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Up-to-the-minute coverage of store openings and fashion gossip. Plus, daily finds for deal seekers
Seems as though Kate Middleton ditched her Smythe blazer for another Canadian designer mid-flight on her way to Ottawa, because, well, we know how sweaty one person can get sitting on a chartered flight. Middleton opted for a lace Cecile dress by Erdem, which hugged her figure just so. That makes two dresses, two pairs of shoes, two bags and a blazer. And she’s only just landed.
Kate Middleton in Smythe at Heathrow (Image: Steve Parsons-WPA Pool/Getty Images)
Kate Middleton has arrived is set to arrive in Canada at 2 p.m., and those clenching their teeth in anticipation of what she might wear when she touches our nation’s capital’s soil should look no further. She’s representing the Great White North with local talent Smythe’s structured navy single-button blazer ($550 at Holt Renfrew) and, of course, carrying a bag by big Brit brand Mulberry ($1,433—we could buy almost three Smythe jackets for the price of her sensible-looking bag). But, seriously, we can’t wait to see her immerse herself in stereotypical Canadian fashion culture by bumming around in a pair of salt-and-pepper Roots sweatpants. We just hope this fashion parade doesn’t begin and end with Smythe.
Suzanne Rogers makes a splash on the streets and the Internet (Image: Stefania Yarhi)
Equal parts a little girl’s dream and a style-conscious socialite’s crown jewel, Suzanne Rogers’ closet is truly an accomplishment—although in what, other than abundance, we’re not so sure. A massive spread, freshly launched on the appropriately titled fashion and style website The Coveteur, has finally put Rogers’ masterpiece on display for the entire world to fawn over. The site’s profile of the fashion aficionado is more akin to fashion porn than anything else, and in order to fully appreciate the sheer decadence of Rogers’ mentionables, we recommend reviewing The Coveteur’s complete editorial coverage. Meanwhile, we’ve broken her closet down into some of its key elements:
The fitting room: “Timeless and oh-so-very feminine” is how Rogers describes this Old World- and French-inspired space adorned with multiple wall units, each packed and colour-coded with shoes for just about every occasion—barring, of course, any occasion takes place in the spring or summer, because Rogers apparently only has room to keep two seasons’ worth of goodies on display. Who said wealth didn’t have limitations? See more of Suzanne Rogers’ closet after the jump.
Read the rest of this entry »
Remember those “I survived Toronto” T-shirts from summer 2003? The checklist on them read: SARS, West Nile, Mad Cow, SARS again. The 2009 tee would be less lethal but more depressing: rain, recession, trash, tornadoes, more rain.
But Torontonians took it in stride. When it poured, we crammed into the slew of fantastic new cafés. When the sun finally shone, it wasn’t just kids spread-eagled on the grass in Trinity-Bellwoods. Dinner parties were an excuse to plow through stockpiled LCBO bottles, and with ferry service to the Island on pause, everyone suddenly remembered the Beach. The Rolling Stones didn’t need to bail the city out this time. We did it ourselves.
Read the rest of this entry »
As the creative director of Saatchi and Saatchi’s Toronto offices, Helen Pak knows how to make a lasting impression. We met up with the award-winning architect and recent guest judge on Canada’s Next Top Model to talk about proper work attire, dressing as a mom and why she rarely wears black.
Sitting pretty: Helen Pak likes to mix high and low fashion (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
We asked Larry Rosen—son of Harry and CEO of the sartorial empire that his father built—to tell us where men’s fashion is heading. Here, the 53-year-old sounds off on the importance of eyewear, cufflinks and wearing suits in the summer.
Harry Rosen CEO Larry Rosen (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
Ashley Rowe graduated from George Brown’s fashion management program just three years ago, yet the 26-year-old designer already has her signature bustier dresses hanging at TNT and will be a designer-in-residence at the Gladstone next month. We visited Rowe’s soon-to-be-vacated studio at the Toronto Fashion Incubator to find out what shapes her look.
(Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
WARDROBE STAPLES
I’m a jeans and T-shirt girl. I wear a lot of basic white tees from American Apparel with jeans. I like acid wash J-Brand Thrashers paired with a blazer and the quilted Chanel purse my mom gave me.
SHOPPING DESTINATIONS
A lot of my wardrobe basics are by The Row, Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s line, like black and cream silk tank tops and a black skirt that looks like something Herve Leger would do. I bought them at Holts when I was the assistant to the Dolce and Gabbana specialist. I go to The Gap whenever they do collaborations with designers—I’m dying for the khaki Alexander Wang motorcycle jacket that’s there now.
BUDGET FASHION Read the rest of this entry »
I’m saving money, so I won’t buy many summer clothes. Instead, I design them myself—I’m thinking of hand-dyeing fabric in pastels.
(Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
A friend of Lara Vincent’s once described her as “sweeter than a doughnut made out of apple pie.” The same can be said for the 24-year-old designer’s new line of hair accessories. Beribboned barrettes and custom-made flora-and-fauna headdresses are sold on her blog and Etsy.com and have already been spotted on the knowing crowns of women about town. The Ryerson grad just spent a year in Manhattan, interning for designers Betsey Johnson and Samantha Pleet, and has returned to Toronto with plans for a takeover of every pretty young thing’s wardrobe.
