Please join us on Friday May 10th at The Shangri-La Hotel for Glen Baxter’s Second Annual Right To Play Ball presented by MasterCard – featuring, from Los Angeles, DJ Tony O from the Ellen DeGeneres show and Montreal’s Jojo Flores.Sponsored by Belvedere (Charton Hobbs), Samsung and Sennheiser.Support Canada’s fastest growing international humanitarian organization by purchasing tickets at www.therighttoplayball.ca
Lucian Matis’ Monochromatic Fantasy for Fall/Winter 2013
Celebrated Canadian designer Lucian Matis presented his Fall/Winter 2013 collection to a private audience of celebrities, media and industry on Friday, March 22 with a BAILEYS Irish Cream cocktail reception at 6:30pm, followed by the runway presentation of his latest collection at 7:15pm. Over 400 guests filled the Grand Banking Hall at One King West Hotel & Residence, 1 King Street West in Toronto; including David Sutcliffe (CBC’s Cracked / Gilmore Girls), Erin Karpluk (CBC’s Being Erika), Gabrielle Miller (Call Me Fitz / Corner Gas), Natalie Brown (Being Human / Cracked), and Rosey Edeh (Global News).
Entitled “Monochromatic Fantasy”, the collection of black, grey and ivory pieces was created using fur, felts, wool, and silk. “This season I wanted to focus on the simplicity of the silhouette rather than the details,” explains Matis. “Working with a monochromatic theme, I could emphasis the shape of the garments from an architectural methodology with boxy geometric shapes.”
Partnering with the makers of BAILEYS Irish Cream to celebrate the unveiling of their stylish new bottle, Matis created a gown constructed from the glass from BAILEYS Irish Cream bottles which premiered on the runway, preceding his collection. The piece was inspired by the evolution of the bottle design and reflects the new feminine and elegant design. Comprised primarily of pieces of glass from BAILEYS Irish Cream bottles, as well as other flat glass and multi-faceted beads, the dress took 125 hours and a team of three skilled workers to create.
Lucian Matis’ BAILEYs Irish Cream dress
“This creation has been a great challenge with a wonderful end result. I wanted to design a signature Lucian Matis piece inspired by the new BAILEYS Irish Cream bottle while thinking of the women that inspire the brand,” says Matis. “Working with BAILEYS team on this project has been a new and rewarding experience.”
This season Matis introduced a new beauty partnership with Revlon Canada and internationally renowned makeup artist, Gucci Westman. Since 2008, Westman has worked with Revlon as Global Artistic Director representing the brand at New York and London Fashion weeks. Westman is sought after by top designers, world-class photographers, and Hollywood’s hottest celebrities and collaborated with a local beauty team to create the makeup look for Matis’ FW13 collection. In addition to developing looks and runway trends on behalf of Revlon, Westman provides her expertise on new product development and personally creates seasonal colour collections.
Once again, Revlon Nail Expert, Leeanne Colley led a strong team of manicurists to create the nail look for the show, using her renowned nail artistry and techniques. Colley considers manicures to be a true art form and knows exactly how to work in synergy with the fashion world including designers, editors and photographers alike. Colley has also built a strong following of Canada’s top press and A-list celebrities. It is her technical ability fused with her creative ideas that have built her a reputation in Canada and beyond.
The Alcorn’s expert hair team loaned their talents backstage, led by esteemed celebrity hair stylist and salon owner, Tony Masciangelo. “We created a look reflective of Lucian’s Fall ‘13 collection; at first glance it looks simple, with softness and movement, but when you look closer you see the intricacies and architectural details,” Masciangelo explains of the creative behind his look for hair.
Long-time collaborator of Lucian Matis Inc., renowned fashion stylist, Zeina Esmail of P1M returned once again to provide her expert eye as the creative director for the show.
My Fashion Week Playlist on Songza
To celebrate Toronto’s upcoming World MasterCard Fashion Week, I decided to put together a fashion playlist of all the songs you’d expect to be included, like Madonna’s Vogue, Fashion by David Bowie and RuPaul’s Supermodel with some not-so-well-known and random tracks.
Click here to listen to “Making a Fashion Scene” on Songza
Hope you enjoy!
Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments if I might have left anything out and I’ll add them!
Thanks to the magic of Songza and inspiration from DVF’s fantastic playlist “Proud to Be a Woman” for International Women’s Day!
Nella Bella introduces NB KNIT with Dylanium Knits
Creative Director of Nella Bella, Tarek Al-Azbat (who is also a dear friend and fellow mega Madonna fan) held his Fall/Winter 2013 preview at the new event space of St. James Cathedral in Toronto a couple of weeks ago. Nella Bella is a widely-known handbag line within fashion circles and it’s not unusual to spot quite a few stylish people carrying one around the tents during fashion week. The brand that has been around for over six years now is proudly vegan (meaning no animal products are used in any of its materials) and also carries wallets, tote bags and now… scarves!
Collaborating with Dylan Uscher of Dylanium Knits (who was the winner of the first ever Eveleen Dollery Award in 2012 from Passion For Fashion), Nella Bella introduced NB KNIT, 100% acrylic yarn scarves available in black or red in two styles: cowl and contour – which can be worn in various styles. I’m always thrilled to pass on success stores from those who have gone through the program – Congratulations Dylan!
While Nella Bella’s classics, including the top-selling London bag return each season, what caught my eye was the new Special Edition Foil bags. (I’m a sucker for anything shiny.) I love this quote from the media release:
“Fall is a season for change,” says Mr. Al-Azbat. “Fashion needs to reflect this transition. Our collection for fall 2013 features bold solid materials. Be strong. Be forthright. Exert yourself!”
Nella Bella is available internationally, to find out where visit nella-bella.com.
Obsessed: Curly Hair Solutions – Tweek
I naturally have wavy hair, which doesn’t always do what I want it to do and tends to look slightly frizzy if I don’t style it. If I let it dry naturally, I always have fly-aways and parts where my hair is wavier in one area than the other. I love trying new hair products to test which ones will work best with my split-personality mane; you name it, I’ve probably tried it.
One product I recently discovered at the Spring Fever Media Preview is Curly Hair Solutions‘ Tweek, “a hairspray in a cream form”. While created for curly hair, the formula works perfectly with my hair. I have been using it as both to smooth my fly-aways and hold my style – and it really does what it promises! If you have a chance to try it also, let me know what you think.
Curly Hair Solutions Tweek is the first ever hairspray in a cream form for curly hair. This revolutionary product is a great way to fine tune your hairstyle. Using Tweek will allow you to bring back the bounce to curly hair, so plan “B” days turn into plan “A” days. It is a very versatile product as it can be used for several different applications. Tweek will restore curly hair for days and days after it is styled. www.frizzoff.com.
Cory Lee’s pin-up look for her new video: Bounce On It
If you know me, you know I love my retro pin-up styles so it probably comes as no surprise that I am completely in love with this look for Cory Lee in her new video for her latest single, the fun and catchy Bounce On It.
Cory is one of the hardest working and nicest people I have ever met in the entertainment world. She is a lover of fashion and a big supporter of Canadian fashion designers too and I’ve seen her perform at Toronto Arts Fashion Week and Ottawa Fashion Week (where we both walking in a charity fashion show for UNICEF – one of my favourite memories.)
(You may know her best from one of her many acting roles or as Ms. Winnie Oh on the ever-popular Degrassi.)
Abel Muñoz launches e-shop
Toronto-based shoe designer, Abel Muñoz just launched his e-shop where you can buy his fashionable Italian-made footwear. Check out the available styles at abelmunozshop.com. Shipping is free across Canada and the US.
Inspired by a lifetime interest in fashion, Abel Muñoz studied shoe design in Milan at the world-renowned ARS Arpel Institute of Shoe and Accessory Design.
Abel continues to expand, develop and produce his handmade collections in Italy. His work is influenced by spending time and working with his Italian teams season after season. The collections are entirely made in Italy and focus on the highest standard of quality materials. The impeccable construction, workmanship and in-depth attention to detail is unparalleled.
Abel Muñoz collections are sold at some of the most fashion forward retailers in Canada, the United States, the Middle East (Harvey Nichols Kuwait) and Asia, earning it a high level of recognition in the international marketplace.
