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On April 30, Toronto Fashion Incubator held its annual TFI New Labels fundraising gala at The Carlu in Toronto. Chaired by Suzanne Rogers and emceed by a David Dixon-clad Dina Pugliese, the evening’s main event was the design competition runway show presented by Target and the crowning of this year’s New Labels winner.
Suzanne Rogers and Dina Pugliese
The show was the culmination of a six-month long competition that saw the field of contestants narrowed down to a very talented final four that included Christopher Paunil by Chalo Barrueta and Christopher Paunil, Paria Shirvani, Sarah Stevenson and SEVENTHIRTYONE by Maiko Suzuki and Defne Husrevoglu. With the support of beauty partner P&G Beauty & Grooming, the finalists presented four very distinct and well received collections in front of a discerning crowd of industry insiders that included designer Arthur Mendonça, model Stacey McKenzie, The Room’s Nicholas Mellamphy, and sponsor Mantella Corporation’s Sylvia Mantella.
Gabrielle Miller and Stacey McKenzie
If their audience didn’t already have them shaking in their fashionable boots, then the New Labels judges surely did. This year’s distinguished panel was made up of FLARE Editor-in-Chief Miranda Purves, TNT Boutiques’ Arie Assaraf, Target Divisional Merchandise Manager Elisha Ballantyne, Target Senior Vice President, Merchandising John Morioka, TFI President David Dixon and gala chair Suzanne Rogers.
Winner Sarah Stevenson with the esteemed judging panel after her win
After a short but tough deliberation, the judges named Sarah Stevenson, who presented a cohesive line-up of looks featuring gorgeous prints and laser-cut detailing, the 2013 TFI New Labels winner. In addition to bragging rights, the Toronto native’s prize haul included a $25,000 cash award donated by Suzanne Rogers, a full-page feature in FLARE Magazine, and the opportunity to design a collection to be sold exclusively in Target locations across Canada in 2014. Congratulations Sarah!
Table #8!
Check out the gallery below for 40 images from the 2013 TFI New Labels gala, featuring Canadian fashion both on and off the runway.
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute held its annual gala last night. The dress code? Punk. And with New York and Hollywood’s boldest names attending, we knew their sartorial choices were going to be a feast for our fashion-obsessed eyes.
From a fabulously punk Sarah Jessica Parker in a printed Giles Deacon design and custom Philip Treacy mohawk headdress to a fabulous but not so punk Jennifer Lawrence in an embellished black Dior gown, the red carpet was quite the scene. Lauren Santo Domingo brought the drama in a Dolce & Gabbana dress with exaggerated sleeves, Emma Watson looked all grown up in a sexy black Prabal Gurung number, and Taylor Tomasi Hill stunned in a printed floral frock with spikes by Thom Browne.
It’s a tie for top honours, though, between a fierce Anja Rubik, who showed up in red leather Anthony Vaccarello, and Rooney Mara, who was a vision in white lace Givenchy (déjà vu?). Who were your favourites on this year’s Met Gala red carpet?
     
