MARCH 2024

The ELLE
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LILY
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COVER STORIES
80 38 STYLE Supernaturals is the world’s
first all-Indigenous modelling
agency—and it was founded here
in Canada. BY KELLY BOUTSALIS

57 BEAUTY The very best products

according to ELLE editors around

PHOTOGRAPHY, MARK SELIGER; DRESS (LAUREN GOOD DAY), FLATS (ETRO), ZUNI CUFF AND RING (THE WAY WE WORE) AND EARRINGS (GLADSTONE’S OWN, BIGBOW BEADS)
the world. BY KATHERINE LALANCETTE

80 CELEBRITY Lily Gladstone

is breaking barriers and
championing change.
BY TERESE MARIE MAILHOT

STYLE & FASHION

27 STYLE Looking for the light.
BY RANDI BERGMAN

30 SHOPPING High-waisted trousers

for the win.

32 STYLE The siblings behind Deux

Lions on making jewellery with
meaning. BY ERICA NGAO

33 SHOPPING Flower power.

34 STYLE The Phoebe Philo effect.

BY MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN

42 STYLE Diane von Furstenberg

on 50 years of the wrap-dress.
BY WENDY KAUR

88 FASHION Turn the winter blues into

a source of joy and serenity with the
latest collections.

96 FASHION How designer Harris

Reed went from fashion student
to creative director of Nina Ricci.
BY JOANNA FOX

12 ELLECANADA.COM
FASHION AT
ITS BEST!

D0H01-83

When the trends of the world merge with the craftsmanship of remonte,
the perfect combination of fashion and comfort is the result!
Comfort to go – since 1876
www.remonte.com
 BEAUTY &
WELLNESS
64 BEAUTY Show the skin below
your neck some TLC with the
new generation of body care.
BY INGRIE WILLIAMS

66 BEAUTY The one-and-only

Jenna Lyons on confidence,
aging and the thrill of starting
over. BY KATHERINE LALANCETTE

69 HEALTH Wellness retreats are

all the rage, but how do you
keep the chill vibes going after

88
you’ve returned home?
BY VAL DESJARDINS

70 BEAUTY Exosomes are billed

as the next frontier in anti-
aging, but do they really work?
100 TRAVEL Discover the quiet
BY CAITLIN KENNY
power of the Dominican
EVERY MONTH
72 BEAUTY We caught up with
Republic’s north shore. 18 PUBLISHER’S NOTE
Katy Perry in Capri, Italy, to chat
BY JOANNA FOX
about all things dolce vita . 20 JOANNA’S EDIT
BY MICHELA MOTTA 104 TRAVEL 48 hours in Mexico City.
21 FRONT ROW
BY JENNIFER NGUYEN
76 BEAUTY A look at one of the
51 DEBUT
most iconic lipstick shades 106 TRAVEL Finding Black joy in the
of all time: Clinique’s Black Deep South. BY NATALIE PREDDIE 111 SHOPPING GUIDE
Honey. BY LESA HANNAH
108 FOOD Margaux Verdier 113 ASTROLOGY
77 SHOPPING Chase away shares her love of cooking.
114 FINALE
the winter blahs with the
109 DESIGN The Danes do it right.
top brightening fixes.
BY KATHERINE LALANCETTE

FEATURES
46 CULTURE Why some women
are turning to comedy as a
hobby. BY EVE THOMAS
PHOTOGRAPHY, PETROS; DRESS (RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION)

48 CULTURE What is behind our

obsession with true crime?
BY CAITLIN STALL-PAQUET

52 FILM Director Ava DuVernay

ON THE COVER
reveals the scope of her latest
Lily Gladstone is wearing a dress by Roland Mouret,
project. BY KELLY BOUTSALIS a net mask by Leila Jinnah and earrings and a ring
by Asep Designs. Photographer Mark Seliger Stylist
54 MONEY The hard Arianne Phillips Hairstylist Bob Recine (The Wall
conversations that take place Group) Makeup artist Romy Soleimani (The Wall
Group) Manicurist Casey Herman (The Wall Group)
when friendship and finances Set designer Jakob Bokulich Producers Ruth Levy
collide. BY TRUC NGUYEN and Madi Overstreet

14 ELLECANADA.COM
 N°1 IGNORING
N°2 BLACKMAILING
N°3 HUMILIATION
N°4 MANIPULATION
N°5 JEALOUSY
N°6 CONTROL
N°7 INTRUSION
N°8 ISOLATION
N°9 INTIMIDATION

AN ABUSIVE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP

CAN HAVE 9 KEY WARNING SIGNS.

abuseisnotlove.com
 PUBLISHER SOPHIE BANFORD
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JOANNA FOX
BEAUTY DIRECTOR KATHERINE LALANCETTE
ART DIRECTOR SAMANTHA PUTH
GRAPHIC DESIGNER LAURENCE FONTAINE
EDITORIAL COORDINATOR CLAUDIA GUY
DIGITAL DIRECTOR CYNTHIA QUELLET
DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGER MELISSA FEJTEK

CONTRIBUTORS
MACA ATENCIO, RANDI BERGMAN, KELLY BOUTSALIS, VAL DESJARDINS, VANESSA DL, THÉO DUPUIS-CARBONNEAU, JANE FIELDING, MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN,
ESTELLE GERVAIS, LESA HANNAH, ROBB JAMIESON, PATRICIA KAROUNOS, WENDY KAUR, CAITLIN KENNY, TERESE MARIE MAILHOT, MICHELA MOTTA, ERICA NGAO,
JENNIFER NGUYEN, TRUC NGUYEN, NATALIE PREDDIE, CIARA RICKARD, CAITLIN STALL-PAQUET, EVE THOMAS, INGRIE WILLIAMS

TO REACH EDITORIAL:
[email protected]

TO REACH CUSTOMER SERVICE AND SUBSCRIPTIONS:

1-866-780-3537 or [email protected]

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 AN ABUSIVE INTIMATE RELATIONSHIP
CAN HAVE 9 KEY WARNING SIGNS.

№1 №2 №3
IGNORING BLACKMAILING HUMILIATION
you on days they you if you refuse putting you down
are angry to do something

№4 №5 №6

MANIPULATION JEALOUSY CONTROL

to coerce you into doing over everything over where you go
or saying something you do and how you look

№7 №8 №9

INTRUSION ISOLATION INTIMIDATION

going through your phone cutting you off from calling you crazy and
or tracking your location friends and family instilling fear
 PUBLISHER’S NOTE

PHOTOGRAPHY, ANDRÉANNE GAUTHIER; STYLIST, VANESSA GIROUX; MAKEUP ARTIST, SOPHIE PARROT. S. BANFORD IS WEARING A TURTLENECK (SSENSE), JACKET (AFTER ME) AND JEWELLERY (DRAE COLLECTION)
Love Shouldn’t Hurt
OMEONE’S TONE RISES, a door slams and there’s a heavy One of the most devastating consequences is loneliness. An

S and terrifying silence. The next time, there’s a shove; the

time after that a slap. Intimate-partner violence can creep
into relationships. Limits are pushed bit by bit, and one day,
abusive partner will use their power to isolate their victim. As a
result, the victim no longer knows who to turn to for help, advice
or guidance on how to get out of the relationship. It’s a complex
we wake up in the middle of a toxic storm that we don’t know situation as violence inflicted on women by their partners is
how to escape. But how do we distinguish between “healthy” not considered a crime in many countries around the world.
partner disputes and domestic violence? How do we determine To help young people of all genders recognize the warning
that someone we love is displaying toxic behaviours? How signs of intimate-partner violence, Yves Saint Laurent Beauté
do we recognize abuse? Emotional blackmail? Humiliation has created Abuse Is Not Love, an international program whose
tactics? Control? Bullying? Jealousy? Domestic violence has goal is to raise awareness among more than 2 million people by
many faces and knows very well how to hide them. 2030. Gestures that might seem somewhat harmless—such as
Emotional abuse is often a precursor to physical abuse. deliberately ignoring one’s partner to punish them, threatening
And women, for the most part, take the hits. The statistics are to reveal intimate photos or messages, insulting them to make
depressing: In Canada, femicide is on the rise. According to the them lose confidence in themselves or deliberately influencing
Canadian Femicide Observatory for Justice and Accountability, their emotions to get them to act a certain way—are often
one woman is killed every two days and one in three women unhealthy behaviours, and that’s what this initiative wants
will experience physical or sexual violence in her lifetime. to highlight.
Intimate-partner violence affects women’s health and well-being, I’m a mother of two boys, and I’m going to have them read
and consequences include injury, chronic health conditions, the article on this important subject that you’ll find on our
mental-health disorders and reproductive-health issues. These website (ellecanada.com). I encourage you to read it too and
repercussions can persist even after the abuse has stopped. share it with your friends and family—it can change a life.

Sophie Banford , publisher @sophiebanford

18 ELLECANADA.COM
 ABUSE FOLLOWS
A PATTERN
When things seems ‘back to normal’, it does not mean abuse is over.
The recurring pattern of abuse helps the abuser keep their control
over the victim over time.

TENSION BUILDS
“ Yo
ig ht. uc
The abusive partner progressively puts the
yn an
er victim under a situation of stress by getting to go
ev .” be ou
m er passive-aggressive, ignoring he t t
6 p e th re
or belittling them

on hen
og
im by

ig
w
t
ou me

ht o u
e

,b
ho
rt

y
ut et h
re

do
We you’

g
ed

n ’t
ne
ur e

exp
om
ke s

e ct
e”
“Ma

me
ABUSIVE INCIDENT
CALM PHASE
ABUSER’S An abusive incident happens, which
Everything seems better. The person
experiencing abuse may feel like the worst
PATTERN OF can include physical, sexual, financial,
or psychological violence. Each incident
is over and believe that it won’t
happen again.
CONTROL is often more intense than the previous
one and the abuser’s control of the victim
increases.
.”
at e
e b o u,
kl
I ’d
“I

ac
y
lov nyt

c a la p
do

HONEYMOON PHASE
e

s
m
a

yo in g

yo to
u

t
an
h

u
so f

m
w

uc The abusive partner denies t

or n’ u
lt

yo h and minimizes the abuse incident. d i d fa

u.
” They may engage in lovebombing or “ I o ur
y
t ’s
gaslighting to obtain forgiveness. ti
bu

LEARN THE 9 SIGNS AND HELP FIGHT AGAINST ABUSE.

abuseisnotlove.com
 JOANNA’S EDIT

This luxurious body scrub from California

Add a little pop of fun
clean-beauty brand Osea is a triple threat: It
to your look with Eliza
gently exfoliates while also moisturizing and
Faulkner’s cotton flower
smoothing. It’s the perfect way to start prepping
corsage, which the
your skin for the warmer months ahead.
Montreal designer makes OSEA SALTS OF THE EARTH BODY SCRUB ($64,
out of scrap fabric. The OSEAMALIBU.COM)
strings are extra long so it
can double as a belt.
CORSAGE CHOKER,
ELIZA FAULKNER ($45,
ELIZAFAULKNER.COM)

Thankfully, the new

It jeans are as far as
you can get from
skinny and low-rise.
This wide-legged
This cozy throw is
“horseshoe” style
sure to bring you joy
gives you space to
when you curl up
move around in and
on the couch with
is super flattering
it. The bright yellow
with its high waist
colour is a bonus
and bowlike shape.
dopamine hit.
HORSESHOE JEANS,
AVOCA MOHAIR CITIZENS OF HUMANITY
THROW BLANKET, ($420, SSENSE.COM)
AVOCA HANDWEAVERS
($390, DWR.COM)

Welcome dreamy Pisces season right

CREATURE Give your feet the comfort
they deserve and pad around

PHOTOGRAPHY, ANDRÉANNE GAUTHIER (J. FOX); MAKEUP ARTIST, SOPHIE PARROT. J. FOX IS WEARING A BLOUSE BY SILK LAUNDRY, EARRINGS BY MEJURI AND NECKLACES BY DEUX LIONS
COMFORTS
with BKind’s astrological nail polish
at home in these super-stylish
collection. Pisces’ light seafoam hue is
nylon and foam slipper-like
sure to instill a sense of calm.
sandals, which can also make
BKIND NAIL POLISH IN PISCES
($16, BKIND.COM) the indoor-outdoor transition
once the snow melts.
Here are some of the SANDAL BAND SHOE, MOON BOOT
($275, MOONBOOT.COM)

things that editor-in-chief

JOANNA FOX thinks will bring
a little brightness, softness
and joy as we head into the
home stretch of winter.

