FASHION Magazine

See Luminato opening party photos »

On Friday night, Toronto’s arts elite flooded the sprawling canopied lobby of Brookfield Place for the opening of the Luminato arts festival. The event was activity-stacked, with Yves Saint Laurent handing out engraved Touche Eclat pens and branded cigars and a gigantic claw arcade machine in the centre of the room. The machine, entitled Stockpile, is actually one big performance art piece, with the part of the claw being acted out by nine different artists and the curious items in the cage being donated by the community. Naturally.

Fresh off the debut performance of The Life and Death of Marina Abramovic, Marina Abramović and Willem Dafoe joined in on the festivities alongside Luminato creative director Jörn Weisbrodt and husband Rufus Wainwright, who wore a custom made Jean-Charles de Castelbajac cloud-print suit. Elsewhere, Knot PR’s Amy Burtsyn-Fritz was making her own festive statement in a shimmering 3.1 Phillip Lim cocktail dress alongside freshly minted husband, Graham Smith.

See Big Bang Bash Viktor & Rolf Dolls Luminato photos »

Last Saturday night, the arty A-list gathered to celebrate the opening of the Viktor & Rolf Dolls exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. As the pre-emptive kick-off to the Luminato arts festival, which officially begins today, patrons, planners and performers came out en masse including the formidable foreign trio of Marina Abramović, Willem Dafoe and creative director Jörn Weisbrodt. To match the quirky aesthetic of the night’s satellite guests of honour (the designers were unable to repeat their May visit to Toronto), the ROM’s crystal lobby was tricked out with curiously interactive decorations like a sky-high mannequin whose dress gave out jewellery when guests placed their hands inside, a conveyor belt of treats and a literal piano bar which thrilled with its makeshift Prohibition vibe. Everything about the event seemed as if part of a surreal dream, which culminated in the fabulously fringed navy coat belonging to a one Suzanne Boyd catching on fire. With a few ceremonious pats, the fire was extinguished, leaving the glitzy gossipers with something especially titillating to talk about.

Few can claim to embody the term “masterclass” the way Marina Abramović can. The Serbian-born, New York-based performance artist has consistently risked her physical and mental health in order to examine the concept of human limitation. In 1974, for a piece called Rhythm 5, Abramović set fire to a large petroleum-soaked pentacle and lay expressionless in the centre of the star as the flames went up (she fainted from a lack of oxygen). Other extreme works—some of which are covered in 2012’s acclaimed documentary on her life, Marina Abramović: The Artist Is Present—had Abramović dripping candle wax on her bare skin, masturbating in public, cleaning human skulls and offering her naked body to strangers, who were encouraged to dress and undress her. One of her most time-consuming pieces—a 1988 performance titled The Lovers—had Abramović walk the east side of the Great Wall of China alone. The trip, which measured more than 2,000 kilometres, was planned alongside a parallel expedition taken by her lover and partner, Ulay, who trekked up the wall’s west side so the two could meet in the middle. When the pair reunited—three months after their respective journeys began—Abramović chose the moment to tell him she was putting an end to their professional and personal relationship.

See photos from the CFDA Awards 2013 »

Photography by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Photography by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Photography by Jennifer Graylock/Getty Images for Swarovski

Photography by Kevin Mazur/WireImage

Photography courtesy BFA/Calvin Klein

1/5

CFDA Awards 2013

Marina Abramovic, Riccardo Tisci, Actress Jessica Chastain and Adriana Lima

2/5

CFDA Awards 2013 Phillip Lim Rose Byrne

Phillip Lim and Rose Byrne

3/5

CFDA Awards 2013 Elizabeth Olsen Mary Kate Olsen

Elizabeth and Mary Kate Olsen

4/5

CFDA Awards 2013 Lazaro Hernandez Kerry Washington Jack McCollough

CFDA Awards 2013 Lazaro Hernandez, Kerry Washington and Jack McCollough

5/5

CFDA Awards 2013 Francisco Costa Rooney Mara

Francisco Costa and Rooney Mara

The who’s who of fashion piled into the Lincoln Centre’s Alice Tully Hall last night for the CFDA Awards 2013 in New York City. For those who are a little unfamiliar to the event, the ceremony is to the fashion industry what the Grammys are to music. Let’s just say, you’re more likely to see Zac Posen on the red carpet, that you are J Biebs.

