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Reclaiming 1990s fashion: 13 Style Panel tips for adapting the It decade’s styles for today

By FASHION Staff | February 26th, 2013 | 3:00 pm

1990s Fashion Style Panel

For style-minded Gen X and Yers, the resurgence of 1990s fashion on the Spring 2013 runways is cause for celebration. Our minds are full of fond memories—Blossom hats, grunge plaids and 90210-branded T-shirts are just a few that come to mind—what could be better than so many modern re-iterations from the likes of Dries Van Noten, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Rochas to sartorially relive with? And while this season’s fresh crop of wears offers many takes on classic 1990s style (ahem, DKNY and Opening Ceremony have an especially awesome offering), adapting 1990s fashion for today can be challenging if you don’t want to look like you’ve just stepped out of the thrift bin.

We set our Style Panel members on this mission, asking them to share tips for wearing 1990s fashion today. Some ripped references right out of their TV memories (Fresh Prince of Bel Air and Saved by the Bell were popular touch points), whereas others riffed on ‘90s icons like Kurt Cobain, Shannon Doherty and Courtney Love.

The Style Mogul’s Christina Cravero kept her look modern but added ‘90s elements-mirrored sunglasses and a graphic T-shirt. A Fashion Love Affair’s Cara McLeay re-purposed her envy-inducing vintage DKNY varsity jacket into a dressy look, pairing the jacket with heels and a chic party dress. 1990s fashion inspiration works with just a few elements, or going head-to-toe, as Barbara Ann Solomon did, with her crop top, gingham shirt/skirt, chunky gold jewellery and buckled sandals. New panellist, Canadian Fashionista’s Amber Desilets added a toughness with her studded lace up boots and chunky gold jewellery.

Question 40: What are your favourite ways to wear and update 1990s fashion? Read the answers now! »

Valentine’s Day: 10 Style Panel tips for what to wear, date or no date

By FASHION Staff | February 12th, 2013 | 2:00 pm

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Valentines Day Style Panel

Valentine’s Day is not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s a holiday to celebrate love, but some may ask: why do we need a holiday to tell us? Let’s be realistic, sometimes we just need an organized day to remind us to show and share our love and thanks with those closest to us. Valentine’s Day is a carefree one, so why not dive in and have fun.

So, what to wear on Valentine’s Day? We usually think of a few options: feminine, flirty and plenty of red and pink. Paging Rihanna at the Grammys? Maybe. But for tips on how to break that down for a date or a night out with the girls, we asked our experts in residence, the Style Panel.

Miss Melissa’s Melissa Knight loves dressing girly, but hardened her short red dress with studded overcoat for an added unexpected touch. Stephanie Sterjovski went for the tricky pink and red look, which we daresay she pulled off with flying colours (no pun intended). Kassandra Camponi of Kastles went fairly literal, and chose to wear hearts from head-to-toe. So, without further ado, let’s help you find out what to wear on Valentine’s Day.

Question 38: What is your favourite way to dress for Valentine’s Day? Read the answers now! »

Winter Pastels: 14 Style Panel tips to wearing the season’s brightest fashion trend

By FASHION Staff | January 8th, 2013 | 3:00 pm

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Winter Pastel Trend

Pastels have been making waves this year, and while they may have once been strictly associated with spring’s blooming flowers, they are one of this winter’s biggest statement makers.

Seen at runways including Jil Sander, Valentino, Oscar de la Renta and Acne, pastels running the gamut from mint green to pastel pink (the hue highlighted by this photo shoot in our Winter 2012/13 issue). H&M took the trend mainstream, by styling much of their fall and winter collections,—modelled here by Lana Del Rey and Frida Gustavsson—in the candy colours.

This week, we challenged our Style Panel members to appropriate the look for real life. The result? 14 stunning takes on the light and lovely shades photo’d everywhere form the skating rink to Central Park in New York. Our latest panelist, Melanie Morais of Born Lippy, paired two pop pastels with a contrasting black.

Question 33: What is your favourite way to wear pastels this winter? Read the answers now! »

Hate wearing a winter hat? 11 Style Panel tips to making your beanie, toque, fedora and headband work (minus the hat head)

By FASHION Staff | November 20th, 2012 | 12:30 pm

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Winter Hat

It’s hat season, though many would like to avoid it. For some of us, the idea of wearing a hat may induce horrific memories of flat, static lifeless hair, and unfortunate style choices we may have made when we were young (we’re looking at you, Doctor Seuss hat). Let’s face it though, winter hats are hard to avoid, and actually quite essential to staying warm all season long.

Beanies and toques were the style of choice for many of our Style Panel members, and there is no question why. Beanies provide ultimate ear warmth while remaining the simplest style to wear on a particularly bad hair day. But if getting hat head is a concern, earmuffs and headbands do just the same trick while leaving your hair relatively untouched. For a more fashion-forward take on the look, trying a Russian-style faux fur headband like Barbara Solomon’s adds an extra touch of luxe.

Question 28: What is your go to hat or head covering for winter and why is it your favourite? Read the answers now! »

Style Panel: How to wear patterned tights

By FASHION Staff | November 6th, 2012 | 1:30 pm

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Style Panel How To Wear Patterned Tights

Let’s face it: it’s November, the temperatures are dropping here in Canada and unless we want to get sick, we can’t continue to bare our legs to the world everyday like we did back in the summer. Thus, our legs need a warm friend to keep them company on these chilly days. Whether you call them nylons, pantyhose, stockings or tights, chances are we’ve all got a big drawer full of plain black ones to wear when the seasons start to get cold. This week, our Style Panel threw out the idea of only wearing boring plain tights and spruced things up by showing us how they wear patterned versions.