There’s something so unbelievably

satisfying about finding the perfect
sweatshirt, and Canadian brand Kotn
As our desire for cozy candles has just the one. In heather grey or
wanes, Toronto brand Lohn’s black, this soft staple can be paired
Zima offering—which is with literally everything.
scented with bergamot and ESSENTIAL SWEATSHIRT, KOTN ($88,
black tea—is the perfect KOTN.COM)

olfactory segue into spring

thanks to a warm, comforting
aroma that is at the same
time fresh, bright and uplifting.
ZIMA CANDLE, LOHN ($46,
SHOPLOHN.COM)

Danish author Tove Ditlevsen’s

Copenhagen-based trilogy,
Working with artisans around the globe, Childhood, Youth, Dependency, hits
Vancouver-based Obakki is expanding its on all levels. Following one woman’s
skincare repertoire with a new line of products. life after the Second World War,
Among them is 100% Balanites, a facial oil that’s this absolutely engrossing tale is
extracted from the seeds of the African desert about fighting for freedom while
date tree’s fruit and known for its antibacterial searching for the truths of existence.
and anti-inflammatory properties. THE COPENHAGEN TRILOGY: CHILDHOOD,
OBAKKI FACIAL OIL 100% BALANITES YOUTH, DEPENDENCY BY TOVE
($38, OBAKKI.COM) DITLEVSEN ($39, INDIGO.CA)

20 ELLECANADA.COM
 FRONT ROW

March
What’s on the ELLE editors’ radar right now.
TEXT, VAL DESJARDINS, THÉO DUPUIS-CARBONNEAU, JOANNA FOX, ROBB JAMIESON, PATRICIA KAROUNOS, KATHERINE LALANCETTE & TRUC NGUYEN; SERIES I WHITE & BLUE FLOWER SHAPES (1919) BY GEORGIA O’KEEFFE, COURTESY OF THE GEORGIA O’KEEFFE MUSEUM, SANTA FE, N.M.

SERIES I WHITE & BLUE FLOWER SHAPES

(1919) BY GEORGIA O’KEEFFE

NATURAL INSTINCTS
Experience the full visual force of nature at the Montreal ability to create structural beauty and unique form—O’Keeffe
Museum of Fine Arts this season with its latest show, GEORGIA with her close-up paintings of bones and flowers and Moore
O’KEEFFE AND HENRY MOORE: GIANTS OF MODERN ART, with his sculptures of the human form, chiselled from rock and
running until June 2. The exhibition highlights the masterful sometimes even bone. Explore the world-renowned pieces
careers of American artist Georgia O’Keeffe and the U.K.’s alongside recreations of each artist’s studio, which include
Henry Moore, two of modern art’s most visionary talents. Both original furnishings and natural objects that inspired their work.
O’Keeffe and Moore focused on the natural world and its MBAM.QC.CA

ELLECANADA.COM 21
 WELL DONE
The buzziest place in downtown Toronto
right now might just be a grand three-
hectare mixed-use development called
THE WELL , which is expected to include
30,000 square metres of retail and food
space once everything is fully open. It’s
already home to an exclusive Indigo
concept store, Montreal chain Mandy’s
Gourmet Salads’ second T Dot spot and
a huge new Sweat and Tonic location—
featuring a saltwater lap pool, infrared
and traditional saunas, a personal
training studio and much more—and
we’re looking forward to the city’s first
Etiket beauty boutique and spa opening
there soon.THEWELLTORONTO.COM

Peace Out
We all know that when our mind is running a mile a minute and
we’re not getting enough shut-eye, it tends to show up on our
face. But it turns out that the damage might be worse than we
thought. According to research done by French skincare brand
CLARINS, stress and poor sleep trigger premature aging, leading
to issues like dullness, wrinkles and a lack of firmness. Luckily, the
brand’s newly reimagined Multi-Active range is designed to calm
both the skin and the psyche. “We really want to accompany the
skin in its behaviour, which is very different from day to night and
varies depending on our state of mind,” says Marie-Hélène Lair,
director of sustainable innovation at Clarins. To accomplish this,
niacinamide and sea holly get to work, smoothing and brightening
the complexion and reducing signs of fatigue, while delicate scents BIG BRUNETTE ENERGY
tested by neuroscientists help promote serenity. Studies showed that Tempted to try out the chocolate-brown-hair
the day cream, with its mood- trend spotted on the likes of Hailey Bieber and
boosting notes of bergamot Miley Cyrus? Look no further than CLAIROL’s new
and lily of the valley, lowered Nice’n Easy Pure Brunettes range, which, thanks
stress by 20 percent, while to a special chelating agent in its cutting-edge
the night cream, boasting a Detox+Pure Tone technology, nixes the mineral
soothing aroma of musk and particles found in our shower water that can build
cedarwood, improved sleep up on our strands over time. “Having a primer
quality by 41 percent. Here’s step that preps the hair for colouring makes a
to looking—and feeling!— huge difference in everything
more relaxed. from shine and dimension to
CLARINS MULTI-ACTIVE DAY CREAM
FOR ALL SKIN TYPES AND MULTI-
overall evenness,” says Carin
ACTIVE NIGHT CREAM FOR ALL SKIN
TYPES ($72 AND $78, CLARINS.CA)
Freidag, senior manager of
global retail hair education at
Clairol. Achieving your dream
hair colour in the comfort of your
home has never been easier.
NICE’N EASY PURE BRUNETTES PERMANENT HAIR
DYE ($18, SHOPPERSDRUGMART.CA)

22 ELLECANADA.COM
 FRONT ROW

Body of Work
Up to 44 percent of girls are likely to quit

KEYNOTE sports before age 14 due to low body

confidence, which is why DOVE and
A reimagining of TIFFANY NIKE teamed up to create the BODY
& CO.’s iconic 2009 Tiffany CONFIDENT SPORT coaching program.
Keys pendants, the Tiffany Equipping trainers, coaches and fitness
educators with the necessary framework
Woven Keys line takes the to better support their athletes, this
luxury jewellery house’s concept collaborative effort aims to shift girls’ focus
further with new designs of rings, from “What does my body look like?” to
earrings, bracelets and more. “What can my body enable me to do and
experience?” The Body Confident Sport
Each 18-karat-rose-gold piece is coaching tool also raises awareness about
set with diamonds and bears the the influence social media has on how girls
signature weave motif—there’s perceive appearances as well as its impact
no way anyone could ever forget on their lives. Beyond helping shape young
people’s self-image, sports teach essential
these beauties. Now available lessons about collaboration, leadership
to Canadians exclusively in and contributing to a collective mission.
Vancouver stores, the collection What they learn extends far beyond
will launch globally this March. athletics, and future generations will miss
WOVEN KEYS COLLECTION, TIFFANY & CO. (FROM $7,900, TIFFANY.CA) out if we fail to keep girls engaged in sports
in the years ahead. The self-confidence
and experience they gain are pivotal to
their success and opportunities as women,
which is why initiatives like this are so
important. BODYCONFIDENTSPORT.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF THE WELL, GETTY (MODEL) & DOVE AND NIKE (V. WILLIAMS)

VENUS WILLIAMS AT
THE DOVE AND NIKE
BODY CONFIDENT SPORT
COACHING PROGRAM
LAUNCH, NEW YORK CITY

ELLECANADA.COM 23
 Homegrown
Canadian fine-jewellery brand MEJURI recently
introduced a line of pieces made with 14-karat gold
and lab-grown diamonds. Available exclusively to
members of Mejuri+, the company’s new loyalty
program, the debut collection ranges in price from
$648 (for stud earrings) to $10,500 (for a tennis
necklace). Other notable Canadian brands focusing
on this space include COUPLE, a Toronto-based
jeweller that specializes in lab-grown diamonds,
and Montreal’s ECKSAND, a sustainability-minded
company that offers many designs with either
lab-grown or natural diamonds and only uses
100 percent recycled gold.
1. LAB GROWN DIAMOND TENNIS BRACELET, MEJURI (FROM $2,500, MEJURI.COM)
2. INTERLOCKING X’S THREE-DIAMOND RING, ECKSAND (FROM $2,090, ECKSAND.COM)
3. 1 CTW OVAL CUT DOME DIAMOND HUGGIE EARRINGS, COUPLE ($1,199, COUPLE.CO)

1.

2.
3.

SPY GAMES DONALD GLOVER AND

You know how it goes: Girl meets boy, they get to MAYA ERSKINE IN
MR. & MRS. SMITH
know each other and they fall in love and live happily
ever after. That’s not exactly the case with MR. &
MRS. SMITH , a new Prime Video series inspired by
the 2005 film. This eight-episode version stars Donald
Glover—who also co-created the show—and Maya
Erskine (PEN15) as two strangers who have cool new
jobs at a spy agency. When a mission requires them
to go undercover as a married couple, the pair have
to figure out how to work together in a high-stakes
environment while convincing everyone around
them that they’re very much in love—without, they
hope, catching real, just-as-risky feelings. PRIMEVIDEO.COM
PHOTOGRAPHY,

24 ELLECANADA.COM
 FRONT ROW

NEW FLAGSHIP
Anchored by a sculptural circular
staircase connecting the men’s and
women’s floors, LOUIS VUITTON’s
flagship boutique at the Fairmont Hotel
Vancouver boasts a stunning new look.
The redesigned store, now the brand’s
largest in Canada, displays custom works
from local and international artists, such
as Vancouver-based Scott Sueme and
Italian painter Isadora Capraro. You’ll
find select furniture and tableware items
alongside ready-to-wear collections
and more, with custom-engraving and
hot-stamping services available. There’s
even an on-site artisan who was specially
trained in Paris and can decorate your
Louis Vuitton trunks. LOUISVUITTON.COM

IN THE BUFF
What’s the perfect nude? That’s the
question Peter Philips set out to answer
when he started revamping the ROUGE
DIOR LIPSTICK range. “For a lot of people,
nude is a beige, which is not correct
worldwide,” says the creative and image
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF PRIME VIDEO (MR. & MRS. SMITH) & LOUIS VUITTON (VANCOUVER STORE)

director of Dior Makeup. That’s why the

brand conducted a study across three
continents, analyzing the natural lip
colour of more than 500 women. The
data collected has inspired a plethora of
gorgeous shades, ranging from a pink-
tinged café au lait all the way to a deep
ebony. The formula also got an upgrade
with natural-origin extracts of red peony,
hibiscus and pomegranate, which leave
lips soft and supple. “Renovating Rouge
Dior is always an exciting challenge,”
says Philips. “Because how can you top
an already excellent product?” Mission
accomplished, we say. DIOR ROUGE DIOR LIPSTICK ($65, DIOR.COM)

ELLECANADA.COM 25
 FIRE IT UP
Wonky handmade ceramics have been going strong
on social media since pandemic lockdowns, so it’s no
wonder this DIY art form has crafted its way into a CBC
competition series that partners with Canada’s favourite
funnyman and pottery enthusiast, Seth Rogen. THE GREAT
CANADIAN POTTERY THROW DOWN features Rogen
as executive producer and guest judge alongside host
Jennifer Robertson (Schitt’s Creek) and fellow judges
and professional ceramicists Brendan Tang and Natalie
Waddell. This creative rivalry gathers the country’s best
JENNIFER ROBERTSON AND
SETH ROGEN ON THE SET
potters for an all-out clay throw down, and only one
OF THE GREAT CANADIAN
POTTERY THROW DOWN
talented ceramicist will be crowned master of the wheel.
CBC.CA

ABOUT TIME
Royal de Versailles Jewellers, a
family-owned business, has opened a
210-square-metre ROLEX boutique in
Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.
The elegant new store, whose design
was partly inspired by Rolex’s Cyclops
lens and iconic Jubilee bracelet,
features a bold limestone exterior and
a cozy, luxurious interior. There’s
a thoughtfully curated selection of
timepieces and a private guest lounge Light Show
for those looking for a more intimate To create its newest range,
NIVEA put in 10 years of
shopping experience. ROYALDEVERSAILLES.COM
research and tested over
50,000 ingredients. Their
efforts were well worth it.
Introducing Luminous360, a

PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF CBC (J. ROBERTSON & S. ROGEN) & ROLEX CANADA (STORE INTERIOR)
line that banks on patented
ingredients to regulate
melanin production. The products not only work to
reduce the appearance of dark spots but also under-
eye circles. “The difference [between this and] what’s
already on the market is that we put a lot of effort into
understanding why something happens and then finding
the best solution,” explains Tanja Bussman, team leader
of scientific communication at Beiersdorf, Nivea’s parent
company. It’s a simple routine—comprising a serum, an
eye cream and a moisturizer—that yields brilliant results.
FROM $50 (NIVEA.CA)
 style

MICHAEL KORS
UNDERCOVER
CHLOÉ

HEAVY LIGHTNESS
The state of the world might feel impenetrably dark,
but the spring runways encourage us to look for the light.
By RANDI BERGMAN

THERE ARE TIMES when writing about fashion feels absolutely essential. What better
medium than the written word to convey the rush of self-expression? In many ways,
I’ve discovered myself through the interpretation of this form of wearable art. But then
there are times when it feels absurd. How could rising and falling hemlines compare to
the catastrophes currently playing out in many parts of the world? Between the ongoing
wars in Israel/Palestine, Ukraine and Sudan and the lagging economic, psychological
and emotional fallout of the pandemic, it seems we’ve gone from trauma to hardship
and back again since 2020, and there’s no end in sight. How could denim jackets numb
the pain currently being felt by so many? I confess that in times like these, my chosen
PHOTOGRAPHY, LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

line of work feels futile.

