#BLAKE!!! At the launch party last night at the new Target store on the Danforth.

Well, HELLO neighbour. Last night, Target celebrated its Canadian invasion—a planned 124 stores across the country—with a Toronto launch party starring A-listers Blake Lively and Sarah Jessica Parker. (And Mitsou! Who looks fantastic.)

Since celeb access is normally so restricted, the opportunity to take candid pics adds a crazed gleam to the eye of every editor (this one included), who turns into a paparazzo armed only with an iPhone and a Target-tini (that’s vodka and white cranberry juice).

Blake Lively took to the carpet first.

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Canadian models Meghan Collison, Chantal Stafford-Abbot and Heather Marks.

Joe Fresh is famous for bringing in amazing models for its Toronto Fashion Week runway shows. Last night, Canadian model stars Meghan Collison, Chantal Stafford-Abbott and Heather Marks (plus, Amanda Laine and Dauphine) took to the runway wearing short black wigs and Parisienne rocker chic ensembles.

ELLE Quebec’s Denis Desro and I went backstage after the show and snapped the above pic. You HAVE to click through to see my favourite photo from the night, plus some fun runway shots.

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I loved the dark glamour of Pink Tartan’s Fall 2013 collection, all elbow-length gloves, sexy, saturated hues and abstract florals. Before the show, I chatted with designer Kim Newport-Mimran about her sultry vision for fall.

THE MUSE

“I always pick a muse for every collection, and for fall, my muse was Constance Langdon from American Horror Story mixed in with Marnie Edgar from Hitchcock days. The darkness is in the clothes, but it’s also underlying in the girl, the muse herself. ”

THE CLOTHES

“I’m still liking a longer skirt length. I love a waisted jacket—I haven’t really been blazer-y for awhile, you’ll see a lot of cape action happening. Those are the key silhouettes. I’m using real camel hair, metallics, a little bit of a PJ silhouette.  I really put an emphasis on fur this season. I love the sophistication of it—it’s a lot of glamorous than my rock star fur from previous seasons.”

SLIDESHOW: Check out our top 20 looks from the Pink Tartan runway!

MORE TORONTO FASHION WEEK

Monica Smiley’s amazing Toronto Fashion Week illustration

Toronto Fashion Week Fall 2013: 60 seconds with Dauphine, Canada’s next model sensation

The ShOws Fall 2013: At Tanya Taylor

The ShOws Fall 2013: At Comrags and Jean-Pierre Braganza

Dauphine after the Pink Tartan Fall 2013 show.

The ELLE Canada team met Toronto model Dauphine two seasons ago at Toronto Fashion Week, and we’ve been obsessed ever since. Dauphine had a MAJOR Fall 2013 season, walking A-list runways including Calvin Klein and Chanel.  I caught up with her after the (gorgeous) Pink Tartan show, before she headed off to her Mackage fitting.

Congratulations on your amazing Fall 2013 season! 

“Thank you so much! It’s been a total whirlwind. I feel so incredibly lucky. It’s a dream come true.”

What was it like being backstage at Chanel? 

“I was so nervous at first—I wasn’t sure what to expect, but it was actually quite relaxed. There was champagne, Karl Lagerfeld was there, walking around and talking to people. It was an amazing experience.”

Did you meet any models that you particularly admire?

“I love Karlie Kloss! She’s so cool, and she was so incredibly nice to me.”

MORE TORONTO FASHION WEEK STORIES

The ShOws Fall 2013: At Tanya Taylor

The ShOws Fall 2013: At Comrags and Jean-Pierre Braganza

First, the buzz.  Tanya Taylor launched her eponymous line in 2011, and it’s already carried at Holt Renfrew. She’s been featured as “a designer to watch”  in InStyle, the New York Times and Lucky.

Last Thursday, Taylor showed her Fall 2013 line as part of The ShOws lineup in Toronto, and backed up all the hype with a lovely collection of beautifully cut coats and sophisticated pattern play. My favourite looks? The above dress and the below coat. A designer to watch, indeed.

Inside the Roland Mouret show, held in a ballroom at the Westin Hotel. #westin? #yep #francerules

I’m so happy I had my camera (and this blog) to chronicle Paris Fashion Week, otherwise I might remember it as one joyous blur punctuated by eclairs.

