and Brokeback Mountain. Toss her into any indie flick and ask her to play the hardened but sympathetic beauty, and her many admirers will eat it up. She carries herself as a serious woman with a sharp mind. She is absolutely sexy, but it’s hard to separate that sex appeal from her innocent intellect or her pixie cut and teensy frame. Reviews of her performance as Marilyn have been split between raves and criticisms, and we wonder whether another Hollywood It girl might have suited the role a bit better. Who do you think suits the role of Marilyn Monroe best?

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My morning beauty routine consists of all-natural products, save for my deodorant. I don’t feel safe using the mass-market ones, though, so I was thinking of using baby powder instead—would that work? Baby powder was once an early form of deodorant, applied topically to absorb liquid and dry damp skin. It’s comprised of cornstarch and […]

The post Afternoon beauty fix: How to mix a natural deodorant that still smells sweet appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Set to debut this weekend at the New York Film Festival, the trailer for My Week With Marilyn has been released and not a moment too soon. Starring Michelle Williams, it’s a period film that’s been flying slightly under our radar. Yes, there was the stunning Michelle-as-Monroe Vogue cover—but after watching the trailer we now see just how sensational this film will be. Here’s why we’re excited:

Word: Pneumatic

Meaning: Technically, it means filled with air, usually compressed air, like the tubes running throughout George Orwell‘s 1984. But Huxley used it relentlessly to describe a woman whose curves were so ample they seemed inflated; he also used it to describe chairs, but we’ll save that objectification discussion for another day.

Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton have hailed upon Toronto. No, not the real gals, but rather, some of the most iconic and unique images of the starlets and models. Jewels, the new exhibit of famed ’60s photographer Bert Stern, is currently on show at the IZZY GALLERY (on until July 9, 106 Yorkville Ave., 416-922-1666). It takes a peek into the legendary photographer’s career, including the last images ever shot of Monroe and those shot on the set of Stanley Kubrick’s Lolita.

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By Randi Bergman and Jordan Porter

Are you sick of putting aside your blonde ambitions? Have no fear. You can finally scratch that Seven Year Itch. Jewels, the new exhibit of Bert Stern’s iconic images of ’60s icons, including Marilyn Monroe in the last images ever taken of her, just opened in Toronto and has the icon firmly planted in our minds. Why not catch the exhibit (on until July 9, at IZZY GALLERY, 106 Yorkville Avenue, 416-922-1666) while channeling the screen star in some of the pieces we’ve spotted!

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John Galliano’s court date draws closer. The ex-Dior designer will be going on trial this Wednesday. [Vogue UK]

Check out the behind the scenes of the Louis Vuitton Fall ad campaign. [Youtube]

After being in the news for looking surprisingly thin in recent photos, Crystal Renn‘s agent asserted she was still a “solid size 10.” She’s been hiking a lot lately, perhaps explaining why she looks so toned. [The Cut] Read our interview with Crystal Renn from the August issue.