Tanya Taylor fall/winter 2012 (Images: Billy Farrell Agency)

While New York Fashion Week officially kicked off today, the week’s jam-packed schedule means shows have been running since yesterday morning. Among those early birds was Toronto-born Tanya Taylor, who debuted her eponymous fall/winter 2012 collection with a tea room–themed presentation at an art gallery in Midtown West. Taylor spent two years as a designer for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s Elizabeth and James brand before launching her own label, and we could see the influence of that line’s relaxed fits and eclectic outlook in her 17 looks. Covetable items? A short grey wool dress paired with a slim medallion-printed sweater, and all of Taylor’s chic tapered pants. Check out all of Taylor’s debut looks in our gallery after the jump.

Taylor’s mixing prints and textures revealed a sense of whimsy—corroborated by names like “peach pop Fancy Woodpecker Sadie pant”—but she pulled back from the brink of twee with relaxed fits and masculine tailoring. We also dug the ’60s thread running through the collection, from a cream swing coat to several fluffy angora pullovers. A wool herringbone jumpsuit was less successful (the jumpsuit trend has lingered far too long), but overall, a strong start for Taylor—and for fashion week.

Check out Tanya Taylor’s 17 fall/winter 2012 looks from New York Fashion Week »

Joe Fresh has announced that, much like every young adult (and old adult reading young adult fiction on the TTC), it’s a fan of The Hunger Games: the company recently partnered with the popular franchise. Hungry Hungarians who want to see the Toronto premiere of the film are in luck, because Joe Freezy wants to set one person up with a flight (if required), a hotel, two tickets to the red carpet premiere and a $500 gift card for Joe Fresh (perhaps to buy the skirt Coco Rocha wore on the cover of Flare magazine, or maybe the Finnish flag dress Andrej Pejic sported for Fashion?). While it would be more appropriate to have a Battle Royale–style brawl for the tickets, it appears all you have to do is enter online.

(Images: Hunger Games, screengrab; Joe Fresh, Jenna Marie Wakani)

Rachel McAdams at the L.A. premiere of The Vow (Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment)

Remember when we told you about The Vow? You know, that movie where Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams play a married couple who get into a car accident, then suffer through a painstaking adjustment period where the wife has amnesia and the husband can’t handle it? It premiered in L.A. this week, and we noticed McAdams on the red white carpet sporting new bangs—we think she’s looking fairly elegant, with the exception of her somewhat caked-on makeup (surely her Pomellato and Philip Press jewellery would have been enough of a contrast to her demure Vivienne Westwood dress). How did McAdams fare sartorially at The Vow’s L.A. premiere? Have your say in our poll after the jump.

CB2, 651 Queen St. W. (Images: Fraser Abe)

Nothing seems to get Torontonians going like an American chain finally opening its first Canadian store here (take that, Vancouver and Montreal). So naturally, the feverish frenzy surrounding the opening of CB2—Crate and Barrel’s younger, hipper sister—wasn’t unexpected. We’ve been anxiously awaiting the new arrival for well over a year, so we took it as no surprise that on the Sunday we visited, hundreds of shoppers enjoying the unseasonable weather were crowding the space, taking seats on virtually every couch in the place (Morba who? Design Republic what? Urban Barn where?). The space is a far cry from previous tenant the Big Bop, and the landlords have completely renovated the exterior—there’s no more hideous does-it-contain-lead purple paint, and the brick has been beautifully restored and cast aside a heck of a lot of glass. Mid-century modern furniture rules here, for prices slightly more affordable than fellow mid-century modern purveyors Design Within Reach. Get the lowdown on CB2’s penchant for shockingly bright colours, our favourite items and some scratchy sheets in a gallery after the jump.

We loved all the grey pieces, like the Joe chair ($169), ideal for dining rooms or workspaces without Aeron chairs; the supremely cozy Uno left- and right-arm sofas ($1,199); the Flex sofa ($1,199), which expands into a sleeper bed for two; and the Avec sofa ($1,399), with a high back and arms. For those looking for more Emerald City technicolour, there’s the lobster lacquer shop chest ($499), a forest-green Curtis rocker ($349), the Orange Crush–coloured Parlour chair ($799) and even a headache-inducing iteration of the Parlour chair with bold swirls of colour ($899)—but the latter seems like a purchase you might regret in a few years (in fact, you’ll probably regret it after five months). Those looking for last-minute gifts will also find plenty here in the housewares section—our favourite was the Ernie cast-iron cheese cutter, a hefty little device sure to make quick work of cutting even the hardest Parmesans ($7.95). And though we loved the patterns on the bedding (especially the crossword-puzzle-like grid block), the organic cotton and 250-thread counts did little to make the sheets feel less than scratchy. People looking for a step up from IKEA (and a much shorter commute) will flock here, and while CB2 can’t promise meatballs, it’s only steps from 416 Snack Bar. Mini Big Macs are so much more elegant anyway.

