Get ready, Marnie. It’s about to get real. 

This week’s episode of GIRLS was packed with some of our favourite things; sheer outfits, reading teepees, snarky well-crafted tweets, and Shoshanna’s incredible Snuggie. Most importantly, each of the four girls had at least one telling exchange that we have used to predict what comes next.

MARNIE

Marnie begins the episode, as always, sick of Charlie. She even finds it gross that he shaved his head to support a co-worker with cancer.

At an opening at the gallery where she works, Marnie’s boss, Rees,e introduces her to artist Booth Jonathan. Marnie is a fan-girl, flirt-gushing over his “work” until Booth responds with a line Charlie could never pull off:

“Try and give less of a shit.”

She is a goner. He takes her over to The Highline, which is closed, dampening their romantic moment. Marnie fumbles over explaining that she won’t be kissing Booth. She doesn’t mean a word she says and he knows it, prompting him to show her the exact type of macho bravado she wants from Charlie.

Marnie gets back to the opening at the gallery and locks herself in the bathroom for a little…ahem…personal time. She looks out of control, and happy, for the first time this season.

Telling exchange:

Marnie: “I feel like I should tell you that I’m not going to kiss you.”

Booth: “Why would you think that I would want to kiss you?”

Marnie: “ I don’t know…I was going out on a limb. Don’t make me feel stupid.”

Booth: “When you assume you make an ass out of u and me. That’s a saying, people say that.”

Marnie [laughing] “It’s been a long time since I heard that. Well, touché, I just felt like I had to say it.”

Booth: “OK I see…..But I want you to know, the first time I fuck you, I might scare you a little. Because I’m a man. And I know how to do things.” Exeunt.

Clearly this is exactly what Marnie has been missing. Booth may be an asshole (probably is) and may usually date models and “French girls”, but he and Marnie will be having an affair behind poor Charlie’s back in 3…..2…..1….

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All photos by Brendan Adam Zwelling.

One of the most wonderful things about |FAT| Arts & Fashion Week is how it inspires people to showcase their personal style to the max. Check out some of our favourite looks from last night at the shows.

WHO: Lauren Pettigrew

OCCUPATION: Pastry chef

SITE: laurenpettigrew.wordpress.com

STYLE ICON: Early-days Elton John. I love the big blazers and the tight pants. I feel like it’s a very fearless style – androgynous, but still gendered at the same time, which is totally what I like to go for.

MOST EXCITED TO SEE AT |FAT|: It’s gotta be Von Bardonitz, the whole line. It’s all super black and edgy. I’m walking for it this year, which is really exciting. It’s like playing dress-up in the best way possible—you’d want to go out of your house.

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Photo courtesy of Leda & St. Jacques.

Sad news, fashion fans: Betsey Johnson has filed for bankruptcy. Forbes is reporting that the filing will likely result in the loss of 350 jobs, and the closure of Johnson’s 63 stores. This has been a really sad month for the style industry—first Fashion Television gets canceled, now poor Betsey’s closing up shop? Are we in fashion bizarro world? Will we be seeing paparazzi shots of Anna Wintour in sweatpants soon? [Forbes]

Alistair Carr is out as the creative director of Pringle of Scotland after just over a year in the position. Apparently it was a “mutual decision” and Carr will still direct the brand’s fall campaign. I was lucky enough to score an invite to the Pringle show during London Fashion Week last season, and thought the collection was beautiful. It also got great reviews from all the major fashion critics. So…who’s got the dirt on why Carr decided to leave? Anyone? Bueller? [Vogue UK]

Coco Rocha is blogging mad, y’all. The supe is furious at ELLE Brasil for photoshopping their cover to make her look nearly nude under a dress. “[I] recently discovered that the body suit was Photoshopped out to give the impression that I am showing much more skin than I actually was or am comfortable with,” she wrote on her personal website Wednesday. “This was specifically against my expressed verbal and written direction.” Not cool, ELLE Brasil. [Oh So Coco]

Now, let’s catch up with former Rachel Zoe Project assistants Taylor Jacobson and Brad Goreski. Recently, each deposed stylist was asked (separately) whether they’d patched things up with Zoe. “No,” says Jacobson. How ’bout you, Brad? “I am not trying anymore. I’m over it.” Okay, good to know. Moving on… [Fashionista, NBC ]

