FASHION Magazine

The world’s biggest, and perhaps bravest, pop star stormed Roy Thomson Hall last night for the premiere of W.E., a film she directed and co-wrote. The love story of Wallis Simpson and the Prince of Wales, with a parallel tale of a Wallis-obsessed doctor’s wife, is Madonna’s first feature effort, a career move that film critics have not taken kindly to. I found W.E. to be entertaining, stylish, and fun, and I admire Madonna for holding her Garren-coiffed head high amid the barbs. After a private meeting, screening, and invitation to join her at her table for dinner, here are some other things I learned:

Metal princess, sometimes singer, and TV personality Kelly Osbourne’s adding a new title to her list: poster girl. The new face of Madonna and daughter Lourdes Leon’s clothing line, Material Girl, was in Toronto yesterday for the fall collection launch at the Bay to partake in a fan-filled Q&A session with eTalk’s Tanya Kim—during which she heralded the likes of Gaga for “putting bravery back into fashion.” Known for her call-it-like-it-is honesty and humour, Osbourne was in full force yesterday when we chatted before her appearance, describing her style as the drunk Marilyn Monroe and poking fun at the perfumers behind her scent for the day: “It’s by a company called Mûre et Musc, and it’s really spelled like ‘extreme,’ but they try to make it fancy by [pronouncing] it differently.”

Read our interview »
View photos from yesterday’s event! »

Last Thursday night the Mimran-kissed womenswear line Moon celebrated its first birthday as well as its foray into menswear at the TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto. Surrounded by big yellowy globes (ahem, moons) and more than a few yellowy cocktails, DJ duo Leigh Lezark and Geordon Nicol of the Misshapes spun Rihanna, Robyn, and the like for the crowd of fashion eds, fashion plates, and fashion models who interrupted the soiree for a makeshift showcase of the latest collection. Lezark took her headphones on and off enough times to make believe she was, indeed, there to spin… But her sheer black wrap shirt, leopard skirt (both from Moon’s fall collection), and black leather fold-over heels suggested she was there to be ogled as well. Consider us ogling.

View the photo gallery »

Animal prints are prowling their way through to fall, and this sleek leopard-print georgette blouse from the wonderfully affordable line Moon ($50, at the Bay) is a sophisticated way to show your claws.

Following the success of the Topshop capsules in Toronto, the Bay has decided to bless fashion diehards out West with capsules at their Vancouver and Calgary stores starting in mid-September. Shoppers will get to shop a curated selection of the collection, as flagship stores—like the one set to open at Yorkdale in September—get ready for […]

The post Topshop goes West! We’ve got the Calgary and Vancouver capsule details appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

Alaïa and Thakoon and Balmain, oh my! The hunt for ready-to-wear gets even easier this month with the highly anticipated opening of The Room at the Bay downtown (674 Granville St., 604-681-6211, thebay.com). Its well-edited roster includes top homegrown labels, such as Erdem, Jeremy Laing, Dsquared and Jason Wu. Where will I be? Drooling over the Proenza Schouler shoes and handbags.

Mixing prints is a fun way to liven up any outfit. It can be a bit tricky, though, so be cautious and don’t overwhelm your body. Wild, mismatched patterns are in desperate need of a slim, well-fitted silhouette to draw the eye in—the wrong fit risks making you look more like a bulk bag of gummies than eye candy. Don’t be shy with colour. For the perfect pop, extract one shade from a print in the form of a shoe. And limit your accessories, keeping the chosen few minimal. If you’re still weary about mixing prints, get your feet wet by wearing one strong pattern on the body and incorporate another with a bag. Novices beware: Leave mixing more than two prints at a time to the experts.

Let’s get mixing! »

Follow our ongoing coverage of the Royal visit! »

We guessed it! We guessed it! Kate chose Erdem for her official Canadian debut, so that makes us 1/1 so far in our royal predictions. Kate chose this navy and white lace knee-length dress from the designer’s Resort 2012 collection, and though you won’t be able to purchase the stunner quite yet, we have official word from creative director Nicholas Mellamphy himself that the dress will be included in The Room at the Bay’s Resort selection (estimated arrival is TBD, but late Fall is to be expected). Ladies, place those orders now!

In the meantime, let’s play a little dress-up with these Erdem Spring picks: »

Attention Yorkdale shoppers: You are the luckiest ducks in Toronto. As if Holt Renfrew’s expansion and Topshop’s entrance at the Bay weren’t enough, It brand J.Crew has chosen the mall as its first Canadian and international location. According to president, creative director and overall girl-crush Jenna Lyons, the company is now finalizing the store’s design, carefully creating the perfect setting to house its collections.

The British are not only coming, they have arrived! For those of you who thought you’d have to wait until September to shop Topshop and Topman at the Bay’s Yorkdale store when it opens in September, have no fear. Starting this weekend (as in right now!) and running through August, Topshop has planned a series of pop-up shopping events to ensure that you can get your hands on their gear whenever and wherever (or rather, at these specific locations and times):

“So pleased.” That was how Jean Paul Gaultier summed up his feelings about his retrospective Monday night at the VIP party held at Montreal’s Musée des Beaux-Arts. “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk” opened Monday night with an intimate gathering that mixed Gaultier’s inner circle with Quebec designers and celebs. Male muse Tanel Bedrossiantz in skirt and mohawk, bald and tattooed Ève Salvail, Francisco Randez, star of Gaultier Le Male fragrance ads and doll-like French singer Arielle, in body-hugging tulle, joined musician Melissa Auf der Maur, International Herald Tribune critic Suzy Menkes, Newsweek’s Robin Givhan, and hairstylist Odile Gilbert in touring the show. An ebullient Gaultier, who initially had not been keen on the notion of a retrospective—“it can be like a funeral,” he told me back in January—was clearly enjoying himself, wandering the rooms and amiably chatting and posing for photos.

Photography by Peter Stigter

“I always think of Gaultier in terms of the colours he used early on, relishing his lurid shades of green, yellow and brown. I’ve enjoyed his references to French culture—pulpy policiers or Yvette Horner, the accordéoniste–and always thought of his palette as a tribute to the tobacco-stained walls of Paris dives.” ­—David Livingstone, Writer