FASHION Magazine

We’re back into the thrills and bloodspills of True Blood, and last week we saw season four’s cliffhangers resolved with Tara becoming a vampire thanks to Sookie and Lafayette (and a begrudging Pam), Bill and Eric (and his sister Nora) getting captured by the Vampire Authority trying to escape punishment for their Nan Flanagan execution, Sam almost getting killed by Marcus’s pack until Alcide stepped in and confessed, and the return of a now-vamp Steve Newlin and Russell Edgington (we think). Let’s get our fangs on…

Tara Attack
– Vamp Tara is about to drain Sookie until a joyful Pam puts an end to it—she wants to redeem her future favour.
– Tara whirling dervishes around Sookie’s house, won’t drink any True Blood, until finally Lafayette and Sookie have to force her into the cubby using silver.
– At Stake House (we love stores with punny names), Sookie goes shopping for anti-vamp supplies as the clerk watches Steve Newlin come out on TV: no, he doesn’t announce he’s a gay vampire-American, just a vamp.
– Sookie stops Lafayette from staking a sleeping Tara, explaining to him that all baby vamps have growing pains. (Uh, Tara is seething, not teething, Sookie.)
– A pissed Tara wakes up, stares daggers at Lafayette (he has don’t-be-mad puppy eyes) and Sookie (I-love-my-best-friend eyes) and says she’ll never forgive them before shooting off into the night.

Read the rest of our recap »

View the photo gallery »

For those of you who were still in REM mode yesterday morning, you missed quite the to-do yesterday in London. Okay, maybe a “to-do” is putting it mildly, when in actuality, Queen Elizabeth‘s 1000-boat-strong Diamond Jubilee river pageant was 60 years in the making, and also hasn’t happened since Queen Victoria‘s in 1897. So lets just say it was QUITE THE TO-DO! The Queen donned an Angela Kelly–designed boucle white coat with flecked gold ribbon embroidery and Swarovski crystals (what, no diamonds?)—reportedly so that she’d be visible from afar amidst all the naval uniforms. Aboard the gilded Spirit of Chartwell and flanked by the royal family in all their uniformed glory, the Queen gave the good ol’ royal wave for a good portion of the afternoon while millions of onlookers cheered her on from the banks of the Thames.

View every look Kate Middleton has worn since her engagement »

Last night, Will and Kate departed from their usual routine of charity events and public appearances to attend a meeting of the Thirty Club at Claridge’s Hotel―an exclusive group of media and advertising elites who have apparently been courting the prince for some time now. And, because there must be significance to everything the royals do, Will decided to finally be the guest of honour due to it being the year of his thirtieth birthday. However, as per usual, all eyes were on Kate, and here’s why:

View the peekaboo on the runway »

Peekaboo. It’s probably the first game many of us ever played. And designers here in Paris are proposing that we play again, at least with our clothes. Panels of sheer and opaque, choppy layers, and tops and dresses with split sides have been strutting the catwalks here on day three of the Fall 2012 collections in Paris.

Hussein Chalayan showed a black shift with giant oval cutout over red crepe and a brown leather jacket sliced at the side to reveal another layer of the same skin. Thighs swished under sheer panels at Vionnet. Vests with abbreviated backs were belted over dresses at Roland Mouret. Today at Isabel Marant, suedes with laser-cut western motifs were shown.

And here is your quick jot of more top trends in the making:

It would have been very easy for Carey Mulligan to do a full-on cat eye with this Roland Mouret dress—it begs for retro accompaniments. However, at last week’s London Film Critics’ Circle Awards Mulligan opted for the kitten flick, a trend that’s been gaining momentum since Dolce &Gabbana showed it on their Spring 2012 runway. Mulligan keeps the rest of her look very simple—almost too simple!—with a light wash of rosy lipgloss and a hint of blush on the apples of her cheeks. What do you think? Does Mulligan appear too “daytime” for a red carpet, or does it work?

View our tutorial for mastering the kitten flick »
Vote on Carey’s look! »

It’s that golden time of year again! As the stars get ready to descend on Hollywood for a season of award shows, we’ll get things started with a little guessing game of what four of our favourite nominees will be wearing. Need some pointers for a red carpet look of your own? Pull out your pad and take some notes on how to get the ultimate look!

View our picks! »

Finding your seat at a Paris fashion show can sometimes pose un problème: some spaces are as dark as haunted houses (Hussein Chalayan) while others are so tiny that introductions often aren’t necessary before making body contact (Carven). Finding my seat at Roland Mouret proved to be a rather glam experience; the ornate ballroom in L’Hôtel Westin is the perfect place to rise and shine. It’s like freshly squeezed OJ served in a gilded chalice. The show was very Parisienne chic (tailored cropped jackets paired with body skimming pencil skirts, flirty ruffles, the perfect cap sleeved shift dress in several shades of blue, sexy peek-a-boo accents on hemlines and playful sartorial accents like the not-so evil eyes) though there was one surprising models-they’re-just-like-us moment: the cone-heeled shoes squeaked with every step.

Follow our ongoing coverage of the Royal visit! »

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge haven’t even reached our shores yet and Kate has already nailed the Canuck fashion connection. Spotted at Heathrow boarding a plane to Ottawa earlier today, the Duchess donned her signature colour in a knee-length dress by Roland Mouret and a blazer by Toronto’s own design duo Smythe. Hoping to get your hands on the same thing? Get thee to Holt Renfrew, fast! The blazer is available at locations nationwide, but word on the street is that they’re selling out fast. Is it too early for lunch? ($550, holtrenfrew.com)

Check out the rest of our Canadian design forecasts for Kate’s trip »

Last week we found out about the nationwide renovations that are to take place at 80 of The Bay stores. Today, the company’s move towards a more luxurious market was further confirmed with a press release stating the expansion of The Bay’s luxury boutique, The Room, into Vancouver. The 23,000 square foot Yabu Pushelberg-designed space will be housed in the Granville Bay Store and will stock ready-to-wear and runway pieces, as well as footwear from thirty-five coveted designers.

Check out our Paris fall 2011 fashion week photo gallery »

Where to begin. Last night, I took in a presentation by the lovely Canadian expat Calla Haynes, who loves to play with watery abstract prints in soft shapes. The models lined up before a row of potted flowers, then Haynes bashfully stepped in among them to take her bow.

Andre Leon Talley, Marc Jacobs, Isaac Mizrahi and the inimitable Anna Wintour make an appearance on P. Diddy‘s latest album Last Train to Paris. [The Cut]

Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez of Proenza Schouler will sell 45 per cent of their label to Andrew Rosen, chairman of Kaplan Inc. [Vogue UK]

British designer Roland Mouret doesn’t see a diffusion line in his future: “I would never do a diffusion line. I don’t think the future is that. People mix brands all the time already, so you need to do something else. We are living in a different fashion world now,” he said. [Style File]