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Toronto Fashion Week: Best of Spring 2016 Collections

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Let’s pretend it wasn’t -19 this weekend, and instead look forward to spring and spring fashion. Last season of Toronto Fashion Week was one of my absolute favourites, with Canadian designers showcasing some serious talent. And while some designers like Matthew Gallagher create made-to-order garments only, others like Hayley Elsaesser have online stores, where you can pick up your fave spring pieces very soon. As such, I put together a list of my favourite pieces from the shows I attended last season. Supporting Canadian fashion industry means investing in clothing made by Canadian designers, so next time you’re considering a special occasion purchase or looking to add some excitement to your wardrobe, give one of these amazing designers a try. You may just become a lifelong fan.

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Hayley Elsaesser

Hayley Elsaesser has firmly established her reputation as the go-to for crazy-fun but wearable clothing. Her prints are always on point, and her Spring 2016 Carnival of Curiousity collection was both printastic and fabulous. Once again, Hayley cast models and non-models in a wide range of ages, sizes, and ethnicities for her runway show, proving that literally ANYONE can pull off her clothing. Standouts from her collection included rainbow-printed faux leather dress, poodle-printed everything, and “Admit One” sequin pieces.

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Matthew Gallagher

For his Spring 2016 show, Matthew Gallagher sent a line-up of vibrant and luxurious garments, complete with floaty capes, sexy cutouts, and exaggerated skirts. The collection was seriously beautiful! Even Lady Gaga is a fan. The ribbon dress was my personal fave – both a piece of art and something I could see myself wearing comfortably and often. All garments are hand-crafted and made-to-measure in Gallagher’s Toronto studio. You can get in touch and order your very own gown here.

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Toronto Fashion Week: Fall 2015 Favourites

WMCFW is coming, and while this season’s focus will be on Spring 2016 collections, I wanted to revisit last season’s shows, and share my Fall 2015 favourites. If you’re on the lookout for cool Canadian designs to invest in, perhaps you’ll find a few new faves as well.

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Mikhael Kale
Mikhael Kale has long been at the top of my fave Canadian designer list, and still his Fall 2015 collection managed to exceed all of my expectations. Artful embellishments, creative shapes, a mix of textures and exciting colours – it was my favourite collection last season, and one I would almost go as far as to compare to couture – it looked exquisite! So far, I only own one Mikhael Kale piece, but I am certainly itching to add more from this incredibly talented designer. Select pieces from his Fall 2015 collection are available at Holt Renfrew, so make sure to check them out in person – I have no doubt that you’ll be impressed.

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Hayley Elsaesser
Ever since I laid eyes on Hayley Elsaesser’s Spring 2015 Heavenly Bodies collection, I’ve been in love with her particular brand of eclectic maximalism. Her Fall 2015 Midnight Cowboy collection was true to her colourful aesthetic, full of fun prints executed on fairly classic silhouettes. There were matching knit crop top/skirt co-ordinates, bomber jackets, sweater dresses, and even a few things for the boys. I guess girls aren’t the only ones who want to have fun.

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VAWK
It’s hard to believe that Sunny Fong’s fun but sophisticated ‘DOT du JOURS’ Fall 2015 collection was originally inspired by Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. There’s no trace of silliness that defined the animated film; instead, the collection was sexy and vibrant – with flirty cocktail dresses, glam gowns, and Sunny’s specialty – cool coats. Rounded shapes (meatball-inspired?) were featured prominently, adding an architectural feel to the collection. Another great showing from one of my fave Canadian designers.

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What I Wore: Solange, Coco, and Minnie…Oh My!

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Another WMCFW season has come and gone, and this time I found myself at the tents every single day, and saw more shows than I normally would have. As such, my full fashion week recap is going to be up sometime next week, with my fave new designers, outstanding pieces, and fave collections, as well as the beauty recap from our contributor Aleyda. But for now, here’s a post about all of the fun outfits I wore to the tents last month.

Thanks to a slew of wonderful photographers like Ania Boniecka, Aleyah Solomon, Jenna Marie Wakani, Ryan Emberley and Stefania Yarhi, among others, I was able to document every look from a variety of angles and lenses…candid and not. It’s a bit of an exercise in narcissism, but hey, this is a style blog, what did you expect?! Let’s get to it, shall we?

On day 1, I ran into the lovely Talia Brown, and we were snapped together for FLARE Magazine. I didn’t bother with my outfit on day 1 – mainly because I had a very intense day at the office, so I simply swapped my ankle booties for a pair of ALDO heels, and my work bag for an ela clutch, and that was it.

After the shows, we were treated to a VIP party courtesy of Joe Fresh, with Solange Knowles on turntables. We were literally inches away from this stylish beauty, but I’m still not sure if waiting nearly 3 hours for the privilege was worth it. My feet were crying by the time I got home.

xx, attends the Joe Fresh Cocktail event on Monday, October 20th, 2014.solange-toronto-joe-fresh-style-blog-nelia-belkova

On Day 2, I actually managed to change out of my office clothes, and into a fun faux leather overalls from H&M. Knowing that a Minnie Mouse party was in the cards, I made sure to grab my trusty sequinned Minnie ears, which completed my look that day. To add a bit of Canadian flare to my outfit, I wore one of my fave falconwright clutches to the tents.

