Women’s style

No red carpet? No problem. The 2021 NAACP Image Awards were a five-night celebration of outstanding work by people of colour in the entertainment industry, which culminated in a star-studded awards ceremony over the weekend of March 27-28. And even though the show was forced to go virtual this year, celebrities did not hold back from sporting red-carpet worthy looks. Here are some of the best.

Regina King

 

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The One Night in Miami director donned a custom Oscar de la Renta taffeta gown with a statement-making bow on the back. She paired the dress with Stuart Weitzman shoes.

Issa Rae

 

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To pick up her Outstanding Actress in a Comedy trophy, Insecure mastermind Issa Rae opted for a glam white Prada dress.

Tracee

Just about every industry has felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and in Canada, one of the hardest hit has been food. On December 16, Restaurants Canada reported that since March 2020, 10,000 restaurants closed across Canada, while nearly 50 percent expect to permanently close if things don’t change. So, how to support Toronto restaurants while things remain locked down?

The fashion industry, too, has taken a toll, with many retailers closing, like Addition Elle, or facing bankruptcy, like Frank And Oak. For Toronto-based designer Sid Neigum, who cancelled his resort collection ahead of the fall, “it’s been rough.” But, he adds, “I’ve pivoted, as many restaurants have, by starting an online shop and selling direct-to-consumer. Now, this month, our revenue is higher for direct-to-consumer (D2C) than business-to-business (B2B), which is a first. It’s [about] rethinking how you have to work and adapt.”

Sol de Janeiro launches Bom Dia Bright Cream, just in time for spring

 

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Sol de Janeiro, the brand behind the cult favourite Brazilian Bum Bum Cream and its highly addictive scent (a combo of vanilla, pistachio and salted caramel), has just launched a new addition to its lineup — and a new scent. Meet Bom Dia Bright Cream. Bom Dia, which means “good day” in Portuguese, launched earlier this week and is a deeply nourishing body cream that also gently exfoliates skin with natural fruit AHAs and provides a brightening boost thanks to the addition of vitamin C. The best part? Dom Dia bright Cream also introduces a new scent to the Sol de Janeiro family: Cheirosa ‘40. A blend of gourmand notes like crushed black amber plum, sweet creme de cassis, warm vanilla woods … Read the rest

After experiencing a kiss of the limelight while gracing runways for the likes of Christian Dior, Helmut Lang and Marc Jacobs, model Hunter Schafer enamoured audiences in 2019 with her first-ever acting role portraying trans teenager Jules Vaughn on HBO’s Euphoria. The highly stylized hit drama about youth culture has captured the zeitgeist of Gen Z onscreen.

From museum-worthy eyeliner looks to celestial washes of glitter, whimsical technicoloured makeup has been Schafer’s character’s calling card since episode one — a maximalist approach that has effortlessly extended to Schafer’s own offstage presence. On red carpets, the 22-year-old, who is also trans, has stunned in an array of avant-garde beauty moments that range from splashes of iridescent pearls on her face and hands to vivid blocks of eyeshadow.

This free and wild approach stems in part from Schafer’s passion for visual art (she graduated from the University of North Carolina School … Read the rest

British textile and fashion designer Zandra Rhodes is celebrated for her artistic prints, electric hues and floating chiffon designs that span her career of over 50 years, and her name is etched in fashion history. The same could very well be said about her neon-pink bob and rainbow-hued makeup — two longtime signatures that make her immediately recognizable and mirror the vibrancy of her fantastical collections.

“Pink is a very happy colour,” Rhodes says about her trademark hair shade over Zoom, her computer screen offering a glimpse inside her hot-pink London apartment. It’s located above the bright orange and (yes, you guessed it) pink Fashion and Textile Museum, which she founded in 2003. The vivid paintings, ceramics and furnishings that surround her are proof that her personal lifestyle is as glamorous and extroverted as her designs.

Rhodes says that she has been rocking fuchsia tresses since the ’80s and maintains … Read the rest

It’s been nearly a year since Aurora James, the Canadian-born creative director and founder of Brother Vellies and activist added another significant title to her resume — founder of the 15 Percent Pledge. Started in May 2020 “in direct response to the murders of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor” at the hands of law enforcement, James tells FASHION, the Pledge calls on major retailers to commit at least 15 percent of their shelf space to Black-owned businesses. In the intervening months, brands like Sephora, Gap Inc. and Moda Operandi, not to mention Canadian mega-brand Indigo, have all taken the Pledge.

 

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After working with Gap on their commitment to the Pledge, the New York-based multi-hyphenate appeared in the brand’s new Spring 2021 “Generation Good” campaign, described in a press release from the iconic American brand … Read the rest