Here is part two of my photo diary from in and around the shows. Hope you enjoy!

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Amazing Fall 2013 Lanvin pieces in the Paris showroom.

At first, I couldn’t find the Lanvin showroom, which is tucked away on a side street in a residential area of Paris. Then around a corner, I spied a tall gentleman wearing leather pants and smoking with the kind of conviction that indicated he was born toting a pack of Marlboros and a leopard print lighter. I followed him down the street and found the showroom—the site of one of my personal highlights from Paris Fashion Week. (All the astonishing looks from the Fall 2013 collection all in one place!)

These are pics of my favourite pieces, beginning with the lovely ladylike dress above, which was worn by It model Cara Delevingne on the runway earlier in the week.

Cara Delevingne on the runway. Photo by ImaxTree.com.

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Runway pics from Balenciaga Fall 2013, at the Balenciaga showroom.

After the surreal beauty and frenzy of the Chanel show at the Grand Palais, ELLE Quebec’s Denis and I hopped on the metro, then grabbed a cab to get to our Balenciaga showroom appontment. (When we gave the driver the address, he said “Balenciaga? Oui.” Different world, friends.) Showroom visits, or re-sees, are one of my favourite parts of Fashion Week. You get to really see the collection, touch the fabric, hear in detail about the inspiration and technical processes for each piece.  I always leave them feeling freshly in love with fashion.

I was particularly excited to see this collection up close. Balenciaga is always one of the most anticipated shows at Paris Fashion Week, but this season hit 11 on the buzz meter—tongues have been wagging since November when designer Nicolas Ghesquière left his post, and New York wonder boy Alexander Wang was tapped to replace him. Wang’s first collection was a success—he was inspired by marble, which resulted in a sober chic palette of black, white and grey, and some absolutely amazing innovative fabrics and textures.

Let’s take a look.

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Saint Laurent Fall 2013. All photos by ImaxTree.com.

Paris Fashion Week is abuzz with talk of Hedi Slimane’s second collection for Saint Laurent, a very literal take on ’90s grunge complete with plaid shirts, baby doll dresses and a California boho twist. No one is arguing that it was a strong collection, although some critics cite the saleability of certain pieces, such as the leather jackets. Fine.

What everyone agrees is that Fall 2013 marks a definitive departure from the legacy of Yves Saint Laurent (1936-2008), a fashion prodigy who at age 21 became head designer at Dior, got conscripted into the French army, got fired from Dior, launched his namesake line in 1960 and proceeded to give us such classics as the Le Smoking tuxedo jacket.

Part of the reason for the Slimane uproar stems from Saint Laurent’s deservedly beloved legacy. Some people—like me—are inclined to take Monday’s collection a little personally, to wonder at the point of offering such a deliberately dreary collection under the Saint Laurent name (and at Saint Laurent prices). Slimane’s directive is surely to infuse the storied house with fresh spirit, the kind of youthful joie de vivre to challenge longtime fans while attracting new ones. Nothing wrong with young and fun. But even by those standards, this collection fell short.

Let’s turn to the photos to illustrate six degrees of Saint Laurent Fall 2013, moving away from the original spirit of the house to its current incarnation.

1st degree (above): Recognizable YSL with the playful Peter Pan collar, and chic black and white palette. Call it YSL with punked up twist—Catherine Deneuve’s Belle de Jour en route to Le Baron.

2nd degree (below): This textural coat is easily the most elegant piece in the show. The sparkly black mini dress, however, offers a stronger clue as to the true direction of the collection.

 Click through for the 3rd degree (and 4, 5 and 6)…. 

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The finale walk at Chanel, in the Grand Palais.

Chanel is among the world’s most admired fashion houses. It’s also, indisputably, the most fun. Who else but Karl Lagerfeld would stage a fashion show around an immense rotating globe, with boutiques marked with little double C flags? The message was global fashion and global appeal, underscored by the soundtrack: Daft Punk’s “Around the World” which had editors from nearly every continent nodding their heads to the beat.

Click through to see more Chanel Fall 2013 pics….

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