FASHION Magazine

Grey hasn’t always been our favourite neutral. With a connotation that’s more “mid-winter sky” than “exciting wardrobe staple,” it has taken a back seat for the past few seasons. That all changed for Fall 2013, when designers from Paris to New York re-imagined the grey trend in various exciting ways. On the runways, Alexander Wang […]

The post Wearing the grey trend: 11 Style Panel tips for adding some personality to fall’s favourite neutral appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Ah, what to wear to the holiday party. It’s one of our most common refrains this season, and yet, never ceases to puzzle. As we juggle an ever-surmounting social schedule of cocktail parties, dinners and the like, falling back into the fail-safe LBD can be tempting. We’re here to take you away from the typical and get you going with some out of the box inspiration.

Channeling the holiday literally with red and green is always fun, but why not go the extra mile and blend those hues with high fashion flair? You can be flirty and feminine or even grungy glam if you please. So whether you’ll be a host, attend a glitzy affair at work or be entertained by family or friends, we’re challenging you to be unexpected just like the holiday style ninjas that make up our Style Panel.

Schooling us on the art of mixing and matching sequins, stripes and metallics is Lyndsey Forest of Over My Styled Body while Jen Tam of Her Waise Choice rocks a Topshop jumpsuit that is sure to make her the flyest hostess when she entertains guests at her annual party. Showing that one can never be too dressed up during the holidays is Cara McLeay of A Fashion Love Affair who is stunning in a BCBG Max Azria maxi dress.

So consider what to wear to the holiday party your next great adventure, not challenge.

Question 80: Party style! What’s your look going to be this holiday season? Read the answers now! »

ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | AMBER DESILETS, LONDON | BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | BECKY KUNG, CALGARY | CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | IVA GRBESIC, TORONTO | JEN TAM, VANCOUVER | LEAH GUST, TORONTO | LYNDSEY FOREST, EDMONTON | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | NICOLE WILSON, TORONTO | SANDY JOE KARPETZ, EDMONTON | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

As closet staples go, the sweater is one of the hardest working items in our wardrobe. From form-fitting statement sweaters to light cardigans and chunky cable knits, we’ve all relied on this piece of wooly goodness to warm up our looks come the cooler months.

Given its cool factor of late, the sweater’s versatility has grown leaps and bounds. This season, we’ve seen a revival of quirky vintage prints, quirky embellishments and intricate texture mixes. Case and point: Kenzo’s bejeweled treatment and Saint Laurent’s highly-coveted star prints.

And since there’s still a risk of looking a little too cottage apropos in your cozy knit, we reached out to our Style Panel to share their favourite sweaters and styling tips. New to the gang is The Little Dandy’s Joanne Kim who is dripping with natural cool in a gray oversized cardigan. Branding her slouchy shawl cardigan as a socially acceptable blanket to wear in public is Born Lippy blogger Melanie Morais. Going for the dazzle treatment is Over My Styled Body’s Lyndsey Forest who shows off her favourite fall trend: embellishment.

Question 79: Sweaters are so essential this time of year. What is your go-to type and styling tips? Read the answers now! »

Ah street style, the once treat and now staple of fashion week. It’s become a full time job for those on both sides of the camera and whether or not that’s a silly fact, it’s a fact indeed. After a month full of street style creeping outside the Spring 2014 shows, all eyes will be on Toronto Fashion Week and we’re not about to let those international experts out play us.

While being in the spotlight isn’t always easy, we asked our trusty Style Panelists give us the scoop on how they get snapped without sacrificing their own personal style.

First up to offer her style advice is new Style Panel member, Ruta Rudminaite. The 22-year-old Toronto blogger feels that with street style, nowadays, anything is fair game and that the most important consideration to make is to wear whatever you’re rocking with confidence. The way you hold yourself when you walk down the street in your outfit du jour is what gets photographers to notice you.

We also welcome Northern Style’s Kira Paran to our Style Panel, whose answer to this week’s challenge question is to stick with classic pieces and tailored clothing. When your outfit is sculpted to flatter your body type, it will give you a confidence boost and get noticed.

After a month full of street style watching from New York to Paris and beyond, here’s 11 tips to get noticed right here at home:

Question 73: Street style is a tricky business. What are your tips for dressing to get snapped (without compromising your personal style)? Read the answers now! »

See the party pictures »

Last month, Alberta kicked off a month of fashion weeks and events around the world with its own fashion gathering, unlike any fashion gathering the province had seen before. Hosted at Latitude 53’s new downtown Edmonton location, Calgary’s PARK  (Promoting Artists, Redefining Kulture) debuted into new, northern territory.

For anyone who knows the history of the two cities, (hockey) rivalry is core to their relationship, but with FASHION as its official magazine sponsor, Edmonton’s fashion industry professionals—from designers, boutique owners, hair stylists and make-up artists, to photographers, bloggers, writers and media personalities—came together to mix and mingle with their local community and connect with their southern counterpart.

