FASHION Magazine

See all the looks from Sid Neigum’s Fall 2013 collection »

The king of colourless cool, Sid Neigum, had a couple of surprises up his sleeves last night for his Fall 2013 show at World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto. Known for collections that leave hues and prints out of the equation, Neigum tossed inverse florals and mossy emerald green prints into the mix to re-imagine his motto for fall.

As a cellist played live, models walked slowly, while sporting sky-high warrior-meets-Whoville hairdos and oversized knit dresses, geometric boxy pantsuits and printed trousers. The collection kept viewers guessing as the colour scheme and prints slowly shifted from white to black to emerald green.

See the street style photos from Toronto Fashion Week »

Day two of World MasterCard Fashion Week Fall 2013 is all about the transition. With the weather teetering between winter and a chilly spring, those attending shows at David Pecault Square turned to leather and fur yet again for the answer to the question, “will I be warm enough in this?” (Chances are, those only in leather jackets were still cold.)

Faux fur collars were seen on multiple attendees including I Want, I Got’s, Anita Clarke, who had her thinking face on as she stared into her iPhone on day two. Gotta send those tweets, y’all! Our Style Panel‘s Krystin Lee took serious inspiration from Marc Jacobs’ spring collection in a well, Marc Jacobs T-shirt and a stark black and white striped floor-length skirt. This look was accented with a red bag and statement necklace so we think it’s safe to say she’s been keeping up with our Spring 2013 trends guide.

See all the Holt Renfrew party pictures »

Not even a micro-blizzard can stop Toronto from celebrating the start of World MasterCard Fashion Week in style. Open-toed shoes and floor-grazing hemlines were spotted on many of the attendees at Holt Renfrew’s cocktail kickoff party, with barely a salt stain or goose-bump in sight.

The party, which started after the last of Monday’s shows, transplanted the front row set—that is, a mix of editors, designers, photographers and buyers—onto the third floor of Holt Renfrew. Ambient music (courtesy a Bellosound DJ in a white Jeremy Laing dress) mixed well with on-brand magenta lighting, making for quite the party den far away from the tents at David Pecaut square. And magenta wasn’t just everywhere thanks to the lighting: from Ashley Rowe’s dip-dyed hair and bright caftan to Lisa Tant’s magenta bolero jacket to a pocket square (that may have actually been a pair of panties, according to one onlooker) worn by a crafty male guest, the evening was filled with shades of pink, purple and red.

See the Pink Tartan Fall 2013 Collection »

Marnie Edgar meets Betty Draper meets American Horror Story’s Constance Langdon—a troika of off kilter blondes make the perfect heroines for Pink Tartan’s Fall 2013 collection. “There’s something a bit off about these girls but they are really put together,” said designer Kimberley Newport Mimran backstage after the show. A bit off? Maybe. Perked to perfection? That’s more like it. Newport-Mimran’s signature sunny approach shines through in any collection, and this season, particularly so—even despite its influence. Below the blond bob wigs and wide black headbands, the label’s latest wears proved ladylike once again while hitting all the Fall 2013 trend marks. Faux fur was one, which stood out as a bright cobalt blue coat. The winter floral was another, which renewed the label’s requisite shirtdresses for another season. And because faux fur may not satiate the luxists of the city, real fur appeared as well, most notably as thin black trim on a long, backless evening gown.

Check out our latest street style gallery Toronto Fashion Week »

World MasterCard Fashion Week Fall 2013 has begun in Toronto, but let’s be honest, Mother Nature is definitely the fiercest force taking over the city. Show goers were greeted on day one with an unexpected snowstorm making our first batch of street style photos—shot by photographer Stefania Yarhi—all about the layers.

Leathers, wools, and a whole lot of toques graced the wet pavement outside of David Pecault square and we won’t even try to deny how happy we are to spot three different mini backpacks which fills our hearts with 1990s nostalgia.

See our street style photos from Toronto Fashion Week »

At night two of Toronto’s The Shows, three impressive collections had the fashion scene raving. Up-and-coming designers Tanya Taylor and Steven Tai both made their home-turf runway debuts, and Toronto-based designer Jeremy Laing closed the evening with a flashy collection (I’m looking at you, gold trench coat) previously shown at New York Fashion Week. As our own fashion week continues, so does the Toronto street style. The setting sun gave attendees a certain glow as they arrived at the east-end venue Andrew Richards Designs, many of them keeping warm and stylish in transitional leather jackets. Yes, it’s still cold out, but let’s just pretend it’s not!

See the complete Tanya Taylor Fall 2013 collection »

Here are the places I want to go with Tanya Taylor: On a road trip through the midwest USA. Back to the ’60s. To a rumble in the parking lot of Rydell High. All of these ideas and places permeated the designer’s Fall 2013 collection, which was brought from New York to The Shows in Toronto, Taylor’s hometown. An ambient Trentemøller remix of Bruce Springsteen’s “State Trooper” echoed throughout the room as models in thick cat-eye liner came down the runway, some wearing leather driving gloves which only added to the retro road trip fantasy.

Tanya Taylor is a champion of feminine style with cool-girl edge. Waistlines were defined with three skinny strands of elastic-looking cord, usually colour coordinated with the fabric below (a mustard-yellow leather tunic being the most show-stopping of them all). On dresses, forward-folding pleats and side cutouts made for flattering silhouettes—especially so on a black A-line dress with beaded detail that was worn over a white turtleneck.