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What I Wore: Perfect Street

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Though I would never wish for longer/colder winters, there’s something to be said about the return of warmer weather after an especially brutal cold spell, don’t you think? The moment the temperatures begin to rise, people spill out onto the streets of Toronto like the sun-starved survivors of a zombie apocalypse, baring their pale limbs and battling over patio tables whenever they see one. Truth is – Canadian winters make us truly appreciate spring and summer seasons. With those endless snowy days still fresh in my mind, I make sure to get outside as often as I possibly can, and that, my friends, is a good thing.

Two weeks ago (yes, I’m a little behind), le bf and I took a long stroll from Eglinton St to King St down Yonge St, stopping at little cafes and bakeries along the way, pretending that we’re vacationing in another city, seeing Toronto with fresh eyes, and it was wonderful. The street where these photos were taken is probably one of my faves in the city, with charming white row houses lining the street, perfect location, and of course, the pièce de résistance – the loveliest Magnolia tree I’ve ever seen. Wouldn’t you just love to live on a picturesque street like this? I can only dream!

Happy Tuesday, y’all. It’s a short week, so let’s make it count!

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What I Wore: Exclusive

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Even I can’t believe that I finally wore a dress without tights! It’s a Christmas miracle, people!!! Just like that, we went from wet snow to 20+ degree weather…from winter to summer in a matter of days. Not one to waste a good opportunity, I decided to take my new H&M Conscious Exclusive dress out for a spin. With its breezy lightweight fabric, and dreamy blue print, this is the most perfect dress for lazy spring days – dressy enough for a romantic dinner with le bf, but casual enough for a neighbourhood gelato run. It’s definitely a current favourite!

The rest of H&M Conscious Exclusive collection is just as good! With stunning boho dresses, elegant jumpsuits, exquisite matador-inspired embroidered pieces, coolest shoes and jewellery, and so much more…this collection is now in stores and should not be missed. But beware, you may not be able to walk away without getting one of everything. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!

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Toronto Fashion Week: Best Hair and Makeup Looks For Fall 2014

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Greetings Lovely Readers! Toronto Fashion Week has officially wrapped up and although I’m still exhausted, it was a phenomenal experience watching the hair and makeup “magic” happen backstage.

Here are my favourite hair and makeup looks from the Fall 2014 season of WMCFW, with some handy tips on how you can achieve the same results at home. Enjoy!

Hair by Redken

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Pink Tartan hair was one of my absolute favourites last week. The collection told the story of a Canadian girl living a normal everyday life so the hair reflected that natural and lived-in look. The hair was set off-centre, with soft waves and looked pretty without looking structured. They really wanted the hair to have movement, making it look effortless.

Star Products: Pillow Proof Primer, Forceful 23 Super Strength Finishing Spray

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As a huge fan of Joe Fresh, I was very excited to see what the fall hair would look like. For hair, Joe wanted to have a more bohemian feel so the models wore a dishevelled side braid with lots of texture. Again, they didn’t want it looking too polished but rather wanted something with more of a grunge feeling with soft wisps framing the face. One great tip that Jorge Joao, Lead Stylist for Redken gave us was to take the elastic and tie the hair at the top before you start the braid. Once you are done, cut the top elastic so your hair and braid looks fuller and not as structured. The big focus of this look was to make the models look chic and effortless.

Star Products: Pillow Proof Primer, Redken Fashion Waves 07

Narces

Narces hair had more of a classic feel to it. It was all about being sleek, stylish, but again without looking like you spent hours doing your hair. As a result, sleeked back, smooth hair was pulled into a classic small bun at the base of the head. As with other looks, hair was once again primed with Pillow Proof Primer, prepped with mousse for texture and then finished off with Forceful 23 Super Strength Finishing Spray to get rid of flyaways and give the hairstyle that polished sleek finish. Definitely a look you can wear to the office or after work for some drinks!

Star Products: Pillow Proof Primer, Redken Full Frame 07 Volumizing Mousse Foam, Forceful 23 Super Strength Finishing Spray

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What I Wore: Leather Weather

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If you didn’t know already, The Room at The Bay is on major sale right now! Shoes, clothes, you name it – all 60-70% off! It’s during this semi-annual event I snagged this beautiful jacket from Mikhael Kale, and my new fave pair of shoes from 3.1 Phillip Lim. These shoes look like a mix of medieval knight’s shoes and gladiator sandals, and for some reason I just can’t get enough. And while this summer has been a crappy one so far, the silver lining is me wearing my beloved leather jackets in July. Blue leather and knight shoes is what my summer’s going to look like. Hope you’re ready for it.

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What I Wore: Boyfriend Jeans Forever

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I’ve had these boyfriend jeans for what seems like forever, and you know what? They are still in style! Le bf hates them with a passion…probably because they are so beaten up, and aren’t the most flattering jeans out there (in his opinion), but to me – they are perfect. I mean, what’s not to love? They are comfy, and go with pretty much anything and everything. This, my friends, is what I call a keeper.

What about you? Do you like boyfriend jeans? Would you ever wear them? Let me know in the comments.

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WHAT I WORE

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