CB2, 651 Queen St. W., 416-366-2828, cb2.com

Take a tour of Toronto’s first CB2 and see how it restored The Big Bop »

Valentine’s Day is coming, which means hands will graze denim—we’re certain of it (perhaps in a movie theatre, or at home). These 12.5-ounce Naked and Famous jeans at Over the Rainbow are perfect for these moments, because they’re scratch and sniff and smell like raspberry candy—a gimmick, to be sure, but it beats smelling like a cat or smelling really bad (if you’re on a date, you should smell nice). Mandy Moore would presumably want you to have these. $150.

Over the Rainbow, 101 Yorkville Ave., 416-967-7448, rainbowjeans.com

Everyone wants to look good, right? What “good” means depends on the person, but for Coco Rocha, it means not having pimples or dark under-eye circles in photographs. An advocate for young models, an endorser of Photoshop-free campaigns and a Diet Coke enthusiast, the Toronto-born supermodel is this month’s Flare cover girl, and she wants us to know she’s proud to be Canadian: “Canada has been a huge support for me in my career, so I definitely like to come back and support our industry here. I think it is really important to let people know about the support.” She also wants us to know that her online presence is a way for her to point out inaccuracies and express her opinions (for some reason, she leaves out her interest in commenting on torontolife.com), and that people should take her as she is—unless, of course, she has dark circles or pimples. This is, of course, our roundabout way of saying she looks great in that Joe Fresh skirt and Ashley Rowe top.

Model Nadine McAdam thinking about how to avoid sweating through Amanda Lew Kee’s clothes (Image: Schaumann)

The Fashion magazine film series continued this week with Hannah Sider and Gabriel Graham’s take on Amanda Lew Kee’s spring/summer 2012 collection. The video features model Nadine McAdam rotating through various Lew Kee ensembles while playing a solo game of racquetball. We think had they paired McAdam with another model, they could have really nailed this Air reference—now it just looks like a really nice video about a pretty girl in nice clothes who needs practice holding her racquet. Check out the video on Fashion’s website to see a girl whack a ball around in some cool kaleidoscopic outfits.

Positive Space, 167 King St. E. (Image: Jason Jajalla)

Positive Space just opened on King East, and while some might say there isn’t a dearth of furniture stores on the stretch, designer Alex Arcese thinks otherwise. He brings his unique brand of custom beds and shelving anyway—he likely hopes his work will stand out from other area shops like EQ3, Toronto’s slightly higher-end IKEA, and specialty boutiques like Visitor Parking, Bulthaup and Modern Weave. The space is a showroom, and there’s very little decoration in an effort to keep the focus on the pieces themselves. But the space isn’t completely void of details—it’s dressed with a selection of Eurolite fixtures, like several strewn Spacewalker lamps, pendants and an LED lighting system featured in Arcese’s ALX Raw custom jobs. Our favourite features were the drawers built into beds for easy-access storage, but the real highlight of this space is ALX Raw’s TV unit ($8,000) which comes with a gas burner—eight small openings release fire with the flick of a lighter (it might make parents uncomfortable, but for someone who likes party tricks, this could be just the ticket). Take a tour of our gallery and find out how pieces are made  after the jump.

True to its name, ALX Raw uses raw wood that’s treated only with oil, while the Positive Space bed collection ($1,800–$10,000) is sanded, stained and shaded to smooth out any inconsistencies in finish. The beds are fairly grand in scale, but everything can be customized, from the finishes to the hardware. For someone seeking something more ornate, or for people who try too hard, these beds will probably seem a bit too conventional—they’re modular with a dark espresso finish. We sat on them, and even bounced a little, and while they’re not the race cars of the bed world, they were certainly strong and visibly utilitarian, with drawers for all our unmentionables.

