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Sid Neigum eases up on the androgyny with a softer spring/summer 2013 collection

Every year during Rogue Fashion Week, emerging talents and established designers alike opt out of the Toronto Fashion Week melee to show their collections in the days leading up to the official event instead. We’re posting full galleries from the buzziest runways. It’s time to forget about the chilly weather and imagine what life (or at least fashion) will be like in spring/summer 2013.

DESIGNER
Sid Neigum

IN A SENTENCE
Alberta-born Neigum’s unadorned, goth-inspired looks recently propelled him to victory at the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s annual New Labels competition (which included a $25,000 prize courtesy of Suzanne Rogers).

THE SCENE
Fellow designers David Dixon (who was one of the TFI judges) and Chloe Gordon were both there to show support, along with TFI’s Susan Langdon and Hello’s Lisa Tant.

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The Dish

Restaurants

June 26, 2012 | 10:30 am

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These Booths Were Made for Gawking: who sits where at La Société

Illustrations by Jack Dylan

The cuisine is supremely so-so, but the glitzy atmosphere and A-plus people-watching at La Société—the crown jewel of Toronto’s see-and-be-seen scene—more than make up for it. Here, the inside scoop on who sits where.

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The Goods

Random Stuff

June 21, 2012 | 3:13 pm

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Introducing: Miranda Purves, Flare magazine’s new editor-in-chief

It was a bit of a shock to see Flare’s Lisa Tant move to the role of publisher of Hello! Canada—we assumed she’d get a slap on the wrist for leaking embargoed information, not a promotion. Now Miranda Purves, a former fashion editor at Elle, has stepped in, and many are wondering who she is. Turns out Purves is more of a name than we thought, having made waves in 2008 for an article she wrote for Elle’s “Make Better” issue. For the story, Purves asked a GQ editor and a host of male “consultants” for help on how to feel sexy, because she’s all too aware of what she refers to as her “figure flaws”: cellulite, short legs, big feet, too-long hips and breasts too far apart. She finishes the piece by summing up what she learned: “I believe a little bit more that you can fake sexiness, but I also think that if it doesn’t come naturally, you shouldn’t bother.” So, if you don’t view yourself as traditionally sexy, no one ever will, and you should give up? This message and more coming soon to a newsstand near you.

The Goods

Random Stuff

June 18, 2012 | 2:19 pm

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Lisa Tant is out as editor-in-chief of Flare magazine

After weeks of swirling rumours, multiple sources have confirmed that Lisa Tant has left her role as editor-in-chief of Flare magazine, and Elle magazine’s Miranda Purves will be taking over. Tant will serve as publisher of Hello Canada magazine, effective immediately. Rogers Publishing could not be reached for comment.

UPDATE: Rogers has confirmed via press release that Tant will be serving as publisher of Hello Canada as of July 3. Purves will take over as editor-in-chief of Flare tomorrow.

The Goods

Random Stuff

June 13, 2012 | 1:42 pm

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Flare editor-in-chief Lisa Tant leaks embargoed details about Lady Gaga’s new fragrance

Fame, Lady Gaga’s fragrance (Image: Lisa Tant via Twitter)

The details of Lady Gaga’s new perfume were supposed to be kept secret, but Flare’s Lisa Tant had her Twitter fingers at the ready to reveal not only embargoed information, but also a picture of the singer’s fragrance, named Fame. Early rumours suggested that the perfume would be named Monster and that it would smell like blood and semen (gross), but Gaga was quoted as saying it actually “smells like an expensive hooker.” Tant’s reports from the perfume preview have since been removed, and all links from the Daily Mail, Elle and more have been ripped from the Internet, leaving an error message in the story’s place. Looks like Flare’s got some ’splainin’ to do.

UPDATE: Lady Gaga has responded to Lisa Tant on Twitter, threatening to crinkle her hands at the Flare editor (whatever that means).

The Goods

Random Stuff

May 15, 2012 | 5:07 pm

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Canada’s Best Beauty Talent, episode 12: there is still no winner

This episode is the worst yet. We have no trouble saying this, because, after the promise of an actual, legit conclusion to the series, we are still left wondering who won. Marcia is up first for judging, and every single judge says exactly the same thing: she’s a great makeup artist, but her two looks do not dazzle. Why on earth does this take five minutes to report? And why couldn’t each judge say something constructive? We don’t see Marcia rolling her eyes, but as soon as Lisa Tant takes her turn to offer her own variation of the hive-mind opinion (she says it doesn’t “razzle dazzle”), our eyes roll for her. At least when Caylee shows up for judging, there’s a somewhat constructed faux rivalry developing between Coco Rocha and Tant. Rocha apparently loves Caylee’s two hairstyles, while Tant is “overwhelmed and underwhelmed.” Caylee’s hair-noose is referred to as a beard several times before the judging is over, and then Rocha drops the bomb: the show is technically not over. The viewers (we’re not the only ones?) now have to vote for their favourite online. Let the record show that this reality web series knows how to appease its sponsors…but not our curiosity.

