FASHION Magazine

With three days to go until the film hits theatres, it seems like The Great Gatsby fever might finally be reaching its pitch. With the film’s embedded glamour, its costume designer’s collaborations with Prada and Tiffany & Co., and the unending onslaught red carpet premieres and parties in celebration, can you blame us for being excited?

Already one of the most referenced styles in recent history, 1920s fashion is back in the spotlight. And while flapper dresses, embellished headpieces and layered pearls might look more like costume party and less like reality, we turned to our Style Panel for tips on how to adapt 1920s fashion for every day.

Taking hints from the film, both A Fashion Love Affair’s Cara McLeay and Dainty Girl’s Nicole Wilson take on shift dresses with heavy embellishments that while statement making, look ultra modern. Meanwhile, Over My Styled Body’s Lyndsey Forest, Short Presents’ Kayla Short, and Velvet & Vino’s Becky Kung channel the decade’s over-the-top accessories with long gold chains and pearls.

Question 50: How would you pull off the 1920s fashion trend for an everyday look? Read the answers now! »

With spring in the air (fingers crossed), we can finally take out those pastel colours and floral prints that have been itching to come out of our closets to bask in the sun.

Trending since last fall, monochromatic tones were seen both on the runway like the cozy furry collection of Alexander Wang’s Fall 2013 Ready-to-Wear collection or on street style favourite, Miroslava Duma in her all white ensemble. Transitioning to spring, could we bring this monochrome trend into warmer season or are we already nostalgic for the colder days? Not just yet!

With some designers already showing off their take on the monochromatic look with primary colours in their Spring 2013 collections, we decided to turn to our Style Panel for a second opinion on what they have to say about the spring monochromatic look and how they plan to work this look this season.

Avoiding the black-on-black ensemble, many Style Panel members played with cooler colours for the spring season as their choice for their monochromatic look. While Mo Handahu from Lion Hunter and Melissa Knight from Miss Melissa chose cobalt blue for a brighter and bolder look, Gabrielle Lacasse from Dentelle + Fleurs experimented with different shades of mint for a fresh spring appearance. Utilizing different patterns, prints, and textures, these girls definitely know how to put together a chic monochromatic outfit for this spring season!

Question 48: What are the best ways to pull off the monochrome look? Read the answers now! »

So far, 2013 has been a mighty test of our patience. While spring may have officially begun a month ago, Mother Nature has kept us waiting with bated breath for any real show of it.

And when checking your weather app before leaving the house no longer ensures you’re prepared for what awaits outside, it’s time to get creative with layering by mixing winter essentials with summertime accessories. Because we, much like everyone else, struggle with perfecting the subtle nuances to transitional dressing, we asked our Style Panel for a little help.

Our two newest members of the panel, both showed us how to make an airy maxi skirt an essential for the transition from winter to spring. Lyndsey Forest of Over My Styled Body paired her skirt with a heavy army-inspired jacket and camo scarf. Her combination of an ultra-girly skirt with a menswear jacket offers some end of winter inspiration for all of us. Meanwhile, Jennifer Pistor of Prairie Girl in the City matched her black maxi skirt with a bright pop of neon and floral shoes, inspiring us to get ready for spring.

Panellist Deanne McRae went a little nineties with her transitional look, wearing thigh-high socks, a full-skirt and leather jacket to add some warmth. And where McRae showed a little thigh, panel members like Cee Fardoe and Cara McLeay went barelegged and braved the last few moments of winter exposed in style.

Read on for more tips on making your wardrobe work as we transition out of winter (fingers crossed!) and into spring!

Question 47: What are your tips for transitioning your wardrobe from winter to spring? Read the answers now! »

If we haven’t made it clear, we love denim. Aside from its epic wearability, the material keeps revamping itself each season, fueling our obsession with new prints, washes and construction. On the Spring 2013 runways, we saw denim take on especially creative forms—from the pearl trimmed denim tube dress at Chanel to the denim jumpsuit worn open over a crop top at Rebecca Taylor. In stores we’ve spotted new patterns, waxing on jeans and the closet staple: denim cutoffs. No matter how you feel about jean, it’s about time to embrace the look. It’s a forever thing.

