FASHION Summer 2023

“WHO AM I?” It is a basic question and one that should have a quick answer. But for so many, it is not. Identity can be an evolving thing, especially for people whose self-knowledge has been stifled or whose culture has been the target of attempted annihilation. This is what the Indigenous and LGBTQIA2S+ communities have in common. Members of both have been marginalized, victimized and traumatized. That really became clear as I sat at a dinner one evening with Indigenous activist Sarain Fox. She told me how annoyed she is that Pride hits at the same time as National Indigenous History Month. The two causes end up competing, she believes, for eyes and ears and, perhaps most importantly, sponsorship dollars. And since Fox is both Indigenous and queer, it’s…

No date for Pride? No problem. Let this tulle top from the Dior Men Spring 2023 collection be your plus one (or two!). This season, artistic director Kim Jones looked to early-20th-century British artist Duncan Grant for inspiration, repurposing some of his paintings onto otherwise minimalist menswear pieces. Whether you wear this top on its own or with something underneath, love is sure to follow you wherever you go.…

Baby Steps Thanks to the rise of child influencers like @coco_pinkprincess, it’s no longer enough just to have a cute kid—you must also have a fashionable one. Enter Louis Vuitton’s first baby collection, a super-soft assortment of clothing, shoes, accessories and toys decorated with iconic emblems of the house. Crafted in a pretty palette of whites, creams, sands, greys and yellows, onesies and teddy bears have never looked chicer and are sure to impress on the most sophisticated playgrounds. ★ TIKTOK HOT TAKE: @THEALEXISSTONE ★ It’s said that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, so Jennifer Coolidge should be feeling extremely flattered after drag artist Alexis Stone impersonated her at the Diesel Fall 2023 show in February. To see the magic behind the madness, head to Stone’s TikTok, @thealexisstone,…

When I was four, my life’s goal was to be a mermaid—well, technically a “fairy princess mermaid.” (I’ve always been a bit of an overachiever.) Turns out I wasn’t alone in my under-the-sea dreams. The first trailer for the live-action The Little Mermaid, due in theatres this May, currently has nearly 30 million views, and #mermaidcore, the newest micro trend taking over awards shows, runways and social media, has almost double that on TikTok. Coincidence? I think not. That said, designers have had the desire to breathe underwater for quite some time. The quintessential mermaid silhouette is thought to have been created by French couturier Marcel Rochas in the 1930s and cemented in fashionable circles by Jean Patou, whose aquatic-inspired gown appeared in a 1933 issue of Vogue. Since then,…

YOU ARE AN ARTIST, AN ACTIVIST, AN AMBASSADOR, A FILMMAKER AND NOW, WITH THE BIRTH OF YOUR SON IN FEBRUARY, A MOTHER OF TWO. IN ALL YOUR WORK, THE GOAL IS ABOUT EMPOWERING INDIGENOUS VOICES. HAS THAT GOAL CHANGED OVER TIME? “I would say it has evolved. In the beginning of my career, I saw very little representation. When the Canada Goose campaign with me and my mom came out five years ago, it was the first time that multiple Indigenous people had been featured in an international billboard campaign—ever. Indigenous content wasn’t as hot as it is right now. You look at Ashley Callingbull and Quannah Chasinghorse…. When an Indigenous person has something amazing going on, we’re really seeing that get amplified now.” WHY ARE DOCUMENTARIES THE BEST FORM…

In the acclaimed fashion film The Devil Wears Prada, the Anna Wintour-inspired character Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) delivers a nearly two-minute monologue on the significance of the colour blue—or not blue. Stylists, eager to impress their cutthroat boss, bounce frantically from rack to rack as the fashionably unaware assistant Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway) marvels at their inability to make seemingly insignificant decisions about fashion “stuff.” In defence of said “stuff,” Miranda proceeds to lecture Andy on the nuances of detail in the fashion world—not least of which is colour. “That sweater is not just blue—it’s not turquoise; it’s not lapis—it’s actually cerulean,” she says. Point taken, Miranda. You see, colour can become synonymous with a brand and establish a visual shorthand that is perhaps even more powerful than a logo.…