FASHION Magazine

Launched by the duo behind the Ottawa boutique Victoire, Rendez-Vous is a new pop-up event to be held in different Toronto neighbourhoods in the coming months. You’ll find the first stop at 1586 Dupont Street in the city’s Junction nabe (it’s open today until Sunday starting at 11am each day), and April’s dates run the […]

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If the high cost of going to the spa is keeping you from enjoying frequent afternoons of relaxation, have we got news for you. WaySpa, the online spa marketplace, is back with another edition of Spa Week, running April 21-27, 2014. Think of Spa Week as Summerlicious for your mind, body and soul: luxury spas […]

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Rumours that Nordstrom is coming to Canada have been circulating for months and today, finally, the American retailer confirmed that they are indeed setting up shop across the country. The mid- to high-end range department store will be setting up shop in three of Sears’ former locations: Calgary’s Chinook Centre, Vancouver’s Pacific Centre and Ottawa’s […]

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Check out all the graphic artists’ sweaters! »

What with Holt Renfrew’s limited-edition designer collection and Fashion’s Night Out festivities, we’ve already carved out time to celebrate the high-end mecca’s 175th birthday in style. Now Holt’s has announced yet another addition to their Hot @ 175 festivities (and yet another reason to camp out in front of your nearest Holt’s location): the luxury retailer will be hitting the road in a mobile pop-up shop next month, with specially created sweaters on sale for the occasion by seven internationally celebrated graphic artists.

Montreal designer Andy Nguyen’s Fall 2012 fashion show may have stood apart, but for all the wrong reasons. Shown last week in Ottawa as part of the local fashion week, the 22-year-old designer sent white models with painted blackface down the runway.

Originally intended to intensify the use of black light at the show, rather than make any racial or political statement, Nguyen tells the Ottawa Citizen: “it was nothing against any race. […] I’m sorry if it caused people to think that.”

With designers constantly pushing the boundaries of fashion, where should the line be drawn before art becomes offensive? Liberal party member Rachel Décoste seems to think Nguyen has stumbled across this boundary: “Would the swastika be less offensive because it was pink? These are symbols that represent oppression that people have suffered through for centuries,” she said. “There’s no way to turn them into a cutesy, artsy-fartsy fashion statement.”

Fashion week spokesperson Gabrielle Raina Plouffe says no complaints were made about the show, and given that the Ottawa audience gave Nguyen a standing ovation, perhaps not everyone thinks the painted faces were meant to be offensive.

Décoste is appalled that “Nobody said anything. And that disturbs me even more. […] It’s disappointing to see that this is still going on.”

Should artists have a greater responsibility to understand how the public interprets their work? We can’t help but wonder if he learned nothing from that scandalous “blackface” shoot featuring Lara Stone in French Vogue?

Follow our ongoing coverage of the Royal visit! »

While at a barbeque celebrating young Canadians last night in Ottawa, Kate turned to her favourite label, Issa, for her third dress of the day: a casual black wrap dress with what looks like polka dots but is actually tiny little birds! A hint of Miu Miu Spring 2010, don’t you think? Simple low espadrille slingback wedges were a must for a long night of greeting over a hundred people.

Jonesing to get the look for your own? Shop these options! »

Follow our ongoing coverage of the Royal visit! »

We guessed it! We guessed it! Kate chose Erdem for her official Canadian debut, so that makes us 1/1 so far in our royal predictions. Kate chose this navy and white lace knee-length dress from the designer’s Resort 2012 collection, and though you won’t be able to purchase the stunner quite yet, we have official word from creative director Nicholas Mellamphy himself that the dress will be included in The Room at the Bay’s Resort selection (estimated arrival is TBD, but late Fall is to be expected). Ladies, place those orders now!

In the meantime, let’s play a little dress-up with these Erdem Spring picks: »

Part café, part clothing store, Ottawa’s Aunt Olive’s (209 Gilmour St., 613-565-0564) allows customers to shop for eclectic and kitschy vintage finds while grabbing a bite to eat.

This Sunday, vintage lovers will be treasure hunting through the 25^th annual Ottawa Vintage Clothing Sale at the Fairmont Château Laurier. It’s just one example of how Ottawa’s fashion scene is more than its image of politicos in boring black suits.