But fashion, like other artistic mediums, has always held the power to both portend
and respond to the very core of what we are feeling in a uniquely poignant way.
I’ve never felt so much and so deeply as I have this past year—anguish, debilitating
fear and joy have been playing on a loop in my head and my heart. Fittingly, this
panoply of emotions, encompassing the nuances of lightness, darkness and all that
lies in between, was mirrored by the looks presented on the spring/summer 2024
runways last fall.

ELLECANADA.COM 27
RICK OWENS
 STYLE

THIS SEASON, DESIGNERS MADE IT CLEAR THAT

HOLDING MULTIPLE TRUTHS AT THE SAME TIME
MIGHT BE THE ONLY WAY FORWARD RIGHT NOW.

Lightness—whether a gossamer ruffled gown at Dior, a Her “Tears” dress, which was designed in collaboration with
transparent white dress with swanlike hip padding at Alaïa Salvador Dalí in 1938, featured trompe l’oeil rips and tears that
or delicate layers at Palomo Spain—seemed to underscore were meant to give the illusion of torn animal flesh—a supposed
the desire for a soft armour in which to trudge forward. At comment on the rise of fascism. A year earlier, she’d made an
Prada, organza dresses featured wispy soaring layers that evening coat alongside Jean Cocteau that featured embroidered
trailed behind the models down the runway in a poetic effect profiles of two women facing each other. In the negative space,
that designers Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons referred to a vase of roses standing on a fluted column appeared—visual
as a “haze.” These dresses were part of the duo’s ode to trickery that begged us to see other perspectives.
handcraftsmanship—the kind you need to see in motion In the seasons following September 11, 2001, designers—
and preferably IRL. “We tried to make the best out of our many of whom had previously revelled in the glamour and
work—to make beautiful things for today,” said Prada back- excess of the turn of the millennium—often referenced the idea
stage. “That may sound banal, but it is the truth.” At Chloé, of protection, designing clothes that could provide comfort and
designer Gabriela Hearst celebrated her final collection for the defence against an uncertain future. “The industry responded
house with a joyous parade of models in soft floral appliqués much like the rest of the country—with anger, shock and bold
and ruffles dancing alongside a Brazilian samba band. All strokes of patriotism,” wrote fashion columnist Robin Givhan
this to say: There’s more to life beyond the binaries of right in an article for The Washington Post in 2002. Of the fall/winter
and wrong that play out on our screens. 2002/2003 season, she wrote: “There was a greater awareness
Meanwhile, black—not traditionally a spring colour—was of how even the most modest examples of frivolity might be
seen in similarly gauzy, gravity-defying layers at Saint Laurent, perceived in a world racked by grief and fear. [...] Solidity holds
Michael Kors and Mugler, where suspended industrial fans the most allure.” Marc Jacobs, whose previous collection had
transformed the runway into a theatrical wind tunnel for the been shown the night before 9/11, replaced the colour and
dresses to float in. You could say that such an absence of colour exuberance of his spring collection with a restrained, melan-
reflects the darkness of our times, but done up in such ethereal cholic ode to Edwardian military style. And Ralph Lauren
fashion, it felt like designers were holding space for optimism, no presented an almost-all-black collection of solemnly elegant
matter how heavy the circumstances. At Undercover, designer tailored pieces and eveningwear.
Jun Takahashi ended his show with a series of transparent tulle This season, designers made it clear that holding multiple
dresses that revealed glowing terrariums housing real flowers truths at the same time might be the only way forward right
and live butterflies. “He feels like he’s stuck in the world, and now. And perhaps no one summarized that better than fashion’s
he wants to release himself,” said an interpreter backstage. The dark prince, Rick Owens, who infused his typically macabre
show was soundtracked by the score of 1987 Wim Wenders looks with flashes of joy. With Diana Ross singing “I still believe
PHOTOGRAPHY, LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

film Wings of Desire, in which a group of invisible angels try to in love” on the soundtrack and rose petals shooting into the
comfort a group of sad humans. Such a fantasy would certainly air, models walked in tulle and organza skirts that looked to
be welcome now. be suspended in mid-air, capes that billowed like parachutes
Historically, times of conflict have been reflected in the fashion and sheer veils that belied a sense of romance despite their
of the day. During and after the Second World War, surreal- shielding. It was a message of beauty, hope and love—some-
ism emerged as a mode of self-expression, and designer Elsa thing we could all use these days. And while it feels nothing
Schiaparelli famously created alternative realities through artistic short of naive to wish for such things at this moment in time,
collaborations that served both as commentary and distraction. if Owens can do it, so can we all.

ELLECANADA.COM 29
 RW&CO. ($100, RW-CO.COM) RODEBJER ($639, RODEBJER.COM) POSSE
($473, MATCHESFASHION.COM)

LOEWE

HIGH
NOTE
The new trouser
is drapey, chic and
ultra-haute.
ROTATE ($303, REITMANS ($70, REITMANS.COM) EVERLANE ($178, EVERLANE.COM)
ROTATEBIRGERCHRISTENSEN.COM)

STYLING, MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN; PHOTOGRAPHY, LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT (RUNWAY)

UNIQLO ($60, UNIQLO.COM) VERONICA BEARD BANANA REPUBLIC ($120, KOTN ($225, KOTN.COM)
($498, VERONICABEARD.CA) BANANAREPUBLIC.GAPCANADA.CA)

30 ELLECANADA.COM
 STYLE

1. 2.
2.
1.

3.

3.

2
1
4.

4.

1. BALLERINA FLATS, MAGUIRE 5.

($200, MAGUIRESHOES.COM).
2. TOP, SANDRO ($305,
CA.SANDRO-PARIS.COM). 1. SHIRT, BA&SH ($230, BA-SH.COM).
3. BLAZER, MANGO ($160, 2. HAT, C’EST BEAU ($34, 5.
MANGO.COM). 4. WESTMAN CESTBEAU.CO). 3. TRENCH, MUJI
ATELIER BABY CHEEKS MINI ($120, MUJI.CA). 4. EARRINGS,
CHEEK AND LIP CREAM IN PETAL SIMONS ($25, SIMONS.CA).
($35, SEPHORA.CA). 5. PURSE, 5. LOAFERS, LA CANADIENNE
ELLEME ($628, ELLEME.COM). ($450, LACANADIENNESHOES.COM).

1. 1.

2.

4
2.

3. TROUSERS, BABATON ($148, ARITZIA.COM)

4. 3.

4. KEY
PIECE
High-waisted

3
trousers four ways.
STYLING, MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN

5.
5.

1. TOP, SELF-PORTRAIT ($611, SELF-

1. T-SHIRT, CLUB MONACO ($40, PORTRAIT.COM). 2. BAG, AI ($165, AI-CO.CA). 6.
CLUBMONACO.CA). 2. SUNGLASSES, LE 3. EARRINGS, EVER & IVY ($325,
SPECS ($95, LESPECS.COM). 3. JACKET, EVERANDIVY.CA). 4. JACKET, MAJE ($510,
SÉZANE ($190, SEZANE.COM). 4. SHOES, CA.MAJE.COM). 5. SHOES, ALDO ($120,
ADIDAS ($130, LITTLEBURGUNDYSHOES.COM). ALDOSHOES.COM). 6. BELT, POPPY BARLEY
5. BAG, GANNI ($194, GANNI.COM). ($115, POPPYBARLEY.COM).

ELLECANADA.COM 31
 DEUX
LIONS
Putting Montreal-made luxury
jewellery on the map.
By ERICA NGAO

CHARLOTTE PICHÉ’S MOVE INTO JEWELLERY was driven by

a desire to create something that is truly inclusive. “I always
loved fashion as a form of individuality and self-expression,”
she says. “But I hated the industry and everything it stood for.
Jewellery in itself is a loophole [in that] it works for people of all
ages, shapes, sizes and genders.” After studying metalsmithing
in Brooklyn, Piché returned home to Montreal to start up her
own brand in 2014. The name “Deux Lions” is an homage to
her brothers (“my two pillars of strength”), so it was only natural
that her younger brother, Alex, came on board a few years later
to launch a men’s collection and complete the family business.
Today, the sibling duo work in tandem as designers and
entrepreneurs in their Plateau Mont-Royal studio, where they
host appointments for custom orders over wine and orchestrate all
of the handcrafted production with artisans in the city. Heavily
influenced by organic textures and distorted shapes (think dimpled
keshi pearls or the asymmetry of ancient Roman coins), their
jewellery is purposely designed to spotlight so-called flaws. “Even
beyond the fact that I find them visually beautiful, [highlighting CARAT COMMITMENT
them] promotes the idea that imperfections are what make us “We shouldn’t change our lifestyle just to accommodate this fra-
unique and perfect just the way we are,” says Piché. “It moves gile [engagement ring]. That doesn’t mesh well with the modern
away from the unattainable ideals and beauty standards that woman. I’m not saying a big princess-cut diamond on a gold
are not healthy or inspiring to me at all.” Piché also performs band isn’t the way to go, because that’s really fun and we can do
as one-half of the band pijama land with her partner (and Deux that too. But it’s not for everyone, and I want to crack that whole
Lions photographer), Evan Tetreault, and credits this outlet—and stigma open. This is a piece of jewellery you’re going to be wear-
its retro-inspired sound and dreamy aesthetic—with helping her ing for the rest of your life, so don’t settle.” – Charlotte
build the visual and emotional world of the brand.
HOMEGROWN LUXURY
As Deux Lions marks its 10th anniversary, it’s expanding
“Our definition of luxury is not necessarily more expensive; [it’s
its offerings with a bridal collection. Piché, who got engaged to
about] having better quality overall. For us, being able to keep pro-
Tetreault last year, wants to set the brand apart as an alternative
duction local in Montreal—to know that we have everything we
PHOTOGRAPHY, EVAN TETREAULT (C. & A. PICHÉ) & SYLVAIN GRANIER (JEWELLERY)

option for those seeking less traditional

need here to make the type of jewellery we want to make, offer
rings. “It’s as if someone wrote these
that boutique experience to our clientele and share our designs
rules many years ago and everyone
with the world—is a big source of pride. We want to keep growing
thinks they have to follow them,” she
the company at a natural pace, but we also want to make big
says. “But there are no rules—what’s
strides and go get those opportunities.” – Alex
important is [having] the ability to
make [the rings] really special and GATEWAY GEM
exactly what you’re dreaming of.” “At the end of the day, a really good product is something that
For her, that experience begins with does more than just live in the physical world—it becomes a part
making clients feel like they’re in the of you. With all the visuals we create for the jewellery, I’m thinking
best hands. “We want you to feel good of this whole world that goes around the woman who’s wearing
about the fact that you’re working with the item. It’s a nostalgic, dreamy view where we’re romanticiz-
a local brand [that uses] high-quality ing and offering escapism. Then when you’re back in reality, you
CHARLOTTE
AND ALEX PICHÉ
metals that are going to last forever— have this token around your neck to remind you of the magic in
and that goes beyond bridal.” how it all interconnects.” – Charlotte

32 ELLECANADA.COM
 STYLE
VEST, FOR LOVE & LEMONS
($195, FORLOVEANDLEMONS.COM)
SCARF, FARM RIO ($200, FARFETCH.COM)

BRA, LE PETIT
TROU ($161,
LE-PETIT-TROU.COM)

EARRINGS,
NOÉMIAH ($52,
NOEMIAH.COM)

BUCKET HAT, SENSI

STUDIO ($237,
SENSISTUDIO.COM)

BAG, ATP
ATELIER ($795,
ATPATELIER.COM)

PANTS,
MARIGOLD ($169,
MARIGOLDMTL.COM)

IN BLOOM
Amp up your flower power
with statement pieces
and accessories.
STYLING, MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN; PHOTOGRAPHY, LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT (RUNWAY)

HAIR CLIP,
JENNIFER BEHR ($390,
JENNIFERBEHR.COM)
BALMAIN

SANDALS, TONY BIANCO ($243, TONYBIANCO.COM) DRESS, FARM RIO ($375, FARMRIO.COM)

ELLECANADA.COM 33
 The
PHILO EFFECTThe creative world of British fashion designer
PHOEBE PHILO is filled with fervour—and controversy.

By MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN

AFTER A NEARLY-SIX-YEAR HIATUS and despite almost legendary It took only five hours to sell out half the items, including
levels of privacy, Phoebe Philo has once again found herself in a hand-knit dress with iridescent sequins going for about
the spotlight. In September 2023, the former Celine designer $26,000. Within a mere eight minutes, every single $6,000
announced the October drop of her eponymous label. The sterling-silver MUM necklace had been sold. The world of
occasion didn’t call for pomp and circumstance, though; nor luxury has always been built on a foundation of exclusivity,
was a runway presentation in order. Besides, the spring/summer but such eye-popping price tags—an unusually risky choice
2024 fashion shows had ended three weeks prior, meaning the for a new brand—came as a shock, even to Philo diehards.
glitterati would have to settle for a subdued—and open to the Their surprise, however, quickly yielded to fervour. Since
public—setting in which to view and purchase her first anthol- Philo’s 2017 exit from Celine, legions of fans—self-styled
ogy collection, or “edition” in Philo terminology: the internet. “Philophiles”—have been chomping at the bit, awaiting
Launched on phoebephilo.com, the rather succinctly the return of the designer’s effortless elegance and signature
titled A1 edition comprised 116 garments and accessories. minimalist style.

34 ELLECANADA.COM
 STYLE

CHLOÉ YEARS
Philo was born in 1973 to British parents in the suburbs of Paris
and later went to the prestigious London fashion school Central
Saint Martins. In 1997, a year after she graduated, she joined
French luxury-fashion house Chloé as an assistant to Stella
McCartney, who had just been named creative director. After
McCartney’s 2001 departure, Philo took over and immediately
put her own stylistic mark on the brand. Falling somewhere
between confident femininity and natural assertiveness, her
pieces brought a modern, sleek, bohemian breath of fresh air
to Chloé. Sales went through the roof, and Philo was named
Designer of the Year at the 2004 British Fashion Awards. A year
later, she debuted the Paddington—her first It bag—heralding
many more much-loved accessories thanks to her innate ability
to know what women want before they want it.
Success naturally followed, but the designer had her sights
set elsewhere; pregnant with her first child in 2005, Philo
chose to take maternity leave. In a male-dominated industry
that values a constant and frantic output to keep up with new
trends, such a career move was almost unheard of. The world
of fashion didn’t stop spinning without her, but Philo had other
priorities, and after a year-long break, the creative director quit
Chloé to dedicate more energy to her family. Many people in
her shoes would have feared oblivion and being replaced by yet
another male creative director, but Philo—the embodiment of
the liberated woman she unleashed on her runways—operated
on her own frequency.
PHOTOGRAPHY, GETTY

ELLECANADA.COM 35
CELINE ERA
Prior to Philo’s arrival, Celine was in a tough spot, struggling to regain its footing
after Michael Kors’ 2004 departure. Fortunately, Bernard Arnault, the boss of
its parent company, LVMH, had a fabulous idea: hire Philo. She accepted but,
having recently given birth to her second child, only on the condition that she
could work out of London instead of Paris so she could stay close to her family.
Named Celine’s creative director in 2008, Philo launched a new collection in
June 2009 and held her first runway show for the spring/summer 2010 season.
The mood was minimalist, bold and focused, with impeccably proportioned
garments that tapped into a subtler colour palette, mirroring the designer’s own
journey from Chloé’s bohemian party girl to a grown-up, strong, sophisticated
woman. The reception was nothing short of glowing.
Seasons came and went, but the tone was set: The avant-garde pieces crafted by
the designer were meant not merely to seduce but to fully inhabit daily life—and
shake up the status quo. Philo’s Celine style was anti-logo and anti-trend but also
in conversation with the zeitgeist, drawing in crowds like a fashion-forward bea-
con. The designer had carved out an enviable position for herself; she continued
launching a plethora of It bags—the Classic, the Luggage, the Trapeze—and
increased brand sales fivefold between 2008 and 2018. Everything Philo touched
PHOTOGRAPHY, GETTY & LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

turned to gold, elevating her to a new industry status.

Then, after she had spent 10 years at the top, news of her departure sent shock
waves through the fashion world. Distressed Philophiles said their au revoirs in stores,
desperately trying to get their hands on the final pieces of the Philo era. At Celine,
she had categorically refused to do any interviews, so all that was left was the
@oldceline Instagram handle, which longingly reviewed the artist’s most iconic
creations, while brands like The Row, Khaite and Victoria Beckham attempted
to fill the minimalist void. Her proteges—namely, Daniel Lee (of Bottega Veneta
and, later, Burberry), Peter Do (Helmut Lang) and Rok Hwang (Rokh)—gained
in prominence but still could not seem to fill her imposing shoes.
 STYLE

A FRESH START
Philo’s silence, however, didn’t last forever. In 2021, she announced her return
and the launch of an eponymous brand of clothing and accessories. Where other
designers might feel compelled to act on the buzz right after a news drop, Philo
took a beat—two years, to be exact—but the results were worth the wait. Her
new label (of which LVMH is a minority owner) doesn’t eschew the aesthetic
that first rocketed the designer to cult status—in fact, quite the contrary. Philo
fully owns and builds on it. The Philo signature is totally present—notably in her
impeccably cut pants, which hit all the right places—yet nothing feels rehashed.
At first glance, the collection is a smash hit. However, there are cracks in Philo’s
can-do-no-wrong image. There are, of course, the sky-high price tags, which
took everyone by surprise, but accusations of racism are what really took centre
stage. The fashion industry has a nasty habit of forgiving and forgetting when it
comes to stars like John Galliano and Dolce & Gabbana, but the guardians of
the web have an elephantine memory.
While at Celine, Philo didn’t feature a single Black model on the runway
until Iman—model, co-founder of the Diversity Coalition and wife of David
Bowie—called her out on her flagrant lack of diversity in 2013. Privately, Philo
was quoted as asking whether she would be “forced” to use Black models. At
Celine, however, it seemed that the message had been received, and as of spring/
summer 2014, the monolithic whiteness was toned down for a tepid, seemingly
contrived heterogeneity.
Today, Philo’s model muse, Daria Werbowy (who’s Canadian), is back, and it
seems the designer has recalled Iman’s input, as she’s employing more inclusive
casting practices. Yet on X (formerly Twitter), stylist and Vogue fashion writer
Gabrielle Karefa Johnson made an oh-so-pertinent statement: “Imagine launching
a brand in 2023 without embracing size diversity.” Philo’s garments—displayed
exclusively on svelte models—go up to L or maybe XL, like so many other
luxury labels. For an avant-garde designer who enjoys the privileged position
of making and breaking the rules, Philo’s flagrant disregard for body diversity
could eventually relegate her to has-been territory. Only time—and the spring/
summer 2024 A2 edition—will tell.
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF PHOEBE PHILO

ELLECANADA.COM 37
SUPERNATURALS MODEL ALEEN SPARROW
WEARING DEBRA AND ALEEN SPARROW
AT VANCOUVER INDIGENOUS FASHION WEEK
 STYLE

SUPER MODEL The first all-Indigenous modelling agency’s

ethos is making the fashion world take note.
By KELLY BOUTSALIS

IT’S EARLY OCTOBER, and Vancouver-based entrepreneur Joleen other fields. “We’re at this really fascinating starting point of our
Mitton is juggling planning the fourth edition of Vancouver business where we’ve launched without having any intention of
Indigenous Fashion Week (VIFW) and managing the world’s building a big agency,” adds Shannon. “We created something
first Indigenous-owned modelling agency, Supernaturals to support the people we really care about, and it just blew up
Modelling. Between programming a slate of Indigenous design- bigger than we could have ever imagined.”
ers—like Himikalas Pam Baker and Patricia Michaels—and Supernaturals launched to a groundswell of attention, and
overseeing the construction of the set for the event, as VIFW’s within the first month, it received more than 500 applications.
founder and artistic director, Mitton is supporting a lineup of It now has a roster of 30 models and is beginning to expand
models who will likely walk in the shows. beyond the West Coast and into the Toronto area. The growth
Over brunch one day in late 2020, while discussing frustra- has been incredible, but money has never been a priority. “We
tions about the lack of advocates for Indigenous talent in the come from a place where wealth [is from] your culture,” says
fashion space, Mitton, who is Cree, and her filmmaker friend Shannon. “If you hoard wealth, that is frowned upon because
Patrick Shannon, who is Haida, had decided that since a model- [as] potlatch people, our respect is derived from how much we
ling agency that prioritized the culture and history of Indigenous give to others and how much we uplift.”
people didn’t exist, they’d make
their own. Supernaturals Modelling SUPERNATURALS FOUNDERS JOLEEN MITTON
agency began in earnest in May (LEFT) AND PATRICK SHANNON (RIGHT)
WITH MODEL ALICIA HANTON (CENTRE)
2021 with a roster of eight models
and an aim to nurture talent in
a culturally safe way. “Honestly,
I didn’t want to start an agency,”
says Mitton. But having been on
the other side of it as a model—
appearing in campaigns for brands
like Kenzo, Clinique and Vivienne
Westwood—she wanted to create a
safe space for Indigenous models to
flourish, both in the fashion world
and beyond. “We’re trying to offer
PHOTOGRAPHY, ALANA PATERSON

these models protection from people

who don’t understand their worth.”
A big part of Supernaturals’
purpose is to prepare these models
for the industry and at the same time
encourage them to have careers in

ELLECANADA.COM 39
 The ethos of the company is something that Sage Paul, the
founding executive and artistic director of the Toronto-based
Indigenous Fashion Arts festival, greatly appreciates. “They
have the kind of approach where they are helping mould really
solid young Indigenous women, and that’s very important
to me,” says Paul, who is Dene. “I was happy when I saw
Supernaturals coming out because we want to see Indigenous
women [both] flourishing and being successful.”
Supernaturals is also an unorthodox agency, asking clients
to sign agreements that outline how they are to work with
Indigenous talent: with a foundation of respect and a commit-
ment to putting the models first. Mitton also says that she has
said no many times to clients that didn’t fit their world view
despite their being large companies that would create plenty of
work. And the criteria for the agency’s modelling roster aren’t
what one would expect. “We don’t necessarily want people
who 100 percent just want to be models,” says Shannon. “In SUPERNATURALS
MODEL ALICIA
fact, we prefer if you have other dreams and passions and this HANTON WEARING
JENNIFER YOUNGER
AT VANCOUVER
can be a part of building up your confidence.” INDIGENOUS
FASHION WEEK
The models call Shannon and Mitton “uncle” and “auntie,”
and they all gather for feasts, like a family. Supernaturals model
and chef Alicia Hanton, who is Cree and from Athabasca
“It’s about making sure that everyone feels cared for and no
Chipewyan First Nation, can vouch for the safe environment
one feels like they’re going to be punished or fired if their body
that Mitton and Shannon have created, saying that people
fluctuates, because we’re humans and [because] we don’t want
check in on one another, give one another rides home, talk
to subscribe to that Eurocentric way of going about things,”
through hard times or smudge (the practice of lighting sacred
says Shannon. “We’ve had models who were fired from their
medicines like cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco and cleansing
agencies because they refused to cut their hair, [but] in many
someone or something with the smoke) one another. “One way
of their cultures hair is sacred.”
[they’ve] prepared us is [by showing us that] if we’re alone—not
As with many of the Supernaturals models, Aleen Sparrow,
working with other Supernaturals—we are still being taken
who is Coast Salish and from the Musqueam reserve, knew
care of because a precedent has been set,” says Hanton.
Mitton before the agency’s creation. Sparrow, who works in
a law firm, was courted by Mitton to walk at one of the early
editions of VIFW. “I turned 37 recently,” says Sparrow. “I’m
getting a little bit older, especially for the modelling field,
and I’m noticing changes in my face and body. I’ve talked to
Jo a few times [about having] my last shoot or my last year
The models call at [VIFW] to open more space for upcoming models, and
Shannon and Mitton she tells me: ‘We need representation for every age—we’re

“uncle” and “auntie,” trying to change the narrative. We want people who are
older, people who have thicker waistlines and people of all
and they all gather for skin colours.’”
feasts, like a family. Despite flirting with the idea of leaving Supernaturals,
PHOTOGRAPHY, ALANA PATERSON

Sparrow recently did a shoot for the VIFW website at the

Fraser River in Musqueam. “Joleen and Patrick are this power
couple when it comes to business,” she says. “They have a way
of making you feel spiritually powerful. It’s not just about the
looks—[it’s about how] they make you feel inside. So, yeah,
I’ve decided to stay.”

