This past weekend hot British fashion designers Rag & Bone made a special appearance at Toronto’s Holt Renfrew. The design team of Marcus Wainwright and David Neville stopped by the fashion retailer to chat with Canadian style fashionistas and promote their new fall/winter 2010 collection.
The fashion designers didn’t do much speaking, but smiled for the camera and let the clothes speak for themselves. Their fall/winter 2010 line is all about layering different textures and fabrics. The oversized layered looks with long scarves and warm jackets are perfect for our Canadian winters.
See our profile of Rag&Bone and photos of their fall 2010 fashion collection here.
One of the main things that strikes you about a woman many consider the most recognizable name and face in Canadian fashion, is how well she speaks. Jeanne Beker in her role as the host of Fashion Television has interviewed every major fashion designer the world over (and over and over) for the last 25 years, but who knew that a woman used to listening is also a wiz with words and public speaking?
Jeanne Beker has added the spokesperson/style editor role in this new business venture and today she is speaking about EDIT. When asked how she is liking being interviewed herself, Jeanne replies ” I love it, I finally get to talk and say what I think as opposed to (biting her finger) to holding my tongue. I get to hold my own press conference even!” And talk she does. Expressive adjectives roll effortlessly off the tongue of this one time mime as she speaks with enthusiasm about the idea behind the new fashion collection she helped create or rather edit, aptly named – EDIT premiering at The Bay.
So what is EDIT and why is Jeanne Beker excited about it? This is a fashion line that Jeanne did not herself design, but instead worked closely with the manufacturers and chose, or edited, a curated collection of basic, stylish everyday clothes. She is the face and the spokesperson behind the label, which will be sold exclusively at The Bay stores across Canada. The fashion collection consists of pieces such as the little black dress, the stylish cardigan, black pants, camel coat, tops and nothing over $250.00. Is this earth shattering high fashion? No. Basic, wearable, everyday pieces that will last over several seasons, Yes. EDIT is manufactured by Levy Canada the same folks that manufacture for Liz Clairborne, Esprit, and Betsey Johnson to name a few, so the fabrics are top notch.
As she prepares to celebrate 25 years of being the host of Fashion Television, Jeanne Beker, an energetic (and very slim) fashion icon, reflects on the experience. “After all these years, I still have the love for fashion and the enthusiasm for the industry.”
This surely is the drive that keeps this dynamo in the business, a new fashion line at The Bay, two books coming out next year, Fashion Television and many other forays into the fashion world in the last 25 years. One thing this scribbler knows for sure is that 25 years ago, the reason that any of us ever saw a ‘live’ fashion show was due to Fashion Television and it’s bubbly host, Jeanne Beker. That television show ignited a love for fashion in millions of viewers that was to last many decades and still continues.
The much awaited opening of the first Victoria’s Secret in Toronto took place today at Yorkdale Mall and Real Style Network was there. Large crowds of media and eager shoppers convened outside of the new Yorkdale Victoria’s Secret location to get a glimpse of the merchandise and more importantly the Angels.
Adriana Lima and her fellow Angels, Erin Heatherton and Chanel Iman, came to Toronto to cut the pink ribbon in style with a pair of big sparkling pink scissors. (And yes, they are very pretty in person as well! This entire office has now gone on a diet)
The opening of a Toronto Victoria’s Secret store is long overdue. This is only the second Canadian location. The first store opened just a few weeks ago at the West Edmonton Mall. Two more Victoria’s Secret stores are planned to open in Toronto before the end of the year.
Victoria’s Secret started back in 1977 and has become the top American lingerie company. They sell everything from undergarments to beauty products, shoes and clothing. They are, of course, best known by some for their elaborate fashion shows featuring sexy lingerie and top models including Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks and Helena Christensen.
There are over 1,000 Victoria’s Secret store open. Finally Torontonians don’t have to cross the border to find one nearest them. We are sure this store is going to do great by the looks of all of the excited shoppers outside.
Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha, tweeted this gorgeous photo of herself and her new hubby, interior designer James Conran. Coco and James were married on June 9, 2010 in France. Coco Rocha is wearing Zac Posen fishtail wedding gown and we can’t remember a more stunning and striking wedding gown. We adore Vera Wang and the wedding dresses she creates for the likes of Chelsea Clinton, but it’s been a very long time since we have seen a fishtail wedding dress that looked like this! Congratulations Coco Rocha and James and just as much congrats to designer Zac Posen for this dress!
Tomorrow morning Canada Style is going to get a little hotter with the first Canadian Victoria’s Secret store opening at the West Edmonton Mall.
We have no idea why it’s taken this long, but tomorrow Canadian fashion fans will finally be able to shop for their Victoria’s Secret products north of the border. There are already Victoria’s Secret PINK outlets in Canada, but this is the first actual store.
The West Edmonton Mall Victoria’s Secret store has been kept under tight wraps and will stay that way until the official opening tomorrow (August 12th) at 10:30 am. The location is over 17,000 square feet and will hold all of the Victoria’s Secret goodies from undergarments to fragrances.
One of the Victoria’s Secret Angels, Candice Swanepeol, will be at the store opening to promote their Incredible Bra. She will cut the ribbon for the store and sign autographs for two hours.
According to Canada Style news reports the mall is expecting huge lineups. So all of you Canada Style Mavens who are lucky enough to be heading out to the store opening leave early!
Real Style Network hopes to see even more Victoria’s Secret stores, maybe in our neighbourhood, opening soon. Lisa Tant of Flare hinted on Twitter that another location may be opening at Yorkdale Mall in Toronto on August 27th. We have our fingers crossed.
To celebrate Canada Day, Real Style Network wanted to bring you some Canada Style with some of our favourite Canadian fashion designers and retailers. Big cities like Paris and New York may be the fashion capitals of the world, but Canada has its own set of top notch designers. Canadian designers like Mark Fast and Erdem are turning the fashion eye on this country to see what our Canada style is made of. For Canada Day, why not support some of our homegrown talent. Here are Real Style Network’s Canada Picks from Greta Constantine, DSquared2, Andy The-Anh, Pink Tartan, and more of our favourite Canada Style:
Canada Style Canadian Fashion Shopping Guide:
1. This dress from one of our favourite Canada Style fashion designers Greta Constantine would be perfect for any summer fashion event.
2. Accessory designer Jenny Bird is making a name for herself in fashion at a young age. These Shoulder Sweepers Earrings ($150.00) show you why.
3. Get a casual summer look like this floral tank and pants from Canadian fashion design team Comrags.
4. You can’t talk about Canadian fashion without mentioning DSquared2. As one of the biggest names in Canadian fashion Dean and Dan Caten are at the top of the fashion world. Get these quirky DSquared2 shoes ($435.00) to show off your Canada Style.
5. While looking for new Canadian fashion designers, we found this Matt & Nat Santogold – Stellar Vegan Handbag ($185.00). Matt & Nat is a great eco-friendly company creating amazing handbags and accessories out of reused materials such as water bottles and vegan friendly fabrics.
6. Canadian designer Rudsak is the experts when it comes to leather in Canada. This Classic Gathered Satchel ($260.00) is just one example of the leather handbags they expertly craft here at home.
7. Canadian jewelry designer Dean Davidson has been getting attention around the world from fashion magazines like WWD and Vogue. Pick up his Silver Aquamarine Bangle ($425.00) before everyone knows his name.
8. Pink Tartan is one of our favourite Canadian fashion designers here. This Trench Dress ($395.00) is trendy, chic and sophisticated.
9. Get a unique jacket from Canadian fashion designers Mackage. This leather Evita Jacket ($385.00) is stylish and ready to give your outfit an edgy finish.
10. When you shop at Aldo you are supporting Canadian retailers. With shoes like this Seacrest Heel ($90.00) it makes supporting Canadian fashion easy.
11. For sophisticated summer fashion, check out fashion designer Andy The-Anh’s summer collection to get a beautiful blouse with his beautiful tailoring.
The G20 summit in Toronto has come and gone. Along with the summit has gone the fashion of the G20 first ladies which has been watched closely by fashion news media.
