FASHION Magazine

See the street style from outside Toronto Fashion Week »

It can be easy when out on the streets outside of the fashion show tents to focus on the big names and habitual style stars. So it’s somewhat refreshing when we have a almost a whole batch of street style shots of relative unknowns—you can appreciate the unsponsored and unbiased looks for their uniqueness and how their personality shines through.

While there was plenty of statement outerwear, we are especially loving all of the throwback styles on the street. Going back to the athletic vibes of the ’90s and ’00s, an oversized Adidas logo tote bag caught our eye and one, very brave and probably frost bitten, fashion goer bared her tummy in a sports bra and matching track pants topped with a long fur jacket. It’s like Britney meets J.Lo—our teenage style idols in one perfect outfit mash-up. Toronto stylist Odessa Paloma Parker was a playful hodge podge of ’80s patterns, everything from blown up houndstooth to artsy paint splodges to a loud yellow and black plaid wrap. Only a true pro like Parker could work just a jumble of patterns—budding stylists take note.

Yesterday wasn’t without it’s daily dose of daytime fashion week glamour however. One head to toe plaid look kept things feminine with midnight blue velvet pumps and a lacy, and racy, bodysuit underneath. Bonus points for taking slouchy plaid pants off the golf green and making them suddenly covetable. Fancy shoes were abound outside the tents, with several dramatic metallic takes, covering everything from gold oxfords to platform black and gold medallion sandals. Doing metallics in a slightly more low key approach, were two friends dressed in similar iridescent jackets, one in cream, one in mint, both finished with a pearly sheen. This is how you do metallics for the daytime, people. Another great example of rocking high-shine during waking hours, was a stunning black belted jacket finished with gold embellishments across the front and sleeves. The simple silhouette of the jacket, matched with pared down accessories was the perfect way to take metallics from day to night, without going over the top.

See the Laura Siegel Fall 2014 collection »

As folks settled into the cozy, faux-candle lit studio space at the World MasterCard Fashion Week tents in Toronto, it was a rare moment of calm during the otherwise frenetic goings on of the week. It was a fitting scene for Laura Siegel’s Fall 2014 collection, made in partnership with the Soko sustainable production facility in Kenya, which focused on natural materials and handcrafted finishes. The bohemian styles could have been plucked straight out of the Outback. For just a moment we were able to forget about the snow outside.

Although the collection of safari-inspired pieces had a few expected pieces, like relaxed drop crotch pants, billowing ivory silk shirts, and several bush hats, there were a few glimmers of ingenuity. The layered tie dye wrap skirts were a slick nod to the current ‘90s revival, with the front knot and side slits echoing the once omnipresent trend of tied plaid button downs slung nonchalantly around the hips. Siegel’s outerwear was another high point, proving her deftness in working with a material’s innate folds and shape, as seen in a distressed leather jackets with shawl collars and asymmetrical hems. Her grey green quilted pieces, a skirt and belted jacket, were neither bulky nor weighty and would be perfect fall transition pieces. A constant theme through out the collection was a unique finish of exposed cross-stitches, slightly worn down and imperfect seen on skirts, shirts and dresses. The simple stitching was clever way to do light embellishment without sparkle or flash, adding custom handcrafted appeal to the pieces.

See the Matière Noire collection »
See the Malerie Urbanovitch collection »

The tie that led to Edmonton’s Malorie Urbanovitch and Montreal’s Cecile Raizonville sharing the runway at World Mastercard Fashion Week last night could have felt like a showdown. Instead, both designers held her ground, a testament to the growing strength of the Mercedes-Benz Startup competition that brought them there. After a Canada-wide search for talent, Urbanovitch and Raizonville, who designs under the label Matière Noire, were declared winners at a Toronto fashion week event in October. Last night’s show, along with industry mentorship along the way, was their prize.