40 ELLECANADA.COM
THE MUCH ANTICIPATED COOKBOOK
FROM ONE OF MONTREAL'S MOST
ICONIC RESTAURANTS

IN
BO K
O S
T R
O E
NOW!
 STYLE

UNDER
WRAPS
Fashion designer DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
pays homage to 50 years of her iconic wrap-dress
with a new tribute collection.
By WENDY KAUR

DIANE VON FURSTENBERG CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S BEEN FIVE DECADES since she launched
the design that would not only come to define her career but also become a sartorial
symbol for feminism: the wrap-dress. “It’s crazy because I started [my career] really
young—in my 20s,” she says. “I had achieved everything by the time I was 28, so I
was certain that I was going to die very young because I had already done so much.
Instead, I’ve made it to 76.”
It’s late October, and von Furstenberg is at her country home in Connecticut. Reached
via Zoom, she looks cozy-chic in a black turtleneck and cat-eye glasses, her signature
wavy auburn hair framing her face. The acclaimed Belgian-American designer is
currently in a phase of celebrating the past while also looking toward the future. Her
just-released spring/summer 2024 collection—entitled Wrap 50—pays tribute to
the original design. “The [dress’] Italian fabric was originally a cotton-rayon jersey,
but for the past 25 years, it has been [made from] 100 percent silk jersey,” she says.
Back in the late 1960s, when von Furstenberg—then Diane Halfin—left the
University of Geneva (where she had studied economics), she knew she wanted to be
a woman who was in charge of her life but had no idea what that might look like. “I
knew the feeling [I wanted], but I didn’t know how I would get to that feeling,” she
says. Her first job was working for an agent in Paris who represented the best fashion
photographers of the time, including David Bailey and Jeanloup Sieff. “I was his
assistant, and I didn’t really do much except answer the phone and tell everyone he
wasn’t there. I was interested in fashion, but I didn’t know how to get into fashion.”
While she was on holiday in Capri, a chance encounter with scarf printer Angelo
Ferretti—who made scarves for designers such as Emilio Pucci and Valentino—gave
her the entry she needed. “He said that if I was interested in fashion, I should see
PHOTOGRAPHY, MIREILLE ROOBAERT

his scarf-printing business in Como.” So von Furstenberg made the move to Como,
Italy, and she watched and learned. She also worked with a colourist, mixing and
developing the colour palettes for the fabrics. “At that time, if you were a colourist
in Italy, that meant your father was also a colourist, as was your grandfather and so
on,” she explains. “So it was truly an inherent craft.” The apprenticeship allowed
von Furstenberg to learn how to make illustrations, and she consumed everything
she could about the art of printing.

ELLECANADA.COM 43
 In order to expand his business, Ferretti bought an abandoned stocking factory
next door. (The recent pantyhose rage had made stockings go out of style.) When they
walked into the building, they saw a myriad of knitting machines but had no idea what
to do with them, so Ferretti started exploring how he could use these new tools. “He
called yarn manufacturers—like DuPont—and said he wanted to try using a thicker
yarn,” says von Furstenberg. “That’s how the [original] jersey fabric was invented.”
Bearing witness to all of this, von Furstenberg came up with the idea of printing on
the newly born material. “I started to think about what we could do with the printed
jersey fabric,” she says. Ideas—such as T-shirt dresses and polo-shirt dresses—started
to form, but they didn’t seem quite right. “[Still], something was incubating.”
In January 1969, von Furstenberg flew to New York for her birthday and to visit
her boyfriend—who also happened to be Prince Edouard Egon von Fürstenberg, a
descendant of the former German royal family of the same name. When she arrived,
she immediately fell in love with America. “It was a world that was so different from
Europe,” she remembers. “It just seemed so exciting. Because [New York] was dirty and
dangerous, it was cheap.” And
because it was cheap, the city
attracted all kinds of artists.
Egon’s social status garnered
him a host of invitations, and
von Furstenberg found herself
in the company of creatives
like Andy Warhol and Robert
Rauschenberg. She also met
young designers like Stephen
Burrows, Giorgio di Sant’Angelo
and Halston. “It was an exciting
time,” she muses.
It was also an education.
Von Furstenberg discovered
a fashion aesthetic that was so
different from what she was
familiar with in Europe. A
month later, on the plane ride VON FURSTENBERG
IN A DEPARTMENT
home, she started thinking STORE IN THE 1970S

about what she could create

and then bring back to the U.S.
“When I arrived at the factory
in Como, I saw the jersey fabric and [realized] it was an opportunity,” she says. From
there, things started to move quickly—in her personal life as well. By October 1969,
von Furstenberg was married, pregnant and back in New York with a suitcase full
of dresses. During her first two years there, she worked out of her and her husband’s
apartment and came up with a little wrap-top, matching skirt and matching pants.
The ensemble morphed into a singular dress. “That’s how it began,” she says. “The “It made me
first versions had a snake print and a leopard print.” famous. It made
A meeting with Vogue editor Diana Vreeland in 1970 proved to be a critical
turning point. The connection had been made through designers Bill Blass and
me free, but it gave
Oscar de la Renta. By this time pregnant with her second child, von Furstenberg other women the
emptied her suitcase full of dresses in Vreeland’s office. She couldn’t believe where feeling of freedom
she was. “I felt like I was in Ali Baba’s castle,” she says with a laugh. “There were
clothes and jewellery everywhere.” Vreeland strode in, sporting red lips and nails,
as well—an
a large cigarette holder between her fingers. She took hold of von Furstenberg’s face amazing dialogue
and commanded, “Chin up!” The editor had two young models with her: one was was created from
Pat Cleveland, and the other was Loulou de la Falaise, who would go on to become
the muse of Yves Saint Laurent. “They tried on the clothes, and Diana was saying,
it. It was magical.”
‘Wonderful, wonderful!’” she recalls. “Before I knew it, I was being thrown out of
the office. I packed my clothes back into the suitcase, not knowing what had just
happened to me.” Vreeland’s assistant instructed von Furstenberg to put herself on
the fashion calendar and place an ad in Women’s Wear Daily.

44 ELLECANADA.COM
 STYLE

VON FURSTENBERG
IN A WRAP-DRESS
FEATURING MIMMO
FERRETTI’S BUFFALO
PRINT IN THE 1970S

A LETTER FROM DIANA

VREELAND AFTER FIRST
MEETING VON FURSTENBERG
AT VOGUE IN 1970

As her marriage to Egon unravelled (they separated in 1972 and eventually

divorced in 1983), von Furstenberg was forging a new identity for herself in the fash-
ion world. The wrap-dress was showcased to buyers in 1973 and available on shop
floors the following year. The women’s liberation movement was a fitting backdrop
to the wrap-dress’ rapid rise as women identified with the freedom the free-flowing
designs represented. They also loved the combination of elegance and practicality.
“Women loved the quality of the fabric and the fact that it didn’t wrinkle,” says von
Furstenberg. Thanks to her expertise in printing, her patterns boasted a unique
movement. “Whether it [had a print of] a snake or a fish, or even something like tree
bark, my dress moulded itself to a woman’s body and the print flowed all around her.”
In March 1976, the dress—worn by none other than von Furstenberg herself—
made its way to the cover of Newsweek and was lauded as a symbol of feminism. In
the accompanying article, the designer was hailed as the “most marketable woman
since Coco Chanel.” By the end of the year, a whopping one million had been sold
in major department stores like Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s.
Half a century later—and after three wrap-dresses joined the permanent collec-
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF THE DIANE VON FURSTENBERG ARCHIVES

tion in the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute—the original designs

aren’t far from von Furstenberg’s mind. For the Wrap 50 collection, 10 styles bring
back the python print—a personal DVF favourite. The remaining seven prints are
variations of a black-and-white crossword-puzzle print, inspired by the time her
name was the answer to a clue in The New York Times. But the wrap-dress doesn’t
hog the spotlight—the commemorative line offers jumpsuits and separates as well.
Von Furstenberg likes to say that she didn’t make the wrap-dress but that it made
her. “It brought me confidence, it brought me money and my career went up, up, up,”
she says. “It made me famous. It made me free, but it gave other women the feeling
of freedom as well—an amazing dialogue was created from it. It was magical.” But
what is even more astounding to her is that the dress still lives on. “We invent a new
wrap-dress every 20 years, and it’s the young women who discover it all over again,”
she says. “That, I think, is the most incredible thing of all.”

ELLECANADA.COM 45
 SERENITY
LOL
It’s part mindfulness exercise
and part extreme sport: why
some women are turning to
comedy as a hobby.
By EVE THOMAS

A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BAR. She takes to the stage and tells “Once you get over that initial shock, it’s euphoric,” says
a few jokes. Some bomb; some get laughs. Then she heads Kelly with a wide grin. And that’s the feeling she’s been chasing
home, falls asleep and goes to work the next morning—only in her free time ever since. “I’m pretty opinionated, but this is
to do it all again a few months later. a place where I can take up the whole room and it won’t be,
Would she call herself a comedian? Not necessarily. She isn’t ‘Oh, Nicolette’s being so loud!’” So now, even though she lives
there to schmooze or get an agent. She’s not even out to smash in a town with one bar—far from the spotlight—she listens to
the proverbial old boys’ network. (Although it doesn’t hurt to favourites like Ali Wong and Tig Notaro (who once called her
try.) She’s kind of just happy doing comedy as a hobby, like comedy career “a secret want”) while she draws, deconstructing
yoga or jogging or pottery. Comedy is an activity that can offer jokes as one might a classic novel or a painting. And though
her benefits no other pastime can: improved communication she’s often the only woman at whatever open-mike night she
skills, a pathway to mindfulness, a safe space to practise failing finds herself at, when it comes to trying out comedy just for
and a little thrill on the weekends. the thrill of it, she’s not alone.
“To actually become successful [in comedy requires] an “The majority of our students are not pursuing a career in
enormous amount of work—it’s almost an esoteric art form,” comedy,” says Julie Dumais Osborne, vice president of train-
says Nicolette Kelly. “I mean, I can’t even do accents!” Kelly ing centers at the world-famous Second City comedy school.
is an architectural draftsperson and writer currently based in Its various locations have turned out a dizzying mix of A-list
the Northwest Territories, and she thinks she’s done stand-up comedians—Catherine O’Hara, Nia Vardalos, Tina Fey,
more than 50 times while travelling across Canada and Amber Ruffin—but the school also tailors courses to people
California. She tried it for the first time in 2021 in PEI after with anxiety and autism as well as to teens and seniors, and it
being encouraged by a Tinder date who found her funny and runs professional-development programs for corporate clients.
happened to be hosting an upcoming show at a local bar. It “It can help teams break old patterns and practise active listen-
was a particularly tender time in her life—a relationship had ing,” explains Osborne. “We’re all so guarded—we grow up
recently ended and she’d lost her apartment and possessions to not wanting to look silly. But failing isn’t the end of the world,
PHOTOGRAPHY, GETTY

a scammer—but she figured the stakes were low, even though [whether] in class or during a work presentation.”
she knew the bartender from middle school. She did a little prep It turns out that Second City—and comedy as we know
work, got onstage and ended up winning over the crowd with it—wouldn’t exist without one woman: Viola Spolin. A social
what she calls “self-deprecating feminist situational humour.” worker and author, she first taught “theatre games” to children