As usual, Michelle Obama’s fashion was the star of the show. Her fashion sense has been praised since fashion news outlets first saw her during the US campaign race. In Toronto for the G20, fashion critics loved the yellow and white Rachel Roy dress she wore for the Women of Distinction luncheon (seen in photo alongside Canadian fashion news icon Jeanne Beker). For the red carpet event, Michelle Obama had the perfect amount of glamour in a white cocktail dress by Paris-based designer Azzedine Alaia.
Unfortunately, the fashion news press has been less than kind to our own Canadian first lady, Laureen Harper. The fashion news media criticized Laureen Harper on her choice of floral dress made by a friend from vintage Valentino fabrics to meet Michelle Obama. The Globe And Mail’s Amy Verner had harsh criticism for her dress choice, by saying “Laureen Harper looks better suited for a garden party than a working dinner. The peony print veers dangerously close to tablecloth territory.” Fashion director of Flare Magazine Elizabeth Cabral said on Twitter “Michelle Obama’s chic white dress put Ms. Harper’s floral wallpaper frock to shame.” Perhaps Mrs. Harper should consider wearing some gorgeous designs by Canadian fashion designers such as Greta Constantine, Andy The-Anh or Pink Tartan.
We told you earlier that Topshop was coming to Toronto, Canada. Recently at the media preview we had a chance to see the collection at Jonathan+Olivia.
Topshop is one of the most celebrated affordable fashion retail lines from Britain and Kate Moss’ ‘ baby’. One might think it was the fashion heavyweights such as fashion designer mecca Holt Renfrew or the newly fashion forward The Bay were the ones to bring home such a publicized brand. You would be wrong on both counts. While both of the mega retailers were apparently very interested, Topshop was brought to Canada exclusively by a destination store called Jonathan and Olivia owned by Jennifer O’Brien. We say destination store because it’s location on Ossington Avenue is a trip off the usual Toronto shopping strips and into the trendy new boutique space. Hurray for Jennifer O’Brien, it’s not every day a small independent boutique takes on the heavyweights and wins the prize.
Jonathan + Olivia, a long time favorite of the young and hip downtown crowd, currently carries Rag and Bone, Alexander Wang, Isabel Marrant and a number of other ‘cool’ labels. Real Style Network had a chance to preview the Topshop line at the store. The fashion line featured lots of loose, comfy tops, skinny jeans, some dresses, boyfriend jackets and more. If you love the Topshop clothing, it’s worth checking out.
Canada style mavens will be excited to hear that we will finally be able to get Topshop clothing, makeup and shoes here in Canada.
Topshop isn’t opening up a full store in Canada just yet, but is opening a shop within the existing Jonathan + Olivia boutique in Toronto. Starting on June 19th, you will be able to visit Jonathan + Olivia to find the latest in affordable fashion from Topshop including their designer collaborations line.
As one of the hippest fashion retailers in Britain, Topshop has 300 UK stores and 100 international locations. If you can’t make it to Toronto, Topshop does deliver to Canada. Real Style Network is going to the opening of the new Topshop store soon, and we will tell you all about it in our Canada Style updates.
Canada Style is Real Style Network’s special feature profiling fashion and style events in Canada. At the Haider Ackermann fashion show at the Royal Ontario Museum on Tuesday evening, the crowd was elated. This was the first time the Parisian based fashion designer has ever shown in Canada or even North America. 119 Corbo the boutique selling Haider Ackermann fashion exclusively in Toronto were the organizers behind the successful event.
The Colombian born, Belgian educated and now Paris based fashion designer is known for his precision cut leathers and artful draping. The Haider Ackermann fall/winter 2010 collection consisted of mostly dark coloured jersey and lace dresses, structured wool and leather suits and wool coats. You can see more of the collection photos here.
During the fashion show at the Royal Ontario Museum,the models walked slowly to a dramatic soundtrack in a dim room illuminated only by a few spotlights. This did not stop the fashion crowd from closely observing the intricate detailing and styling of each outfit. Take a look at the video:
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Tomorrow morning Canada Style is going to get a little hotter with the first Canadian Victoria’s Secret store opening at the West Edmonton Mall.
