As the Fashion & Beauty Editor for HELLO! Canada, stylist of Oh So Cosmo and the woman behind StyleHog.com Julia Seidl is one busy lady. Meet the pearl adorned Torontian who inspires us.

What was your first job in the fashion & beauty industry?

My first job was working as a stylist for Jones Apparel Group. I would head to Holt Renfrew and The Bay stores across Toronto to merchandise their major brands like Jones New York, Nine West and Anne Klein.  It was a great first job because I got to work independently which taught me a lot about time management but it was sometimes a bit scary, like when we had to throw in-store events and host fashion shows. I learned a lot about presenting in front of an audience during that job which has really helped me as I moved on in my career.

What has been the highlight of your career to date?

Getting to interview Beyoncé - that girl is too beautiful for words!

What excites you about your job?

Since Hello! Canada is a weekly magazine, I’m always working on fresh content so I’m always excited to work on new pages - I never get bored!

What is your favourite city to shop in?

Predictably Paris - what can I say? There’s nothing like it!

What can’t you live without?

A comfortable pair of heels - and no, that’s not an oxymoron. 

Career Swap?

An efficiency consultant - I’m always looking for ways to save time and minimize wasted effort.

Fashion Must?

Silk blouses - I have like 20 in a rainbow of colours and they are my go-to top when I can’t decide what to wear.  Equipment makes the best but Joe Fresh is a close second!

Best advice you’ve ever received? 

Treat people the way you would like to be treated.

Best or worst fashion moment? 

I’m sure I’ve made many a fashion mistake along the way (it’s all about experimentation anyways!) but the one that stands out is when I wore striped rainbow jeans in the 8th grade - I loved them at the time but now I wonder how my mom ever let me out of the house!

Vintage and/or Designer? What is your go to vintage store/designer?

Like most people, I subscribe to the high/low philosophy - I try to buy designer shoes and handbags because those will last me the longest and then fill in the rest with a mix of high street and vintage finds.  Best vintage store is for sure Value Village or Goodwill - as much as I appreciate well-edited vintage boutiques, I hate to pay a finder’s fee when I shop.  As for designer, I like to hunt for deals so I’m obsessed with Yoox.com and if I do decide to splurge, I go Net-a-Porter all the way!

On May 14, 2012 Karl Lagerfeld debuted CHANEL’s Cruise 2012/13 at the Bosquet des Trois Fontaines located in the parks of Château de Versailles or as the French would call it Le Bosquet des Trois Fontaines lors des Grandes-Eaux (Great Waters) Nocturnes. The show itself is a daydream, as models strutted down the gravel runways, (Leave it to Karl to make a gravel runway work) while the fountains of Versailles flittered in the background. Guests were sheltered under luxurious teal tents with comfortable pillows, truly fit for French royalty. The collection boasted lace ruffled sleeves, pink babydoll makeup and pastel accents which were juxtaposed with denim capris and platform sneakers to a modern-day Marie-Antoinette feel. Signature Chanel fixtures were not forgotten however, as tweed and intricate feminine jewels were very much apparent. Models were styled in cropped pastel wigs in cotton candy colors over a neatly styled low-ponytail with 18th century bows. The littlest bit of perfection was added to the models with Chanel beauty marks placed just below their eyes.

Au Canada, nous pensons de quelques endroits où la mode est un brancher de la culture. Mais l’un qui posède une multitude de designers talentueux et une communauté d’inspiration pour la mode est définitivement, Montréal. L’équipe Faulhaber vient de rentrer avec un sens revitalizés de la beauté de la ville aux province de Québec, terre de nos aïeux, endroit des plus brillants exploits.

Ici, pour tous les tops tournages, la société qui formule chaque Semaine de Mode et au fond du celebration des capacitiés pour la conception est le Groupe Sensation Mode; créateur d’événements de mode novateurs, multi-sensoriels et interculturels. 
Grâce à l’intégrité de sa mission et à l’excellence créatrice manifestée dans l’exécution de son concept, Groupe Sensation Mode a pu gagner à sa cause des franchises de classe mondiale et des commanditaires de premier plan. 
À ce jour, Groupe Sensation Mode produit et réalise les plus importants événements mode au Canada et à l’international avec des concepts tels que le Festival mode et design de Montréal, les Semaines de mode de Montréal, Fashion Theater (Londres, New York, Tokyo, Berlin) et Fashion & Opéra (Montréal, Los Angeles, New York).

