FASHION Magazine

See the photos from Holt Renfrew’s Uncrate India party »

We gave you a behind-the-scenes peek at how Alexandra Weston and Waris Ahluwalia curated the Holt Renfrew H Project Uncrate India collection. We shared 50+ artisanal items from the collection. And now it’s time to take a look at the incredible bash that Holt Renfrew threw last night in celebration of it all. The Bloor Street store was transformed into a vibrant Indian market, welcoming hundreds of guests adorned in sari-inspired attire. Rooms were tented with pink and orange fabric for an intimate feel, gilded bird cages stuffed with flowers hung from the ceilings and guests were greeted upon arrival with a shower of rose petals. But the lavish extravaganza didn’t stop there.

Holt Renfrew’s Toronto Fashion Week party photos »

Who said Monday wasn’t the time to party? Holt Renfrew’s now regular fashion week kick off started things with so many bangs last night, it was hard to keep track of the night’s best.

One of them would surely have been the Cary Tauben-led walk off that took to the store’s mezzanine a little shy of midnight. The Montreal-based stylist and part time go go dancer is known for his fierce moves (typically in six inch heels), and last night’s showcase of his talents was no exception. Ugh, fierce is too light a word.

Another might have been the wall-to-wall gab fest willed by many an eager partygoer, including Holts-stocked designers Jeremy Laing, Tanya Taylor and Smythe’s Christie Smythe and Andrea Lenczner.

Another ongoing highlight took place over the course of the night, as a New York-based phenomenon known as The Bumbys aka. a masked duo who sit at matching typewriters produced “fair and honest appraisals” of guests’ outfits. Fair, honest and quite honestly genius, case in point, mine:

See the street style shots from Toronto »

On the second day of pre-fashion week aka The Shows, Toronto’s best were out in full force to support last night’s talented twosome, Steven Tai and Jeremy Laing. October’s pleasant temps seem to be allowing for pleasant outfit pairings (read: no bulky layers or cold weather grimaces), which we obviously dig. Style Panel’s Danielle Roche pre-empted Spring 2014’s shine trend in a boxy copper animal print, which was layered, overtop a pleated black leather mini and op art print turtleneck. Caillianne Beckerman, Samantha Beckerman and all star model Liisa Winkler were feeling the current plaid penchant, weaving the old standby within matching designer-clad outfits. Meanwhile team Holt Renfrew had the sophisticated clan colours downpat, with Blaire Borins, Jennifer Daubney, Kimberly Grabel and Moira Wright posing in co-ordinating neutrals. Until next time folks, which by our count is just over a week away.

See the Drake One Fifty party photos »

The Drake Hotel can easily be credited with introducing Bay Street types to Queen West, and now, with the launch of Drake One Fifty, they’re reversing the flow. Nested between Toronto’s tallest skyscrapers and expense account-funded bars, the Drake has transplanted its signature sense of (dare we say hipster?) style into a standalone restaurant that will change the scene of the downtown core.

While the space has been on the radar of Toronto’s style set for months, doors officially opened earlier this week with a jam-packed party. From Holt Renfrew’s Moira Wright and Jennifer Daubney to artists Tommy Matejka and Niall McLelland, the guest list was a perfectly curated uptown/downtown mix. In typical Drake Hotel fashion, Drake One Fifty is as much about art and interior design as it is the food. Most of the dining room sits under a huge wooden pergola, designed by Brothers Dressler, book-ended with artwork by Douglas Coupland and Micah Lexier. (You’ll also be sure to see the extremely photogenic emerald-green leather bar stools and banquettes in the background of Instagrams for years to come.)

See all the photos from the Upgrade book launch party »

Is there anything more enticing than a promise to make your regular old life extraordinary? It was this premise that inspired Rana Florida to write her latest book, and the reason why a very swishy crowd gathered to celebrate the launch of Upgrade on Tuesday night. Held at the home of Suzanne and Mark Cohon, the party attracted a mix of Toronto’s most stylish and most social. It was certainly a who’s who of the city’s creative set—a group more likely to be featured as an Upgrade case study than those in need of the book’s advice.

Holt Renfrew’s Moira Wright (in a sleek black pantsuit and tuxedo jacket) mingled with Greta Constantine’s Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill, who were just days away from jetting off to Paris. The guest of honour was decked out in a stunning Clover Canyon dress—purchased just for the occasion—and Rana wasn’t the only one in digital prints and vibrant colours. Alexandra Weston toned down her purple, blue and grey Peter Pilotto skirt with a leather moto jacket, while Jane Apor’s fluro-orange clutch and heels added a pop of colour to her ensemble. Twitter Canada’s Kirstine Stewart was also rocking some orange, with a pair of bright pants that should probably be on everyone’s fall must-have list.

See the Greta Constantine summer party photos »

A half naked male model, a midtown mansion and one stellar Spring 2014 collection reveal—what else could you ask for on a late summer’s eve? Last night, Greta Constantine hosted its annual summer party at the beautiful home of Krystal Koo and Michael Cooper. Taking place around the couple’s stunning aqua blue pool, the fashion show-meets-party had lanky models parading in the duo’s latest wares—a sailor inspired wideleg and boatneck combo, a juicy orange bodysuit, a bronze figure-hugging evening gown and the piece de resistance, an itty bitty men’s speedo. (Whether or not that last one can accurately be referred to as a collection piece though is beside the point, right?) As the night progressed, Greta devouts including Anita Clarke, Natalie Lecomte and Stacey McKenzie toasted with Stoli cocktails while Chatelaine’s Tyler Franch and Redken’s Sean Godard posed for selfies by the tiled cabana. All the makings of a perfect summer sendoff, even though we really don’t want to send it off at all.