Now, a moment with Simon Doonan. “There’s a horrible epidemic of man boobs, and I keep telling—people are clutching their man boobs now, I can see it!” Doonan told Conan O’Brien while promoting his new book Gay Men Don’t Get Fat. “Man boobs are like hyenas, and mosquitos, and red ants, and sharks. They don’t need to exist. They’re horrible. So I’m on a one-man campaign to rid the world of man boobs. A lot of straight dudes, they don’t care, they’re, like, farting and watching TV.” [Huffington Post]

And finally, because it’s Friday, here’s an adorable video of a cat enjoying an electric neck massage. Awwww. [Jezebel]

An Audrey Hepburn-inspired look for Starkers! Corsetry runway show at |FAT| Arts and Fashion Week.

As if stepping right out of a scene from Corpse Bride, the corseted models with feminine, cupcake flares on Starkers! Corsetry runway exuded darkly classic Tim Burton grandeur. “It’s Audrey Hepburn meets The Munsters!” designer Dianna DiNoble tells me backstage after the parade of her underwordly bridal gowns at FAT Arts & Fashion Week.

The theme for day three of the city’s edgiest alternative fashion event is fittingly, Body Scapes. Early on in the evening Vanja Vasic, FAT executive director, warned us there would be corsets and DiNoble’s collection of silk, chiffon and satin gowns boldly lived up to Vasic’s claim.

“My inspiration this year was actually offbeat brides,” says DiNoble, the corsetiere behind the whimsical line of one-of-a-kind couture bridal gowns, made out of her Toronto-based studio since 1992. Her standout piece? The closing black chiffon gown with a giant headpiece, reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn’s My Fair Lady doppelgänger. “My fingers are still bleeding from the beadwork!” she adds, laughing.

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All photos by Brendan Adam Zwelling.

Check out more pics from FAT Arts & Fashion Week, showcasing indie designers, filmmakers, artists and more. Tell us: What are your favourite looks?

WHO: Marla Brum

OCCUPATION: Blogger / Social Media Coordinator for a bridal boutique

SITE: trendstruck.blogspot.com

STYLE ICONS: Gossip Girl. I really like the styling on that show, and it’s something that I look to weekly for inspiration.

MOST EXCITED TO SEE AT |FAT|: This is the first time I’ve been to the event, so I’m just here to see what it’s all about more than anything.

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Krystin Pellerin and Gregory Prest in You Can’t Take It With You, courtesy of Soulpepper Theatre Company.

“What is this strange feeling that I’m feeling?” says Canadian actor Gregory Prest, who’s trying to describe the foreign emotion that’s washed over him lately during rehearsals for Soulpepper Theatre Company’s production of George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart’s You Can’t Take It With You. Then it hits him. “Oh, love!” he blurts out, laughing.

It’s not that Prest— a National Theatre School grad who hails from Pictou, Nova Scotia—is incapable of displaying emotion. In fact, he’s as affable and charming in person as he is tortured and conflicted on stage—well at least going by the menacing and dark roles he’s taken up in recent Soulpepper productions. “I never get to play this sort of thing, somebody other than a tortured or dying young artist,” he tells me one morning in the lobby of the Young Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto’s Distillery District. “It’s wonderful.” Read the rest of this entry

With Mother’s Day just around the corner, why not treat mom to a gift that keeps on giving? We’ve rounded out the best philanthropic fashion of the season.

Fashion Feed
We were so excited to learn that Holt Renfrew, FEED and Tory Burch had teamed up to create a limited-edition tote.  “I’m thrilled to partner with FEED for this initiative,” says Burch. “I’ve always admired the organization’s mission to help children around the world.” Beginning next week, the tote will be available online for $50

Tote time
Stella McCartney may be best known for her passionate animal rights activism, but she also works with the International Trade Center’s Ethical Fashion Program, which helps to reduce poverty by providing work that supports communities in Africa. For Spring 2012, McCartney designed a large python print tote and flat sandal—they’re both hand made in Nairobi, Kenya from recycled tent canvas.

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All photos by Brendan Adam Zwelling.

We asked photographer Brendan Adam Zwelling to hit the scene at |FAT| Arts & Fashion Week, an amazing showcase of indie designers, filmmakers, artists and more. Check out our favourite looks below, and tell us what you think in the comments!

