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Shaved, carved, mixed and modern, the furs of today are at home with the past. In this luxe photo shoot from our November 2013 issue, we explore this season’s take on the age-old warmer.

Canadian wonder boy Tommy Ton reflects on his street style photographs in a new monthly column. “I always make the trek to the J.Crew presentation in New York, because there’s a whole mix of people coming to the show. I especially love seeing people who work for the companies—whether it’s J.Crew or Stella or another […]

The post Snapped by Tommy Ton: “It was definitely one of the highlights of my week” appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See our haunted beauty picks »

Wraiths and spectres of all kinds haunted the fall runways. At Altuzarra, eyes were rimmed with “spooky” grey shadow and an ominous reddish blur; models wore a “ghostly” pallor and eerily shining eyes at Mary Katrantzou; Gareth Pugh’s soot-washed damsels looked as if they’d just entered the netherworld through a burning house; and nails were scrawled with “redrum” at The Blonds, a nod to The Shining.

Scheduling a photo shoot around Courtney Love’s schedule is no easy feat. The music and fashion icon was in the thick of writing her upcoming autobiography, recording her next album and sketching a spring collection for her clothing line, Never The Bride, when FASHION asked her to pose for the Winter 2014 issue. Love’s flurry of activity is all part of an ongoing comeback plan—one that is clearly winning over a number of fashion houses who have named her a major inspiration.

After wrapping up her cover shoot at Canoe Studios, FASHION’s features editor Elio Iannacci was invited to Love’s home in the New York’s West village to talk about her 30-year-plus career and her next batch of projects. Chatting in front of the same fireplace Hedi Slimane photographed Love in front of for Saint Laurent’s current ad campaign, the pair were surrounded by neat piles of books ranging from classic literature, philosophy and chick lit—titles including The Devil Wears Prada and Valley of The Dolls. Here is a sneak peek of our cover story, which hits newsstands nationwide on November 11, 2013.

See Natalie Portman’s Dior lipstick shade picks »

Although Christian Dior the brand is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its Rouge Dior line this year, the truth is that Christian Dior the man made his first lipstick four years earlier. He conceived it in 1949 as a sort of limited-edition gift with purchase, sending it to the most loyal clients of his Colifichet boutique on Avenue Montaigne in Paris as a Christmas present. No doubt those ladies treasured their new makeup staple, as would Marlene Dietrich, Josephine Baker and Grace Kelly some years later.

Since then, Rouge Dior has encompassed 1,500 shades—from the first eight colours designed to match different couture outfits to the lurid ’70s brights dreamed up by former cosmetic artistic director Serge Lutens to the two newest additions: Darling (a vibrant pink) and Trafalgar (a punchy coral). The latter takes its name from Monsieur Dior’s old “Coup de Trafalgar” trick of throwing a notice-me bright red dress into a long runway presentation to make sure his audience wasn’t dozing.

“It just started today. Everything’s an additional 50 per cent off,” I overhear our fashion editor-at-large, Zeina Esmail, telling a visiting New York publicist about a nearby end-of-season sell-off. “You can score a pair of Manolos for 200 bucks.” I make a note of this (I could use some new pumps) and share a knowing glance with my FASHION editor colleagues. Lunch plans have just been made. Esmail, meanwhile, is on to discussing another fashion find: a $2,000 Proenza Schouler sweater she scored online for $89. By now, the shopping tips are coming fast and furious, and a small crowd has formed around our resident style sage. This is Esmail in her element.

At the FASHION offices, Esmail is known for her cool style, impeccable taste and complete and utter obsession with shopping—an occupational hazard of being a stylist and professional shopper. “It’s definitely part of my job. I shop for work all the time, so I stumble on sales, but I’m a constant hunter,” she says. “I’m always looking for things to buy and watching for when I can score a major deal. It’s kind of a weird mental illness in a way, because I can’t stop.” Case in point: At a recent designer shoe sale (where styles by Nicholas Kirkwood, Alaïa and Balmain were marked down to a frenzy-inducing $99), while the rest of us were splurging on two or three pairs, Esmail went home with 22. “I couldn’t just buy three. I went back and I went back,” she says. “I have an addictive personality, so if I get an idea in my head I don’t know how to let it go. I got home and my husband was like, ‘What did you do?’ I get carried away in the moment. It’s my biggest enemy and my best friend.”

