FASHION Magazine

Coachella officially kicks off 2015 festival season this weekend, and whether or not you’re going to be in attendance, what better excuse to don crop tops and all-fringed-anything?

’70s style dominated Spring 2015 runways from Gucci to Saint Laurent, proving that the flower child look is here to stay for yet another season. And it’s with that in mind that we look back to these Style Panel looks, submitted last summer and just right for Coachella 2015.

White lace and denim shorts seem to be the sure way to accomplish the festival look. To take your basic summer look to the next level, add statement pieces like The Pretty Secrets’ Sandy Joe Karpetz did with her festival-inspired kimono. If you’re looking to add a pop of colour to your outfit, our newest Style Panel member, SummerxSkin’s Anum Khan suggests a maxi skirt and multicoloured bangles paired with a white crop top. And if you’re really confident with the trend, The Ordinary Peoples’ Alyssa Lau shows you how to dress for a festival by taking on three spring trends (bold colours, a crop top and patterns!) in one chic look.

Question 54: How to dress for a festival? Read the answers now! »

In the last ten years or so, music festivals have morphed from sweaty acquired tastes for music diehards to ultimate destinations for the world’s trendiest denizens to flock to. Coachella, the biggest of the bunch, has doubled in size, now offering its same stellar lineup for two weekends in a row. Beginning this Friday in […]

The post How to dress for a festival: 5 tips that balance your Coachella fashion wants with your practical needs appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See street style from Toronto Fashion Week »

Despite dipping Toronto temperatures, stylish show attendees were keeping warm and heating up the streets of Toronto on day three of World MasterCard Fashion Week.

From capes to coats, layering was the key to taking outerwear from an essential to a fashion statement. Wooly sweaters and flannel knits were paired with printed jackets, leather toppers and slick pants. Plaid prints were a favourite items among the street style crowd, who did up ’90s style in true Canadian way. The colder weather also prompted a spike in fur coats and collars. Whether real or faux, fur was draped over shoulders, found inside jackets and worn as vests.

When it came to colour, the rainbow effect was the order of the day. Style Blog’s Nelia Belkova radiated warmth with her look: she donned a fuzzy, electric-lime jacket that made her black and yellow floral dress pop. Other notable bursts of colour included Hudson’s Bay Company stripes, a very psychedelic three-piece suit and candy apple red accessories. Whatever the shade worn, it all provided a necessary injection of brightness to counter the grey skies.

Biking is the go-to mode of transportation for our sticky summer commutes. You’ve got to hand it to our two-wheeler friends for getting us through the heaviest rush hour traffic in a time crunch. And though we adore anything that shortens our morning routines, a speedy cycle doesn’t come without its fair share of wardrobe-related challenges. Combining fashion and function is key for assembling bike-ready ensembles. Once you find the perfect balance of comfort and style, you’d be surprised what you can pull off wearing while weaving through the city streets.

While helmets may not be topping your must-have accessories list, they’re totally first on ours. Rachel Bilson recently paired her tight-fitted bike uniform with the sturdy headgear, earning her major safety points. ‘We Can’t Stop’ singer Miley Cyrus relies on her bike-basket to carry all of her favourite things and though her long hair is no more, we still suggest copying Cyrus’ polished top bun. It’s the perfect hairstyle for avoiding the post-cycle hot mess look. The ever-fashionable Kate Bosworth won’t let a little cycling get in the way of her outfit choices. Bosworth’s a-line circle skirt is the perfect way to steer clear of grease stains, while the knee length hemline promises to prevent un-wanted flashing situations.

But you don’t have to be a celebrity to look this cute on a bike. We’ve turned to our Style Panel for more advice on how to dress fashionably while biking. The Girl With The Messy Hair’s KD Faustino deems shorts a biking-must, but suggests scrapping your favourite denim cutoffs for something a little more fashion-forward. Short Presents’ Kayla Short also favours shorts, but suggests pairing them with a interesting top to give people something to look at as your cruise past them at top-speed. (Woah there, easy rider!)

Question 63: How do you dress fashionably while biking? Read the answers now!