WHO: Arnika Tamatoa

OCCUPATION: Model agent with Elite

STYLE ICONS: My friends. I hang out with a lot of people in the industry and they all dress really well.

MOST EXCITED TO SEE AT |FAT|: My models.

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 Luis Pacheco, hair colourist, photographed by Natalie Castellino for Citizens, her photo show, opening in Toronto tonight.

Edward Burtynsky, photographer. Philip Sparks, fashion designer. Roberta Bondar, first female Canadian astronaut in space. The list of people Natalie Castellino photographed for Citizens—20 portraits of Torontonians on view at Red Bull 381 Projects—reads like a dream dinner guest list. “It all stemmed from wanting to capture Toronto,” Castellino explains. “It started as a loose thing, and then grew into something I hadn’t anticipated and took on a life of its own.”

Who was the first person that you photographed, and when was that?

Susur Lee. That was how the whole thing started—at the Red Light on a Friday night. My friend that I was with recognized him first, and we introduced ourselves. We talked into the morning, I asked him if I could take his portrait sometime, he called me the next day. That was a little over a year ago now. I knew walking into to Susur’s restaurant that his portrait would be the first of many. The kind of gut feeling I get when I get a good shot. You just know.

How did you choose who to feature?

I wanted a wide range of personalities and fields. I started by compiling lists. Lists of people, disciplines, fields that I wanted to include. Others came serendipitously. With Ahdri Zhina Mandiela, I met her by chance. A friend invited me to a theatre discussion at B Current, a theatre company that focuses on cultural, social, and political experiences of the Canadian and international Black Diaspora. I became inspired by Ahdri and all that she had and will create. Captivated. After attending other events and getting to know B Current, I knew I wanted her to be involved.

What was the most challenging portrait to take, and why?

It wasn’t so much the most challenging, but the most inspiring. Taking Roberta Bondar’s portrait resonated with me. Her accomplishments and her wide range of knowledge is so admirable. She really makes me want to push myself.

Can you share any behind the scenes anecdotes or favourite memories from any of the shoots?

I shared some really amazing moments with the people I photographed. But lunch with Gail McInnes at the Caledonian definitley stands out. Gail insisted I try haggis. I’m always up to try new food at least once. It’s a kind of savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck—the heart, liver and lungs with spices, and, in this case, it was fried. So I tried it… along with a couple of pints. I don’t think I’ll have haggis again, but it was a fun shoot.

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Never mind Judge Judy. You should know about Miss Judy. Over a period of 28 years, this Toronto mother and musicologist secretly smuggled 3,228 Jews out of Syria. Judy Feld Carr’s James Bond-worthy exploits are the subject of a documentary that opened the annual Toronto Jewish Film Festival on Monday. (Miss Judy will screen again on May 10 at 6 p.m. at the TIFF Lightbox.) So, who is Miss Judy? Until 1972, she was a dedicated mom and musician, but then she and her then husband, Dr. Ronald Feld, heard about 12 Jewish men who had been killed while trying to escape from Syria. (Jews were denied the right to emigrate.) At first, Judy and Feld started sending religious books to a rabbi, but within a year they were negotiating the release of Jews who had expressed a desire to escape. Using the money raised through the Dr. Ronald Feld Fund for Jews in Arab Lands, Judy negotiated ransoms or hired people to clandestinely escort Jews out of the country and continued doing so for 28 years. The last family she rescued landed in New York just hours before the attack on the World Trade Centre. Today, there are 22 elderly Jews who have chosen to stay in Damascus. Feld Carr, who took the stage with the film’s Israeli director, Eyal Tavor, after the screening, said that it was “disgusting to have to buy another human being, but that was what we had to do.” While she can’t go into detail about how she established her international network, Feld Carr says that she managed to bring together a cabal of secret agents who helped her, as well as key government officials and judges she could bribe. “I knew everything about them—who their mistresses were, who they had babies out of wedlock with—everything.” While she has never met most of the people she helped, Feld Carr has kept in contact with some of the ones she rescued from prisons. In the documentary, one family recounts the harrowing experience and how Miss Judy’s intervention changed their lives. As the credits rolled, my seat mate turned to me and said: “Wow, I haven’t done anything with my life. She’s an inspiration.” Indeed.

Who are the people who are inspiring you right now?