Of all the things you could make, why hair accessories? Read the rest of this entry »
When I was growing up in Winnipeg, I went to a school where we wore uniforms, and the only way to express ourselves was with accessories. I think that’s why I’m so drawn to making headpieces. I’ve starting to make necklaces with heart-shaped pouches. I always wear mine, and I keep little stones or crystals in them because they bring luck.
Jewellery designer Michael Mercanti parties until 3 a.m. most nights (The Social and Amber are favourites), but he calls it research. Speech, the 22-year-old’s man-friendly line of metal-and-leather necklaces, bracelets and rings, is inspired by rock ’n’ roll and crafted for the young glunge (grunge meets glam) set. Launched in fall 2008, it’s already been hyped on international fashion blogs—and, yes, local dudes are wearing it, too. Currently sold at the Queen West boutique Carte Blanche, Mercanti’s pieces are beloved by guys who have “confidence and a harder edge.” We chatted with the up-and-comer about his guitar heroes, magazine collection and good luck charms.
Michael Mercanti designs for men with confidence (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
For a certain brand of interior design—the slick, sexy and chandelier-lit kind—Clayton Budd and Callum McLachlan are Toronto’s go-to guys. With design agency 64th and Queen, they’ve stamped their boutique brand of cool on runway shows and upscale retail spaces. They’re even making the CBC look hip: with The Hour set under their belts, they’re pitching a redesign of Newsworld. Here, the duo talk about selling the luxe life, how to copy their designs, and the weirdest thing they’ve ever made.
Callum McLachlan (left) and Clayton Budd of 64th and Queen (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
At LG Fashion Week in March, insiders went mad for Nada, the eponymous womenswear line from Nada Shepherd. In a week where the passable is hailed as brilliant, Shepherd’s collection—its vision cohesive, the details clever—deserved the hype. It wasn’t her first runway foray (she’s been designing since 2004), but it was a breakthrough, snagging the attention of major stateside retailer Lord & Taylor. Her upcoming fall line is luxe and leather-filled, mixing a sharp-shouldered, lean-legged silhouette with feminine ruffles and quilted textures. Shepherd embodies such contrasts: she’s a polished, Hermès-belted uptown girl who listens to alt-rock in her Fashion District studio and pines for a tattoo. Here, the designer dishes about her major dos (earrings) and don’ts (jogging pants), and where she shops for standout accessories.
The designer inside her studio (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
“I might be in the wrong profession,” says Erin McCutcheon, an artist and designer who prefers to call herself a “maker.” It’s fitting, then, that she sells her porcelain lamps and decorative ceramic pieces at the Dundas West design haven Made. “I don’t really like the idea of people being materialistic.” Instead, McCutcheon prefers to design for herself. But she’s not selfish: McCutcheon recently donated soup bowls to the Gardiner Museum’s annual Empty Bowls charity event. Over chai tea and a gingham tablecloth, the ginger-haired Haligonian shares her love of moustaches, cowboys and sugar cookies.
Erin McCutcheon in her Toronto studio (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
Patrick Turner is the designing mind behind Thout, one of Toronto’s most clamoured-after makers of furniture, lighting and shelving. Established in 2007, the firm is already internationally acclaimed for its clever, contemporary designs. (Turner has just returned from Saudi Arabia after presenting a “top-secret project” to the king himself.) But commoners can lay hands on Thout’s offerings, too: select pieces will soon be sold at home retailer EQ3. We climbed into Turner’s office—a treehouse-like room overlooking a forest of tools, stools and table legs—to chat about what’s worth breaking the bank for.
Turner surrounded by Thout's Holey Stump stools and Block chairs. (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
Victoria and Neil McPhedran (Photo by Vanessa Heins)
GreenShag, the bespoke menswear clothier known for its hockey rink cufflinks, opened a storefront on Queen West last summer. Run by the husband-and-wife team of Neil and Victoria McPhedran and their partner Ibai Demirdache, it has become the go-to shop for savvy Bay Streeters and the creative classes who want to stand out from the pinstriped pack. We talked to the couple about ignoring trends, the allure of the bow tie and what to wear to a job interview.
When you’re designing, do you look to the zeitgeist for inspiration? Read the rest of this entry »
Victoria: When something is completely out, that’s when it inspires me. Our big spring inspiration is the Duke of Windsor. I adore him and his fashion. The thing about the Depression—I look at pictures of these guys in soup lines—and every one of them was in a tailored suit. Everyone had a beautiful hat on, a beautiful vest.
Neil: They’re lined up for soup wearing ties!
V: They took pride in how they looked. And I think people are going back to that pride. When you have all the money in the world to spend, it’s a symbol of status to order a bottle of Cristal while wearing jeans and a ratty old T-shirt. But now the comfort of being well dressed is coming back.
Leaving a plum fashion PR position to launch an accessories line during a recession is a risky move. But that’s just what Maryam Keyhani did last month when she quit her job at womenswear label Pink Tartan to focus on her jewellery line (sold on MaryamKeyhani.com). The 27-year-old OCAD grad has already snagged the attention of fashion editors with her luxe, surrealist necklaces—think Spanish lace, tuxedo collars and old war medals, all combined with pearls. Here’s why she took the leap.
The designer with one of her creations (Photo by Jenna Marie Wakani)
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