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The Informer

People

April 25, 2012 | 4:27 pm

5 Comments

The Scene: Fashion Cares 25 launches without Elton John and Jeanne Beker

Last night at Charles Khabouth’s La Société, Fashion Cares event co-chair Michael King and artistic director Philip Ing gathered Toronto’s high society, fashion media and PR professionals to launch the event’s 25th anniversary. Ing announced to the crowd that this year’s mega-AIDS fundraiser will be downsizing to an intimate 3,400 seats (previous engagements hosted over 8,000 people), and also revealed that Sir Elton John will be bringing an assortment of his performance costumes to display during the event. A mass of people like Zoomer’s Suzanne Boyd, Flare’s Lisa Tant, Men’s Fashion’s David Livingston, hairstylist Robert Gage, eTalk’s Tanya Kim, NKPR’s Natasha Koifman and more sweated it out whilst packed inside the salon-style bar, leading society columnist Shinan Govani to remark, in an “ah ha!” way, that “fashion people do care.” The setting’s old-school charms made it seem like an old Hollywood affair—flashes went off (in place of flash bulbs and smoke), capturing the likes of philanthropist David Nugent nestled in the corner of a leather bankette, taking in the sights while his wife Catherine chatted with friends. After an encounter with the laid-back Nugents, we ran into Rich Bride, Poor Bride’s rambunctious David A. Vallee, who was quite insistent that we be introduced to BMO’s corporate donations gal Nada Ristich. Vallee alleged that she’s been bankrolling Fashion Cares since the beginning, but Ristich bashfully chimed in, saying that it hasn’t quite been from the get-go.

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The Goods

Random Stuff

April 24, 2012 | 4:44 pm

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Canada’s Best Beauty Talent, episode 6: we feel a bit eh. It just isn’t wow

canadas-best-beauty-talent-episode-6-tv-recap

On this episode of Canada’s Best Beauty Talent, it’s time for the judges—Flare’s Lisa Tant, Chatelaine’s Catherine Franklin, Lancome’s Lora Spiga and L’Oréal’s Anna Pacitto—to critique Sunday night’s bridal looks. Right from the start, the judges are wowed by Matt and Marcia for giving a woman with dark skin an unconventional colourful lip and shiny hair, and they take forever congratulating them for their moxie—we like Matt and Marcia’s look, too, but the praise is wasting airtime in an already short show. Later, Tant resorts to soundbites like “Overall I feel a bit eh. It just isn’t wow,” which she says to describe Jenna and Roger’s fresh-faced look (come on, if you’re going to play the role of the ambivalent judge, at least take a card from Michael Kors’ deck).

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The Goods

Random Stuff

April 10, 2012 | 4:55 pm

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Canada’s Best Beauty Talent, episode 2: please tell us something, because we want to learn

When it comes to creating a web-based reality series, there’s a lot of trial and error before a show gets things right—at least that’s what we’re seeing with Canada’s Best Beauty Talent. Every week, the show will have one 12-minute challenge episode and one 12-minute results show, which should leave very little room for filler—yet in its first two episodes, CBBT has unfortunately included quite a lot. Host Coco Rocha and expert Vittorio spend a great deal of time talking, when we’d rather see what the contestants can do. This week, for instance, there’s no concrete information as to how Patrick and Léa achieved their hilariously dubbed “Marie Antoinette–meets–J. Lo” creation (which lost, despite the name) or which products made for Isabelle and Cait’s fresh, “layered” look.

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The Goods

Designers

March 20, 2012 | 2:30 pm

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Ruffian channels Downton Abbey and sexy librarians for its fall/winter 2012 collection

“The ShOws” second presentation of the evening came from New York–based label Ruffian, created by Brian Wolk and Claude Morais (Morais is from Montreal, while Wolk is a New York native). Fortunately for organizer Paola Fullerton, more guests flooded the Ritz-Carlton at the 7:30 p.m. show, like Zoomer’s Suzanne Boyd, Flare’s Lisa Tant (just back from Paris) and Citytv’s Mary Kitchen.