We’ve previously asked our Style Panel to show us how to dress up our jeans and how to refresh a tired piece that is hanging in our closet, but now they are back again to tell us how to make denim new again for Spring.

There may be no shortage of style inspiration on the internet thanks to street style blogs, Tumblr, Pinterest and more, but when it comes to IRL style icons, who influences how you get dressed? From silver screen starlets to contemporary fashion darlings to fictional characters, most of us likely have a multitude of style icons that inspire the way we shop and our daily outfits.

But could you pick just one person as your ultimate style icon? Leave it to the Style Panel to be able to answer the unanswerable. From unexpected DJs to favourite TV shows, this week’s challenge shows that it’s actually a good thing to be all over the map when it comes to inspiration.

If the Spring 2013 runways were any indication, we’ve got plenty reason to experiment with the metallic trend. Taking a cue from collections such as Dior, Burberry, Jonathan Saunders and Diane Furtesnberg, the now classic trend was given new life with colour strokes, stripes, floral prints appearing in rainbow shades on everything from full skirted gowns to bomber jackets.

And while the coloured metallic trend was at its hottest this season, it seems as if our Style Panel is more comfortable with keeping it old school. With the exception of panelist Zoe Smythe’s sky blue sequin shorts, the rest of the group showed off how to work tried and tested metals such as gold, silver and rosegold into otherwise matte outfits. So without further ado, let the metal games begin!

Question 42: What are your tips for updating the metallic trend this season Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: AMBER DESILETS, LONDON | BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | DEANNE MCRAE, MISSISSAUGA | KAYLA SHORT, HALIFAX | MELANIE MORAIS, EDSON | NICOLE WILSON, TORONTO | STEPHANIE KOCH, KELOWNA | ZOE SMYTHE, NEW YORK CITY

Investment pieces mean different things to different people. To some, it means a piece of clothing that you save up for, buy every so often, but love forever. To others, it simply means a classic piece that never goes out of style, fits well and can be worn in a multitude of ways.

This week, we asked our Style Panel to talk about their favourite investment pieces that they plan on wearing this spring. None of the answers were too surprising, the styling however, was top notch as always.

The Style Mogul’s Christina Cravero likes to invest in a statement shoe every season. She likes to make a big impact on an outfit with her footwear. Stephanie Sterjovski’s gorgeous white blazer definitely renews our love of winter whites. Who says white can’t be worn after Labour Day? Krystin Lee of Suburban Faux-Pas shows off her high-low look. Her top, purse and sunglasses were all investment pieces, but she lets us know she is on the hunt for more: a vintage Chanel brooch, a pair of Christian Louboutins and an Hermès bangle are all on her list.

New panellists, Zoe Smythe of Zoe’s Fashion Feed and Nicole Wilson of Dainty Girl, each went for an item that they feel will be worn often this season. Smythe, a footwear designer living in New York City, loves vintage and thrift shopping so it’s no surprise that she chose a vintage Panetto necklace. Wilson, a fashion loving blogger from Toronto, chose a classic Kate Spade handbag in a bold pink colour. But knowing the above, we don’t doubt this piece will be a classic in her wardrobe.

Question 41: What investment pieces will you be wearing this season? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: AMBER DESILETS, LONDON | BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | IVA GRBESIC, TORONTO | JACQUELYN SON, VANCOUVER | KAYLA SHORT, HALIFAX | KD FAUSTINO, CALGARY | KRYSTIN LEE, TORONTO | NICOLE WILSON, TORONTO | STEPHANIE KOCH, KELOWNA | STEPHANIE STERJOVSKI, TORONTO | WHITNEY COSGRAVE, LOS ANGELES | ZOE SMYTHE, NEW YORK CITY