FASHION Magazine

It’s hard to get through the fall in Canada without investing in a warm, yet completely stylish pair of boots. As temperatures continue to drop, our friends rain and snow will be making appearances soon. So if you aren’t prepared boot-wise, you can say goodbye to dry and warm feet for the next few months.

There are so many options to consider when investing in a pair of boots for this season. Depending on where you live, and how much of your day is spent outside walking, maybe Mulberry’s bright orange furry wedge boots aren’t the right pair to invest in (ever?). However, most Fall 2012 collections included many fashionable and practical pairs that can be incorporated into any wardrobe. Victoria Beckham’s ankle high-heeled boots and military style flat boots were paired with leg warmers in her runway presentation and yet still looked easy to wear while struggling through snow storms.

But let’s leave it to our trusty Style Panel to give us the real scoop on what their favorite styles for fall are and how they plan on pairing them with their outfits. From Kassandra’s gorgeous Vince Camuto pair, to Vickie Laliotis’s wear-with-anything ankle boots, our Style Panelists have gone full-on BOOTylicious this week (worst joke ever…)

Question 21: What’s your favourite fall boot style and how do you wear it? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

We’ve spotted cap toe pumps on some of Hollywood’s most stylish A-listers, and Christian Louboutin’s Un Bout pump—seen on the likes of Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna and Beyoncé—is undoubtedly the most coveted proponent of the trend. Whether dressed up or down, the PVC suede cap toe statement shoe has become the go-to footwear for stylish women everywhere, including FASHION’s own Style Panelists, Jen Tam and Vickie Laliotis. Check out 10 versions of everybody’s favourite Louboutin, at a fraction of the price.

Check out our picks!»

If fashionland had its own Chinese horoscope, this would certainly be the year of the peplum. Not only has the hip-riding volume plumper been going strong on runways for three seasons now, but its also been embraced by street style savants, bloggers and the like. But, if you’re still wondering how to wear the damn thing, we’ve turned to the Style Panel for several options. New this week, you’ll find With Love Gabrielle’s Marta Tryshak, the Style Panel’s latest member.

Question 16: What’s the best way to wear a peplum for your body type? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | ELODIE PARTHENAY, MONTREAL | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | ISABEL SLONE, TORONTO | MARTA TRYSHAK, TORONTO | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VANESSA HONG, BEIJING VIA VANCOUVER | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

Love it or hate it, fall is quickly approaching and it will soon be time, once again, to break out the sweaters, jackets and closed-toe shoes. So, what’s a summer-dress loving girl to do? We turned to the ladies of Style Panel, which now includes Cara McLeay of A Fashion Love Affair, for their unique approaches to wardrobe transitioning.

Question 14: How do you transition your summer wardrobe into fall while it’s still warm outside? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | CARA MCLEAY, VANCOUVER | ELODIE PARTHENAY, MONTREAL | GABRIELLE LACASSE, MONTREAL | JEN TAM, VANCOUVER | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | ISABEL SLONE, TORONTO | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

From Isabel Marant’s head-to-toe tie-dyed jean looks for spring to the many (many) new metallic/reptilian/digi-printed/frayed/studded finishes hitting the racks at a record-breaking pace, it seems that denim 2.0 is having a moment (Check out guide here). And since there are so many ways to skin this trend, we reached out to our ever-savvy ladies of Style Panel for some tips on how they like to style and punch up their own denim wears.

Question 10: What is your favourite way to embrace denim’s latest style iterations? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | AMY NELSON, CALGARY | CHLOE WISE, TORONTO | NIKI BLASINA, VANCOUVER | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

As if trying to find the perfect outfit for an important event wasn’t task enough, being invited to one with an ambiguous dress code can make getting dressed even more difficult. And because no one likes feeling overdressed or underdressed for any social engagement, we asked the ladies of Style Panel to help us out.

