FASHION Magazine

See the full gallery of Operanation party pictures »

Last Thursday opera lovers, patrons of the arts and faces who frequent Toronto’s party circuit came together to support the Canadian Opera Company for Operanation 9: Sweet Revenge. Attendees reflected the event’s theme of high-brow-opera-meets-pop-culture-concert well: Women in floor-length evening gowns navigated the many staircases of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with ease—proving there’s no architectural challenge a mermaid dress can’t master—while others used the Centre’s sprawling steps as seating throughout the night.

Actress Gabrille Miller looked stunning in a peplum’d dress from Lucian Matis Fall 2012 while Nelly Furtado had two costume changes throughout the night, starting with a gown by Denis Gagnon and later switching into a Holy Tee dress. On the third floor a group of Argo players attracted many eligible ladies—perhaps the popularity of The Bachelor Canada has given the CFL a new social standing?

View FASHION’s 35th anniversary party photos »
Check out our archive of every FASHION cover since 1977 »

What’s better than a birthday party? Your own birthday party! On Wednesday night, the FASHION team (well, that’d be us) celebrated the magazine’s 35^th anniversary, and as you might expect, Toronto’s most stylish guys and gals were out in full force. 700 of our closest friends packed into the Distillery’s Fermenting Cellar to toast us with Skyy Vodka cocktails, mini burgers and musical performances by Divine Brown and The Parallels.

See the Booby Ball party photos »

Last Friday night, Toronto’s most nostalgic celebrated the latest edition of Booby Ball, this time themed in ode to the days of campfires and tuck shops. The 11^th annual party-for-a-cause run by Rethink Breast Cancer proved an even bigger blowout success with the massive Sound Academy virtually packed with thousands of partygoers accessorizing with everything from tennis socks to Girl Guides badge sashes to feather headdresses for “Camp Booby.” Just like a scene out of Troop Beverley Hills, the venue was decked out with camp-themed activity stations including mini golf, s’mores-making, warm-ups and more. Of course, there was plenty of breast-friendly messaging strewn throughout the room, including T-shirts emblazoned with the tongue-and-cheek Booby Ball phrase “Save the boobies!” which appeared on volunteer T-shirts.

See all the Paws for the Cause party pictures! »

If you’re the type of person who spends most of her time at a house party chasing down the host’s pets, the third annual Paws for the Cause gala was an event not to be missed. Last Thursday night, partygoers and animal lovers came together to support and mingle with their furry friends—and one special guest in particular. Maddie the Coonhound, star of the popular blog “Maddie on Things,” played the role of theme, decor and fundraiser for the gala—with some help from her owner, photographer Theron Humphrey. Maddie was completely nonplussed by the crowds, weaving between people planting Joe Fresh lipstick kisses on a live art installation and drinking doggy-themed cocktails, all while displaying the poise and charm she’s known for in her “Maddie on Things” photographs. With raising money for the Central Toronto Veterinary Referral Clinic’s Cares Foundation as the goal of the night, guests took part in a silent auction for prints of said photos—while other clever partygoers grabbed Maddie cut-outs for their own Instagram-worthy moments. But the picture of the night definitely goes to Laura Serra and Kate Makinson, who got Maddie the Coonhound to pose on their backs.

See the Hermès Swinging Silks party photos »

Hermès turned the clocks back to the days of Cry-Baby and Marty McFly last Thursday, as Toronto’s most impeccably costumed hit the Berkeley Church for a rockabilly themed dance party. Thrown for no apparent reason but to celebrate one of the things Hermès does best, the event, entitled “Swinging Silks” had the brand’s iconic silk prints indeed swinging throughout the building: on bannisters, around wrists, from ceilings and of course, from the glammed up ponytails of various attendees. And speaking of ponytails, as full rockabilly guise seemed of utmost importance, Hermès had a mini salon set up shop to transform attendees with victory rolls, red lips and cat-eyes. To boot, there was also a tattoo booth, where apropos designs were painted (I opted for a single teardrop).

See the PARKLUXE fashion show and party photos »

A large metal door retracted into the ceiling at the end of a long runway, and a Mercedes Benz SLK 55 AMG Convertible (we checked) roared into view, casting a dark silhouette, the high beams momentarily blinding the audience. Another sleek silhouette, tall and lean, stepped from the machine and took a powerful stance before 400 guests.

By now, Calgary’s non-profit organization PARK (Promoting Artists | Redefining Kulture) has secured a reputation for hosting premier fashion events in Alberta (see our spring coverage from their emerging designer event, PARKSHOW). On Saturday night, the second annual PARKLUXE, which features four stand out Canadian designers who share a high-end market, pushed the envelope with a conceptual show at the Hyatt Auto Gallery Mercedes Benz in central Calgary.

Toronto-based designer Caitlin Power (a Calgary native) drew from the audience a collective gasp of admiration, as her bold, structured line kicked off the Fall 2012 collections from Anne B. Accessories (Calgary), Nicole Campre (Edmonton), and Lauren Bagliore (Calgary/New York). The latter designer gave us something to dream about, closing the show with a grand total of 34 looks, all luxury leather, draping, wool, and Bagliore’s signature Italian black matte jersey.

