January 2016 While the ravages of time can be merciless, one positive gift of aging is becoming truly comfortable in one’s skin. And that’s a blessing that hasn’t been lost on Cindy Crawford, the iconic supermodel who splashed on the scene in the mid ‘80s and gave new meaning to bold beauty throughout fashion’s heyday in the ‘90s. I first …
Jenna Lyons
December 2015 Girls crushing on cool, successful girls is pretty de rigueur these days. And one of fashion’s most successful, ultra cool “girls” that legions of ladies around the world have crushes on is J. Crew’s president and creative director, Jenna Lyons. The 46-year-old, six-foot style icon, who worked her way up at the American sportswear company for over two-and-a-half …
Nick Knight
November 2015 There are many coveted awards handed out in the world of fashion, but perhaps none as revered as the Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator, which was once again presented this past week at the annual British Fashion Awards. Named for the eccentric and inimitable style icon who took her life in 2007, the award honours visionaries who …
Garance Dore
November 2015 The blogosphere has bred its own small galaxy of innate fashion stars, but none shine as brightly as 40-year-old Garance Dore. Growing up in Corsica, her passion for style took her to Paris, where she worked as both an illustrator and photographer before launching her now famous ‘streetstyle’ blog ‘garancedore.com’ in 2006. Revered for her personal candor and …
David Downton
October 2015 While fashion illustration has taken a backseat to photography for decades, there have been rumblings in recent years that artful drawings are about to make a comeback in style circles. And judging by the recent excitement surrounding the work of David Downton, it looks like there is indeed a renewed interest in illustration. And that’s great news for …
Georgia May Jagger
September 2015 One of the first times I laid eyes on Georgia May Jagger, I should have suspected there’d be a signature motorcycle jacket in her future. Back in the spring of 2011, the younger daughter of Mick Jagger and Jerry Hall delighted the crowds in St. Tropez as she closed the Chanel resort show, sitting on the back of …
Karl Lagerfeld
April 2015 Provocative, playful, intellectual, and irreverent, Karl Lagerfeld is a colourful study in creative prowess—a multi-tasking renaissance man who’s arguably the planet’s most recognizable and prolific designer. The genius behind Chanel, Fendi, and his own eponymous Lagerfeld label boarded a private jet for Toronto recently, his beloved cat Choupette in tow, for a first-time meet-and-greet with Canadian media and …
Donald Robertson
April 2015 With fast fashion becoming so rampant, it’s no wonder that style circles are obsessing with the notion of fast art too. And few do that better than Toronto native Donald Robertson, a New York based illustrator who’s become a superstar on Instagram (@Drawbertson) with 135,000 followers, thanks to his wonderfully cheeky takes on fashion’s major movers and shakers. …
Coco Rocha (November 2014)
November 2014 The term “poser” has gotten a bad rap: According to most dictionaries, the word has negative connotations, and refers to a person who either pretends to be something he or she isn’t or acts in an affected manner in order to impress others. But Toronto-born, Richmond, BC-raised model Coco Rocha, who poses for a living, would likely take …
Vince Camuto
“I never met a man in my life who has as much guts as he does!” The beautiful Louise Camuto – 1989’s Miss Sweden and a Miss Universe first runner-up – is singing the praises of her husband, Vince. He’s sitting across from his adoring wife of 15 years at a Bay Street boardroom table in Toronto and looking elegant …
Tommy Hilfiger
Back in the mid 1980s, I went to New York to profile an ambitious young entrepreneur with a funny-sounding last name. Tommy Hilfiger, who had just launched a provocative ad campaign implying that the then-unknown upstart was one of America’s greatest men’s wear designers, had chutzpah to spare. Although his audacity was a little off-putting, I came away impressed, even …
Thakoon Panichugal
The fashion arena is verging on overload when it comes to ambitious young designers with a point of view and a passion to succeed. But every once in a while, one does manage to break through the din of excess and not only get noticed by those who matter, but woo the world with a sartorial sensibility that’s both arresting …
Sean Lennon
Sean Lennon is no stranger to style circles, so it wasn’t surprising to see him recently at a fashion-magazine launch in Paris, where he was about to perform onstage with a host of other musicians, including his model girlfriend, Charlotte Kemp Muhl, and his close buddy, Montreal supermodel Irina Lazareanu. I have been running into the 35-year-old son of John …
Philip Treacy
The impending royal wedding will be a heady affair – and no one’s more aware of that than Irish-born Philip Treacy, commissioned to create the headwear for the royal wedding party. One of Europe’s top hat makers since his discovery by the late fashion editor Isabella Blow in the 1990s, Mr. Treacy is a long-time favourite of Camilla Parker Bowles, …
Queen Latifah
Artistry and entrepreneurship don’t often go hand in hand, but Queen Latifah has not only managed to cultivate a multitude of talents and also create a stylish personal brand for herself that she’s now marketing with great aplomb. Born in Chicago 40 years ago, Dana Elaine Owens was raised in Newark, the daughter of a school teacher and a police …
Lola Rykiel
Those with a penchant for Parisian chic will appreciate the fact that Sonia Rykiel, the petite redhead whose spirit and style personified the Left Bank, first set the standard back in the late sixties. Once dubbed the Queen of Knits by Women’s Wear Daily, the legendary French designer, famous for her “poor-boy” sweaters and unconventional seams on the outside of …
Jeremy Laing
Canadian designer Jeremy Laing has been doing a lot of soul searching lately. And while he doesn’t have any concrete answers just yet, closing down his own label, as he did this past summer, is certainly giving him added perspective on an industry that’s increasingly quick to make a buck but devastatingly slow to embrace true creativity. Arguably the most …
Jaleh Farhadpour
It’s no wonder that Toronto’s Jaleh Farhadpour has a lifelong fascination with precious gems: Back in the 18th century, her Persian family owned two of the largest diamonds on Earth. Team that with her architectural-design background and love of fashion and you have the makings of a style-savvy entrepreneur who feels the Canadian market hasn’t kept up with the yen …
Ines de la Fressange
Few personify French elegance better than Inès de la Fressange. The iconic model with the big personality was the first to be contracted by a major couture house back in 1983, when Chanel signed her to represent the brand. She spent six years as Karl Lagerfeld’s muse before a much-ballyhooed falling-out: In 1989, de la Fressange was chosen as France’s …
Hayley Atkin
As red carpets roll out in Toronto and conversations centre around the art of film, it’s the art of dress that has stylish tongues wagging and stars clamouring to make their mark. Enter the stylists – those sartorial wizards who transform mere starlets into cinematic sirens. Hayley Atkin is an L.A.-based, Toronto native who’s dressed a bevy of Hollywood luminaries …