Take a tour of this new King Street storage bed boutique »

Earlier last week, Joanna Track—former owner of Sweetspot and current owner of e-tailer Dealuxe—announced that Fashion magazine’s market editor, Jordan Porter, had joined the Dealuxe team. Today, a similar announcement was made: Fashion magazine’s fashion director, Susie Sheffman, will be taking the same title at Dealuxe. We spoke to Sheffman, who said she always thought she’d be carried out of Fashion in a pine box, but a fabulous opportunity came a knockin’. We presume that means more money and fewer restraints, which is why most people change jobs, but we’re wondering who at Fashion might be next to drink the Dealuxe Kool-Aid. Or has Track moved on to Flare?

(Image: Jason Hudson)

New Year’s resolutionists are, right now, laying down several months’ salary on a gym membership they already know they won’t use. Despite the year’s caloric transgressions, a hefty investment often isn’t enough to get one’s oversized ass out of bed and on the treadmill. But splashing out on a new, luxe bag might be better motivation—because unlike the post-holidays figure carrying it, a nice duffle begs to be shown off. This one, a limited edition in cobalt-blue leather, is big enough to hold workout necessities without crowding the locker. And if the whole gym thing doesn’t work out after all, it’ll also make a great overnight bag. $480. M0851, 38 Avenue Rd., 416-920-4001.

(Image: Liam Mogan)

On Friday night, Niagara Street lit up with the opening of the first ever Canadian Flos flagship store in partnership with LightForm. The enormous warehouse, located between King and Queen Street, was shoulder to shoulder with local and international designers and architects, including Fabio Novembre, Piero Lissoni, Claus Sendlinger, Eero Koivisto, Caroline Robbie, Rick Mugford, Mason’s Stanley Sun and Ashley Rumsey and Restaurant Makeover’s Glen Peloso. Check out some of Flos and LightForm’s beautiful creations and the scene from the party in a gallery after the jump.

Flos, an Italian lighting manufacturer, was one of the most talked about booths at IDS, where CEO Piero Gandini presented one of the coolest lamps we’ve ever seen. Designed by Philippe Starck, it does double duty as a lamp and a charger for your iPad or iPhone (an obvious necessity). LightForm founder Richard Assaly gave us a tour of the space, explaining that the showroom was kept relatively “bare bones” to keep the focus on the product. Concrete floors, exposed ceilings and simple wooden crates give the space a gallery feel that’s dramatic (there are lights everywhere, after all), yet inviting. Quirky installations, like a gigantic crack in one piece of drywall filled with 18-karat gold and a squiggly installation of light rods changing from green to pink to purple, made for great conversation pieces.

With multiple rooms to explore and product literally lighting up every corner, partygoers mingled, relaxed in the Flux seating clusters and congratulated each other (and themselves) for making it to the halfway point of the show (and for being so awesome). There was an excited buzz in the room as younger designers got the opportunity to hang out with some of their icons, and we’re certain more than a few light bulbs went off.

Check out the lights and the scene at the Flos/LightForm IDS 2012 party »

Every year, thousands flock to the Interior Design Show to see the latest and greatest offerings in design. While some exhibits are inspiring and innovative, others are just plain weird. We’re all for dreaming big, but in a show where the theme is the recent condo boom in Toronto, we had a hard time envisioning a practical use for an enormous hammock or weighty stone sink. Here’s our roundup of some of the most impractical, albeit cool, offerings from this year’s IDS.

Wandering around the 175,000-square-foot Interior Design Show can be overwhelming and exhausting. Big-name manufacturers tend to take over with large, flashy exhibits that make it difficult to spot some of the more unusual offerings. We did the legwork and found architecturally sculpted chairs, the coolest new folding chair and even an in-counter steamer (who knew a steamer could be cool?). Here’s a roundup of 10 products we scouted at IDS 2012 that are actually practical and would look great in any home. 

This weekend we hit the Interior Design Show and navigated through hundreds of vendors and emerging designers to see if we could pinpoint some new trends. Piero Lissoni’s grand-scale blown glass chandelier is at the high end of what appears to be a demand for ostentatious lighting, but we managed to find some less expensive but equally gratifying pieces to outfit any home. Proving that fashion and interior design are actually very closely linked, the hot colour for spring and summer is tangerine tango (and we were informed several times that brown is officially out as its complementary colour—grey is the new brown). This hue can be found in everything from throw pillows to towels to full kitchens. Canadiana made a comeback once again, though it’s certainly waned since its heyday, and given the boom in condo living, many furniture and interior designers took to the challenge of creating unconventional space saving solutions—we particularly loved a sink that doubled as a table (or was it a table that doubled as a sink?). Check out 31 iterations of these trends in our gallery after the jump.

Check out all of the trends from this weekend’s Interior Design Show »