See the Jeremy Laing Fall 2013 collection »

Jeremy Laing knows how to churn out cool-girl clothes. For fall 2013, the Toronto-based designer, who also shows at New York fashion week, delivered a strong 31-look collection that focused on languid layers, colour-blocking (mustard is having a moment) and experimental fabrics like gold laminate seersucker. Known for his architectural shapes, Laing sent out a chic quilted cocoon coat–a key outerwear trend for fall that said snap-me-up; while his painterly smocks and shirtdresses nailed the concept of effortless dressing. As for this artiste’s palette, muted shades of grey, cream and rust ruled, though the occasional flash of gold (primarily splashed on jackets) lit up the runway. A graphic black and white stripe-and-cross print also ran throughout the line-up–a collaboration with friend, and artist, Vanessa Maltese. Looks like cool girls everywhere will be lusting after Laing’s latest hits come Fall 2013.

See the Steven Tai Fall 2013 collection »

If the meek inherit the earth, the geeks will inherit the fashion industry. At the second day of the off-the-grid fashion week, The Shows, we were introduced to Vancouver-born Steven Tai, who virtually blew the room away with his abnormal talents. We mean abnormal in the best way possible. A self-professed mad scientist who concocts fabric mixes as if they were potions, Tai showed a vibrant, street conscious and highly wearable Fall 2013 collection made of new and unique fabrics like…silicone. “There’s a big future in silicone,” he told me after the show. How so? Well, take the two apocalyptically quaint looking sweatshirts that closed the collection (exhibit A and B). Their quirky combinations of magnets, embroidery (the little gals pictured), digital prints (the UFOs hovering menacingly) are easily covetable, but the Kool-Aid orange and turquoise poured silicone is what really makes them stand out from the rest. Tai’s fabric experimentation also extended to his use of unusual quilting on cotton pockets and jackets and his peekaboo pant pleating was extraordinary. Any way you slice it, really, Tai gets two thumbs up.

See the Comrags Fall 2013 collection »

Judy Cornish and Joyce Gunhouse are no strangers to the catwalk. This year marks the 30th anniversary of their beloved Toronto-based label Comrags, and nearly one year in their new digs on Dundas West. “We’ve been at it for so long, it’s fun to have something that challenges us,” Cornish said from the top of the runway at The Shows, in a discussion about the collection with Dr. Alexandra Palmer of the Royal Ontario Museum. “We never forget that what we do is make clothes,” Gunhouse added. And these are clothes that were made for wearing.

“Nothing too precious” was the mandate for the duo’s Fall 2013 collection, translated via exposed pockets, drawstring waists and more practical pieces like a raincoat dress and a jumpsuit that made me think of Ryan Gosling’s character in Drive (always a good thing). The designers also washed, but didn’t press, some of the garments after they were made, giving them a bit of a life of their own. Cornish and Gunhouse are self-professed vintage lovers and said that they generally like to work with older found pieces that they deconstruct before putting them back together in a contemporary way. This season differed in that they fell for some vintage fabric, which they used to create original pieces. And ankle-lovers will be pleased to know that these are the body parts du jour. Nearly every piece in the collection hit just below the knee or at the mid-calf, showcasing an elegant and flattering silhouette in Italian wool dresses, swinging skirts and printed capris.

See our street style photos from Toronto Fall 2013 Fashion Week »

It’s back! Toronto’s twice-annual semi official off-the-grid fashion week, The Shows, began last night at the east side furniture emporium, Andrew Richards Design. Debuting with two back-to-back shows from local staple, Comrags (celebrating its 30th anniversary), and Canadian-born London-based designer Jean Pierre Braganza, we were treated to a little taste of Fall 2013 on a day when we were still feeling the everlasting effects of the season for this year. To our pleasant surprise, however, the frigid temps had little effect on show attendees, who illuminate this first street style photo gallery in their fashion week best.

Judy Inc. stylist Odessa Paloma Parker defied winter in a spring-ready camel trench, a holographic coloured Kate Spade clutch and her mega-printed dress/scarf combo. Once again (ahem), blogger Anita Clarke showed off the power of the offbeat pose, with her perfect mid-jump snapped by our street style photographer extraordinaire, Stefania Yarhi. Meanwhile, designer Jeremy Laing’s signature curls were caught looking ever so windswept as he spent time outside between shows.

Flip through our gallery, we daresay you’ll be delighted.

See the Jean Pierre Braganza Fall 2013 collection »

Samurais from outer space. Ancient Greek mathematical theories. The bad guys in Frank Herbert’s cult sci-fi novel Dune. These are but a few of the places Jean-Pierre Braganza found inspiration when creating his Fall 2013 collection. The London-based Canadian designer brought his séance-ready pieces across the Atlantic to present them to a select gathering of editors, bloggers and fashionable friends last night at The Shows in Toronto. Models with pin-straight hair accentuated by a sumo-wrestler bun (courtesy of Pantene hair wizard Justin German) strut down the runway to an ambient-industrial soundtrack, their heels so high they had front-row regulars feeling anxious.

While many of the looks featured Braganza’s signature asymmetrical colour-blocked pieces, he introduced several key motifs and custom prints, each calling out to be worn by The Hunger Games heroine Katniss Everdeen, or maybe David Bowie—a white tuxedo by Braganza recently made an appearance along with Tilda Swinton in Bowie’s video for “The Stars (Are Out Tonight)”. The sci-fi influence was undeniable in the Alien-esque print featured on floor-grazing gowns, knee-length dresses and low-slung pants, while belted kimono jackets kept things right on this season’s Eastern-influenced trend.