See the Power Ball 2013 party photos »

Last night, Power Ball 2013 a.k.a. the art party of the year/social event of the season and so on and so forth went down at The Power Plant gallery on Toronto’s harbourfront. Despite the rain, the city’s finest art, fashion and social types filled the expansive space in designer gowns, costumes, and in one instance, a birthday suit. Celebrating its 15^th year under the guise of Andy Warhol’s famous line “In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes,” the space was tricked out with Factory-worthy silver foil which made for some pretty fierce voguing props for designer Jeremy Laing and Frank Griggs much later in the evening. Power Ball’s famed exhibitions and installations were omnipresent as always, including a fortune-telling psychic, Chat Roulette-style wall projections, and two twisted prom queens dancing around a birthday cake and a mounted spinning motorcycle all night long. Curiouser and curiouser…

See 12 Power Ball wardrobe picks »

Power Ball is but a day away, and as you can imagine, it has Toronto’s creative crowd in an anticipatory tizzy. For the 15th year in a row, The Power Plant’s annual fundraiser has managed to maintain “art party of the year” status and this year is sure to be no different. As such, you can imagine the importance placed on wardrobing. If you’re going to this year’s event and still don’t know what to wear, we turned to 9 of the city’s most stylish (plus 3 FASHION editors!) for clues as to what they are wearing. For more, see last year’s coverage.

Tickets are still available at thepowerplant.org but by this time tomorrow they’re likely to disappear. Get ‘em while they’re hot!

See the photos from Michael Kors’ Toronto visit »

“Just when you thought you had everything, along comes a camouflage mink stole,” drawled Michael Kors, as a model glided into Holt Renfrew’s café in an outfit from his Fall 2013 collection.

The mini-show followed lunch for 20 or so top clients at Holt’s Cafe yesterday following a fête at his Bloor Street store on Wednesday night, with hostess Hilary Weston presiding over the affair in an aqua Oscar de la Renta tunic and pants.

Elsewhere there was much Michael Kors Spring 2013 about, including a dermatologist in a colourblock dress, and a capital markets trader a peony pink sheath. After tucking into sweet pea ravioli, lobster over fried green tomatoes and a sliver of cheesecake, there was an exodus downstairs to the racks of fall clothes available for special order.

Check out the photos from the Joe Fresh after-party »

Given the well-heeled ladies and gents that show up for a Joe Fresh fashion show, you’d never believe the label’s wears run as affordably as they do. Though as any Loblaws shopper in Canada knows, they do. After last night’s punky all-black Fall 2013 outing, showgoers were looking to kick off their heels (proverbially speaking) with signature orange cocktails, mini tacos and pulsing DJ beats at the private watering hole, Storys.

Fresh off the Fresh runway, models Heather Marks, Meaghan Collison and a group of studly males in tight sweaters flooded the room with just enough impossible beauty to make the ogling worth it. Creative director Joe Mimran and wife Kimberley Newport-Mimran showed up in coordinated head-to-toe black suiting, adding their own luxe touch to the non-colour of the night. As the two cozied up to Loblaws frontman Galen Weston, nightclub impresario Charles Khabouth and our favourite dandy, Bruce C. Bailey, an informal dance party broke out with queen of the moves, Andrea Bolley, at the forefront. Just an average rip roaring night in Toronto as of late, it seems.

See all the Holt Renfrew party pictures »

Not even a micro-blizzard can stop Toronto from celebrating the start of World MasterCard Fashion Week in style. Open-toed shoes and floor-grazing hemlines were spotted on many of the attendees at Holt Renfrew’s cocktail kickoff party, with barely a salt stain or goose-bump in sight.

The party, which started after the last of Monday’s shows, transplanted the front row set—that is, a mix of editors, designers, photographers and buyers—onto the third floor of Holt Renfrew. Ambient music (courtesy a Bellosound DJ in a white Jeremy Laing dress) mixed well with on-brand magenta lighting, making for quite the party den far away from the tents at David Pecaut square. And magenta wasn’t just everywhere thanks to the lighting: from Ashley Rowe’s dip-dyed hair and bright caftan to Lisa Tant’s magenta bolero jacket to a pocket square (that may have actually been a pair of panties, according to one onlooker) worn by a crafty male guest, the evening was filled with shades of pink, purple and red.

See the photos from RAFF’s opening night »

As it’s getting to be in Toronto, there are so many festivals, exhibits, parties and things to see, that you can’t very well see ‘em all. And while we once would have lamented over the lack of such a problem, we’ve got it now for better or for worse. In order for a working art mind to grow, you have to work hard not to let any potentially mind-opening experiences fall through the cracks, and that’s why despite the weather, I dragged myself out into the cold on Wednesday night for the opening of the Real Artists Film Festival (RAFF) held at the TIFF Lightbox. In its 10^th year, RAFF brings some of the best art-related documentaries to the city, this year launching with an excerpted version of Megumi Sasaki’s Herb & Dorothy 50×50, the follow-up to the 2008 original, Herb & Dorothy. The original tells the story of Herbert and Dorothy Vogel, the postman and librarian also known as the “proletarian art collectors,” who amassed a collection of almost 5,000 works of contemporary art in their one bedroom Manhattan apartment. Collecting only what they liked, could carry home on the subway and could afford (while living solely on Dorothy’s income and using Herb’s for art), the Vogels amassed one of the biggest collection of post-1960s minimal and conceptual art in the world which includes such lauded artists as Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, John Chamberlain, Chuck Close, Mark Kostabi and Charles Clough.