FASHION Magazine

The mandate was "dress to impress" and that they did.

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See the photos from the Hérmes menswear event » Just like $50k and a 5-year waiting list would never stop us fashion gals from a Birkin bag, a little rain held no one back from attending Tuesday night’s blowout Hérmes menswear event in Toronto. Held at the Distillery District’s Fermenting Cellar, the event gave well-heeled […]

The post 20 party pictures from inside the blowout Hérmes menswear event in Toronto appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the photos from Holt Renfrew’s Uncrate India party »

We gave you a behind-the-scenes peek at how Alexandra Weston and Waris Ahluwalia curated the Holt Renfrew H Project Uncrate India collection. We shared 50+ artisanal items from the collection. And now it’s time to take a look at the incredible bash that Holt Renfrew threw last night in celebration of it all. The Bloor Street store was transformed into a vibrant Indian market, welcoming hundreds of guests adorned in sari-inspired attire. Rooms were tented with pink and orange fabric for an intimate feel, gilded bird cages stuffed with flowers hung from the ceilings and guests were greeted upon arrival with a shower of rose petals. But the lavish extravaganza didn’t stop there.

See our RAFF opening night gallery »

Did you know that Toronto is home to the world’s only art on film festival? Or that it is in its 11^th year? Probably not. For the past few years, the Reel Artists Film Festival has blown us away with its A-list roster of films, talent and frankly, how underrated it is. This year, RAFF upped the ante yet again by premiering An Economy of Grace, a film about artist Kehinde Wiley and his unique brand of hood-meets-highbrow in pieces that portray African Americans in heroic poses.

At Wednesday night’s opening, the who’s who of Toronto’s art scene fêted the film, hobnobbing with the artist and taking in an onstage Q&A with him and Zoomer editor-in-chief Suzanne Boyd, which focused on the sociological impact his pieces have on his subjects as well as his work with Givenchy.

An Economy of Grace follows Wiley as he creates his first women-only painting series, casting them on the street in Harlem, dressing them in couture gowns and transforming them into large-scale re-imaginations of classic works of art. It also documents the artist’s collaboration with Givenchy creative director Riccardo Tisci, who created the dresses exclusively for the paintings. “When I thought about the absolute favourite of favourites or what stood for the best of haute couture, it was Givenchy,” said Wiley of the partnership. As current fashion plays so comfortably in the arena of high low, Wiley’s work touches on how once impossible that kind of combination would have been. In the days of great master portraiture (Wiley’s work often draws directly from Titian, Ingres, John Singer Sargent and Napoleon painter Jacques Louis David), subjects would have been those with money, wealth and social stature. They certainly would never have been of colour, something Wiley’s work flips on its head.

Read our interview with Kehinde Wiley »

See the Greta Constantine Spring 2014 collection »

In the off-season manner that has become their signature, Greta Constantine designers Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill put the social spin on the Spring 2014 collection, which they revealed at Malaparte above TIFF Bell Lightbox last night in Toronto. For an intimate crowd of editors and socialites, the 23 looks first took to a makeshift runway in-between two outstretched dinner tables set with inspirational artworks at each place (“Give your undivided attention to the feeling of your creations, not the creations themselves,” said mine). Then later, in presentation style groupings for after-partygoers.

The collection itself was an exercise in what Greta Constantine does best, but renewed for the season in cool microfiber knits (my favourite: an off-shoulder magenta knee length cocktail number) and silk faille. A dripping copper-covered group of smouldering floor-length gowns had red carpet written all over it. Meanwhile, the duo pushed retakes of their well-known classics such as cobalt and tangerine ruffled power dresses and the one-shouldered cocktail. With a healthy dose of Rogers, Florida, Kimmel and Koo in the crowd, all 23 are sure to be snapped up faster than you can say fierce.

See all the Toronto Life Most Influential 2013 party pics »

At first glance, a party where every guest is nose-deep in a magazine may seem like the least social event ever. However, when it’s the launch party for Toronto Life’s annual Most Influential issue, a quick read-through is totally necessary: while everyone who made the list was invited, none of the Most Influential guests knew how they ranked. Hence the frantic-yet-totally-casual flipping of pages upon entry by guests like Robert Deluce and Charles Khabouth. Held in the ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton, deep red lighting and a swanky live band made the space feel like a Swing Era soiree.

While Toronto Life’s editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford was quick to make a few drunken stupor jokes, neither of the issue’s cover subjects—that is, Bill Blair and Rob Ford—joined in for the festivities. Sure, it would have been good for gossip, but they wouldn’t have added to the impressive style that permeated the event.

See the party pictures from the Joe Fresh after party »

When it comes to toasting a spring collection filled with inky, porcelain-blue items and chinoiserie prints, what better an after party venue than Susur Lee’s namesake restaurant? Just minutes after the Joe Fresh Spring 2014 show ended, friends and fans of the brand dashed down the street for the official celebration. The mid-week party has become one of the most anticipated events of World MasterCard Fashion Week and this season’s iteration kept the hype going.