From Hilary Rhoda’s Helmut Lang number to Nicole Richie’s metallic maxi, the red carpet saw fashions finest (accompanied by their favourite six-foot-tall friends) in a variety of daring ensembles. Adriana Lima’s floor sweeping Givenchy frock left little to the imagination with its sheer skirt, while Jessica Chastain’s little black after-party-ready dress looked fabulous with her main accessory, Givenchy designer Riccardo Tisci, whom she later presented the international award to. Erin Wasson looked positively futuristic in her edgy Alexander Wang gown while Miranda Kerr supported the boys at Proenza Schouler with a stunning blue mini by the label. Kerr’s fellow Victoria’s Secret angel Candice Swanepoel accompanied a very lucky Prabal Gurung to the event. Poor Michael Kors, who couldn’t decide on which model-friend to be his plus one, ended up bringing two dazzling dates, Karolina Kurkova and Cody Horn, who wore shimmering pieces from his collection. Meanwhile, Mary-Kate Olsen swapped sisters for the night, dressing Elizabeth Olsen in The Row while she stuck to her vintage penchant in Issey Miyake.

If you’ve gone through our 500-item holiday gift guide and have yet to find perfect Christmas gift ideas (impossible!), perhaps the personal picks of FASHION’s staff might get you inspired. Our editors are sharing the luxury gifts they are hoping to see under the tree come December 25, but have also given us some ideas as to what their loved ones will be receiving. From fashionable books, jewellery and clothing to opera tickets and spa gift certificates, our editors are lusting after many things this year. But Christmas is a season of giving, and judging from the items that our editor’s will be giving this year, we know it will be a very lucky holiday season for all.

View the list »

Jump to an editor: Bernadette Morra | Nicole Stafford | Elio Iannacci | Rani Sheen | Lesa Hannah | Randi Bergman | Paige Dzenis | Sarah Daniel | Sarah Casselman | Caitlan Moneta | Jacquelyn Francis | Caitlin Agnew | Eliza Grossman | Brian Fleming | Sonya Van Heyningen

Despite being in full Fall 2012 mode during the week—the September Fall Trends issue of FASHION just wrapped—on the weekend it’s all about the summer lovin’. We’ve got new stores and pop-up shops to check out, movies imported from Cannes to watch, and a rooftop barbecue party to attend. Oh, and Grimes is in basically every town.

See what’s on our list »

It’s not every day that you get to play host to a living, breathing masterpiece! The Canadian Art Foundation was lucky enough to showcase Yugoslavian performance artist Marina Abramovic, who was in Toronto for the Canadian premiere of The Artist is Present at the Reel Artists Film Festival. The new documentary film chronicles her prolific and often painful career and follows the preparation for her 2010 retrospective show at the MoMA—she spent more than 700 hours over the course of three months staring into the eyes of museum visitors. Beyond her lifelong love affair with performance art, Abramovic is a designer devotee (having discovered fashion after a particularly nasty breakup); in the film, she’s shown shopping at Givenchy with none other than Riccardo Tisci. It’s no surprise then that the 65-year-old wore head-to-toe Costume National to the premiere, or that she counts Fashion Television’s Jeanne Beker as a fan. At the a swank soiree, held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and bookended by not one but two cocktail parties, we spotted a smattering of guests from Canada’s creative set including Luminato’s Jörn Weisbrodt (who also made an appearance in the film), the Beckerman clan, and gallery owner Daniel Faria.

View the photo gallery »

Rumour has it that Giles Deacon may take over as the revolving-door role of creative director for Emanuel Ungaro. Deacon was spotted with Ungaro owner Asim Abdullah last Friday in Paris, and in the world of fashion gossip that obviously means they’re working together. [Vogue UK] Catherine McNeil‘s girlfriend, Aussie MTV host Ruby Rose, apparently […]

The post Fashion news: Alaïa wants to work with H&M, Catherine McNeil is engaged to Ruby Rose, and is Giles going to Ungaro? appeared first on FASHION Magazine.