The Buzz
There's no better buy than a garment crafted by a prestigious designer and sold with a mass market price tag. H&M, Wal-Mart, Target are just some of the superstore chains to bring the catwalk to the shopping cart, and now Reitmans — Canada's biggest women's clothing retailer — is launching a dress collection by Quebec's Martin Lim.
Martin Lim is a name mash formed by married couple Danielle Martin and Pao Lim. The pair came to prominence when they won the first Mercedes-Benz Start Up competition at World Mastercard Fashion Week in Toronto last fall, though they now hope the collaboration with Reitmans will expand their brand to the masses. A realistic mission? Well, with price tags hovering between $85 and $120 for a sundry mix of both day and eveningwear outfits, that goal is sure to be accomplished.
The range is composed of 10 dresses, including two for petite size and two for plus size. Black dominates the collection, only to be contrasted and colourblocked by bold colors such as purple and teal. Many of the dresses are characterized by draped backs and asymmetrical hems, while the occasional bat wing and Jackie-O shift dress makes an appearance.
My personal favourites? It has to be the offerings in the petite range, that is the one-shoulder teal Clara dress with a contrast ribbon strap, front slit and tiered ruffle. Likewise, the Limi colourblock dress with its body-conscious silhouette, elegant boat neck, and bonded satin front will make for a stylish way to start the office day. But what do you think? Has the duo retained a coveted designer aesthetic with a price-conscious polyester pallette?
The Martin Lim for Reitmans collection, which is all made in Canada, will be exclusively available for sale at 28 select Reitmans stores in Ontario and Quebec from November 2, 2012 onwards and also on Reitmans online store.
Images via Reitmans.com
 Not-so-glossy women’s title Frankie creamed the competition at last week’s Australian Magazine Awards (AMAs). The indie craft bible took out the coveted Magazine of the Year award, as well as trumping its luxury rivals Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue Australia to win the Women’s Fashion category.
Published by Gold Coast company Morrison Media, Frankie has held a firm place in the heart of craft-loving Australians since its first issue hit stands in 2004. It’s thick matte pages serve up a massive bi-monthly serve of everything from indie art and fashion to under-the-radar travel and all things eco-friendly, while its simple covers keep things classy with a distinct lack of large-font headlines and exclamation marks.
Frankie has gone from strength to strength in recent years despite a drop in the sale of magazines in general. After trying their hands at a recipe book, a diary, and a calendar, the editors released a book dedicated to their love of interior design and crochet granny squares, and in August last year unveiled their very first men’s title Smith Journal. At the AMAs they revealed some pretty impressive stats including a nifty 35.47% year-on-year readership increase for the three months to June 2012. Frankie has just released its 50th issue.
Also deserving of big props is Russh magazine, which took out the awards’ Niche category.
 Even if you’re not a sports fan, chances are you probably know that Jay-Z is part owner of the Brooklyn Nets basketball team. And, because Jay-Z is Beyoncé’s husband, she accompanied him to the home season opener at the new Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. The Nets won, so hooray for them, but the real news story as far as we’re concerned is the appearance of Beyoncé’s blunt bangs.
Fantastical wasn’t feeling the look. “Noooo not this hairstyle,” she posted. “It looks like she's trying to channel her Destiny's Child days.”
“I do like bangs on her, especially when parted to the side, they have to be a bit whimsical,” CommanderTMugler mused. “The ones in these current pics are a bit blunt/heavy, her side layers are always perfect though. She never stays with one hairstyle for more than a week (unless on tour) so it should go away soon,” he predicted.
Urban Stylin posted, “I agree the bangs at the game aren’t too flattering.”
I don’t think the bangs are so bad, but I think side-swept bangs with softer curled hair suit Beyoncé best. On another note, I feel like I should be at a salon or eating popcorn at a slumber party while coming up with this sort of commentary. Beyoncé’s bangs only seem like a big deal in those kinds of environments.
Image via Getty
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 For fifteen years, since 1997, Nicolas Ghesquière has been synonymous with Balenciaga. Under his creative direction the brand was revitalized and rejoined the ranks of the most powerful and influential fashion houses. Ghesquière is unarguably one of the most acclaimed designer’s of his generation, and his and Balenciaga’s “joint decision to end their working relationship” on November 30 has sent ripples of shockwaves through the fashion industry today.
“I'm so shocked,” Psylocke posted. “Did not see this coming at all. He was perfect for Balenciaga. Just look at the hundreds of ‘this looks like Balenciaga’ comments in every collection thread on tFS. He has really made the brand his own and developed such a distinct look for the brand that has become so influential and popular, I can't imagine him getting replaced by anyone else, those are some huge shoes to fill. I really wonder what his plans are for the future. This is so strange.”
“Definitely takes me aback,” Scott shared. “I just wonder what he has up his sleeve? Does he want to take a break from fashion? Does he have another venture planned?”
Marc10 simply wrote, “I'm having a stroke.”
No information has been released as far as where Ghesquière will go next, or who will replace him as creative director at Balenciaga. Could he potentially have plans for establishing a brand under his own name? Either way, it looks like we’re in for another round of designer musical chairs.
Images: IMAXtree
If we cast our minds back to the SS/13 runway shows, there’s probably one name that will always stay in our minds, and that’s obviously model Cara Delevingne. She was the most booked model of the season, and graced some of the most sought after catwalks of Paris, New York, and of course, London. Her supermodel credentials are certainly going from strength to strength at the moment — and even Sadie Frost recently said she wanted to cast Cara in an upcoming film.
 
Cara Delevigne and Jourdan Dunn, Daniel Deme/WENN.com, Lia Toby/WENN.com
As the face of British heritage brand Burberry, Cara is currently featuring in their freshly-launched beauty campaign for the new Lip Velvet matte lipstick range, which is available in shades ranging from Peony Rose to Bright Poppy. If you thought she couldn’t get a more high-profile role than that, then you better think again: she’s set to grace the Victoria’s Secret catwalk in New York, next week.
The infamous annual Victoria’s Secret show will be featuring its usual angels (Miranda Kerr, Lily Aldridge, and Candice Swanepoel) alongside its exciting new addition of Miss Delevigne — but guess what? There’s also another Londoner getting ready to join the girls, and her name is Jourdan Dunn. This flawless model already counts walking the likes of Marc Jacobs and Yves Saint Laurent’s catwalks amongst her achievements.
This year has most definitely been an exciting year when it comes to Victoria’s Secret in the UK, with two of its stores recently opening in London, and now we’re super excited to watch some London-born girls grace one of the most famous catwalks in the world. Prepare yourself for the Victoria’s Secret media frenzy which will follow on November 7!
 Bottega Veneta tapped the lovey Bette Franke for their Resort 2013 ad campaign, and as she is wont to do, Ms. Franke delivered. Forum members responded well to the simple and straightforward approach of the campaign.
“From the makeup to the setting, I love how simple this is,” LagerfeldBoy commented. “It highlights the wonderful clothes and that exquisite bag. Plus, Bette looks phenomenal.”
Anlabe32 wrote: “It's very simple, but that's kind of the power of Bottega Veneta campaigns. And Bette as a model can do no wrong in my eyes,” she added.
When the clothes and accessories are good, simple is all you need. But having Bette Franke model the stuff doesn’t hurt either.
Image scans by Fashion Spot forum member Northern Star.
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