Last Saturday night, Toronto’s historic Fort York was transformed into an enchanted spot fit for a diva. A diva and 500 of the city’s most well heeled (and well dressed) donors that is. Grammy and Oscar winning singer, actress and belter Jennifer Hudson headlined the first ever Bliss Ball marking 10 years of philanthropic work by the SickKids Foundation and the Dilawri Foundation. Also featuring Barenaked Ladies frontman Steven Page, who acted as host, Emmy award winning actor Martin Sheen who acted as auctioneer and supermodel and ex-Victoria’s Secret Angel Selita Ebanks who did her best Vanna White alongside Sheen, the night was star-studded, to say the least.

See the Carine Roitfeld M.A.C Cosmetics party photos »

If who comes to your party is an indication of your popularity, then Carine Roitfeld is the most popular girl in Paris. The list of attendees at last night’s European launch of her special M.A.C Cosmetics collection (which ironically leaves Canadian shelves tomorrow) runs the gamut of fashion’s biggest and best.

Karl Lagerfeld, Valentino Garavani, Azzedine Alaia, Nicolas Ghesquière, Riccardo Tisci, Mario Testino, Giambattista Valli, Haider Ackermann, Anna Dello Russo, Kanye West, Natalia Vodianova, Julia Restoin-Roitfeld and many, many more turned up last night to toast the former Vogue Paris chief, editor of her own magazine and world’s most stylish grandma.

View the Louis Vuitton Maison Toronto interior photos »
View the Louis Vuitton Maison Toronto opening party photos »

Louis Vuitton’s got a brand new bag. Or rather, a gorgeous new Maison to house all those bags. The monogrammed megabrand finally opened the doors at its new Toronto location last month, revealing a palatial space three times as big as its last at 150 Bloor Street West. We haven’t stopped ogling since. Designed by none other than leather-daddy architect Peter Marino, the shimmering two-floor glass and steel mecca houses virtually everything that Louis Vuitton is known for, including full selections of luggage, small leather goods, bags, shoes, accessories, ready-to-wear and even custom-designed fine jewellery, unique to the location (LV + TO charm bracelets?). It is also the first store in Canada to feature Louis Vuitton’s exclusive “Haute Maroquinerie” service for made to order leather goods. Sounds pretty haute to us.

View the Anna Dello Russo for H&M party photos »

Most 51-year-olds would not attempt a minidress with side cut-outs, or at least they shouldn’t. But then most 51-year-olds are not Anna Dello Russo, fashion director at large for Vogue Nippon come street style megastar.

Fashion’s best-known dress-up enthusiast arrived at the Paradis Latin nightclub for the party celebrating her upcoming collaborative accessory collection with H&M, which launches on October 4, in fitting style: descending from the ceiling on a throne of giant fake pink roses, Marilyn Monroe style. Her aqua minidress radiated crystal and gold sunbursts, while golden alligators, which were affixed to her ADR for H&M sunglasses, spanned her brows. One of the best performers in the biz, Anna Dello Russo treated the crowd to a performance alongside fellow European editor and style star Giovanna Battaglia, who had accessorized to the nines in Anna Dello Russo’s H&M collection and even a butterfly-adorned golden headpiece.

See all the party photos from the Fame launch in New York! »

Masks, tattoos and Mother Monster asleep on a couch. The party for Lady Gaga’s new fragrance, Fame ($59, thebay.com), was indeed unlike any other perfume launch. But hours before she hosted a masquerade ball at New York’s Guggenheim that brought out the A-list (Marc Jacobs, Alexander Wang) and the WTF List (Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton), Lady Gaga was wide awake to talk to FASHION about her post-sex rituals (pizza and a movie!), what the colour black means to her and why being a New Yorker makes her pop star perfume better than other celeb scents.

For someone who hasn’t yet smelled Fame, can you describe your fragrance?
“It’s very sexual, it’s very addictive, but it is very chic. The metaphor of the bottle is that when you spray this product, all the good things about fame come out, and all the bad things stay inside. So when you buy this perfume, you can have the lovely smell of it, [while] I’ll be dealing with all the bullshit inside.”

See the photos »

Our favourite fashion voyeurs are at it again. Last night Toronto’s most discernibly trendy gathered at Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street location for private viewing of The Coveteur’s photo exhibition (which we exclusively previewed) in collaboration with J Brand jeans. The show, which runs until September 17 at Holt Renfrew features intimate snapshots that take us inside the drool-worthy closets of DJ Daisy O’Dell, costume designer Erin Benach (recently in Toronto in conjunction with her work on the new Ryan Gosling flick A Place Beyond The Pines), actress Mickey Sumner (she may just be the daughter of Sting and Trudie Styler) and celebrity stylist Karla Welch. The exhibit also celebrates J Brand’s latest ready-to-wear collection.