46 ELLECANADA.COM
 CULTURE

and recent immigrants during the 1940s in Chicago. She During the early days of the pandemic, while other people
went on to train generations of actors in her radical drama were baking sourdough and training for marathons, Parker
techniques, eventually becoming known as the “mother of Finley started posting skits on TikTok, poking fun at life in
improv” and teaching at the first Second City, which was Montreal but also touching on themes that resonated around the
co-founded by her son. world with sketches like “Mean coat check girl” and “Eccentric
Osborne notes that at their core, Spolin’s techniques gender workshop facilitator.” At the same time, she was finding
are all about fostering senses of play, communication and more mainstream, tangible success in the music world, doing
empowerment. Similarly, she compares comedy to mindful- a residency with the PHI Centre and making dreamy, serious
ness, something that requires a high level of presence, whether tracks, including “Icarus” and “Anthem for a Burnt Out Girl.”
you’re working with scene partners or sensing the energy in an When she got transphobic haters in the online comments,
audience. It may also be why so many of her observations about she turned their words into a viral sensation called “Troll
improv sound like daily affirmations: “In the mistakes, there Songs,” which hit a sweet spot between catchy and comedic.
are gifts,” “It teaches you to fail joyfully,” “Your voice is worth She also hosts a show for CBC Music called Ten Minute Topline,
being heard.” Comedy is also a space where, adds Osborne, in which she has guests make up songs based on a theme and a
aging and life experience are priceless when it comes to actual genre—think a “desert sun country” tune about polyamory with
innovation, as is diversity. “Our classes and comedy don’t look indie-pop singer Emilie Kahn and a Eurodance track about
like they did 20 years ago, and I hope that keeps changing.” homework with Polaris Music Prize winner Jeremy Dutcher.
Under-represented voices and genre-defying acts take centre Parker Finley grew up in a tiny Ontario town (population:
stage at Toronto’s monthly Chopped Liver comedy night, which 3,000), watching Monty Python and Mr. Bean, though she says
is co-hosted by performance artist Esther Splett. The promos she’s now more into Bo Burnham and Poog podcast co-hosts
look a bit like posters for ’90s underground music shows, and Kate Berlant and Jacqueline Novak, who’ve all managed to use
performers on any night might do anything from a queer puppet social media to deconstruct and reimagine comedy. Because she
show to a song about addiction. In one clip, local filmmaker got into the scene so recently—and almost entirely online—she
Bita Joudaki deadpans: “I’m terrified of anyone finding out managed to avoid a lot of the old-school comedy-club scenarios
that I do comedy. It’s not that I think it makes me uncool; it’s (such as lineups that are often so predictable that two Quebec
that I think it makes me fundamentally unlovable.” comedians made an Instagram account called “Pas de fille
Splett’s own act occupies a strange space between two sur le pacing,” which translates to “No girls in the lineup”).
worlds—sometimes it’s too comedic to be taken seriously by Instead, Parker Finley workshops jokes with queer friends,
the art community, and sometimes its jokes are too awkward and they put on nights together for audiences who don’t need
to be considered mainstream comedy. This contrast is clear on to be hand-held and will see themselves represented, foibles and
her Instagram account: In one post, she’s wearing a red braided all. “I am not trying to get any broader with my comedy,” she
wig and girdle and growling into a mike at a World Goth Day says. “Jokes about coffee and cars are fine, but they’re not my
show; in the next, she’s seated on a stool in front of a red poly- lane.” She recalls one mainstream night she went to where all
ester curtain, looking like she’s about to complain about her the male comedians joked about how much they hated their
mortgage. (She describes her character in her act as “an alien wives. She left in a daze. “I was like, ‘What was that?’”
who watches people, trying to understand what’s going on.”) While finding what she calls “micro celebrity” online helped
Splett, who’s in her late 30s, was never particularly inter- her develop a comedic voice (and more of a following for her
ested in Toronto’s comedy scene but was inspired to explore “serious” music), she still identifies as an amateur comedian
its artistic potential after learning that Nathan Fielder used to and says her internet work is taking a back seat to live shows
perform in the city. If any comedian’s work could be described these days. Even in the age of TikTok and Instagram Reels,
as “performance art,” it’s the exhausting empathy experiments there’s something intimate and immediate about the in-person
in “docu-reality” TV series Nathan for You and The Rehearsal. stand-up experience.
“I’d wanted to do it for months but kept chickening out,” “The internet has definitely democratized how people can
says Splett, who finally took the plunge last March at a night become famous because there is far less gatekeeping, which is
called “Open Michelle.” It went great, as did some subsequent great for women and marginalized communities,” says Sarah
shows. She says having her queer friends in the audience helped Pappalardo, co-founder of acerbic woman-focused The Onion-
and that she’s always been someone who gets an adrenalin style satire site Reductress. (Its greatest hits include “Uh Oh!
rush from being onstage. But the biggest revelation for her as Woman Who Is Better Than You Is Insecure” and “How to
a performer? “I’m not used to that pass-fail quality,” she says Beat Your Therapist at Her Sick Little Game.”) “But a lot of
about bombing. “With other stuff I do, like music or art, it can the stuff you end up seeing on TikTok and Instagram comes
be funny or scary or make people cry—as long as I’m generating from [open-mike] sets and will always be integral to the art of
some emotional response other than boredom. And even then, stand-up comedy.”
boredom is valid! I could be doing a durational art piece!” Even as Parker Finley figures out which passion of hers
“Bombing is the norm in comedy,” says Eve Parker Finley. “I will take precedence, she still thinks comedy is worth explor-
wish music was more like that.” The Montreal-based classically ing—for her craft, her confidence and her art—and not just
trained violinist says she’s going through “an identity crisis”— for her but for everyone, even non-performers. “I tell all my
namely, how much of her burgeoning musical-comedy career friends to try it at least once,” she says. “They ask, ‘What if
is music and how much is comedy. “I used to say 80 percent to it goes terribly?’ The beauty is that sometimes it does and it
20 percent. Now I say 100 percent to 100 percent.” doesn’t matter. It’s liberating.”

ELLECANADA.COM 47
 AFRAID
OF
THE DARK
Avid interest in true crime—from
Jack the Ripper to the stories relayed
in My Favorite Murder—is nothing
new, but experts are questioning
whether it’s a healthy habit.
By CAITLIN STALL-PAQUET

PHOTOGRAPHY, TRUNK ARCHIVE

48 ELLECANADA.COM
 CULTURE

I WAS SIX YEARS OLD when I saw a picture of Nicole Brown

Simpson on the front page of the Montreal Gazette. It was June
13, 1994, the day after her murder, and I was both confused
and entranced by this beautiful blond woman who was now
dead. What I didn’t know then was that she would become
my “patient zero.” Most true-crime lovers encounter a case
that first gets their Sherlock Holmes-wannabe brain spinning,
and this was mine. My love of things that lurk in the shadows
has only grown since then—attracting me to stories about the
worst things people can do and pushing me to read stacks of
murder mysteries and horror books—but it’s a love that has
gone unexamined for a long time. Recently, though, it has
become clear that our frenzied consumption of true crime
as entertainment stokes our fears, boosts our paranoia and
skews our perception of who experiences violence while also
emboldening some to become armchair crime solvers who
occasionally—for better or for worse—affect real investigations.
Though the genre dates back to at least the 19th century, with
the infamous unsolved case of Jack the Ripper—who murdered
sex workers in Victorian London—the rise in popularity of
the podcast format has made these stories more consumable
than ever. Our appetite for true crime can now be fed with
easily digestible hour-long instalments, and today, the amount
of media that dives into old or cold cases has exploded. Since
the wildly popular NPR podcast Serial—which details the
1999 murder of high-school student Hae Min Lee, of which
her ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed was convicted and sentenced
(Syed has maintained his innocence throughout, and he was
released from prison in late 2022 before his conviction was
reinstated in 2023 in an ongoing legal battle)—was released
in 2014, the true-crime genre seems to have become part of
the cultural zeitgeist. Four of the 10 most popular podcasts of
2022—including one that sucked up plenty of my own time
and attention, the hit series My Favorite Murder—were about
true crime. And I’m not the only woman getting caught up in
these captivatingly grim stories—series like MFM and Crime
Junkie are often directed at female audiences. A 2022 survey
by the Pew Research Center showed that in the U.S., women
are nearly twice as likely as men to be regular podcast listeners.
They also make up 61 percent of listeners of the genre’s top
25 podcasts.
In 2010, Amanda Vicary, now a psychology professor at
Illinois Wesleyan University, posited that women are more
attracted to the genre because they feel vulnerable to the
violent crimes it depicts. Behind so-called “iconic” serial
killers turned pop-culture obsessions—the Ted Bundys of the
world—are often gruesome tales of men (according to the 2019
UN Global Study on Homicide, approximately 90 percent
of murders worldwide are committed by men) preying on
young middle-class white women. Though we might believe
the media-pushed narrative that the typical murder victim
is a pretty twentysomething blonde, the stats tell a different
story altogether. Globally, 78.7 percent of murder victims are
men, often through events like gang-related or gun violence.
But countless studies show that women still fear being the
victims of deadly crime more than their male counterparts, in
part because we are much more likely to suffer from domestic
violence. (More on that later.)

ELLECANADA.COM 49
 CULTURE

So is our attraction to true crime an act

of information-gleaning to anticipate danger
or an interest in the macabre?

As you might suspect, tuning in to stories of girls getting her search. Two years later, former police officer Joseph James
murdered isn’t soothing anyone. Vicary is currently conducting DeAngelo Jr. was charged with and ultimately convicted for
a study in which she has male and female participants listen to 13 murders “with special circumstances.” (He couldn’t be
20 minutes of a true-crime podcast; her early findings show that charged with the dozens of rapes he was tied to as the statute
women disproportionately experience substantial increases in of limitations had passed.) McNamara had worked closely with
anxiety afterwards. So is our attraction to true crime an act of the case’s detective, Paul Holes, and was an early proponent of
information-gleaning to anticipate danger or an interest in the using DNA databases like the one that led to the arrest. She
macabre? Professor Jooyoung Lee, who teaches about gun vio- vowed to find the perpetrator, and her mental and physical
lence, health inequality, hip hop and true crime at the University health paid the price.
of Toronto, says the gory hobby contains a healthy dose of the The Brown Simpson case sunk its claws into many imagin-
latter. “We like to be sort of voyeurs [of] tragedy and to observe ations, but this type of high-profile case is an outlier. Although
terrible things happening to others from a safe distance,” he says. O. J. Simpson was infamously acquitted, his trial shone a light
However, Vicary thinks our fascination with doom and on a reality of homicide: 82 percent of murdered women and
gloom can have upsides too, as her teaching has turned toward girls are killed by an intimate partner, according to the UN.
exploring potentially wrongfully convicted people, an area However, its very commonness means femicide rarely makes
where sleuth communities can be useful—like with Serial’s the news (unless celebrities are involved), let alone gets covered
Syed. Though we can’t be certain about why Syed’s tides turned in nail-biting televised trials. The majority of women killed
or whether he will go back to prison, Vicary doesn’t believe are vulnerable, as demonstrated by a 2018 analysis of a U.K.
attention would have been brought back to this decades-old murder database, which revealed that sex workers are 12 times
case without the public eye being focused on it as well as people more likely to be murdered than other women. In Canada,
from the University of Virginia School of Law’s Innocence Indigenous women made up nearly a quarter of women’s
Project working on it. homicides between 2015 and 2020 even though they only make
For some fans, this involvement in communities of online up 5 percent of the female population. In her acclaimed CBC
sleuths can veer toward obsession. What might seem like a noble podcast Missing & Murdered, investigative reporter Connie
endeavour can take a dangerous turn, as with the quadruple Walker does a deep dive on this often ignored subject.
murder at the University of Idaho in November 2022, when There’s a passage in McNamara’s book that beautifully
four students were fatally stabbed and amateur detectives weaves fact and fiction together, and it has stuck in my brain—
quickly started looking for a culprit. They took to Reddit and like that photo of Brown Simpson. She compares her relationship
TikTok, accusing innocent people of the crime and ultimately to the Golden State Killer to a scene in the 1954 horror movie
leading to great distress for the falsely accused, a defamation Creature From the Black Lagoon, in which the main character,
lawsuit and attention being pulled away from the actual case. played by Julie Adams, is unknowingly swimming—in an iconic
Before podcasts took over our ears and brain space, Michelle white bathing suit—just above the monster, which is lurking in
McNamara was ahead of the sleuthing trend with her 2006 the dark water. While reading the book, I was tempted to yell
blog, True Crime Diary, eventually becoming an extreme at McNamara to stop her obsession—to look down and see
example of the grip these cases can have. The writer focused the monstrous man turned myth leading her to drown. But I
her interest on the cold case of a cross-California serial killer was just another spectator enraptured by her car crash. I have
and rapist she nicknamed “the Golden State Killer.” In her since started choosing my true-crime content more wisely,
book, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, McNamara details her obsession looking for stories in which humanity, rather than monstrosity,
with tracking him down and the hours she spent poring through shines through—like the HBO documentary series based on
police reports in light of new technology: forensic genetic-data McNamara’s book. Turning off easily consumed true crime
comparison through genealogy databases. The first half of the is a bit of a double-edged sword—the quiet gives my nerves
book ends abruptly; on April 21, 2016, McNamara died in her a break, but I realize that, as Lee expressed, being able to hit
sleep from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs she stop, go back to my life and leave the monsters safely behind
was said to have been taking to cope with the stress caused by was part of the joy all along.

