FASHION Magazine

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The heavens certainly behaved themselves for the second day of Toronto Fashion Week, allowing attendees to show off their no doubt newly purchased (or borrowed) spring styles sans typically cumbersome March outerwear. There was Ainsley Kerr, in a mega-printed dress from the Chloé Comme Parris spring collection, Amanda Lew Kee in her printed T-shirt, and our very own Bernadette Morra, who debuted a look from Martin Lim‘s latest collection. And what about that dude in the neon? That’s our camera genius stepping out to play. Hi Lewis!

By Eliza Grossman

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With a white winter backdrop and the sound of wind blowing to set the mood, designer Ilan Elfassy (brother of the designing duo behind Mackage) presented a pitch-perfect crop of Soïa & Kyo coats ripe for the Canadian winter. Well, maybe not this winter, but you get the picture. The mainly neutral outerwear palette was accented with a few bolder choices in red or mustard, a particularly covetable one worn on the runway by one of our home-grown model loves, Herieth Paul. Casual on the whole, the selection did prove its sleek factor with versatile numbers that belted from inside.

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I’m a fan of any fashion show that starts off with the Velvet Underground’s “Venus in Furs.” Combo that tune-age with yet another stellar collection from one of the city’s most promising labels, and well, I think you’ve got a winner. Such was the case at Chloé Comme Parris’s fall showing yesterday, as the sister duo churned out a 1990s-meets-1890s outing of snakelike cigarette pants, elongated moto-cross jackets bedazzled with heavy silver nobs, and loosely tailored suiting. There was fur too, and it felt delicate alongside moody silk Liberty-esque prints on spaghetti dresses, pleated skirts and camisoles. Quite like a Venus in furs, wouldn’t you say?

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Bringing in a packed house for their 6 p.m. show, the husband-and-wife team behind Martin Lim is clearly onto something. Winners of last season’s Mercedes-Benz Start Up competition, they’ve already managed to carve a space in the crowded Canadian marketplace and construct garments that are instantly recognizable as their own.

The flyaway details across shoulders and down back seams were all there along with new tricks including sliced car wash swishes of silk, boxy leather tops, a metalicized chinoiserie print (best worn front row by our editor-in-chief, Bernadette Morra) and piped mesh leggings under everything from tunics to dresses. As if that weren’t enough, their bold colour blocking and playful palette are sure to get the cash registers ringing.

Go backstage with us to do nails for Lucian Matis! » View the full collection » See all Toronto Fashion Week coverage » My obsession with everything nails has been well-documented over the last few months, so you can only imagine the backflips of joy that occurred when top manicurist Leeanne Colley called, asking me […]

The post TFW backstage beauty: We join the Tips Nail Bar team and go behind-the-scenes to do nails at Lucian Matis appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Ball changes, box steps and skilful splits kicked off Holt Renfrew’s celebration of the Canadian catwalk as an enthusiastic tapper danced his way down the runway. It was an upbeat way to engage the crowd and usher in homegrown design talent, that’s for sure. Here’s the rundown of the best in show:

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We’re back to the style-spotting game with Lewis Mirrett’s first batch of shots from outside Toronto Fashion Week. Taken outside of two of last night’s biggest shows, Lucian Matis and Holt Renfrew’s Canadian showcase. As luck would have it, the skies opened for the night, leaving attendees to shield themselves from the elements in various ways. From headscarves to uncomfortable glances, see the best cover-ups (and outfits) here.

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A grand ballroom festooned with gilded details at the Fairmont Royal York is very fitting for Toronto’s king of embellishment, Lucian Matis. But this fall, the Romanian-born designer ditched his signature crystal palace pieces for a more grown-up approach (think streamlined silhouettes and gorgeous lace) to dressing.

Inspired by details found in nature–butterfly markings, volcanic shapes–Matis centered his Fall 2012 collection around intricate lacework, texture-mixing and sharp, tailored lines. Standouts included the glam lace gown with the plunging neckline and Angelina Jolie–approved slit, the sweeping maxi coat (we’re still crushing on those detailed cuffs) and the mini dress with lacey side panels. Toward the show’s end, Matis did indulge his maximalist side with a small grouping of fine, feathered frocks, including one strapless version with a plumed train fit for any bird of paradise. The one misstep of the night? The paper-white pasties used to cover up the models which shone a little too brightly from underneath the sheer lace.

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With bleached-out brows being a huge beauty story from Milan, Greta Constantine showed its support for the trend with a brow-less “army of beautiful girls.” However, instead of bleach, brow hair was blocked out with the use of Pros-Aide adhesive. M.A.C senior artist Melissa Gibson explained that by taking away the characteristics that eyebrows provide, all the models look alike—resulting in a “mechanical, almost science fiction–like” aesthetic. Eyes were blacked out with M.A.C Chromaline in “Black Black” and then given a shimmering shot of M.A.C Pigment in “Gold Metal” to prevent the look from being flat, but also to add a “hint of glamour.” Cheeks were kept bare and a salmon-pink shade of lipstick (M.A.C lipstick in “Hue”) brought a bit of beauty back to the overall look. Gibson explained: “We’re playing not on the ugly, but the sinister parts of beauty. You have to take it all away and then add specific elements back in.”

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When it comes to a Greta Constantine show, there are a couple of things an editor can expect: 1. It will be an hour late 2. Their signature draped dresses will fall somewhere in the mix. This time around, designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong delivered on both of these points. While we’re always perplexed as to why they are an hour behind schedule, the GC boys did manage to pull two new rabbits out of their hat last Friday at the Bay’s newly reno’d Arcadian Loft: chunky knits and black-on-black tailored separates. Big points for the colourful cozy mufflers and Rooney Mara–esque sharp-shouldered dresses and leather boleros. Judging from the abundance of strategic and oh-so-sexy cut-outs, skin is fall’s best accessory. As for colour, it’s all about those rich jewel tones, darling—ruby red, emerald green, sapphire blue and amethyst. The miss of the night? The white backless dress. Women don’t want to accentuate their hips (hello, Zumba class!) even if the volume is set on low.

View the full collection » See all Toronto Fashion Week coverage » Last night at The Hoxton felt very much like discovering a new designer—a dark, moody space and several unknowns clothed in all black. In reality, it was more like we were in a time warp, since Amanda Lew Kee is in her fifth […]

The post TFW Diary: Amanda Lew Kee goes back to black basics for fall appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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Like it or not, Toronto Fashion Week is here, and it’s here for the next three weeks. From now until March 19, prepare to be inundated with all the fabulousness (and sometimes the unfabulousness) from the shows.

First up, we’re reporting from last night’s Mackage show. In celebration of the brand’s 10^th anniversary, founders Elisa Dahan and Eran Elfassy brought the circus to the Fermenting Cellar in the city’s Distillery District. Special guest stars Heather Marks and Rick Genest (a.k.a. Zombie Boy) opened and closed the show respectively. Complete with snow cones, cotton-candy cocktails, scantily clad servers, and fortune-tellers, all the hullaballoo was memorable—but perhaps unnecessary—when paired with the brand’s stellar collection of leather and wool–mix coats and jackets, tailored-to-perfection secretary dresses, and multi-zipped moto jackets.