All posts under ‘Lesa Hannah’

Inside our 35th anniversary party: We celebrate in style alongside 700 of our chicest friends

By | October 19th, 2012 | 6:30 pm

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FASHION Magazine 35th anniversary party

Photography by Kevin Gonsalves

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What’s better than a birthday party? Your own birthday party! On Wednesday night, the FASHION team (well, that’d be us) celebrated the magazine’s 35th anniversary, and as you might expect, Toronto’s most stylish guys and gals were out in full force. 700 of our closest friends packed into the Distillery’s Fermenting Cellar to toast us with Skyy Vodka cocktails, mini burgers and musical performances by Divine Brown and The Parallels.
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They said/We said: Why Katie Holmes might be ramping up her fashion career in the midst of her high-profile divorce

By | July 5th, 2012 | 5:00 pm

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Photography by James Devaney/WireImage

Whatever your opinion of Katie Holmes might be, you have to give it to her: she doesn’t waste time moping after a breakup. While most of us would have maybe made it to our fourth Ben & Jerry’s bucket and gotten halfway through season six of Sex and the City (“The Post-it Always Sticks Twice!”), since announcing her impending divorce last week the soon-to-be-former Mrs. Tom Cruise has already taped an episode for Project Runway, landed herself on the cover of Elle and finalized plans for the debut of her Holmes & Yang line (with stylist partner Jeanne Yang) at New York Fashion Week this September.

In fact, it seems like now more than ever, Holmes is really kicking her fashion career into high gear. It kind of has us wondering: was this all a strategic move on Holmes’ part? After having played the role of demure, loyal wife to the charismatic Tom Cruise for five years, could it be that Holmes had plans to break out on her own all along?

If her upcoming August feature with Elle is anything to go off, she may have been planning the divorce shocker for a while. The New York Post managed to cull a couple quotes from the feature, including this particularly telling reflection:

“I definitely feel much more comfortable in my own skin,” Holmes apparently said. “I feel sexier. I think in my 20s, it’s like you’re trying too hard to figure everything out . . . I’m starting to come into my own. It’s like a new phase.”

A new phase that will evidently leave everyone’s favourite couch jumper in the dust. Holmes also hinted that Cruise’s star power may have been more of a hindrance rather than a help for her own career, saying, if anything “you work a little bit harder when you’re in such visible circumstances.”

Strategic timing or not, the fashion crowd is notoriously tough to please, so the real fashion test for the soon-to-be-singleton will be at NYFW this September. Until then, we can all keep ourselves entertained with round-the-clock TomKat updates (our personal favourite rumour so far: that Holmes had to audition to be Cruise’s wife).
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They said/We said: Could spray tanning cause cancer?

By | June 13th, 2012 | 4:30 pm

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Photography courtesy of H&M

Toddlers in tiaras take heed: a panel of scientists is warning that dihydroxyacetone (DHA), the main ingredient in spray tanning and other sunless tanning products, may have some dangerous side-effects.

In a large-scale ABC News investigation, top scientists in a range of fields were tasked with combing through the most recent research on DHA, and the discoveries they made aren’t great news for spray tan aficionados.

According to the panel, DHA, the colour additive in sunless products that creates the products’ telltale “tan,” may actually cause genetic alterations and DNA damage. Several of the 10 peer-reviewed studies found that DHA altered the genes of some cells and organisms, which could lead to the development of cancer or other serious diseases.

The FDA, which first approved DHA for external use in 1977, told ABC news that they could not have foreseen the chemical being used as a spray application thirty years down the road, and what’s more, its use as an all-over spray has never been FDA-approved. They stressed that DHA should never be inhaled or ingested. For those who do get spray tanned (or for tanning salon workers, for that matter), protective gear should always be used for the mouth, eyes, nose and mucous membranes.

Researchers have also discovered that DHA may actually permeate through more layers of skin than they’d thought. We already knew DHA binds to the already-dead top layer of skin, but apparently trace amounts of DHA can make their way down to deeper, living layers of skin, which means it can get to the bloodstream.

Will you continue your spray-tanning regime or will this news be what pushes you to just embrace paleness once and for all?
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They said/We said: Thought fish pedicures were disgusting? Turns out they’re dangerous too!

By | May 22nd, 2012 | 5:00 pm

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Photography by Ralmonline/Flickr

While the thought of tiny fish dining on your feet may already be repulsive enough, according to recently released data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fish pedicures are actually just downright dangerous.

Public health officials first raised red flags about the new fad when fish pedicures, which hail from Southeast Asia, became popular abroad in 2008. The pedicures, which consist of basins or ponds filled with “doctor fish” that nibble away at the dead skin on feet, were deemed unsanitary. This led to bans in different states and provinces across North America, but no substantial amount of evidence has mounted up against the controversial pedis until now.

David Verner-Jeffreys, the lead researcher for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team on task, said the inch-long, toothless carp can carry harmful bacteria on their scales and in their waste, meaning that even the tiniest scrape could become a huge liability if it’s exposed to these seemingly harmless fish.

The potentially bacteria-laden fish coupled with water’s inherent nature as a breeding ground means these pedicures spell out serious trouble, especially for individuals with pre-existing conditions that weaken their immune systems.

If all this new evidence isn’t enough to deter you from trying fish pedicures, the fact that there’s already been a bad bacteria outbreak might just do the trick.

