FASHION Magazine

This chilly breeze, the urgent emails coming in madly, the end of half-day Fridays: Like it or not, it’s time to stop the partying and lingering and to get the schedule back on (crazy) track.

But before I can make an appearance at all the events (the Browns fashion show, Ogilvy’s shoe department launch, lunches, cocktail parties, there’s so much to do!) I seriously need to get rid of the summer’s laisser-aller beauty regimen.

Named after the ancestors of King George the IV, the city of Guelph possesses a certain old-world flair, not just in its nomenclature, but in the posture of the downtown as well. Distinctly European street design—quaint or chaotic, depending on whom you are asking—necessitates a slower pace than the shopping malls of the suburbs. In the city’s core, the independent boutiques reign supreme, and the big-box stores have been held at bay for years. The sentence that typically follows “I like your outfit!” is “Where did you get that?” rather than “I have the same one in blue!” or “Isn’t Gap the best?”

Canada’s most anticipated music event, the Virgin Festival took place on Toronto Island over the weekend. Against the backdrop of the city skyline and the scent of lake water was a sea of nodding heads, swaying arms and screaming fans leaping across blankets of mud and grass.

When this year’s Toronto International Film Festival party invites started rolling, we knew we were in for one heck of an opening weekend. And on what could be the busiest two days in the city of Toronto’s history (think: TIFF, Virgin Fest and Canada’s Walk of Fame), this fashionable girl was more than happy to oblige, to the right party, of course.

There is something so easy and effortless about summer dressing. Throw on a cute floral dress, stack a few bangles, slip into a fabulous sandal and out the door you go.

It’s the end of this fashionable girls favourite season and the second bottle of Skyy Vodka this year has just landed on my desk. (TIFF is less than a week away and sponsor Skyy has come up with some tasty cocktails to commemorate the annual film fest, hence the new addition to my at-home bar. Atom’s Amarula Colada, (Click for recipes) after Canadian star director Atom Egoyan, looks delish.) One shouldn’t really look a gift horse in the mouth, but on a morning such as this, I can’t bear to look at it—just yet.

I apologize for being a little AWOL lately, but between all the fall fashion previews and trunk shows, there have been backyard barbecues, evenings at the beach (neither of which are good excuses, I know, but who doesn’t love the Celebration of Lights fireworks?), and of course, trips to the Islands, the Okanagan, and, next week, New York!

Last week, as I was driving to our downtown office early in the morning, I spotted a flock of hipsters sitting on the sidewalk with their oversized shades or standing with their friends, all of them waiting for the new Ste-Catherine H&M to open. The line was so long I couldn’t see the end of it.

By Rebecca Tay

With all the summer sales happening right now, it’s a wonder I have any space left in my closet to accommodate all my recent purchases. But then I saw this Rakku shoe wheel (rakkudesigns.com) for $60 at my local Home Outfitters store (homeoutfitters.com), and it seemed that all my shoe storage woes were a thing of the past!

Fresh and tanned from a 10-day holiday on the Mediterranean, I’m back on the fashion circuit, energetic but frustrated with the weather (where will I flaunt my new gold Paule Ka micro-bikini and flirt with beach bums?) But thankfully I’ve got a bunch of cool things to do this month. I can’t complain. After eating like a pig in France (they now drink champagne on ice!) and Lebanon, it’s time to get a bit of a workout and get ready for those uber-tight leather leggings I’m dreaming of. (Haider Ackermann at Les Createurs is what I’m aiming for, if you must know.)

Lovely in…Easy, breezy summer separates

Spotted: Outside Hazelton Lanes

Tanned and glowing after a trip to the tropics, I was finally ready to take in some serious summer culture when I showed up at Sophie Calle’s opening cocktail party at DHC/ART, my new favorite art hangout. What a party! Everyone was there: the artists, the fashionistas (many of them flaunting gorgeous Renata Morales dresses), the colorful students. Yes, a real Paris-style happening. The cherry on the cake: a surprise concert by Feist. You weren’t there? Just don’t miss the exhibition, it’s phenomenal.