If you’re wary of pattern mixing, then let this be your chance to go bold. Even if there is no pattern in the rest of your outfit, the girls of our Style Panel show how easy it is to incorporate fall’s trends into your wardrobe even if it’s just on your gams. Polka dots seemed to be the go-to style for many members like Kassandra Camponi and Christina Cravero, while Vickie Laliotis showed off her legs that were covered in the ever-classic houndstooth pattern. So even if you’re not sure if you can pull off patterns elsewhere on your body, then just let those legs do the work for you.

Question 26: How have you mastered the patterned tights look? Read the answers now! »

Style Panel: 9 ways to dress for your body type, no matter which trend you try

By FASHION Staff | October 30th, 2012 | 3:00 pm

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As snarky as What Not to Wear may be, hosts Stacy and Clinton seem to always get one thing right: many women have no idea how to dress for differing body types. Since we all know that no two bodies are exactly the same, 9 of our unique and uniquely beautiful Style Panelists took on the challenge and styled themselves in what shape suits them best. Whether it be with tight fitting clothing, loose pieces or even balancing out both, our stylish go-to girls were able to manage the trick of dressing for their bodies

Determining what shape of body you have is the most crucial step before you start playing around with looks. Although many ladies this week, including new member Melissa Knight, agree that they prefer wearing loose-fitting over tight clothing due to comfort, most say that confidence is the real key to pulling off a look that flatters anybody’s curves (take a cue from our next new member, Barbara Solomon, if you don’t believe us!)

So no matter what your shape or size, hopefully our Style Panel will inspire you to dress for your body, and just werk it.

Question 25: What’s your foolproof way to dress for your body type, no matter the trend Read the answers now! »

Style Panel: 13 smart and stylish ways to layer for confusing weather changes

By FASHION Staff | October 16th, 2012 | 3:00 pm

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It’s the middle of October and although the sun may still be shining in some parts of Canada, that doesn’t necessarily mean that temperatures are staying warm. With cooler temperatures upon us, it is time for us to start easing in to our fall wardrobes.

We already covered the options for fall boots a few weeks ago, and this week our Style Panel takes on one of the most desirable, but tricky ways to dress for fall; layering. Layering, as warm and cozy as the end result is, can be difficult for many of us because it can sometimes leave us feeling a little messy or bulky. But leave it to stores like J.Crew to show us how to work this trend properly. It’s Fall 2012 collection was an array of long sleeved shirts under thin sweaters which were then layered with blazers and coats, all the while staying tailored and not looking a touch bulky. There were many mixed prints in the collection as well, but our Style Panel already knows a thing or two about those.

Although the members of our Style Panel may experience completely different climates in the fall, they all understand the importance of layering for this season. And this couldn’t be more apparent with our two newest members. Los Angeles-based See Shop Eat Do blogger Whitney Cosgrave may not have to deal with freezing temperatures and snow, but she still layers with a trench coat for those chilly nights. Kayla Short on the other hand is prepared to take on the below zero weather in Halifax but she notes that the feared bulkiness can be avoided by balance. So have no fear and get layering!

Question 23: What’s the smartest and most stylish way to layer for ever-changing fall weather? Read the answers now! »

Style Panel: 4 ways to ease boots into your early fall wardrobe

By FASHION Staff | October 3rd, 2012 | 3:00 pm

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It’s hard to get through the fall in Canada without investing in a warm, yet completely stylish pair of boots. As temperatures continue to drop, our friends rain and snow will be making appearances soon. So if you aren’t prepared boot-wise, you can say goodbye to dry and warm feet for the next few months.

There are so many options to consider when investing in a pair of boots for this season. Depending on where you live, and how much of your day is spent outside walking, maybe Mulberry’s bright orange furry wedge boots aren’t the right pair to invest in (ever?). However, most Fall 2012 collections included many fashionable and practical pairs that can be incorporated into any wardrobe. Victoria Beckham’s ankle high-heeled boots and military style flat boots were paired with leg warmers in her runway presentation and yet still looked easy to wear while struggling through snow storms.

But let’s leave it to our trusty Style Panel to give us the real scoop on what their favorite styles for fall are and how they plan on pairing them with their outfits. From Kassandra’s gorgeous Vince Camuto pair, to Vickie Laliotis’s wear-with-anything ankle boots, our Style Panelists have gone full-on BOOTylicious this week (worst joke ever…)

Question 21: What’s your favourite fall boot style and how do you wear it? Read the answers now! »

Or jump to: CHRISTINA CRAVERO, TORONTO | KASSANDRA CAMPONI, EDMONTON | KRISTIN MACDONALD, FREDRICTON | VICKIE LALIOTIS, EDMONTON
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Fashion

Reclaiming 1990s fashion: 13 Style Panel tips for adapting the It decade’s styles for today

Valentine’s Day: 10 Style Panel tips for what to wear, date or no date

Winter Pastels: 14 Style Panel tips to wearing the season’s brightest fashion trend

Hate wearing a winter hat? 11 Style Panel tips to making your beanie, toque, fedora and headband work (minus the hat head)

Style Panel: How to wear patterned tights

Style Panel: 9 ways to dress for your body type, no matter which trend you try

Style Panel: 13 smart and stylish ways to layer for confusing weather changes

Style Panel: 4 ways to ease boots into your early fall wardrobe

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