50 ELLECANADA.COM
 DEBUT

ANGOURIE
RICE
The Mean Girls star isn’t afraid
to do the work.
By PATRICIA KAROUNOS

LIKE MOST PEOPLE BORN in the ’90s and early 2000s, Australian
actor Angourie Rice loved the movie Mean Girls when she was
growing up. The Tina Fey-penned comedy was on such frequent
rotation that the 23-year-old has most of the lines committed
to memory. So when it was revealed that Fey was working on
an updated version—a movie-musical starring actor-singer
Reneé Rapp, Moana’s Auli'i Cravalho, Busy Philipps and
Jon Hamm—based on the 2018 Broadway production, Rice
was both excited and nervous. “My first question was ‘How
are they going to do this?’” she says. “I was lucky enough to SHOW BUSINESS “I love musicals so much. I’ve seen a lot of
have a call with Tina, who answered all my questions—I saw musicals, and my mom is a very musical person—she’s in a choir
her vision.” But Rice, whose past roles include HBO’s Mare of and plays piano—so I grew up in that environment. I had never
Easttown opposite Kate Winslet and Apple TV+ miniseries The been in one, but I wanted to learn. A movie-musical experience is
Last Thing He Told Me with Jennifer Garner, had zero musical very different from a stage-musical experience. I loved the tech-
experience and still wasn’t sure about stepping into the shoes of nicality and how we were making everything feel heightened,
Cady Heron, the role originated by Lindsay Lohan. “I really theatrical and exciting. It’s about not only the music but also the
wanted to think about it because it’s a huge responsibility—I costumes, the dances, the background actions and the camera
was scared of what people would say,” she says about the new movements. Everything is working together to create a spectacle.”
Mean Girls, which premiered earlier this year. “Then I thought
about how I would feel if someone else played the role. I thought FILM SCHOOL “I am constantly learning from people—but not
about how I would feel if I went to the cinema and saw it and in a conscious way. It just happens—not only with the incredibly
went, ‘Oh, my God, I can’t believe I didn’t do it.’ I realized that talented actors I work with but also, as I’m really interested in the
this meant a lot to me and that fear doesn’t mean anything.” logistics of making a movie, with first ADs [assistant directors], cam-
era people and personal assistants. There’s so much that goes into
FOUNDATIONAL MEMORIES “What I like about [the original] a movie. I’ve learned from actors about not only performance—
Mean Girls is that it’s fun and the comedy is a really great mixture especially from Kate Winslet and Jennifer Garner, who were both
of physical comedy, clever wordplay and funny situations. That’s producers on our shows, respectively—but also how they prepare
what Tina [Fey] does really well—she blends all sorts of different and how they work as producers, as leaders and as people who
styles into this beautiful, magical product. And the journey that are making sure that everyone on-set is okay and taken care of.”
Cady goes on is so interesting and transformative—I always love
a character who changes their mind, and that’s what I love about STORY TIME “I love stories because they are everything. I read
Cady. She learns and grows and changes.” a book called Disfigured by Amanda Leduc about the history of
disability in fairy tales, and something really interesting has stuck
INSTANT ICONS “Cady was the character I related to the most with me ever since. She talks about how before there was [a lot
because she’s so grounded. All the other characters are so big of] research, the way people would understand disability was
and bright and bubbly, and I found Cady to be the closest to who through storytelling. A lot of fairy tales have roots in talking about
PHOTOGRAPHY, DAVID ROEMER

I was at that age. But at the same time, I loved the Plastics—I loved things that we don’t understand or don’t have the vocabulary to
their fashion, and I loved how cool they were. It’s funny because, talk about yet—and even if we do have the vocabulary, maybe
in essence, they’re the villains of the movies, but they’re also who society tells us that we shouldn’t [use it]. So we use metaphor, play,
everyone wants to be. We see this sort of love-hate relationship dance and song to talk about things that are scary and under-
play out, and that also happens in real life. We know they’re mean, stand them from other people’s perspectives. Storytelling is the
but they’re also iconic.” foundation of empathy, love and kindness—it’s everything.”

ELLECANADA.COM 51
 FILM

PROFOUND
CONNECTIONS With her new film, Origin,
AVA DUVERNAY is taking a look
at the more intimate picture.
By KELLY BOUTSALIS

WHEN AVA DUVERNAY ARRIVES IN TORONTO during early winter, her voice is raspy
and well worn, but it’s the only indicator of how exhausted she is. Clad in flowing
black pants, a turtleneck and a sprinkle of gold jewellery, the acclaimed director looks
impossibly chic as she rises from a leather club chair in the green room at Toronto’s
TIFF Bell Lightbox theatre to warmly welcome me.
DuVernay is in town to unveil the Lightbox’s newly christened Viola Desmond
Cinema with Origin, her latest film. It’s a timely and gripping movie chronicling a
fictionalized version of journalist Isabel Wilkerson’s creation of her New York Times
Best Seller Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents. But don’t expect the film to just be
following a woman into libraries and capturing her typing on her laptop—though
those moments do fleetingly appear onscreen—as it’s more about a writer discovering
how profoundly connected humanity is across countries and time periods. Wilkerson
investigates caste—the system most often associated with India’s fixed social orders,
with the privileged upper caste repressing the lower caste—and how far it reaches
globally, tying together India, Nazi Germany and the U.S. And as she works, she
also loves and grieves and navigates her own life.
The film and the theatre’s namesake make a beautiful pairing, considering that
Viola Desmond is a Canadian icon—a Black Nova Scotian who refused to leave
her whites-only theatre seat in her home province in 1946. And Origin is helmed by
DuVernay, an Emmy-winning and Oscar-nominated Black director, stars Black
actor Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor and is based on a book written by a Black Pulitzer
Prize-winning writer.
I reach into my bag and pull out the 2020 book that has brought us together today
and sheepishly confess that I haven’t gotten through all 400-plus pages. DuVernay
checks where my bookmark is and graciously tells me, “You’ve done the work right
there!” She then admits that it took her reading Caste several times before she truly
understood it. “When I got to the end of the book, I still couldn’t quite articulate
what caste is,” she says. “Even though [Wilkerson] says it in a bunch of different
ways, I didn’t grasp it. So, I read it again, and I read it a third time. By that time,
PHOTOGRAPHY, ATSUSHI NISHIJIMA, COURTESY OF NEON

the weight of what it is really sunk in—it hit me, and I thought, ‘Everybody’s got to
know about this.’”
With Origin, DuVernay is hoping to get audiences to see caste as the starting point
of so many of our experiences—a perspective that will put us all on better footing to be
able to work on justice. It’s a vision that inspired her to turn the non-fiction book into
a film, even though many people along the way told her it was unadaptable. “What
are you going to do—[take] a bunch of historical stories and put them together?” they
would ask her. But she was up for the challenge and knew where to look for the film’s
captivating centre. “As a storyteller, I’m most hooked when I’m following someone
I care about,” she says. “I’ve got to have someone taking me through the story.”

52 ELLECANADA.COM
AVA DUVERNAY ON THE SET OF ORIGIN

She found that someone in Wilkerson, who, despite the lack I get the sense that DuVernay could spend hours discussing
of intimate detail revealed in her book, has had an eventful and the ideas presented in the book and her film, every word carefully
devastating personal life, which DuVernay discovered in her selected. After all, she’s a former journalist and the writer of
research. It was the author’s unmentioned personal losses—those many of her films, including the acclaimed documentary 13th
of her husband, mother and cousin—that really struck the and episodes of Queen Sugar, the Oprah Winfrey Network tele-
director. “I became fascinated by the fact that someone could vision series she created. I’m fascinated by the arbitrary nature
lose the three closest people in their life within 16 months and of caste. As an Indigenous person, I belong to a perceived lower
still write a book of that magnitude,” says DuVernay. caste, just as DuVernay does, and I use “flattened” to describe
Ellis-Taylor, most recently seen in King Richard and The Color what these social hierarchies have done to us. She zeroes in on
Purple, gamely takes on the role of Wilkerson, living through that word and says she’ll be using it herself in future interviews
those losses and guiding audiences through the journey of writing and that I should tell people “she got that from me.”
Caste. DuVernay and Ellis-Taylor had worked together before Given that DuVernay immersed herself in three readings
on the 2019 Netflix miniseries When They See Us, but as it was a of Caste, wrote the script and then shot the film in 37 days
massive project with a large cast, the director felt like she didn’t across three countries, I wonder whether she’s been changed
get a lot of time with Ellis-Taylor, though she could sense that the in the process of making Origin. She doesn’t hesitate to
actor was a singular talent and wanted to work with her again. confirm that she has. “Contemplating the idea of caste and
“I’m very much interested in the stories of people who the way we treat each other and the way we diminish each
are not usually centred and centring those who lead robust other has shifted the way I see myself and my place in the
lives and robust communities but are left out of cinema,” says world,” she says thoughtfully. “The way you treat some-
DuVernay. “Certainly, the prospect of following the intellectual one—when you’re walking out of your hotel or getting into
and creative journey of a Black woman journalist was deeply your Uber—echoes through time and space. A person you
meaningful and exciting, and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor portrays diminished goes about their day feeling diminished and
her with such a quiet charisma—a slow and steady kind of then does something that affects the next person. We’re so
certainty and a fire.” linked, and we’re so interconnected.”

ELLECANADA.COM 53
 Off
BalanceAre money disparities—and pricey
celebrations—impacting your friendships?
By TRUC NGUYEN

54 ELLECANADA.COM
 MONEY

JOANNE*, A 40-YEAR-OLD EXECUTIVE, celebrated her milestone Moorhouse. By spending beyond your means, “you’re not going
birthday last year on an island in the Caribbean. But not all to be able to save as much money or invest as much money for
of her closest girlfriends were invited. “I chose to vet my invite your future or pay down your debt.”
list based on who I thought could afford it,” she says. “I have If you’re the high-income friend, take the time to have
some really close friends I [would have] loved to be there, but those conversations and understand your friends’ financial
I didn’t want to put them in a situation where [they had to take situations. “Sometimes you can pick that up naturally, when
on] a financial burden or [where] they had to say no and then they talk about work or whatever, and you can kind of figure
we’d have to have an awkward conversation.” That decision out what their income level is,” says Moorhouse. “And when
caused some discord, and Joanne now wishes she had given all you’re suggesting a restaurant, keep that in mind—don’t
her friends the option to attend—or skip—the trip. pick a really expensive steak house if you know it might be a
Of course, the idea that money disparities—real or per- stretch for them.”
ceived—can put stress on even the most tight-knit friendships The same goes for group getaways and celebrations, which
isn’t new. A 1995 Friends episode called “The One With are now more common as many continue to embrace “revenge
Five Steaks and an Eggplant,” for example, explores the travel”—travelling as much as possible to make up for time
awkwardness that can ensue when the friends with money and opportunities lost during the pandemic. According to a
expect the entire group to evenly split the cost of pricey con- study by wedding-planning website The Knot, about a third
cert tickets and dinners out without asking if everyone can of us are spending more than $1,300 per bachelorette party.
afford it. But these days, with social media making it seem Lisa*, a 29-year-old publicist, has seen first-hand how pricey
like bachelorette parties in Cabo and big trips can cause friction within a friend group.
birthdays in Paris are the norm in many Leading up to a bachelorette party she went
friend groups, it can be harder than ever to in Las Vegas last year, there were sidebar
to keep wealth gaps from impacting your FIFTY PERCENT conversations between some of the dozen
friendships and personal finances. OF YOUNG attendees about the discomfort around
In fact, a 2019 Credit Karma study money and how it’s really challenging to
found that 50 percent of young Canadians CANADIANS accommodate everyone in a big group set-
have gone into debt thanks to keeping up HAVE GONE ting and important to make sure everyone
with friends, spending money they didn’t feels comfortable in terms of how much
have on things like vacations and weekend INTO DEBT money they’re putting into the experience.
trips. Last year, a survey of Americans by THANKS TO “It’s really hard when you’re trying to be
the same personal-finance company found money conscious and going on a trip like
that 47 percent of gen-Zers and 36 percent KEEPING UP that because everything is preplanned so
of millennials have considered ending WITH FRIENDS. you feel obligated, in a way, to spend the
friendships over money. money,” she says.
Sandy*, a 30-year-old teacher, started If you and your friends are going on a
noticing the wealth gap among her friends once they were in trip together, Moorhouse suggests having a conversation about
their mid- to late 20s. “It wasn’t really apparent or, I guess, an the budget and expectations in advance, especially if you’re
issue until my friends and I got older,” she says. “We started the person leading the plans. “It may seem awkward at first,
to notice an imbalance and a bit more sensitivity around the but sometimes people are waiting for someone else to bring up
topic of money.” money,” she says. “You can lead that conversation and be like:
Even though Sandy is in good financial shape now, she ‘So, I’m just putting some numbers together, and this is what
spent years working on contract as a supply teacher and is very it’s looking like right now. Does this make sense? Is this good?
aware that not all of her friends can afford the same things. “I Is it not good?’” Ideally, everyone who is attending should
don’t want [my] friends to break the bank,” she says, noting have a say and feel comfortable with the final costs and plans.
the high cost of birthday parties as many in the group turn While she’s been able to turn down invites and stay on
30. When making plans, she will say, “I know not everyone budget, Sandy has seen friends overspend on birthday parties
*NAME HAS BEEN CHANGED; PHOTOGRAPHY, LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

will be able to join, but this is the price, and if it’s within your in Tulum, weddings in Dubai and friend trips to Japan simply
budget, can you let me know?” because they didn’t want to miss out. She even intervened when
Jessica Moorhouse, a financial counsellor and the host of the one friend was considering a couple of pricey trips, saying to
More Money podcast, sees this dynamic play out in a number her: “You have to understand that these friends have been
of ways with her clients. “Close friendships will change, and working since they were a certain age—they have the funds.
people will kind of link up depending on how close they are in Even though we want to have that lifestyle, that’s not us. We
terms of their lifestyles, incomes and wealth,” she says. can’t do that yet.”
If you’re earning less than your friends, Moorhouse advises Her friend booked them anyway, going on two long-haul
being upfront about your financial situation—they might not international trips with less than a month between them.
even know that you’re struggling to keep up. “If you keep on “It was cool, but I don’t know if it was the best choice,” says
making accommodations for them because you don’t want Sandy, who is more careful with her spending. “I’m aware of
to make it awkward by saying you can’t afford something, not living beyond my means; if I can’t [afford] something, then
you’re going to do yourself a big disservice in the future,” says I won’t participate.”

