FASHION Magazine

The Hudson’s Bay Company stripes are certainly an iconic piece of Canadiana—going beyond the traditional Bay blanket, they can now be found on everything from cameras to bathing suits. Spotting the stripes in TV shows, movies or magazine shoots may as well be our other official national sport! As such, why not add a little yellow, blue and green to your red and white for this weekend’s Canada Day festivities? This colourful manicure will look nautical at the cottage, on-trend at the beach and totally playful for park picnics. (Plus, it will fit right in if you’re partaking in this weekend’s Pride parade!) Bring on the stripes!

Find out how to do the HBC striped manicure »

The Hudson’s Bay Company’s spring/summer 2012 collection is just about the chicest take on classic Canadiana we’ve seen since… last season. The Bay’s signature stripes have been reinterpreted into stylish yet breezy summer pieces, ranging from vintage-inspired sweaters to reversible tees. Our favourite? The stripe-emblazoned Lomography camera, complete with an old school flash and boxy frame.

The spring/summer collection is available in select stores now and at the Bay online.

Check out all the pieces! »

Just in time for wedding season, Topshop, along with frequent collaborator Richard Nicoll, is entering bridal territory with their first capsule collection, Blushing Brides.

The collection, which will launch at Topshop at the Bay Yorkdale in early July, has the easy romance vibe down to a casual T—think blush pink lace, ruffled hems and the like. With prices topping out at $560 for a blush pink lace ruffled dress with a sheer skirt (yeah, there’s a lot going on there), the line is priced well below most traditional bridal lines. Hoping to re-appropriate the wears for every day? You’re looking at designer price points, but heck, this collection’s got designer written all over it.

View the collection »

In the world of ready-to-wear fashion, Laura and Kate Mulleavy of Rodarte could almost un-exaggeratedly be referred to as gods among designers. Artists. Outsiders. The real deal. Since their label’s launch in 2004, the sisters, 32 and 33 respectively, have been quite solidly staying a cut above the rest with their wise-beyond-their-years artistic references, their ability to seamlessly merge fashion and art and their knack for creating wearable masterpiece after wearable masterpiece with not a fashion degree between them. Between their Van Gogh–inspired spring collection, their somewhat controversial Australian Outback fall outing and their current collaboration with the L.A. Philharmonic, the designers hit Toronto earlier this week for a fête in their honour at The Room at the Bay. We were lucky enough to be let into their world for a little while.

Read the interview »

View the photo gallery »

Last night, the sister duo behind one of fashion’s darling labels, Rodarte, descended upon Toronto for a fête in their honour at the Bay’s glittering designer den, The Room. As the finest champagne flowed, the city’s finest, freshly sunned partygoers crowded around Laura and Kate Mulleavy to get a look—albeit a look-but-don’t-touch. “You can’t just sidle up beside them and say, ‘I love you,’” one guest lamented. And isn’t it strange but true? The moment one of your idols is presented on a platter, the nerves tend to overcome. Such wasn’t the case, however, for Toronto’s version of the sister power duo, Chloé and Parris Gordon of Chloé Comme Parris, who got in there to articulate their crush. (I was afforded a private one-on-two with the designers earlier in the day, the gush-laden results of which are forthcoming).

While she was in Vancouver for The Room’s fête in her honour, all-star Brit designer Mary Katrantzou let us have a snoop fest inside her Mary Poppins-esque Givenchy bag. The hilarious contents seemed never-ending, as did the designer’s penchant for equally hilarious anecdotes of explanation. It’s not every day you get to peek inside the purse of a digi-print genius, so without further ado, we present the bag of one Miss Katrantzou!

Let’s explore! »

View the photo gallery »

Pattern princess Mary Katrantzou’s first-ever visit to Vancouver (“We’ve got fantastic weather, and I was expecting gloomy rain!” she enthused in an earlier interview) turned out a colourful crowd at The Room at the Bay last night. A noticeable number of party people sported kaleidoscopic looks from the designer’s new collection, which has gained equal notoriety for its elevation of everyday objects such as spoons and typewriters, as well as its trippy, engrossing patterns reminiscent of Magic Eye images from the ‘90s (a comparison Mary acknowledges with, “Yes, I heard that recently! I wasn’t sure what those magical eye drawings were.”)

By Randi Bergman and Paige Dzenis

Mother’s Day is just around the corner and the typical gift options (read: jewels, flowers and the like) are sure to be permeating through every ad space well, everywhere. Since mom might be a little all too used to being spoiled by these tried and tested yet perhaps a little tried and tired gifts, we’ve come up with a few alternatives to the norm that might thrill even more.

For each category, we’ve suggested our favourites for those classic gift ideas, as well as a few alternative suggestions.

View the gift guide »

Jump to: The Flower Bouquet | The Spa Day | The High Tea | The Jewels

Touch on the spring’s brights trend (one of our favourites) with this figure-flattering halter dress. ($49, at The Bay)

The post Daily steal: Lime green halter dress, $49 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

The race is on to find this season’s most sleek, athletic-inspired pieces. “Sport was touched on in almost every collection,” says Nicholas Mellamphy, creative director of The Room at the Bay. He points to Anthony Vaccarello’s use of tech fabrics and utility details, Antonio Berardi’s strong colour and stripe detailing, Yves Saint Laurent’s “sporty but elegant” eveningwear jumpsuits and J. Mendel’s play on the old-school sports jersey. The question is: Can sporty wear be made office-appropriate? Mellamphy laces up to give us a pep talk.

4 tips on how to wear sport utility »
See our editor’s picks »

Worn with a pair of coloured jeans or a bright midi-skirt, the bold contrast of orange and white stripes on this sleeveless shirt adds a little flair to any outfit. ($58, thebay.com)

The post Daily steal: Striped shirt, $58 appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Strategic cut-outs, thigh-high slits and body-con shapes: Sébastien Peigné and Nicola Formichetti of Mugler are bringing sexy back.

Reviving Mugler is a monster task. After designer Thierry Mugler took his final runway bow at his couture show in July 2000, this kinky house of cool (remember Demi Moore’s bondage-style dress in 1993’s Indecent Proposal?) started flatlining. Ten years later, the resuscitation began. In 2010, following months of speculation, Nicola Formichetti (Lady Gaga’s stylist) was tapped to lead the revival of the French house known for its over-the-top theatricality and sex appeal. Besides outfitting Mother Monster, this 34-year-old half-Italian, half-Japanese, techno-savvy superstar is also the fashion director for Vogue Hommes Japan and global retailer Uniqlo. His debut Mugler womenswear show during Fall 2011 Paris Fashion Week had the twitterverse buzzing about its latex-dipped leggings, body-stocking dresses and the catwalk pièce de résistance: Gaga, smoking in every sense of the word.

Read the interview »
See the slideshow »