At the centre of the fashion frenzy was Marjorie Gubelmann, an heiress from New York who’s made her name (and things like Vanity Fair best dressed lists, nbd) as DJ Mad Marj. “Wait, what? She’s the DJ!” many a guest remarked as they wandered past the DJ booth—though the well-populated dance floor, including swinging staples Suzanne Boyd, Andrea Bolley and Stacey McKenzie, spoke for itself.

If the almost-all-blue Spring 2014 collection was a nod to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the team certainly wanted to show their support. The second side of the restaurant—coincidentally where Alana Zimmer, Heather Marks and the other Joe Fresh models were gathered—quickly became “the hockey room” when Joffrey Lupul, Jonathan Bernier and Dion Phaneuf showed up. Of course, the Leafs representation was courtesy front-row fixture Elisha Cuthbert, looking extra slick in liquid leather pants and a bushy fur collar.

See all the photos from the Upgrade book launch party »

Is there anything more enticing than a promise to make your regular old life extraordinary? It was this premise that inspired Rana Florida to write her latest book, and the reason why a very swishy crowd gathered to celebrate the launch of Upgrade on Tuesday night. Held at the home of Suzanne and Mark Cohon, the party attracted a mix of Toronto’s most stylish and most social. It was certainly a who’s who of the city’s creative set—a group more likely to be featured as an Upgrade case study than those in need of the book’s advice.

Holt Renfrew’s Moira Wright (in a sleek black pantsuit and tuxedo jacket) mingled with Greta Constantine’s Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill, who were just days away from jetting off to Paris. The guest of honour was decked out in a stunning Clover Canyon dress—purchased just for the occasion—and Rana wasn’t the only one in digital prints and vibrant colours. Alexandra Weston toned down her purple, blue and grey Peter Pilotto skirt with a leather moto jacket, while Jane Apor’s fluro-orange clutch and heels added a pop of colour to her ensemble. Twitter Canada’s Kirstine Stewart was also rocking some orange, with a pair of bright pants that should probably be on everyone’s fall must-have list.

See the Filthy Gorgeous party photos »

I’ve always wanted to travel back in time, and last night at the Filthy Gorgeous after party it felt like I’d gone back some forty years. Taking in the music, decor and ambiance at Cube nightclub on Queen Street West was like falling into the decadent disco era of the 1970s. Shiny gold Bourgie lamps, leather banquets covered in animal-print cushions and lingerie models posing on a bed made for a virtual Penthouse party, perfect for celebrating Barry Avrich’s new documentary on the skin mag’s late founder Bob Guccione.

See Big Bang Bash Viktor & Rolf Dolls Luminato photos »

Last Saturday night, the arty A-list gathered to celebrate the opening of the Viktor & Rolf Dolls exhibit at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto. As the pre-emptive kick-off to the Luminato arts festival, which officially begins today, patrons, planners and performers came out en masse including the formidable foreign trio of Marina Abramović, Willem Dafoe and creative director Jörn Weisbrodt. To match the quirky aesthetic of the night’s satellite guests of honour (the designers were unable to repeat their May visit to Toronto), the ROM’s crystal lobby was tricked out with curiously interactive decorations like a sky-high mannequin whose dress gave out jewellery when guests placed their hands inside, a conveyor belt of treats and a literal piano bar which thrilled with its makeshift Prohibition vibe. Everything about the event seemed as if part of a surreal dream, which culminated in the fabulously fringed navy coat belonging to a one Suzanne Boyd catching on fire. With a few ceremonious pats, the fire was extinguished, leaving the glitzy gossipers with something especially titillating to talk about.

Check out the photos from the Joe Fresh after-party »

Given the well-heeled ladies and gents that show up for a Joe Fresh fashion show, you’d never believe the label’s wears run as affordably as they do. Though as any Loblaws shopper in Canada knows, they do. After last night’s punky all-black Fall 2013 outing, showgoers were looking to kick off their heels (proverbially speaking) with signature orange cocktails, mini tacos and pulsing DJ beats at the private watering hole, Storys.

Fresh off the Fresh runway, models Heather Marks, Meaghan Collison and a group of studly males in tight sweaters flooded the room with just enough impossible beauty to make the ogling worth it. Creative director Joe Mimran and wife Kimberley Newport-Mimran showed up in coordinated head-to-toe black suiting, adding their own luxe touch to the non-colour of the night. As the two cozied up to Loblaws frontman Galen Weston, nightclub impresario Charles Khabouth and our favourite dandy, Bruce C. Bailey, an informal dance party broke out with queen of the moves, Andrea Bolley, at the forefront. Just an average rip roaring night in Toronto as of late, it seems.

Check out our latest street style gallery Toronto Fashion Week »

World MasterCard Fashion Week Fall 2013 has begun in Toronto, but let’s be honest, Mother Nature is definitely the fiercest force taking over the city. Show goers were greeted on day one with an unexpected snowstorm making our first batch of street style photos—shot by photographer Stefania Yarhi—all about the layers.

Leathers, wools, and a whole lot of toques graced the wet pavement outside of David Pecault square and we won’t even try to deny how happy we are to spot three different mini backpacks which fills our hearts with 1990s nostalgia.