Matière Noire opened the presentation with boxy tops and tulip skirts accented with lunar photo prints and geometric patterns inspired by Inuit tattoos. Some were knit into pullovers or embroidered on belts in collaboration with Quebec weaver Marie-Anne Adams. Most intriguing was the way Adams had trapped strips of leather under net for jacket sleeves.

See the Beaufille Fall 2014 backstage beauty photos »

If you describe the beauty look of a ’90s chola girl—that is, dark-lined lips and pencil-thin brows—it doesn’t exactly match up with what’s on-trend for 2014. Right now, the bushier the brow the better, and lip statements are more ombré than tattooed on. But with girl gangs as the official inspiration for Beaufille’s Fall 2014 look, Maybelline New York lead makeup artist, Grace Lee, couldn’t help but reference chola style in the makeup. “Really, when I think of girl gangs I think of cholas. I’m gonna say it: We are going chola chic.”

Lee started the look by blocking out models’ brows with Maybelline New York Instant Age Rewind Dark Spot Concealer + Treatment—“ we don’t want them to look alien-like!”—and then focused on contouring around the eyes. Chola chic is, as it turns out, a very monochromatic look. Maybelline New York SuperStay 14HR Lipstick in “Beige for Good” was applied with a soft bristle brush to the crease and under the eye, the formula providing a dewy finish worthy of any cream eyeshadow. Cheeks were also dabbed with the lipstick, and then contoured with a second colour, Maybelline New York FaceStudio Master Glaze Blush Stick in “Warm Nude.”

See the Beaufille Fall 2014 collection »

Girl gangs are having a moment. On the international runways, the stylish underbelly of girl power has been slaying at Rodarte, Rag & Bone and last night in Toronto at Beaufille. The latest collection out of sisters Chloe and Parris Gordon was a nod to badassery, yet done with their signature effortlessness so as never to feel too hood.

Sticking to a relatively monochromatic palette, full looks in either red or black dominated as a rust front-tie dress, crimson moto-over-mini and standout black cape-over-dress. Beaufille’s trademark hook-and-eye played a central role throughout the collection, embellishing tight-fit trousers, day dresses and a standout shawl-collar trench. Meanwhile, beat up silver florals adorned snap back baseball caps as Wu-Tang played on high.

See the looks from Toronto Fashion Week »

It’s official. Toronto has had enough of winter. For the kick-off of World Mastercard Fashion Week, the fashion crowd opted for lighter layers and vivid pops of colour. If we dress for spring, it’ll come quicker right?

Toronto socialite and fashion patron Sylvia Mantella went for a bold orange coat, accenting her ivory and bright pink Mikhael Kale dress underneath. Why go for one bright colour when you can rock two? Stylist Odessa Paloma Parker’s bubble gum pink furry coat looks even more chic when paired with an equally psychedelic clutch. Habitual street style stars Samantha and Caillianne Beckerman were out in full ‘90s kitsch in bright yellow with a ying-yang backpack and a homemade DIY Simpson’s appliqué denim jacket. They glammed up their look, switching out their usual relaxed tresses in favour of throwback ‘40s curls and victory rolls, while fellow blogger Mo Handahu added byzantine blue to her look matching the deep hue of her burgundy jacket. Model Stacey McKenzie braved the cold and went for full glamour in a thigh-high slit dress with embellished mock-epaulettes.

See the Line Knitwear Fall 2014 collection »

Pink is the new neutral when it comes to cold weather dressing (we can thank Carven, Céline and Miu Miu for starting that trend last fall) and this season Line Knitwear designers John Muscat and Jennifer Wells have fallen for the shade’s feminine wiles. From bright and bold to pale and powdery, the design duo embraced their softer side this season with a spectrum of playful pinks in drapey magenta shawl coats, fuchsia wool motos and pale pink angora crops.

Speaking of angora, the soft downy wool appeared in almost every runway look as sweater, skirt, tube top, short and—most prolific—the shoulder snood, which was worn shrug-like over tunics, bustiers, jumpsuits, even swingy shawl collar coats. (Put a snood on it?)

