FASHION Magazine

See the Holt Renfrew showcase photos »

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See Evan Biddell’s Spring 2013 collection »

Evan Biddell’s eponymous Spring 2013 collection was a trip—but to where, we’re not entirely sure. After a two-year hiatus from fashion, the designer took us on what started as an African safari, then moved to Asia, then to the Matrix and finally ended at Andy Warhol’s Factory.

Despite our confusion about the thread that holds it all together there were some definite stand-out moments. The look that caught our eye was a white slouchy dress with thigh-high slits that showed off a pair of extremely tight short shorts. Finished off with a draped black jacket, the look was strong and clear—and thankfully lacking the animal prints that appeared on many other items in the collection. As we’ve seen on other runways in Toronto, the leather moto-jacket is trending for Spring 2013 and made at appearance at Even Biddell over a tone-on-tone printed bubble shaped dress. On another look, leather fringe hung off the back of a bodycon dress.

See all the looks from the Mercedes Benz Start Up finals! »

And the winner is: DUY! Last night, the search for the Spring 2013 winner of the Mercedes Benz Start Up competition came to a close and Montreal designer Duy Nguyen was crowned the victor.

Pitted against seven other designers from across Canada, Nguyen’s dreamy pieces impressed the judges (including our editor-in-chief, Bernadette Morra) and secured his spot at the top of the podium. The DUY Spring 2013 collection was California girl meets New York, pairing structured suits with flowing chiffons and short-shorts with strong, collarless blazers. Nguyen was inspired by the French who are “very easy going” yet the collection was not necessarily reflective of Canadians—but worry not, as he told us that “fashion is about dreaming.” There was also a tinge of nostalgia, as silhouettes were very ’80s with crocheted knit tops and a modern version of the mom jean. The palette was simple and airy with seafoam greens, crèmes and baby blues but was punched up with a bright red-orange dress and short suit that featured cutouts. These pieces were winners in their own right.

See what’s inside the bags of the brains involved with fashion week »

Packing a bag for Toronto Fashion Week should be considered some sort of art. The contents of the bag must be able to transport the owner from work, to shows, to more shows, and to after-parties, therefore having the essentials on hand is, well, essential. This week, we’ve taken a look inside some of the organizers of rogue fashion week, including The ShOws mastermind Paola Fullerton, and three-member team spearheading The Collections: Dwayne Kennedy, Brian A. Richards and Mel Ashcroft. We’ve also snuck a look into Caitlin Power’s bag—the Calgary-born designer showed her collection as a part of the Mercedes-Benz Start Up competition at World MasterCard Fashion Week last night. The contents of these It bags (which range from Chloé to Chloé Comme Parris!) have one thing in common: they all serve as fashion week survival kits.

See the Pink Tartan Spring 2013 collection photos »

The post Toronto Fashion Week Spring 2013 Video: Watch the Pink Tartan show in motion, plus backstage interviews with Kimberley Newport-Mimran and Charlotte Free appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the Pink Tartan Spring 2013 collection »

Kimberley Newport-Mimran returned to her signature sunny disposition last night during the first night of World MasterCard Fashion Week in Toronto, showcasing a confection-sweet Pink Tartan collection of 38 looks for Spring 2013.

Opening with the aptly pink-haired Charlotte Free in a butterfly-printed crop bustier and pale pink full skirt, the looks that followed worn by the homegrown likes of Alana Zimmer, Irina Lazereanu and Amanda Laine were shaped with the kind of sixties-inspired aesthetic that always seems welcome. Staying within a predominantly pastel palette of mint green, cornflower yellow and lightly-sheened gold and silver, Newport-Mimran gave shimmering shift dresses, baby-dolls, flared jumpsuits and light car coats yet another life. And while a particular silver metallic jacquard jumpsuit may prove interesting for real-girl wear, the bulk of the collection is extremely easy to translate into closet worship for all ages.

View the full backstage gallery from Pink Tartan Spring 2013 »

The inspiration:
Grace Lee, Maybelline New York’s lead makeup artist: “We did a statement lip last season, it was all about that oxblood red lip, so [Kim Newport-Mimran] wanted to do the opposite. They look über, über fresh. Nothing about this makeup is about strong features… it’s super sheer, super pretty, super fresh.”

Jorge Joao, Redken lead stylist: “It’s playful, something out of the ’60s—like how a little girl would want to push her hair out of the way. [The hair has] natural texture and an aggressive side sweep with the pin holding it into place.”

Top tips:
– The key to dewy skin is moisturizer—and lots of it! “It’s almost like she’s marinating in it!” said Grace Lee of just how much she applied to Charlotte Free, Maybelline New York’s international spokesmodel. Lee also used Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in place of foundation to add further glow and hydration.

See the Sid Neigum Spring 2013 photos »

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See the full backstage gallery from Jeremy Laing Spring 2013! »

While the details on Jeremy Laing’s Spring 2013 collection echoed the ’90s, the beauty was tinged with elements from the ’70s. “Jeremy wanted the girls to look really handsome and sort of have this ’70s-eqsue feeling,” explained Greg Wencel, Cover Girl makeup pro. Also at play was a mix of textures: glossy eyelids contrasted with matte skin, which had been prepped with Cover Girl + Olay Simply Ageless Serum Primer ($18, well.ca) to keep shine at a minimum. Instead of eyeshadow, Wencel used Cover Girl Cheekers blush in “Iced Cappuccino” and “smoked it out on the eye and under the eye socket.” He then used the same blush to sculpt a high cheek bone but diffused it for a soft, modern effect. Because lashes and brows were left bare Wencel added some dimension to the eye with Cover Girl LiquilineBlast in “Brown Blaze” ($10, well.ca), but applied it by putting the product on the back of his hand and picking up some of the pigment with a fluffy brush. The final step was glossing up the eye with a dab of clear Cover Girl WetSlicks lip gloss ($7, well.ca) for what Wencel called “a ’70s high gloss shine.”

See the Tanya Taylor Spring 2013 photos here »

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See the full backstage gallery from Sid Neigum Spring 2013! »

“It’s more about a mood than a theme,” said M.A.C makeup key Melissa Gibson of the beauty look for Sid Neigum’s Spring 2013 show. Featuring a strong eyebrow, smoky eyes and matte skin, Gibson referenced Helmut Newton and “Cindy Crawford in the ’90s” as inspiration. “It’s not just a heavy black smoky eye…there’s an edge to it, the fleck of grey metallic in there brightens it up for spring and summer.” To build this graphic-yet-soft look, she used a mix of three M.A.C eyeshadows–“Carbon,” “Print” and “Typographic” ($18 each, maccosmetics.com)—diffusing the pigment across the eye and blending out any straight lines. Fluidline eyeliner in “Blacktrack” ($18, maccosmetics.com) was also diffused at the lashline and lashes were curled and given two coats of mascara for extra drama. But it was two winged-out lines across the brows that completed the look, which was a last minute addition from Gibson: “At the end I threw on that eyebrow and that did it!”

See the latest street style photos from Toronto »

Toronto Fashion Week(s) Spring 2013 is in full swing and the first two batches of street style photos from Stefania Yarhi are just the appetizer to the main course, which will kick off on Monday at David Pecault Square.

There may be no Anna Dello Russo, Miroslava Duma, or Taylor Tomasi Hill running about the city, but that’s not to say our very own Toronto natives aren’t just as stylin’. Since it’s nearing the end of October, it’s getting cold outside (it’s Canada!) so show goers have taken a liking to wearing layers outside the shows and refuse to take them off even when inside. The varsity jacket and motorcycle jacket has become a go-to piece seen on multiple girls about town.