FASHION Magazine

Chic beauty boutique Etiket (1832 Sherbrooke St. W., 514-687-3886, etiket.ca) is stocked with deluxe, doctor-approved skin care, including dreamy products by RevaléSkin (helpful for rosacea), Environ from South Africa (skin-resurfacing with vitamin A), Tata Harper (eco-friendly and luxurious) and more unique beauty and home lines—many of which are exclusively available here.

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The cat-eye is having a moment. Celia Ellenberg takes us through its many versions over the years and finds out how to execute them.

While spring tends to signal the arrival of all beauty things light and bright, the runways told a different story this season as designers embraced a certain graphic cosmetic accoutrement that’s seen an impressive evolution over the past few centuries. Behold, the rebirth of the cat-eye. Black-rimmed upper lash lines were the makeup look of choice at shows such as Ruffian and Dolce & Gabbana, and while the backstage miracle workers made it look easy, mastering the perfect flick on your own can be a different story. We’ve gathered eight eyeliner icons and asked Hourglass Cosmetics’ artistic director Gina Brooke and makeup artist Pati Dubroff to weigh in on whether the liquid pen is truly mightier than the kohl pencil when it comes to crafting the perfect winged liner. Because, according to Brooke, “if you use the right products, getting the look is not an issue.”

GET THE LOOK:
CLEOPATRA | AUDREY HEPBURN | SOPHIA LOREN | BRIGETTE BARDOT | BETTY DRAPER | KATE MOSS | AMY WINEHOUSE | ADELE

Essie Weingarten steps off the elevator on the penthouse level of New York’s Mondrian SoHo hotel and is greeted by a wall covered floor to ceiling with framed photos of the most iconic nail polish shades she’s created over the past 30 years. “Oh my God, this is amazing!” she says, marvelling at the tributes to colours like “Mademoiselle,” “Wicked” and “Chinchilly” that her team has surprised her with as part of a dinner in her honour. As the founder of one of the most well-known brands in the category—seriously, walk into any nail bar, particularly in Manhattan, and you’ll see that her bottles dominate the shelves—Weingarten, originally from Queens, has much to celebrate. Not only did L’Oréal acquire her company in 2010, providing distribution of Essie to even more countries, but her colours are worn by everyone from the Queen (Her Majesty is fond of “Ballet Slippers”) to Lady Gaga (she paired “Merino Cool” with her infamous meat dress).

The gossamer lace dresses printed with a profusion of blooms in Erdem’s Spring 2012 collection called to mind a few things: a summer of leisure, innocence about to be lost, perhaps a girl one step removed from reality. London, U.K.–based Canadian designer Erdem Moralioglu explains that he conceived the designs after reading Françoise Sagan’s Bonjour Tristesse, “and it stuck.” The French Riviera–set story of a girl’s complicated relationship with her widowed father and his lovers was written by Sagan in 1954, when she was just 18.

This literary link in Moralioglu’s design process isn’t out of the ordinary. A voracious collector of books—he estimates his current count at close to 1,000—he frequently looks to them for inspiration. “I can point to books on my shelves that were catalysts for different collections,” he says.

Meredith Marks knows how to shine. A former model, the Chicago-based accessories designer (and mother of three) launched her eponymous jewellery line in 2010. Since then, her modern-meets-vintage sparklers (hello, white-diamond and rose-gold teardrop earrings) have been spotted on A-listers such as Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox. Now, they’re swinging this side of the border. From May 4 to 13, Holt Renfrew is hosting an exclusive Meredith Marks (meredithmarks.com) trunk show at its flagship location (50 Bloor St. W., 416-922-2333, holtrenfrew.com).

Ease into bikini season with this pretty pair of boardshorts by Roxy ($50, roxy.com). Perfect for sea and street, the lingerie-inspired hem ups the flirt factor of this summer staple.

This spring, shimmering shells, luminous pearls and treasures from the deep have sprung from the sea.

See our shopping picks »

Luxury watches have a haute new home at the Rolex shop-in-shop at Birks in the Core shopping centre (317 7th Ave. SW, Suite 270, Calgary, 403-260-8700, birks.com). This location is one of only three across Canada to have introduced this prestigious Swiss brand. Looking to make a timeless statement? The Oyster Perpetual Datejust in 18-karat Everose gold with diamonds (shown, $13,510) says forever.

By day, Kristin MacDonald is the operations manager at a children’s activity centre. By night, the 27-year-old exercises a love of all things fashion through her blog, Doll Parade. She doesn’t mind the balancing act—in fact, balance is a factor in her personal style, which she documents daily on the site. Her look is a mélange of modern and vintage, high and low, classic and quirky—like Breton stripes with a big, bold necklace. She started experimenting with style at four years old. “I would make dresses for my mom from my blankets, brooches and extension cords,” she says. “I never understood why she wasn’t wearing them to functions.” With that early appreciation for the unconventional, it’s no surprise that she counts the late Alexander McQueen as a favourite designer. MacDonald says social media is brightening the spotlight on fashion in Fredericton, but not everyone is accustomed to her flamboyant attire. “There are still stares at the grocery store when I’m dressed for a day out,” she admits, “but you take those things in stride.”

See Kristin’s shopping picks »

Forget the statement necklace—this season it’s all about oversized earrings à la Moschino’s Spring 2012 collection. The big baubles in Montreal designer Tamara Bavdek’s jewellery line, This Ilk (thisilk.com), are crafted from featherweight silk, which means they’re bold but light on the lobes.

Crammed into stylist Roslyn Griffith Hall’s downtown Toronto home are vintage bust forms, antique leather shoes, tarnished metal spoons and keys, animal skulls and bones, ceiling-high stacks of Rubbermaid tubs filled with fabric swatches, and racks upon racks of clothes and shoes. “A lot of it is stuff I’ve gathered over the years for shoots, to make into art or to use for my jewellery collection [Fitz & Fur],” she says. “I love rust, so I have all these rusty old horseshoes, pulleys and weights. And then I have all these boxes and trunks, like this old Indian one, and inside each one, there’s more stuff. Surprise! It’s like those Russian nesting dolls.”

A fragrant ode to a love affair, Jenna Lyons–approved lip colour, and a cure for toner guilt.

View our editor’s picks »