FASHION Magazine

By Sarah Hankins

Being that Sephora is my ultimate beauty haven, I was incredibly excited to attend a private event at their new Bloor Street location on February 27 with a $100 gift certificate in hand to use as my little heart desired. With six new locations opening by Summer 2008, there’s a lot to get excited about.

Despite the parade of bomber jackets, ribbed tights and ankle boots, spring is in the air. Held at their brand new digs at Exhibition Place, the Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) held their annual press and buyer’s breakfast to showcase 18 up-and-coming designers on the Canadian scene. The fashion pack was looking for two things that morning: caffeine and the coolest new collections. FASHION spotted a lot of fab new things, but there were a few standouts in this vast sea of style.

By Kate MacLennan

Fashion parties always trickle to a minimum under the August sunshine, but by the first week of September, the bulk of the style community has happily bid sayonara to its summer threads and is eagerly embarking on the important mission of building a new autumn wardrobe. So if there’s one event you don’t want to miss, it’s fall’s first fashion fête, bound to be a gawk-fest of au courant clothing, not to mention a choice opportunity to network and dish.

Previously on The Hills, Lauren Conrad moved from Laguna Beach to Los Angeles, juggled classes at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising with an internship at Teen Vogue, and stumbled through a series of personal crises that ended with her giving the boot to best friends Heidi Montag and Jen Bunney, as well as controlling boyfriend Jason Wahler.

When the sidewalk begins to sizzle in the summer heat, lovelies dutifully don their open-toed sandals and officially “out” their fashionable feet. These 10 luscious lollipops run up stairs, leap over puddles and tap impatiently while standing in line for a latte. The latest slick lacquers range from pretty in pink to beach babe coral to dark and dramatic.

Into each and every fashionably frenzied life, there comes a time to recharge the Energizer Bunny batteries. A time to find inner Zen, not the closest H&M. A time to acquire more chi than Gucci.

Recently, between drowning in work deadlines and tossing out a life preserver to save my sinking Visa (the summer sales had turned me into a trend-driven Tasmanian devil), I decided it was time to breathe and reboot on a stylish summer vacation. Unfortunately, the closest thing I had to the smell of sea air was the Michael Kors Island fragrance wafting over from our beauty department. But with my mind wandering from Mainbocher to Maine, and with no immediate getaway appearing in my crystal ball, the question was raised: In the summer, what is a city girl to do? The answer: Find a higher power, or rather tower. Destination: The Four Seasons Hotel’s rooftop pool for a little stylish summer sizzlin’.

Even before I could bid adieu to my summer tote, my first holiday invitation arrived: a preview of the Gap Holiday 2006 collection in New York City. Ah, those three little words–New York City. They make a girl want to kick up her Choos and celebrate. I suddenly felt fabulously festive and RSVPed “yes.” I would be there with bells on.