Much like a blank canvas, white fashions are the clean slate that every wardrobe needs. The versatility of the innocent hue lends itself to endless styling possibilities. With the no-white-post-labour-day rule behind us (how passé), we’re free to stock up on crisp white pieces for summer, fall and beyond.

Stars on and off the red carpet are choosing white as their colour of choice. The ongoing white trend can just as easily adopt a streamlined, clean-cut look with sharp tailoring, as it can a perfectly pretty one with embroidery and sheer silks. Whatever your flavour, the posh hue is the perfect choice for showing off some of your boldest accessories. Consider pairing your favourite whites with a fierce animal print bag as Beyoncé pulled off recently. In the jewellery department, try topping off a white frock with an edgy, head-turning necklace like Olivia Palermo. A bold lip can also make as strong a statement, with Karlie Kloss showing off the perfect red pout to avoid looking washed out by her all white red carpet getup.

Much like the stars they dress, A-list designers are showing their love for the always-in-style hue. To keep it fresh, Bottega Veneta combined white-on-white textures on its Spring 2013 runway. Chanel spiced up ensembles with pearl beads garnishing white pieces.

Still doubting the power of an all white palette? Fear not, because we’ve asked our style panel for tips on how to wear white.

Over My Styled Body’s Lyndsey Forest agrees that accessories are key to amp up a white ensemble. She also suggests trying an unusual hemline to keep your look fun. Alicia Fashionista’s Alicia Quan pairs her whites with edgier pieces such as a leather jacket to avoid a bride-to-be look. With Love Gabrielle’s Marta Tryshak thinks that white is easy and fabulous. She considers well-fitted white denim jeans a must-have and advises investing in a pair that can be worn well into the fall.

Question 62: How do you wear white while keeping it fresh? Read the answers now!

Once relegated to summer camps and dress up parties, neon has been making its may back into the forefront of fashion over the past few seasons. Especially with this season’s nineties crazy, even the brightest fluorescent hues have even become near basics.

Seen prominently on many of this summer’s music festival attendees, neon appeared on everything from bra tops to the ever-popular Cambridge satchel. Neon was popular with celebrities as well, spotted on Serena Williams’s nails to Gwyneth Paltrow’s heels.

On the Spring 2013 runways, neon appeared with creative pops in Peter Pilotto’s ruffled dresses and bright prints on Kenzo’s jungle print jumpsuits and Christopher Kane’s Frankenstein shirts. For Fall 2013, the unexpected cold weather hue makes its return with 3.1 Phillip Lim and Rag & Bone’s brightly hued motorcycle style jackets.

Since the trend doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, the girls from Style Panel are sharing key tips on how to wear neon this season and beyond.

Never having tried the trend, Dainty Girl’s Nicole Wilson works neon into her outfit with brightly coloured yellow heels. In the same vein, both Suburban Faux-Pas’s Krystin Lee and Born Lippy’s Melanie Morais suggests wearing neon in moderations, while pairing it with neutrals. If you’re still unsure on how to wear neon, Canadian Fashionista’s Amber Desilets advises to start with something simple like accessories. Nothing like a neon necklace or neon belt to really make your everyday outfits stand out and on trend.

Question 61: How do you wear neon? Read the answers now!

See the ’90s Supermodels look on the 2013 runways »

Photography by Peter Stigter

Photography by Peter Stigter

Photography by Peter Stigter

Photography by Peter Stigter

Photography by Peter Stigter

1/5

Dsquared Spring 2013

Dsquared Spring 2013

2/5

Saint Laurent Fall 2013

Saint Laurent Fall 2013

3/5

Lanvin Fall 2013

4/5

Versace Fall 2013

Versace Fall 2013

5/5

Chanel Fall 2013

Chanel Fall 2013

Fierceness, thy name is Naomi. And Linda. And Cindy. Recognized in fashion circles by their first names alone, ’90s supermodels are the latest icons to ride the decade’s wave of nostalgia into our already punk-, grunge- and angst-heavy wardrobes.