There’s a certain mystery involved in the making of a hit, a kind of magic that’s as unpredictable and inexplicable as it is intangible. In music, it’s known as the sweet spot. Nile Rodgers (the legendary music producer behind such earworms as David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance,” Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” and Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”) summed it up thusly: “It just has to be cool. I can’t explain it but I know it when I arrive there.” If the same can be said of a fashion It item, then the Nile Rodgers of designers would be Isabel Marant. The reigning queen of effortless chic, the French fashion designer has je-ne-sais-quoi’d her way to the top of the fashion charts with such stylish hits as her slouchy football tee, Navajo print jeans and ubiquitous wedge sneaker, which has spawned more knockoffs than Madonna has copycats. One might be tempted to chalk Marant’s runaway success up to her inspired formula of boho meets rock ’n’ roll meets Parisian insouciance, but there’s something else x-factor-y at play here. “I have an innate feel for what people like,” Marant says. “I cannot put it into words and am constantly surprised by it, but the pieces I really like are usually those that sell best.” Whether you call it a sweet spot, instinct or just plain genius, Marant is bringing her magic touch to the masses in a new collaboration with H&M, launching Nov. 14, that brims with flirty boho frocks, zippered leather pants and a fresh take on her famous fringe-y pirate boots. Consider it a wallet-friendly compilation of her greatest hits.

See the photo shoot »

For this black and white photo shoot from our November 2013 issue, we pull from our own talent pool and prove that Canadian models in Canadian designs make perfect pairings this fall. Check out the best from homegrown talents like Rad Hourani, Sid Neigum, Duy and Travis Taddeo and more as worn by standout models hailing from right here in the Great White North.

See all the backstage beauty details from Jason Wu Fall 2013 »

If you’re looking to add a little drama to your beauty look, purple is certainly the way to go. While the Jason Wu Fall 2013 collection was primarily black and white, the runway was given a burst of colour in the form of an exaggerated violet cat-eye that anchored every look. The bold colour choice was taken from Wu’s finale dress. To get the look, makeup artist Diane Kendal applied purple eye pencil, indigo shadow and shimmering lilac pigment, blending the edges as she went. Several coats of black mascara added definition while a subtle lip balm and velvet skin ensured the rest of the look was soft—keeping the eyes as the focus point of it all.

Go behind the scenes and see the outtakes »
See the cover and read our sneak peek here »

Our November 2013 issue starring cover girl Miley Cyrus hits stands nationwide today (get the digital edition here!) and what better way to celebrate than with a peek behind the scenes of our Los Angeles cover shoot. Amidst a rack full of Kenzo, Emilio Pucci and Saint Laurent looks, Cyrus poses, twerks and cracks smiles with photographer Chris Nicholls and fashion director Zeina Esmail. Check out these snaps from our photo shoot as well as 5 outtakes exclusive to our site.

We were supposed to shoot Miley Cyrus in Berlin. But the day before our team was due to leave, we got a call: Cyrus suddenly had to fly home to L.A. to deal with a family matter. Reservations and shoot plans were untangled (thank you, photo editor Erin Seaman!), and clothes and accessories were couriered […]

The post November 2013: Letter from the editor appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Always in FASHION
48 FASHIONmagazine.com
52 Letter from the editor
54 Contributors
56 Behind the scenes
58 Letters from our readers

Fashion
62 News – Designer Sunny Fong teams up with the Shangri-La; Roots celebrates a milestone year; vegan bags and accessories from Ted Rossi; and iconic jeweller Birks enters a new era as Maison Birks.
64 Flashpoint – Stylish women from across Canada step out in printed pants and crop tops.
66 Math class – We look at ways to shop, splurge and save, from online to consignment boutiques
and jewellery’s investment potential. Bonus: editors’ shopping tips.
84 Runway – Camera-ready looks in photographic prints.
86 Q&A French cool-girl favourite Isabel Marant talks H&M collab.
90 Snapped – Street-style photographer Tommy Ton describes a favourite shot.