Ici on parle avec une moitié de la propriété et cofondateur, Jean-François Daviau, passionné et contributeur depuis longtemps aux culture de la mode aux Belle Province.

Comment avez-vous créé Sensation Mode et avec quel but?

Sensation Mode a été créée au début des années 2000.  Nous étions motivé à l’époque par la démocratisation de la mode.  Briser la frontière entre la vitrine et la rue.  ”Il n’y a pas de mode si elle ne descend pas dans la rue” déclarait Coco Chanel.  Aujourd’hui nous croyons que la mode est de l’art et explorons des nouvelles façons de mettre en scène celle-ci.  L’expérience créative ne fait que débuter et nous souhaitons que les gens embrassent cette créativité.

Combien de temps faut-il pour organiser SMM ou FMDM?

Ce sont des productions qui nécessitent entre 4 et 6 mois de pré-production pour chacune d’elle.  Elle va solliciter l’appui de 200 employés pour leur réalisation et dans le cas du FMDM c’est près de 60 millions en retombées économiques qui seront générées.

Trois choses qui facilitent votre vie (ou votre travail):

Mes garçons, la créativité et le café. 

Du conseil a quelqu’un qui veut faire ce que vous faites?

La mode et le design sont des univers passionnants et colorés.  Il n’y a pas de voix unique et on doit être prêt à recevoir la critique et croire à notre vision.  Sinon, on y survie pas. 

Quels été votre defiles préfèrer au FMDM12 et est-ce que vous pencher vers la couture ou mode de rue?

IL y a eu de très beau moment au FMDM tel que Mode et Opéra et le défilé Jean-Paul Gauthier.  Au Festival nous célébrons la mode sans frontière.  Que ce soit la couture où le prêt à porter, nous nous permettons d’explorer et d’innover, de déconstruire et de produire une relecture au goût des stylistes.

 Dit-nous de la 22eme SMM, les highlights, des souvenirs? Des erreurs majeur?

Le travail des créateurs.  Je vois chacun des créateurs se passionner pour leur travail et se présenter saison après saison toujours en innovant.  En connaissant l’ampleur de la tâche et en les suivants depuis des années, je ne peux qu’admirer le résultat de tous les créateurs qui s’investissent dans la SMM .

Avec la participation du bureau de la mode nous avons l’occasion d’accueillir des médias internationaux qui ont pu découvrir la SMM.  C’était stimulant de constater le regard extérieur sur la SMM qui est de plus en plus perçue comme une plaque tournante unique pour la diffusion de talents créatifs. 

Xx L’équipe Faulhaber RP

With Global brands and an ever-growing roster, FPR recently took a quick power trip to one of our favourite cities - NYC. Between business meetings and DeskSides with tops U.S. Pubs like Interior Design Magazine we still managed to take in the sights…all in a NY minute (ok, it was more like 36hrs.)

What We Did:

Dwell Magazine Lighting Issue Party - Dwell Magazine held an intimate launch party in a Jane Street warehouse in the meatpacking district to celebrate their current light and energy issue. The event featured cutting-edge lighting brands like RichBrillantWilling, FLOS, Droog, Artemide and David Weeks.  NOTE*You can purchase RBW and FLOS at LightForm’s new Toronto flagship store. What we loved: The simple but vibrant use of mustard yellow backdrops to spotlight each lighting wonder and the low key, relaxed vibe. Catching up with with Sarah Richardson’s little brother Theo, designer for RichBrilliantWilling, who we last saw at IDS11. 

MOMA Cindy Sherman - What’s a trip to NY without at least one cultural stop? For our fix we choose MOMA’s Cindy Sherman exhibition.  The artist, known for her powerful self-portraits that explore cultural hot buttons like gender identity, sex, the relationship between the artist and the voyeur, and plays on the stereotypical roles of women.  What we loved: The film stills series. The transformative use of make-up. The creepy clown pictures. 