Calgary’s Jessie Li and Kara Chomistek, co-founders and producers of PARK, are looking to expand the organization’s reach and connect the fashion industry’s movers-and-shakers by hosting events throughout the province (and one day, they say, Canada). “The Edmonton fashion community has been incredibly supportive of what we’ve done in Calgary and we want to continue to build and develop the relationships between our two cities,” says Li. The two young producers, a chartered accountant and an engineer, respectively, co-founded PARK in 2008 as an effort to provide emerging artists and designers with greater opportunities to show and sell their works.

While youthful rebellion may be something we all experienced in our earlier years, this season’s punk trend is feeling oh so modern. Riding the high of the Met’s Costume Institute summer exhibit, Punk: Chaos to Couture, the Fall 2013 runway shows continued our re-introduction to punk under the guise of rips and studs on luxurious […]

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  If you haven’t yet embraced that pink is a big part of Fall 2013’s colour palette, we don’t blame you. Though pink has been there for us when we bid adieu to the winter’s cold and reclaimed our femininity from dark heavy coats it’s time to embrace it as a burst of girlishness to […]

The post How to wear pink: 11 Style Panel tips for co-opting spring’s typically girlish hue for fashionable Fall 2013 wear appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Much like the classic LBD and the plain white T, denim shorts rank high on the list of timeless trends. Feared by some, loved by many, the versatility of this wardrobe staple makes this classic style a must-have for summer. On the streets, we’ve seen trendsetters brace the warmer temperatures in denim shorts of all […]

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For style-minded Gen X and Yers, the resurgence of 1990s fashion on the Spring 2013 runways is cause for celebration. Our minds are full of fond memories—Blossom hats, grunge plaids and 90210-branded T-shirts are just a few that come to mind—what could be better than so many modern re-iterations from the likes of Dries Van […]

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Fur. You can’t mention the word without stirring controversy. Is a fur coat more important than a living animal? For many, wearing fur is a question of ethics. For others, it’s a question of aesthetics. And while valid points exist at both ends of the spectrum, fur has once again become trendy. Following Prada’s bright and quirky statement of candy coloured rabbit tail accessories for Spring 2011, colourful dyed fur re-appeared at Oscar de la Renta, Peter Som and L’Wren Scott for Fall/Winter 2012, not to mention again at both Prada and Miu Miu for Spring 2013.

And while it might be an out-of-bounds option both morally and monetarily for many, we challenged our Style Panel to teach you how to wear fur—real, fake, vintage or otherwise—to make one heck of a statement this season.

Just as we expected, out Style Panelists’ opinions were as varied—from Sandy Joe Karpetz’s “insatiable passion” for vintage fur to Alyssa Lau’s choice to never wear the real thing—as the tips for how to wear fur—from Kayla Short’s simple fur parka trim to Jacquelyn Son’s navy faux-fur cropped jacket from Zara.

Question 35: Whether faux, vintage or real, show us how to wear fur. Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEXANDRA NIKOLAJEV, TORONTO | ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | AMY NELSON, CALGARY | BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | IVA GRBESIC, TORONTO | JACQUELYN SON, VANCOUVER | JEN TAM, VANCOUVER | KAYLA SHORT, HALIFAX | KRYSTIN LEE, TORONTO | MELANIE MORAIS, EDSON | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | SANDY JOE KARPETZ, EDMONTON | STEPHANIE KOCH, KELOWNA | STEPHANIE STERJOVSKI, TORONTO | WHITNEY COSGRAVE, LOS ANGELES

Pastels have been making waves this year, and while they may have once been strictly associated with spring’s blooming flowers, they are one of this winter’s biggest statement makers. Seen at runways including Jil Sander, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta and Acne, pastels running the gamut from mint green to pastel pink (the hue highlighted […]

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With the holidays upon us and only two weeks to go until New Year’s, our Style Panel this week wasn’t challenged, but rather given the opportunity to showcase what they’ll be wearing and doing come New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve outfits can usually mean glitz and glamour, but it is also a great way to capitalize on this season’s best trends and show off that special outfit. A runway like Gianfranco Ferre’s Fall 2012 collection had the sparkle and gold on full display, and is a great inspiration for your sartorial choices for New Year’s Eve.

Our Style Panel members this week showed us what they plan on wearing to ring in 2013, and the glitz and glam was on full display, whether in the form of Kayla Short’s black glittery dress or in Whitney Cosgrave’s casual but glitzy shirt. So take cue from our Style Panel this week, and ring in the New Year with glitz and glam.

Question 32: What do you plan on wearing for New Year’s Eve? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: BARBARA ANN SOLOMON, TORONTO | CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | DANIELLE ROCHE, TORONTO | KAYLA SHORT, HALIFAX | KD FAUSTINO, CALGARY | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDERICTON | MELISSA KNIGHT, VANCOUVER | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | SANDY JOE KARPETZ, EDMONTON | STEPHANIE STERJOVSKI, TORONTO | WHITNEY COSGRAVE, LOS ANGELES