FASHION Magazine

See all the Christmas gifts
for best friends »

Buying a Christmas gift for your best friend should come as one easy task. You know your best friend inside and out, and chances are that you have similar tastes and shopping habits. But for those out there that don’t have a clue where to start, we have many ideas for Christmas gifts for best friends (and sisters and girlfriends too!) included here in our 2012 gift guide.

Christmas is a season of giving, and why not choose a Christmas gift idea for your best friend who you’ll likely be spending some of the holidays with? The affordable gift ideas for best friends featured here are all under $100, so even if the Christmas season is draining your wallet there are still cute, but cheap options out there for your best friend.

See Christmas hostess gift ideas »

Christmas is often the most stressful time of the year for many people. Even more so for those who decide to host the cocktail parties, the dinners, and the new years bashes (hats off to them). Because it’s a party faux pas to show up empty handed—especially when someone has spent hours preparing—we’ve thought of creative Christmas hostess gift ideas for those who bare the grunt of the work.

The bonus of shopping for a friend or family member who is constantly having people over, is that a gift that works as a thank you for planning a holiday party is also useful to their everyday life. Give them gifts that will help them relax after the fete dies down like a red wine and chocolate set or a scented candle that will make the rest of post-party worries melt away. From Cooking with Siracha to the now-classic Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty coffee table book, these items will look beautiful in a new apartment or well lived in home.

Gravity Pope, a favourite of West Coast shoe addicts, has made its East Coast domination official: The brand will be setting up shop on Toronto’s Queen Street West (at Ossington Avenue) in early November.

The Toronto location will have over 4,000 square feet to display shoes, women’s and men’s wear, accessories and more. Gravity Pope gained a cult following because of the crazy range of shoes and clothing available. The store is accessible to a shoe fanatic searching for the last pairs from brands like Opening Ceremony or Marc by Marc Jacobs but also for someone searching for a more practical shoe whether it’s looking for a basic pair of Vans or a classic ballet flat by Bloch.

View the New York Fashion Week street style photos »

The street style in and around the last two days of New York Fashion Week’s Spring 2013 shows were a frenzy of varsity jackets (Opening Ceremony), motorcycle jackets (Acne) see-through bags (from Kenzo to Claire’s) and Asian-inspired printed silks (Proenza Schouler, obv) jealousy-inducing heels (and even a few flats) as shot by our street style photographer Stefania Yarhi. Amidst the madness, Bill Cunningham was playing with some adorable bulldogs. You better bet we caught that too.

Check out the photos from Rihanna’s performance »

At the closing ceremonies of the London Paralympics on Sunday, Rihanna wowed the 80,000 strong crowd at the Olympic Stadium as a special guest of Coldplay, who played a three hour long concert. Rihanna showed off her new haircut, a short pixie bob that was revealed last week in Los Angeles at the MTV Video Music Awards, where she just so happened to pick up some awards. According to her longtime hairstylist, Ursula Stephen, Rihanna had been thinking of going short for a while and didn’t want to wait. Returning to her shorter locks (and perhaps taking a cue from Miley Cyrus?), the makeover was a long time coming since we’ve been used to Rihanna’s bleached blond or red longer ‘do for the past year or so, and it shone through at the event. Rihanna was more covered up than usual in orange wide leg silk taffeta track pants, an orange mesh top, and an orange robe and boots all custom made by Opening Ceremony Spring/Summer 2013. She joined the band (on their over the top pirate ship) to perform their hit “Princess of China”. She then returned later on in the ceremony to perform on her own with “We Found Love”, and then later again with the help of Jay-Z for “Run this Town”, while wearing a black sheer top with a black bra peeking through, reflective baggy knee-length shorts and black sunglasses to top off the look.

See our full gallery from The Perks of Being a Wallflower party! »

If TIFF parties were award shows, most would be like the Golden Globes—totally fun, but you’ll never really get to sit with the A-listers. However, for a film like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the night is more like the MTV VMAs: from up-and-coming stars to fully-certified teen heartthrobs, everyone’s in on the party. (Which, when you think about it, is actually what The Perks of Being a Wallflower is all about.) Despite all eyes being on Nina Dobrev and Emma Watson, they both circled the room throughout the night, stopping to mingle with guests (or Degrassi-era Toronto friends, in Nina Dobrev’s case) and pose for pictures with fans. Both were also dressed in white, frothy florals: a peplum’d Erdem dress for Emma Watson and a intricately beaded Monique Lhuillier gown for Nina Dobrev.

If you happen to be in London for the Olympics, we’re warning you ahead of time: your bank account is in danger of serious depletion. Chanel is the latest label to jump on the pop-up shop bandwagon, joining the likes of Opening Ceremony by descending upon Covent Garden. (It will also be the French fashion house’s first U.K. location dedicated only to beauty and fragrance.)

Check out all the Olympic-themed fashion! »

We’ve officially reached the one-week countdown to the London Olympics, which can only mean one thing: the Olympics have hit their peak, leaving no one (not even the fashion industry) untouched in their wake. From the Canadiana-themed the Bay collection to one of Opening Ceremony’s covetable collaborations at its temporary pop-up OC London store, there is so much amazing Olympic-themed fashion at our fingertips that even the least athletic of us can confidently get their sportif chic on. We’ve got a lineup of the most stylish Olympic-inspired collections for your viewing pleasure, as well as a few staple sportswear pieces should you be inspired to get a sweat going yourself!

Forget the pool — for the fashion folk, summer is a time for mega steals and deals! Some of the designer pieces that we salivated over during runway season have now hit the double or even triple discount level and now is the time to dive into sales. There are some great online specials currently being offered, like J.Crew’s Canada Day free shipping weekend (on through Monday, July 2, 2012) and eLUXE.com’s Spend and Save. To help wade through the actual purchasing madness though, we’ve selected a few of the best bets.

See our picks »

Two FASHION editors will be camping this weekend. In the desert. Shocking, yes. But also, true. Come Friday, ginger-haired photo editor Nicole Stafford and I will be hitting Indio, California for the second weekend of Coachella festivities. Opting for the near death full experience, we’re going for broke (not) in a tent during a weekend that’s promising highs of nearly 40° Celsius. We might die, but before we do, we’re bringing you a special peek into not one, but both of our travel bags. While high SPFs are a no brainer, we’ve also thought about other essentials. You know, like culturally relevant graphic tees and designer sunglasses.

See Nicole’s bag »
See Randi’s bag »

While we’ve been rather lucky with fairly temperate days and nights this winter, it’s only a matter of time before the weather outside turns frightful. However, we at FASHION believe that colder temperatures are no reason to stop looking fashionable—and in order to help you look your best we’re focusing on winter essentials all week long! From boots to beauty products, we’ve rounded up everything you need to make it to spring in style. First up: coats that will keep you warm and on-trend. No ubiquitous fur-hood down puffers, we promise!

See our top picks for outerwear! »

For the Calla fans who appreciate a little less frill, the Toronto-born and Paris-based designer is now bringing her heavenly digi prints to everyday, with a Spring 2012 collaboration with denim brand April 77. The brand’s cult silhouettes get the Calla treatment in mostly grey and off white, but we’ve got our eye on the deep-cobalt Seurat-meets-Pollack print on the brand’s Marky jean pictured above.

View the collection »