Question 9: If you’re invited to an event without a specified dress code, what’s a good way to dress so that you don’t look too overdressed or underdressed? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | GABRIELLE LACASSE, MONTREAL | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDERICTON | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

Despite desperate “Wear a hat!” demands from moms and skin doctors alike, most of us shy away from one of our most powerful weapons against summer skin damage. Why? Aside from being cumbersome and sweat-inducing, hats never seem to work well with an easy summer outfit. Enter the Style Panel, here to teach you how to make wearing a hat all summer long a pleasure rather than a pain in the butt.

Question 8: What’s the best way to keep your head covered all summer? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | AMY NELSON, CALGARY | ALYSSA LAU EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDERICTON | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

In the age of the arm party, layering jewellery can start to look a bit of a mess when it’s not piled on with artful ease. To help with the layer conundrum, we asked the ladies of Style Panel to help!

Question 6: How can you artfully layer jewellery without looking overdone? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALYSSA LAU EDMONTON | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | NIKI BLASINA, VANCOUVER | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON

Next up in Style Panel, we’ve challenged our experts to one of the most existential questions in fashionland: to wear flats, or not to wear flats? And more importantly, if you’re going to wear flats, is it possible to dress them up? To answer, we’ve welcomed three new style allstars into the group: To Vogue or Bust’s (and our intern for the summer!) Alex Grant, Curvy Geekery’s Mo Handahu and Dentelle et Fleurs’ Gabrielle Lacasse!

Question 3: The question: How do you wear flats without completely dressing down an outfit. Can you still look dressed up? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALEX GRANT, TORONTO | ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | GABRIELLE LACASSE, MONTREAL | GRACIE CARROLL, TORONTO | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | MO HANDAHU, HALIFAX | VICKIE LALIOTIS

Got a question for the gals? Send ‘em through to stylepanel@fashionmagazine.com and watch as your most irritating styling problems are solved.

For our second installment of Style Panel, we flipped our experts another common challenge: How to tackle brights without looking like you’ve been doused in Skittles. For as wide-sweeping as brights (as well as colour blocking with brights) has become over the last few seasons, it’s a wonder that many of us still struggle to break out of the plain Jane black, white and grey. So, without further ado, let’s see what the ladies of style come up with:

Question 2: The question: How can you combine brights without looking like a clown? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: AMY NELSON, CALGARY | GRACIE CARROLL, TORONTO | LOLITTA DANDOY | NIKI BLASINA, VANCOUVER | VICKIE LALIOTIS

Got a question for the gals? Send ‘em through to stylepanel@fashionmagazine.com and watch as your most irritating styling problems are solved.

FASHION’s got a brand new bag! Well, eight of them to be exact. Introducing Style Panel, our carefully selected group of Canada’s best dressed It girls who know a thing or two about how to put a knockout outfit together. (Want proof? Their blogs, Instagram and Twitter accounts provide plenty of evidence!)

The Style Panel will share their unique style know-how each week through photographs and answer your toughest how-to-wear queries. Got a question for the gals? Send ‘em through to stylepanel@fashionmagazine.com and watch as your most irritating styling problems are solved.

Check out full profiles on our correspondents at fashionmagazine.com/stylepanel and read up on their first challenge here:

Question 1: How can you wear a summer outfit before the weather is ready for it? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: ALYSSA LAU, EDMONTON | AMY NELSON, CALGARY | GRACIE CARROLL, TORONTO | LOLITTA DANDOY, MONTREAL | NIKI BLASINA, VANCOUVER | VANESSA HONG, BEIJING VIA VANCOUVER | VICKIE LALIOTIS

View the photo gallery »

Western Canada Fashion Week kicked off its seventh year and 14^th season last Friday night at Phabrik art + design, a warehouse-style studio space in south central Edmonton run by WCFW’s executive and creative director, Sandra Sing Fernandes. The venue was the original hosting grounds for Edmonton Fashion Week way back when in 2005.