FASHION Magazine

On Wednesday night, Bloor Street threw it’s massive annual fundraising effort for the Canadian Foundation for Aids Research (CANFAR). To reach their $400,000 goal, Bloor Street Entertains turns boutiques all over Toronto’s Yorkville neighborhood in pop-up restos catered by the city’s top chefs. Marc Thuet, Jamie Kennedy and Blu’s Massimo Collavani were just a few […]

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It was a bittersweet farewell to the Canadian summer last night–it may have been cold in Toronto, but anticipation for next year was already riding high at Philip Sparks’ Spring 2010 collection of menswear. Immediately we were transported to our grandparents’ cabin, pristinely well-kept in classic 1950s Canadiana. The theme was a fishing trip in the Great Canadian wilderness–think seersucker, rain slickers, and the darling little wallpaper illustrations that adorned the printed “Gone Fishing” shirts. This detail popped up a few times: a fabric created in collaboration with textile designer Kerry Croghan that pays homage to Thor Hansen’s folk iconography. The schoolboy style—in rust, blue and green against neutral beiges–paired with flat canvas Toms shoes was enough to draw us into a summertime fantasy where fishing, portaging, and wood chopping are only what comes naturally to us Canucks.

Check out our gallery after the jump.

This year’s Buy Design for Windfall (buydesignforwindfall.ca) fundraiser went off without a hitch this past weekend. Themed Buy Design in Space, the futuristic fashion set came out in droves to raise funds for the charity—Canada’s only new-clothing bank—with the always-exciting live and silent auctions (items included M.A.C and Chanel gift baskets and tickets for the Toronto Symphony Orchestra). We had our eye on a few prizes, but alas, nothing made it home with us. Not even the jam-packed gift bag, which we think we left in someone’s car! (Too many Moon Juice cocktails to remember!)

On Monday night, Holt Renfrew hosted their media/VIP cocktail party, always the kickoff to Toronto Fashion Week. The gotta-get-an-invite party has long been held in the first floor handbag section, but this season, they moved the festivities up to the new third-floor contemporary space. The other change was a mini runway presentation featuring five Canadian […]

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Rev up your air-kissers: Fashion Week officially got underway with the Holt Renfrew media cocktail party.  Upon arrival we took the escalators up to the newly-facelifted third floor–contemporary never looked so chic.  The walls have literally been brought down to reveal an au courant open-concept floor plan that highlights many of the lust-worthy labels that even those struck by this downward dog economy still covet.

Toronto menswear designer Philip Sparks showed his Fall 2009 collection ahead of the Fashion Week schedule at the recently refurbished Burroughes Building on Queen West. The local fashion community turned out in force—editors, buyers, bloggers and writers mingled over cocktails before and after the show in a display of friendly style accord.