Battery Park City - A gem of Tribeca, NY’s Battery Park is the perfect spot for an early morning stroll.  The epitome of smart urban planning, Battery Park offers a refreshing green space and stunning vistas along the seawall. What we loved: The quirky Alice in Wonderland-like Tom Otterness, “The Real World” sculptures in Nelson A. Rockefeller park where future NY leaders play.  Fresh air and the sight of the ocean.

Meetings - From new business meetings to client meetings to DeskSides with NY-based editors-in-chief, FPR packed them in. The key to PR success? A tight itinerary, a well-mapped route, and lots of coffee. What we loved: The view from our client’s, international make-up brand essence, window. The warm welcome from Interior Design’s lovely managing editor Helene Oberman. We also saw the spectacular showroom of a top fashion brand that has us hoping for rainy days ahead.

Where We Stayed:

Conrad Hotel - FPR stayed at the new Conrad Hotel in Tribeca. As official sponsor to the Tribeca Film Festival, the Conrad was a hotbed of activity.  Our client, Jill Greaves Design, was involved in the hotel’s design and the results are stunning. From the awe-inspiring entrance with its marbled staircase and Monica Ponce de Leon’s Veil aluminum sculptures suspended by hundreds of intricately webbed cables, to its contemporary rooms and well placed art, the Conrad does it right.  What we loved: The spacious lobby.  The dramatic installation. The ocean views. The chic guest rooms.

Where We Ate:

Dos Caminos / Meatpacking - Fish tacos, margaritas, and a sun-soaked patio make the meatpacking Dos Caminos location a fun lunch spot. What we loved: People watching, including the handsome Nigel Barker, formerly of America’s Next Top Model.

The Lion - Sexy, dark, cozy and filled with NY moguls.  The Lion delievers “scene” with a laid-back vibe that feels down to earth and natural. What we loved: The art. Where else can a photo of a young hot Mick Jagger be paired with a hand-sketched lion and a vintage baseball photo? The crowd. We were seated next to a certain music mogul who was digging on our Thomas Sabo jewelry.

Monkey Bar - We met recent NY-expat Sarah Nicole Prickett at Graydon Carter’s midtown watering hole The Monkey Bar for lunch.  With its funky interior, attractive lunch crowd, and simple but delicious menu, The Monkey Bar will definitely be on our repeat list.  What we loved: the crowd, the location, the Edward Sorel mural and brass monkeys. The sinfully delicious buttery house rolls.

Where We Shopped:

Meatpacking - Jeffrey’s, Diane Von Furstenberg, Apple Store, La Perla, Alexander McQueen. What we loved: The Jeffrey’s doorman. The DVF window which combine interior design and fashion. The glass staircase in the Apple store.

SoHo – With only an hour to spare we hit up some SOHO faves including Opening Ceremony, and London staples Karen Millen and All Saints. What we loved: Opening Ceremony. Pretty much all of it.

Midtown - Barney’s.  Barney’s is a NY-must. What we loved: The Lanvin window, the shoes. The sale on DVF!

Let’s turn the pages of time:

With the Toronto Fashion Incubator’s (TFI) highly anticipated 25th anniversary celebration just around the corner, we thought we would take a look back in time to see how this innovative non-profit organization came to its glorious fruition. An excerpt from the TFI website:

“With a passion for the fashion community, the TFI is a unique, vibrant organization dedicated to supporting and nurturing Canadian fashion designers. The first official “fashion incubator” in the world, the TFI was incorporated in 1987 and debuted in 1988 as the Toronto Centre for the promotion of Fashion Design.

It all started in 1986, when the fashion industry was the second largest industrial employer in the City of Toronto. The Fashion Industry Liaison Committee (FILC), a volunteer industry organization supported by the City of Toronto’s Economic Development Division, proposed that a fashion incubator could stimulate business growth and ensure vitality in the industry, which would translate into job growth and new business development. A year (and a lot of hard work) later, the TFI was born and ready to inject excitement and energy into an already vibrant fashion community.”