In April 2011, a batch of imported doctor fish from Indonesia to Britain caused an outbreak of Streptococcus agalactiae, which can cause severe ailments such as sepsis, pneumonia and meningitis. Other bacteria strains can cause serious gastrointestinal issues and skin or wound infections.

Perhaps the most chilling part about these bacteria is the fact that they are resistant to a number of drugs, putting fish pedicure clients at further risk.

The beginning and end of it is that a pumice stone is not only just as efficient when it comes to sloughing away dead skin, but a heck of a lot safer. Needless to say, we’ll be steering clear of these little fishies.
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You’ve probably tried to steal our beauty director’s geek chic glasses. Here’s the scoop (and a special deal too!)

By | April 25th, 2012 | 4:30 pm

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When I bought new glasses last fall, there was no way I could possibly have anticipated the reactions the oversized tortoiseshell cat eyes would elicit from strangers. These included a flight attendant asking me to get up from my seat and come show them to her colleague; in New York City, a woman approaching me in Bloomingdale’s saying she had seen me earlier in Madewell and had to know where I got my glasses; after appearing on The Marilyn Denis Show on behalf of the mag, a viewer emailed prodding to know the same. After informing them they were the Vancouver brand Derek Cardigan, sold exclusively on clearlycontacts.ca, I gleefully confided the frames only cost $38 and that with lenses, they came to $107 in total. Read more »

They said/We said: What we think about Ashley Judd’s “puffy face” op-ed

By | April 10th, 2012 | 5:00 pm

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Photography via The Daily Beast

It’s not every day that Ashley Judd graces headlines. The actress has managed to steer clear of controversy—being an actress, humanitarian, political activist, fashion designer, model and philanthropist (and now, feminist) probably has kept her busy. But Judd has certainly spiced things up. The actress has written an essay slamming her detractors after being criticized for having a puffy face in recent promo appearances.

In the essay published on The Daily Beast, Judd not only faces her critics who accused her of using facial fillers to acquire the plump face, but she smacks down on body image sexism as a whole, by labeling it as “a misogynistic assault on all women.” She writes: “The assault on our body image, the hypersexualization of girls and women […] and the general incessant objectification is what this conversation allegedly about my face is really about.”

After pointing out that part of the puffiness was due to an illness which required her to take steroids, she says, “When my skin is nearly flawless, and at age 43, I do not yet have visible wrinkles that can be seen on television, I have had ‘work done,’ with media outlets bolstered by consulting with plastic surgeons I have never met who ‘conclude’ what procedures I have ‘clearly’ had. (Notice that this is a ‘back-handed compliment,’ too—I look so good! It simply cannot possibly be real!)”

The Missing star, of course, isn’t the only celeb to recently come under fire for her appearance. Renee Zellweger’s pursed lips, Jessica Simpson’s weight gain and Lindsey Lohan’s… well…everything, are only a few examples of the harsh scrutiny celebs face from the media. But Judd’s thoughtful approach to the matter is certainly refreshing.
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They said/We said: U.K. model agencies enforce ban on the use of tanning beds

By | February 17th, 2012 | 6:00 pm

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The faux glow at Michael Kors shot by Peter Stigter

We’ve all seen leather-skinned, sunspot-covered ladies and gents (we’re looking at you D*n*t*ll*a), who’ve committed too much of their lives to soaking up the rays, and we can’t help but take mental note to wear sunscreen for the rest of our lives. Well, U.K. modeling agencies may save many from future irreparable skin damage—and worse, skin cancer—by banning the usage of sunbeds by their models.

So far, 11 big league U.K. model agencies including Elite, Premier Model Management, Storm and Next, plan to shed a non-UV light on the hazardous beauty regimen, with the signing of a zero-tolerance policy on tanning beds to support cancer research with U.K.’s R UV UGLY campaign.

CEO of Elite Model Management Michelangelo Chiacchio says: “We hope that this will help to send out a strong message to young girls and guys, that sunbeds will have a negative impact on their appearance.” Snooki, take note!

With startling cancer research statements like: “The first time use of a sunbed before the age of 35 increases the risk of malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer, by 75 per cent,” it should be a no brainer to boycott their use.

With so many alternative and safe tanning products available, we’re sure designers will have no trouble using rub and spray-on self tanners at London Fashion Week.
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They said/We said: Miami-based shoppers furious, as Jason Wu for Target stock sells out to resellers

By | February 6th, 2012 | 5:00 pm

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Jason Wu for Target hit the stores and the web yesterday at 12:01 a.m., and much to the chagrin (but perhaps not the surprise) of fashionistas everywhere, so did hawk-eyed resellers.

The reselling phenomenon is by no means a new one—need we remind you of the countless H&M collabs?—but a particularly aggressive couple in a Miami Target has managed to capture everyone’s attention.

The clothes-snatching Bonnie and Clyde managed to buy out the store’s Jason Wu stock, scooping up $7,000 worth of clothing into two huge Costco-sized shopping carts (all very handily caught on video by a fellow shopper). It’s pretty obvious the couple was going to resell (we mean, we love Jason Wu too, but who really needs 20 of the exact same baby-blue blouse?).

It seems that diffusion lines are destined to an eBay fate. As it stands, over 12,000 Jason Wu for Target items are already being sold on the online bidding site. What can really be done, though? Should stores produce more? Some are pushing for a reselling boycott, which we are all for. But at the end of the day, if you really want a Jason Wu striped skirt, you’re going to buy the striped skirt—whether it’s from Target or eBay or Bonnie and Clyde.
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