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The Goods

Designers

October 13, 2011 | 11:38 am

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Lucian Matis is the second down the rogue runway at the off-site shows

Is this woman’s calling a stage show in Las Vegas? (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Lucian Matis held his spring/summer 2012 Rogue Fashion Week show at event space 99 Sudbury for a packed crowd of tastemaking elite: bloggers with 100 page views a week, fashion editors Lisa Tant and Derick Chetty and an assortment of fashion enthusiasts we’ve never seen before. We spotted the FDCC’s Robin Kay (who allegedly nabbed a neighbour’s swag bag before rushing out), MuchMusic’s Sarah Taylor and a whole slew of primped and preened ladies striking poses in their finest club wear (including one who thought a downpour was the perfect weather for her finest feather bustier). Amid the thudding techno beats and blue LED lights was a collection that—at times—was perfect for cocktail parties: appliquéd rosettes, New Year’s Eve–appropriate colours like pink, royal blue, purple and shocks of orange, and flouncy pleats. We weren’t sure if the cream-coloured one-piece outfits were bathing suits or just incredibly daring, and some pieces could have used an edit or two, since many had competing elements, like colourful basket-weave silk, studding and an inelegant smattering of appliquéd flowers—whether some of these elements were handmade is moot, because an outfit is not merely its embellishments. Check out our full runway gallery after the jump.

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The Goods

Designers

April 19, 2011 | 3:03 pm

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Reaction Roundup: what Toronto’s fashion community is saying about New York treasure Bill Cunningham

Bill Cunningham tugs at Toronto’s heart strings (Image: georgepetschnigg)

Coming to Toronto theatres this Friday is Bill Cunningham New York, a documentary following the life of a New York Times style photographer and On the Street personality. Bill Cunningham is a real ascetic, denying offers of cold hard cash in order to maintain his legacy as a true observer, while sleeping next to stacks of filing cabinets to keep up with his very hands-on approach (which, let’s face it, most of us wouldn’t do). The fashion world isn’t often exposed to someone with such sizable passion, but the film’s director, Richard Press, has created a window into a life that may no longer seem probable (see: me generation). Here’s what Toronto’s fashion set had to say about the film after events held in Cunningham’s honour this week. Spoiler: it’s a total love-in.

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The Goods

Shopping

April 19, 2011 | 1:27 pm

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See the New Labels competition collections, because they’ll all be sold at TNT in Yorkville this fall

Ashtiani named winner at TFI’s New Labels (Image: George Pimentel)

Last week’s New Labels showcase at the Design Exchange brought out boldface retail names like Holt Renfrew’s Natalie Lecomte, The Bay’s Nicholas Mellamphy and TNT. Unlike LG Fashion Week, where buyers have seen everything months prior, this was a first look at emerging designer goods, and it prompted TNT to scoop up a selection. Coming this fall to the Yorkville retailer will be pieces from finalists Caitlin Power by Caitlin Power, Ashtiani by Golnaz Ashtiani and Narces by Nikki Wirthensohn. See each designer’s full collection after the jump.

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The Informer

People

April 8, 2011 | 11:54 am

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Toronto Fashion Incubator’s New Labels gala-competition breaks fresh talent

Designs by last year's winner of Toronto Fashion Incubator’s New Labels® competition, Anastasia Lomonova (Image: Anastasia Lomonova)

Canada isn’t short on talent, but it sure is lacking opportunities to showcase it. That’s why, when one comes up, we like to celebrate it. Coming April 14 to the Design Exchange is the annual version of America’s Got Talent, Toronto Fashion Incubator’s New Labels® competition, which pits young aspiring designers against each other for a prize of $10,000 in cash and design opportunities valued at $40,000. This year’s judging panel is a roster of fashion plates, including Lisa Tant from Flare, stylist Peter Papapetrou, Holt Renfrew’s Natalie Lecomte, former New Labels® winner Cynthia Florek, designer David Dixon and the Toronto Star’s Derick Chetty. The winner will also get a chance to design an outfit for Sears Canada (this lifts our spirits considerably, because new blood means we may never have to sit through a Jay Manuel show again). Tickets for the gala are $60 and can be purchased on-line from the Toronto Fashion Incubator.

The Goods

Stores

November 29, 2010 | 12:55 pm

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J. Crew to open in Yorkdale?

(Image: E. T.)

That’s what Flare editor Lisa Tant is tweeting: “Word is that J. Crew’s first Canadian store will be this fall at Toronto’s Yorkdale Mall. I’m guessing similar strategy as Victoria Secret.” And she should know, right? We haven’t heard confirmation from any other sources, but the American fashion company did recently say that it planned to open its first Canadian store in Toronto in 2011.

• Lisa Tant on Twitter
• J. Crew to open 1st Canadian store in Toronto [CBC]

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