A quarter of a century later and the TFI is celebrating its 25^th anniversary and the adoption of its model by 33 global cities including New York, London, Milan, Chicago, Melbourne, Auckland, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Washington D.C., Atlanta and Dublin.

Celebrated Alumni:

Joeffer Caoc

David Dixon

Arthur Mendonça

JUMA 

Ashley Rowe

Nada Shepherd

Farley Chatto

This Year’s TFI New Labels® Finalists:

From dynamic duos to fierce soloists, this year’s finalists are heating up the competition with their innovation and creative flair. Finalists include from top left: Montreal-based Patrick L’Arrivee’s namesake outerwear brand, Toronto-based team Genevieve Pearson and Stanley Capobianco’s luxurious outerwear label Jameson Kane, unisex label [blak] - i by Toronto-based Diego Fuchs and Helder Aguiar and Edmonton’s Sid Neigum’s experimental, self-titled label.

The VIP Invitation:

The TFI’s striking invitation for their 25^th anniversary gala graced the desks of Canada’s fashion elite, solidifying the celebration on event calendars across the country. Palettera, Canada’s luxury stationery design firm was commissioned by the TFI to craft a distinctive invite worthy of the quarter century celebration. Created using 6,250 Swarovski crystals, 700 stunning Swarovski crystal buttons, 700 yards of ribbon and 500 hours of handcraftsmanship, the final piece was nothing short of stunning.

Tickets to TFI25 are available at www.tfi25.com

With the turn of a new season, the FPR office knows this means new trends to play and experiment with.

Quickly taking over the voice of Canadian trend-setting, Dealuxe is one of our go-tos for styling ideas.

We decided to ask our good friend Susie Sheffman, fashion director at Dealuxe, to give us a fashion challenge to get us in the spirit of the current growing trends.

All of us are gearing up for the festival season and Coachella is known as the number one go-to festival in North America.

Our taskmaster Susie, dared us to go all out in festival gear for three days and judge what we came up with.

Penultimate Challenge Day: We brought in everything we could find, ransacking our wardrobes to bring in all things old and new that would work for the challenge.

We found a mix of high street trends mixed in with a few vintage gems.

We traded and planned our looks for the next three days.

Day 1: Throwing caution to the wind, the ladies and one FPR guy went all out in chic fest-wear; throwing on turbans and headwraps, wellies, layers and mix and match prints.

Day 2: The FPR office took a more refined approach, mixing hip street style in with heavy and stylized accessories, sheers and playing with texture.

Day 3: For the last day of our challenge, we were in floaty, girly dresses from short and sweet to long and dramatic. We were decked out in bold colours and layered accessories to top off our final day of festival fashion week.

Here’s what our challenger had to say about our looks:

“The Faulhaber PR team knocked it out of the park with the best of boho Coachella style. Check out our picks of Coachella fashion at Dealuxe.ca .” Susie Sheffman, Fashion Director, DEALUXE

With Earth Day just around the corner (April 22), we couldn’t resist sharing some of our favourite environmentally-conscious products.  

FHE (Fresh Home Elements) uses reclaimed wood for their frames, produced from a blend of fibrous plant matter which can be sourced from waste timber, saw dust and crop stalks. Frames made from recycled wood are available in a variety of  shades, sizes and styles, retailing for $14.99-$29.99 at Black’s Photography @FHEGroup  

It’s easy to support the environment and look fabulous with the new environmentally conscious CORK collection from BRAVE LEATHER. Created with all natural and renewable materials, the collection is made from real cork and laminated on 100% vegetable tanned leather lining. Belts retail for $70-$90 @BraveLeather

Paloform’s range of contemporary artisan firepits are the perfect alternative to electric outdoor lighting and heat. Their locally designed and manufactured concrete products also utilize 30 per cent post-industrial recycled materials, with each fireplace and fire pit using high-volume fly ash, which reduces their energy footprint. Firepits are made to order and retail for $2,100-$6,200 @paloform