Known now as the Supers, the larger-than-life model pack fronted by Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer and Christy Turlington ruled not only the runway but the cultural zeitgeist as well. They were everywhere, starring in George Michael’s epic “Freedom 90” music video, appearing in a Time Magazine cover story, even launching a chain of Fashion Cafes. And while they wore everything from skin-tight Alaïa bandage dresses to Versace scarf print leggings, their look was ultimately defined by a 1991 photo shoot that captured the high-impact collision between the supermodel phenomenon and the moto trend. Lensed by Peter Lindbergh for Vogue, it featured a Marlon Brando-meets-Madonna blend of hardware-heavy motorcycle jackets, ball skirts and pleated minis with embellished leather caps and Chanel pearls.

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 […]

The post How to wear denim shorts: 15 Style Panel tips for braving this often-feared basic appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See 25 art party-worthy ways to do your hair and makeup »

If there’s one event in Toronto that’s worth changing up your look for, it’s Power Ball. The Power Plant’s annual fundraiser party is more art show extravaganza than gala, making elaborate costumery just as popular as black tie looks. We’ve already given you some tips on what to wear on Thursday night, so now it’s time to consider the other important part of your Power Ball outfit: your hair and makeup.

Power Ball is the perfect time to tease your hair into an unrecognizable pouf or apply as many rhinestones to your eyelids as possible—seriously! (For further proof, check out our photo galleries from past Power Ball parties.) To provide you with some inspiration, we’ve turned the best source of high concept hair and makeup looks: the international runways. Thanks to the talents of makeup artists like Pat McGrath and Diane Kendal and hair stylists such as Guido Palau and Sam McKnight, we’ve found 25 looks from the Spring and Fall 2013 shows that you should definitely try to duplicate. So break out the bright pigments and dip-dye your hair: Power Ball is ready and waiting.

Read all the backstage tips from Missoni Spring 2013 »

Nothing says Missoni like colourful knitwear. So when the 60-year-old Italian label strayed from its trademark in favour of new shades and textures for the Spring 2013 collection, it was a shock to all. The Missoni runway show started with white, ended with black and featured a selection of amped-up pastel shades in between. The label went even further out of its comfort zone in applying layers of futuristic looking organza and embellishments over the signature raschel knit. When it came to beauty, a whole other set of surprises was in store. The au-naturel look typical to the Missoni runway was ditched in favour of a playfully amped up, space-age anime aesthetic.

It’s almost swim season, which means it is time to flip through endless shopping guides to find your perfect bikni, tankini, monokini and so on.

Summer is the perfect time to try out new swimsuit shapes and styles that work best with your body, and with a wide selection of suits out there—from one piece to two-piece swimsuits in every colour in the rainbow—you’re bound to have options. If you’re thinking about straying away from the simple one piece at your first pool party of 2013, why not look to Mara Hoffman’s colourful tie-dyed swimsuit for inspiration with cutout panels to add a bit of sultriness to your look? If you don’t feel comfortable showing too much skin, take notes from Rochas’ floral two-piece. Showing only a bit of your midriff, this swimsuit style will definitely add a retro yet feminine touch to your poolside outfit.

See our swim 2013 picks »

Or jump to: BLACK | CUT OUTS | METALLIC | RETRO | STRIPES

Finally, summer is just around the corner and surf, sand and sunscreen are words we’re thrilled to bring back into our vocabulary. We’ve got four glorious months of swimsuit potential just around the corner and to help you prep, we’ve got 30 must-have new styles for the swim 2013 season. While we can’t promise to make the changeroom experience any easier, we can take the guesswork out of choosing a suit that will make the biggest splash poolside.

Look to the runway for inspiration and test the waters in a brand-new bather. From bright shades to solid stripes, we are drawing inspiration from Rochas’ dainty outing to Burberry’s metallics.

On the runway, Michael Kors showed us a sporty take on stripes with a lake-ready colour-blocked style. At Moschino Cheap and Chic, the theme was floral, with hints of Hawaii. And if colour ain’t your thing, Jason Wu made us want to buy a one-way ticket to Saint Tropez when he sent a glammed up little-black-one-piece down the runway with an ultra-feminine cover up worn over top.