FASHION Magazine

If you’re of a certain age and have an Instagram account, chances are your feed has been inundated by wedding shots all summer long. More than once, I’ve asked myself, “Has everyone gotten married this summer?” And, hey, in Toronto’s fashion community, it feels like the answer is yes. Romance is in the air—the open […]

The post How fashion girls get married: 11 of the most stylish summer weddings across Canada appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the behind the scenes shots and outfit selects » For those who watched episode upon episode of charity galas, masquerade balls and silent auctions on Gossip Girl, wondering “yeah, but actually?”—This one’s for you. This year, I ascended the ranks of Waldorf wannabes everywhere by becoming a co-chair of Operanation, the Canadian Opera Company’s […]

The post What it’s like to co-chair Operanation (+ what to wear to this year’s event) appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Forget sports: We’re all about a fashion fantasy draft. FASHION’s editors share their favourite runway looks and the real ways to wear them come springtime.

See the Spring 2014 editors’ picks »

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.

See all the Operanation 2013 party pics »

On Thursday night the Four Seasons Centre was decidedly catering to just one season, with the expansive performance hall transformed into a luscious garden of evil. Filled with party goers and potted plants alike, the green-tinged space was all for the Candian Opera Company’s Operanation fundraising gala, themed as “A Night of Temptation” for its tenth iteration.

While all-black ensembles were by far the most popular fashion statement, texture allowed for individuality. From mesh cut-outs and ruffled pleats to velvet and sequin add-ons, the little black dress (or gown, for that matter) certainly stood out at Operanation. Darker colours, such as navy-blue and deep jade-green—as seen on soprano Leigh Anne-Allen and The Hudson Bay Company’s Megan Loach—provided a different take the all-black trend and should make inky gowns a gala must. And on the opposite end of the colour spectrum, bright primary colours stood out in the sea of dark shades, including Tatiana Read in red, FASHION’s editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra in blue Viktor and Rolf, and a hit of yellow, courtesy Odessa Paloma Parker’s Jeremy Laing number.

See all the pictures from Boobyball 2013 »

After all the effort that partygoers put into picking outfits for last Friday’s Boobyball, Halloween is going to have some tough costume competition. The annual fundraiser for Rethink Breast Cancer once again outdid itself with an inventive theme, Booby U, which encouraged guests to show off their best “varsity vogue” looks. And oh, was the alma mater nostalgia ever flowing! From togas and football gear to cheerleader poms and geek chic getups, Toronto’s Sound Academy turned into a virtual university campus—made all the more real thanks to dorm room decor, sorority lounges and an Animal House party zone, perfectly primed for flip cup battles.

Among those spotted in their frosh week-worthy finest were Boobyball’s stylish co-chairs, Whitney Pizale, Lisa Kruger and Rachelle Saevil. Honorary co-chair Ainsley Kerr pirouetted around the venue in a ballerina-worthy tutu while Aliya-Jasmine Sovani breezed into the party at the eleventh hour, arriving directly from the airport but still sporting football style at its best. The letterman jacket dominated most outfits, with school insignia and team numbers being a definite Boobyball go-to. And it’s not just for costume parties: take a look at the black and white outfits on Jill Shaver and Hilary Mymin to see how the varsity trend can work for everyday wear.

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 the Blue Is the Warmest Colour party pictures »

We’re just one day into TIFF 2013 and it’s possible we’ve already reached a gossip fever pitch. At last night’s Blue Is the Warmest Color party, the biggest buzz was about a certain Daily Beast article that’s been making the media rounds all week. While the Thompson rooftop filled with partygoers—basically everyone from Toronto Life’s Most Stylish party plus TIFF fans fresh from The Fifth Estate red carpet premiere—the crowd was eager to see how Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos would act around director Abdellatif Kechiche. (There was also many a mention of the infamous prosthetics used in the film, but we won’t get into that.)

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 what our editors wore to prom »

Oh, prom. That all-important day in many a young lady’s life that comes and goes with many awkward photos to document. We all aspire to be gazelles, but most of end up looking all too earthly too forget. Ill-placed bows, unflattering chiffon cuts, forehead framing ringlets… y’all know what we’re talking about. Prom.

Since we’re big into making prom as awesomely fashionable as possible for our youngest readers, we decided to throw our own prom looks into the ring as both cautionary tales and endearing looks back as what we looked like back on our respective big nights out.

Take a peek at what some of FASHION’s editors looked like on prom night!