Dateline: Singapore Chanel Cruise Collection

The quick recap in 10 words: Circa 1913 boyish chic with a ’50s colonial cricket-inspired twist.

The inspiration: Karl Lagerfeld said that Coco Chanel—and how she looked when she opened her first boutique in Deauville in 1913—was the main inspiration for this collection. The night before the runway show, Lagerfeld invited guests to the courtyard at the famed Raffles Hotel to screen his short film, Once Upon a Time. The black-and-white 18-minute movie, which reflects his reimagined idea of Coco’s life back then, starred Keira Knightley alongside Chanel model muses like Stella Tennant, Saskia de Brauw and Lindsey Wixson. (Historical note: The Singapore Sling was invented at the hotel in 1915 by Ngiam Tong Boon, a Hainanese bartender working at the Long Bar in the hotel.)

When in Rome… I tried my first Singapore Sling at the hotel where it was invented.

The palette: Beige, white, ivory, black and navy blue.

 Key silhouettes: High-waisted, wide-legged pants, jumpsuits, long belted knit tunics, short jackets, pencil pleated dresses, graphic black-and-white jogging pants and pleated tops.

The fabrics: Cotton, tweed, latex-gilded lace, knit, crepe de Chine, beaded and lacquered straw.

What’s the shoe everyone will covet; plus the Chanel bag that stole the show? Read on…

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MONTREAL: FAIR-TRADE FASHION
Status: This Saturday only
What: Spring clean your wardrobe and come home with 10 exciting pieces in their place at the Style Trade MTL Boutique event this weekend.
When: Starts Saturday May 11, 10AM to 3PM.
Where: 5524 Rue Saint-Patrick, suite 325, Door A, Montreal
Buzzworthy notes: Swap your much-loved but rarely worn pieces for must-have essentials this season, plus get advice from a fashion expert; tickets are $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

TORONTO: URBAN GARDEN
Status: Blooms this Saturday
What: The Toronto Flower Market sets up floral shop this Saturday with freshly plucked, locally sourced flowers and plants on display each month for the summer.
When: Starts Saturday May 11 (10AM to 3PM) and continues every second Saturday of the month until September.
Where: 99 Sudbury, 99 Sudbury Street, Toronto.
Buzzworthy notes: Take home a bouquet of over 80 varieties of fresh-cut flowers and 120 types of potted plants (think tulips, violets and hydrangeas), straight from the over 200 greenhouses in Ontario.

Click to read on about more fashionable events across Canada! Read the rest of this entry

Keira Knightley at the London premiere of Anna Karenina. Photo courtesy of Keystone Images.

By Caley Skinner

Bad news, boys: the gorgeous Keira Knightly is now a married woman! On Saturday May 4th, Knightley married Klaxons musician James Righton, who put a ring on it in May last year. The couple has been together for over two years, having met through mutual friend Alexa Chung. Knightley and Righton wed in the South of France over the weekend; Knightley wore a pale pink, strapless, knee-length tulle dress paired with a white Chanel jacket and ballet pumps. The soft look was topped with a garland of flowers worn on her loose hair. The wedding was a small event, with only 11 guests attending the town hall ceremony near Marseilles. The ceremony was followed by a larger reception in a garden marquee at Knightley’s mother’s holiday home.  [Vogue UK]

MORE NEWS

Simon Doonan, Creative Ambassador-at-Large of Barneys, doesn’t think of FLOTUS Michelle Obama as “chic” [HuffPost Style]

Hilarious cellulite confessions from Vichy’s Laboratories [CocoPerez]

Meet Catherine Martin, The Great Gatsby‘s costume designer [ELLECanada.com]

Michael Kors & Alexandra Richards

Photography by George Pimentel

Michael Kors toasted the warm Toronto weather with cool bevvies and great fashion. The designer brought in the who’s who of the Toronto fashion scene to his Bloor Street boutique to mingle and dance to tunes spun by New York DJ (and daughter of a certain Rolling Stones member) Alexandra Richards. Click through to see more pictures of the event! Read the rest of this entry

WIN a ticket for you & a guest to attend a special advanced screening of “The Great Gatsby” in theaters across Canada.
***Contest ends tomorrow at 10am, so HURRY!

All you have to do is ENTER HERE

Participating cities are:
Toronto, ON
Halifax, NS
Gloucester, ON
Winnipeg, MB
Vancouver, BC
Edmonton, AB
Calgary, AB
Montréal, QC (in French & English available)

Photo courtesy of The Spa @ Equinox Fitness Club.

TORONTO: SPA CALLING
Status: Opens this week
What: A relaxing sanctuary at the newly opened Equinox Fitness Club in Toronto, The Spa offers a luxe menu featuring 24-carat gold and caviar facials, seaweed wraps and microdermabrasion, with Rodial skin care products.
When: Opens Monday April 29.
Where: 199 Bay St., Commerce Court West, Toronto.
Buzzworthy notes: Head from your body-toning Pilates class to a Sculpt Facial appointment without stepping outside: The Spa @ Equinox offers access to the fitness club on the day of your spa appointment, plus a range of luxe facial and body treatments to indulge in a well-rounded “me”-day.