Images via Just Jared, Styleite, Vogue
Bianca Venerayan of Kastor & Pollux, Toronto
We’ve been spotting metallic bags everywhere lately, and it’s not surprising given that they complement the current black and white trend so perfectly. Case in point: Bianca‘s fun black leather shortalls (want!) and silver candy wrapper clutch (adore!) combo.
Not to say that metallic accessories don’t go just as well with other colours. We love how Lisa paired a romantic palette of soft pink and white with a lovely rose gold clutch. Perfect for spring!
Jay Strut for Jay Strut, Toronto
Lisa Dengler of Just Another Fashion Blog, Toronto/Zurich
Jen Tam for Her Waise Choice, Vancouver
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Designer Michael Kors touched down in Toronto yesterday for a meet-and-greet at his swanky Bloor Street boutique. Amidst racks of colourful, summer-ready apparel offerings and display cases of the brand’s wildly popular accessories, Kors chatted up editors, stylists and loyal customers, danced to tunes spun by model/DJ/rock royalty offspring Alexandra Richards, and even autographed a few of his handbags for his fiercest of fans.
Yours truly spent the evening doing what we do best: catching up with some of our favourite fashion folks, including our partner-in-crime Nelia Belkova and the life of every party Stacey McKenzie; ogling outfits, namely those of Jay Strut and Aya McMillan, who both showed up in fabulous black and white jailbird stripes; and shopping, natch. We even had our very own Kors encounter, and a snap with the grinning designer himself to prove it.
Stacey McKenzie
Alexandra Richards and Michael Kors
Samantha, Caillianne and Rana Beckerman
Nelia Belkova and Aya McMillan
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Rosie Huntington-Whiteley in Pre-Fall 2013 at the Vogue Dinner for Michael Kors
Michael Kors has been on an epic roll of late. With a record-breaking IPO last year, a loyal fanbase that includes Michelle Obama, a spot on the Time 100, and soaring profits to boot, the American designer and former (and our favourite!) Project Runway judge is looking pretty unstoppable right about now.
In fact, Kors fever is about to hit an all-time high in Toronto with the #MKToronto bash this evening, where the designer himself will be in attendance. We can’t wait to hear some Project Runway-worthy pearls of wisdom.
Follow the #MKToronto hashtag for the scoop and stay tuned for our recap later this week. In the meantime, check out our 5 favourite Michael Kors looks on the red carpets so far this year.
Emily Blunt in Resort 2013 at the 2013 Golden Globe Awards
Solange Knowles in Spring 2013 at the United Nations World Food Programme Dinner
Olivia Munn in Spring 2013 at the Time 100 Gala
Karlie Kloss in Spring 2013 at the 2013 Grammy Awards
xx, T & S
Images via Just Jared
You’re going to want to sit down for this one, fellow Hermès fans. There’s no easy way to share this news, so we’re just going to go ahead and break it to you as gently as we can: the biennial Hermès Special Silk and Accessories Sale will not be held in Toronto this year. No official word on why from the scarf gods, but it’s definitely a no-go in 2013 according to those in the know over at TPF.
The downside? No half-priced silk scarves for me (and you!) and no swanky, discounted ties for the Mister. The upside? Hermès will reportedly continue its support of multiple sclerosis research at St. Michael’s Hospital in other ways, as can we. Donations to the St. Michael’s Foundation can be made here.
In need of your biennial (or more frequent) Hermès silks fix? Don’t fret – you can shop new at hermes.com or vintage at sites like luxury-scarves.com.
xx, S
Image via Fashion Gone Rogue
Ania Boniecka of Ania.B, Victoria
Just when we thought we had the aesthetics of our favourite Canadian style bloggers all figured out, one of them trotted out a delightfully unexpected get-up.
Ania, who regularly serves up one fierce look after another, has a penchant for dark colours and leather, and whom we’ve never seen crack a smile on her blog, blew us away this week with one of the cutest personal style posts we’ve featured to date. In it, she’s grinning from ear to ear, wearing a watermelon sweater and floral print cap, and carrying a skateboard she adorably confesses to not knowing how to ride. Cute overload? Not a chance. In fact, now that we’ve seen this side of Ania, we’re hoping she’ll come out to play more often.
How about you, dear readers – new season, fresh look?
Anik Lacasse-Richard of Montreal In Style, Montreal
Krystin Lee of Suburban Faux Pas, Toronto
Bianca Venerayan of Kastor & Pollux, Toronto
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For those of us who have been waiting for what seems like forever for the arrival of The Great Gatsby in theatres, May 10 just can’t come soon enough. Carey Mulligan‘s Gatsby-themed editorial in Vogue and the slew of trailers have tided us over until now, but with just 2 weeks to go, we’re getting a bit antsy. Enter Tiffany & Co. with the best distraction of all: The Great Gatsby Collection, a stunning line-up of jewels created for the film with costume designer Catherine Martin.
Inspired by designs from the Tiffany Archives, “the jewelry symbolizes the story’s themes of wealth and privilege, and we approached its design with the utmost style and luxury in mind,” said Jon King, executive vice president of Tiffany & Co. The pièce de résistance? The Savoy, a breathtakingly beautiful headpiece of diamonds and freshwater cultured pearls donned by Carey Mulligan’s character, Daisy Buchanan. A close second is the to-die-for daisy-motif hand ornament, featuring diamonds, platinum and pearls – oh my!
Emerald-cut aquamarine earrings, black onyx bangles, sapphire and diamond rings – this is the stuff of dreams. Check out the complete, jaw-droppingly gorgeous collection in the gallery below. And in case you’re interested in owning a piece or two, prices are available upon request.
  
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London-based accessories designers Charlotte Olympia and Tom Binns have collaborated on a punk-inspired collection of shoes and bags, in honour of the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute’s “Punk: Chaos to Couture” exhibition opening this May.
The limited edition line-up will feature punked up versions of Charlotte Olympia classics, including the Dolly Riot, Anarchy Kitty, and Punk Pandora. The offerings will be sold exclusively at Charlotte Olympia’s flagship stores in London and New York, as well as through charlotteolympia.com starting on May 2.
The last time Charlotte Olympia collaborated with another designer, it was Olympia Le-Tan and the result was S’s adorable Charlotte’s Web book clutch. I have the distinct feeling her CO collection is about to grow yet again.
 
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There’s something about Mary that I just can’t get enough of. London-based designer Mary Katrantzou‘s colourful printed dress designs have become an obsession of late, and I’ve been coveting her Spring 2013 collection ever since it started hitting stores. My latest wish list item? The Starsailor print jersey dress, which I’ve been cyber-vising for weeks now.
That would explain my exclamation of “She’s wearing my dress!!” to T last night, when I spotted a photo of Taraji P. Henson at the New York screening of Mud. The Benjamin Button actress paired the whimsical frock with a pair of quirky printed yellow pumps by Nicholas Kirkwood, also a favourite of mine. In short, Ms. Henson wore the spring ensemble of my dreams.
Want the whole outfit from head to toe? The dress retails for $1,045 and the shoes for $695, both at Net-a-porter.
xx, S
Image via Just Jared
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THE BACKSEAT STYLERS BY T & S
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