See the Sid Neigum Fall 2014 collection » 

When a string quartet playing smooth adagios greets you for a Sid Neigum fashion show, you would be forgiven for mistaking this as a sign for a softer, dare we say, even romantic, collection out of the hard-edged designer. And in a way, we were sort of right.

As soon as the lights went up however, the quartet took up a modern staccato piece, which jolted us back to Neigum’s sculptural reality for Fall 2014. The show moved through various colour schemes, each relying on the various fabrics used to generate movement and architectural shape.

One of Neigum’s greatest skills, geometric shaping took new life in dresses and jackets in the shape, or soon-to-be shape of flattened boxes ready for assembly made from ribbed synthetic fabric in riff on corrugated cardboard. Held together with metallic bars that evoked memories of brass paper fasteners from school years gone by, the pieces were almost Gehry-esque in their undulating folds and angular ends.

Read today’s Toronto Fashion Week pop quiz »

It’s baaaaaack! World MasterCard Fashion Week kicked off in Toronto yesterday, with the city’s top fashion fans gathering at the (slightly freezing) tents for the Fall 2014 shows. Should you be one of those possibly-shivering-yet-totally-stylish people hanging out at David Pecaut Square, we’re coming to find you! Our street style photographer, Stefani Yarhi, is back again this season interviewing the people who make Toronto fashion week what it is. From standout stylists to backstage bloggers, our fashion week pop quiz is coming for you. So who made the cut on day one? Read on to find out…

See the Vawk Fall 2014 collection »

World Mastercard Fashion Week officially kicked off on Monday, and the shows only confirmed what we already knew—Toronto has got some serious design talent. The second show of the night was Vawk, a label known for it’s powerful yet feminine designs and peek-a-boo designs, thanks to strategic cut outs and plenty of sheer fabrics.

Designer Sunny Fong’s first few looks weren’t particularly ground breaking in terms of cut or silhouette, and while they were well executed, the looks felt a little expected. A crop top here, a backless button down shirt here. But it was the intricate tailoring that alluded to a greater talent and skill, and separated them from the rabble. Details like a clever twist collar, an understated way to do a statement collar, and a fur front panel cut and sewn into a subtle inverted triangle pattern, gave some great visual interest to otherwise plain silhouettes.

See the Mikhael Kale Fall 2014 collection »

Mikhael Kale’s Fall 2014 show opened World MasterCard Fashion Week last night in Toronto, marking the designer’s first time showing on the official fashion week schedule. Film of a twisting nude female torso began the show, foreshadowing the nearly nude sheer organza to be featured later on in the designer’s latest edgy yet feminine collection.

Beginning with a series of stud-embellished cashmere and tweed pieces, the show moved into vibrant territory with shades of pink and green continuing throughout. Kale was inspired by dinner napkins, which he translated by folding organza and incorporating arty smudges to mimic stains. Creating the prints through a series of fabric manipulations, Kale’s incorporation of painterly prints echoes the same trend seen on runways internationally for both spring and fall.

See all of the Spring 2014 campaign looks »

Right now, as Canadians, it’s difficult to think of anything but winter. Thankfully there is at least one among us who has his sights firmly set on the warmer months ahead. Toronto-based designer Matthew Gallagher has just released a colourful look-book for his Spring 2014 collection, and the tropical vibes have us day dreaming the snow away.

The playful campaign and accompanying video, produced by The Collections, Toronto Fashion Week cool kid organizing body, features plenty of bold retro silhouettes done in an array of tropical prints and hues. Gallagher’s peekaboo pink lining, intricate tailoring and thoughtful detailing are just some of the reasons we’re placing the designer on our list of ones to watch. The entire collection is a throwback to glamorous heyday of Hollywood and Palm Springs—those sky-high beehives and headscarves would be perfectly at home speeding along the Pacific Coast Highway in a 1959 Cadillac Eldorado, with a dashing beau in the seat next to us… but we digress.