TORONTO: REEL TIME
Status: Screens this week
What: The official launch party of Toronto recording artist Kirty’s music video, Run River Run.
When: Tuesday April 30; doors open at 9PM, screen to take place at 10PM.
Where: El Mocambo Tavern, 464 Spadina Ave, Toronto.
Buzzworthy notes: Directed by Matthew DeFilippis and Elisia Mirabelli, whose most recent short film, Pretty Thing, will be screening at the Cannes Film Festival as part of Telefilm’s Not Short on Talent program, the underwater-shot music video is the Ryerson grads’ latest cinematic venture.

Click here to read on about more fashionable events taking place this week!

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Can you guess which celeb wore this Fall 2012 Giambattista Valli Haute Couture gown on Saturday? Image courtesy of ImaxTree.

By Caley Skinner

Stars always bring their fashion A-game to the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, where celebrities and political heavyweights mix in Washington D.C. every year. It’s a night for chic, demure ensembles – celebs who regularly dress for shock value tone it down and class it up for this foray into the political sphere. So we’re always excited to catch this particular red carpet’s fashion hits and misses. This year’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner, which took place Saturday night, didn’t disappoint – after all, belle of the ball Michelle Obama showed up wearing a shimmering black Monique Lhuillier gown! Some of this year’s standouts? Katy Perry in Giambattista Valli and Sophia Bush in Lela Rose. [Huffington Post] [CocoPerez]

READ MORE

Amanda Bynes shows off her buzzed head in new video [JustJared]

It only took one hour for Kate Middleton’s polka-dotted Topshop dress to sell out [Daily Mail]

Anne Hathaway wins Most Influential Film Hairstyle title [ELLECanada.com]

Photo courtesy of Mini Mioche.

TORONTO: LAW & DISORDER
Status: Now playing
What: David Mamet’s razor-sharp wit and skewering commentary lives on stage with director Daniel Brook’s racially and sexually charged Canadian Stage production of Race.
When: On stage now until May 5.
Where: Bluma Appel Theatre, St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, 27 Front St. East, Toronto.
Buzzworthy notes: Beloved Canuck Jason Priestley serves up his trademark suave as the fast-talking, BS-detecting lawyer forced to defend a man accused of rape – think To Kill A Mockingbird meets, well, Beverly Hills 90210.

TORONTO: STYLISH MINI-MES
Status: Now open
What: The Canadian-made, eco-friendly children’s shop Mini Mioche opens its Toronto flagship in the Distillery Historic District.
When: Open Sunday to Wednesday, 11AM to 6PM; Thursday to Saturday, 11AM to 7PM.
Where: 6 Case Goods Lane, Distillery Historic District, Toronto.
Buzzworthy notes: The 1,705-square foot flagship features the launch of the new em + west line, a small women’s capsule collection made from organic cotton.

Click here to read on for more buzzworthy events taking place this week!

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Photo courtesy of Jonathan+Olivia.

The This is West Queen West S.O.S. clothing drive is probably the best thing to happen to your once-beloved last season designer clothing that’s gently stowed away in your closet for, uh, safekeeping. From Monday April 22 to April 28, Jonathan+Olivia boutique is asking shoppers to bring in their gently used designer duds to benefit CAMH’s Suits Me Fine program, which provides clothing for patients to wear on job interviews. In return for donating your much-loved pieces, Jonathan+Olivia is offering 10 per cent shopping discounts to be used during the week of the drive.

We chatted with Jackie O’Brien, owner of Jonathan+Olivia, about the importance of hosting next week’s drive, and in leading by fashionable example, the fabulous piece she’s donating to the cause.

How did the idea of a shopping event in support of CAMH come about?

“The CAMH foundation initially approached us to donate clothing to the Suits Me Fine Boutique program, due to the brands and collections available at Jonathan+Olivia, and also because we were one of the pioneering stores in the neighbourhood. We sat down, threw some ideas around and came up with the idea of a clothing drive with a distinct type of clothing in mind. The idea then developed into inviting other West Queen West pioneers like Ruth (Fresh), Frank + Jeremy Laing and Richard (Parts and Labour) to host the event with us. With all of our friends and supporters combined, we could really make a difference.”

What’s considered appropriate attire to donate—for both ladies and gents?

“What we don’t want is jersey. We want attire that’s perhaps a little out of fashion or you just don’t wear it any more. We need clothing that will help the patients of CAMH, a great example is clothing for a job interview or a wedding.”

Read on to find out which fab piece Jackie will be donating!

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Smoked bacon chili served at Lisa Marie. Photo by Kyla Zanardi.

TORONTO: TIME TO SPA
Status: One R&R-filled week
What: Toronto spa-lovers unite for the first official Spa Week presented by the self-indulgent enablers of WaySpa.com.
When: April 15 to 21.
Where: Your fave luxe spas across Toronto.
Buzzworthy notes: A relaxing massage or spring-ready facial? At $50 a treatment, go for both (or three or eight) this week.

TORONTO: KING-WORTHY EATS
Status: Opening soon
What: Matt Basile, the Toronto chef behind the Cuban fare of his Fidel Gastro’s food truck, opens his latest, brick-and-mortar gastronomic venture, Lisa Marie.
When: Serving up dishes – like smoked bacon chili and Elvis in a jar dessert – later this month.
Where: 638 Queen Street West, Toronto.
Buzzworthy notes: Keeping his street cred, Basile’s will prep dishes prep at Lisa Marie to also be carted and served off his food truck Priscilla.

Read on for more buzzworthy events happening this week!  Read the rest of this entry