ELLECANADA.COM 55
 beauty

ELLE beauty editors around the world get to try

out thousands of launches every year, so when they
say something’s good, you know they really mean it.
They’ve cast their votes for the very best products
out there, from skincare to makeup and more.
And the winners are…
By KATHERINE LALANCETTE

ELLECANADA.COM 57
 L’Oréal Paris Telescopic
Lift Mascara
($25, AMAZON.CA)

It’s not called “Telescopic”

for nothing. The ceramide-
Makeup
infused formula has been
shown to make lashes look
up to five millimetres longer. It
also serves up sensational lift
for up to 36 hours without ever
clumping, smudging
or flaking.
“I’ve long believed that drugstore
mascara is just as good as
luxury mascara, and this one is
just further proof.”
– Kathleen Hou, ELLE U.S.

Yves Saint Laurent All

Hours Foundation
($76, YSLBEAUTY.CA)

Full-coverage foundations
are usually synonymous
with a heavy, cakey finish.
This one is different—it’s
so weightless, you’ll forget
you’re even wearing it.
And while it swiftly deletes
Charlotte Tilbury
anything you don’t want
Pillow Talk Lipstick
($44, CHARLOTTETILBURY.COM) to see, the effect remains
Rarely does a lipstick shade fresh and luminous.
become iconic. Such is the “This foundation stays on as if it’s
just been applied, and unlike a lot
power of Pillow Talk, a beigey
of long-wear foundations, it feels
pink with the unique ability delightfully light and breathable.”
to flatter every complexion. – Suzan Yurdacan, ELLE Turkey

It makes your pout look sultry

and, well, pillowy in the most
natural way.
“This has changed my lip-makeup
routine. It looks great for both casual
wear and the evening, and while it is
matte, it has a creamy formula that
doesn’t dry out my lips.”
– Younji Jung, ELLE Korea

58 ELLECANADA.COM
 Nails
Le Labo Myrrhe 55
($420 FOR 50 ML, IN SELECT
LE LABO LOCATIONS)

Myrrh, a resin once

considered so sacred that
it was more valuable than
gold, is at the heart of this
moody mélange, along
with patchouli and jasmine.
It’s exclusive to Shanghai
boutiques, and worldwide it
is only available online and
in stores during the month of
September, making it even
more covetable.
“I was delighted that Le Labo launched
a Shanghai City Exclusive. It’s a
fragrance that smells very different on
everyone—much the way Shanghai
can offer a different experience for
everyone. It opens up your imagination.” Chanel Le Vernis
– Lettie Tseng, ELLE China ($44, HOLTRENFREW.COM)

Chanel recently revamped its

polishes, making them better
Fragrance

than ever. Think more shine,

longer wear, a stunning colour
PHOTOGRAPHY, IRINA SHESTAKOVA/GALLERY STOCK (MODEL) & GETTY (PRODUCT SMEAR)

range and a newly designed

brush that makes for an easy,
ultra-precise application.
Seriously, it checks all
the boxes.
“Chanel’s colours are classic, but they
are far from boring. They will eternally
be the most fashionable nail colours.”
– Pedro Camargo, ELLE Brazil

ELLECANADA.COM 59
 Olaplex No. 4 Bond
Maintenance Shampoo
($41, SEPHORA.CA)

This shampoo not only

Hair
protects against daily
stressors but also repairs
existing damage by relinking
broken bonds within strands.
It’s colour-safe and proven
to reduce breakage and
strengthen all hair types.
“It’s one product you must try if you are
dealing with multiple hair woes. Use it
with the conditioner and you’ll notice
soft, silky hair even after the first wash.”
– Sukriti Shahi, ELLE India

Guerlain Abeille Royale

Double R Radiance
& Repair Mask
($119, GUERLAIN.COM)

You really get two masks in

one with this product. The
high-performance elixirs
come together when you
squeeze the tube to deeply
nourish and fortify both
your hair and scalp. Get
ready for a lot more shine,
manageability and softness.
“Repair and radiance are what
everyone wants from their hair-care
products. This mask offers both, from
roots to ends. And since a healthy
scalp leads to healthy hair, it’s a must-
have in my hair-care routine.”
– Rozina Kouri, ELLE Greece

60 ELLECANADA.COM
 Clarins Precious
Le Sérum
($440, CLARINS.CA)
Lancôme Rénergie H.P.N.
A few drops a day help visibly
300-Peptide Cream
($189, SEPHORA.CA)
firm skin and better define

Skin
Consider this your all-in-one facial contours. It’s all thanks
youth preserver. The velvety to a dream team of organic
cream banks on hyaluronic ingredients: oat sugars, which
acid (a super-plumper), deliver an immediate lifting
niacinamide (known to effect, and white-lupin extract,
even out the skin tone) and which stimulates collagen
a whopping 300 peptides production over time.
“It is suitable for all skin types, making
(great for improving
it an essential part of an effective anti-
elasticity) to target wrinkles, aging routine. Its lightweight texture
sagging and dark spots. makes it a pleasure to apply every day.
“This cream glides onto skin to You’ll feel the lifting effect with the very
instantly plump and smooth as it firms first application.”
and reduces hyperpigmentation. – Marie-Noelle Vekemans,
It gets bonus points for its reusable ELLE Belgium
jar, which is made with 30 percent
recycled glass.”
– Sally Hunwick, ELLE Australia

Augustinus Bader
The Face Cream Mask
($285, HOLTRENFREW.COM)

A veritable treat for the

face, this creamy mask M·A·C Cosmetics
revives dull, stressed-out Hyper Real Fresh Canvas
PHOTOGRAPHY, IRINA SHESTAKOVA/GALLERY STOCK (MODEL) & GETTY (PRODUCT SMEARS)

skin, instantly making it look Cleansing Oil

brighter, firmer and more ($75, MACCOSMETICS.CA)

Supremÿa At Night even. Let it do its thing for It might be supremely gentle
Moisturizing Lotion 10 minutes before rinsing, on skin, but this cleansing
($1,105, SISLEY-PARIS.COM)
or leave it on overnight for a oil shows makeup—even
At the core of this ultra- serious boost of radiance. the most stubborn kind—
luxurious formula is a “This mask feels so rich and no mercy, melting away
fundamental regeneration hydrating, and it’s also great for every last trace along with
complex developed by the the neck. I’ve never witnessed such
pollutants and micro-dust.
impressive results. When you rinse it
French house to stimulate The best part is how soft and
off, your skin feels like velvet.”
revitalization and epidermal – Marianna Partevyan, ELLE Ukraine glowing your face is after.
repair overnight. “You can trust this brand, which
“Every drop is like a spa treatment. specializes in professional makeup,
And, of course, I must mention to know how to remove it. This plant-
the subtle scent, which is a very based oil perfectly gets rid of even the
important part of Sisley’s DNA.” most resistant waterproof makeup,
– Anna Machová, including mascara.”
ELLE Czech Republic – Elisabeth Martorell, ELLE France

ELLECANADA.COM 61
 Body
Paula’s Choice 5%
Niacinamide Body Serum
($40, PAULASCHOICE.COM)

You pamper your face with

serums, so why not show
your body the same level of
care? Meant to be applied
before your moisturizer, this
lightweight formula is spiked
with niacinamide to treat
discoloration and smooth out
any scaly bits.
“It makes all the ‘imperfect’ things—like
pigmentation irregularities and rough
spots—go away while reinforcing the
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Bum skin’s barrier function.”
– Karla Horvat, ELLE Croatia
Bum Cream
($65, SEPHORA.CA)

Don’t be fooled by its “Bum

Bum” moniker—this cream
performs magic all over,
making skin more taut with
the help of caffeine-rich
guaraná. Also, the warm
gourmand scent is a total
delight, swirling notes of
salted caramel, pistachio
and vanilla.
“It gets everything right, absorbing in
seconds so you don’t have to wait to
get dressed and visibly tightening and
softening skin while also serving up a
gorgeous head-to-toe glow.”
– Katherine Lalancette,
ELLE Canada and ELLE Québec

62 ELLECANADA.COM
 Tata Harper Lip Crème
($53, THEDETOXMARKET.CA)

With every slick of this buttery

treatment, lips are flooded
with juicy hydration. (The
formula is chock full of
nourishing superfruits.) It’s
available in pretty pinks and
berries as well as a clear
option, each one imparting
a shiny sheer finish. Weleda Skin Food
“I’m really amazed by the water-drawing
Ultra-Light Dry Oil
technology in this beautiful lip balm. It
($28, WELL.CA)
moisturizes perfectly, restoring chapped
lips in no time! I love all the colours, but
If you’ve dismissed oils
Risqué is my go-to.” in the past for being
– Carolina Alvarez, ELLE Mexico too greasy, this one will
change your mind. The
superfine mist sinks right
in, leaving skin dry to
the touch yet intensely
moisturized courtesy of
jojoba and sunflower-
seed oils as well as pansy,
camomile and calendula.
“This very nourishing oil can be
used on the face, the body and
even the hair. I love to spray it on
my legs during the summer to give
them a little extra shine.”
– Maria Thorgaard, ELLE Denmark

Aveda Rosemary Mint

Green
Purifying Shampoo
PHOTOGRAPHY, BRI JOHNSON/GALLERY STOCK (MODEL) & GETTY (PRODUCT SMEAR)

($28, AVEDA.CA)

Score that satisfying squeaky-

clean feeling without
stripping your hair or scalp.
This bestselling shampoo
banishes impurities and
product buildup with micelles
(just like those in the micellar
water you use on your face)
and gives you a jolt of energy
with its minty scent.
“This shampoo is a saviour for oily
scalps—it keeps my hair feeling so fresh
and drastically cuts down on the need
for washing.”
– Yvonne Yang, ELLE Taiwan

ELLECANADA.COM 63
 ONCE THE REALM OF HARSH SOAPS AND
RUDIMENTARY LOTIONS, the body-care
landscape has been undergoing a major
glow-up of late. An influx of premium
brands banking on elaborate formulas
and high-performance ingredients is
seeking to cater to the needs of skin
beyond one’s visage.
It seems consumers are ready for the
shift. Last year, #ShowerTok flooded
social media, with videos bearing the
hashtag garnering upwards of 6 billion
views. The “everything shower”—a
sometimes-hours-long refresh that often
involves cleansing, exfoliating, masking,
shaving and moisturizing—has been a
trending topic ever since.
“With the rise and ritual of the every-
thing shower and clients looking to treat
the skin below their chin with the same
care and ingredients [they use on] their
face, body care is one of our fastest-grow-
ing categories,” says Jane Nugent, SVP
of merchandising for Sephora Canada.
The retailer’s recent additions to
the segment—on top of existing buzzy
players like Nécessaire and Herbivore—
include By Rosie Jane, Selena Gomez’
Rare Beauty Find Comfort line and indie
darling Salt & Stone (which landed on
shelves in February). Looking to do far
more than just cleanse and moisturize,
these brands offer the kinds of products
you’d expect to find in a multi-step face-
care regimen. Think serums, toners and
masks all devised exclusively for the bod.
But how many steps are truly
necessary? The baseline is minimal.
“Moisturizer and sunscreen are key for
good skin health,” says Dr. Kathleen
Fraser, a dermatologist at Rejuvenation
Dermatology Clinic in Calgary. “And a
very gentle cleanser is preferable to any
of the more drying soaps.” Beyond that,
choosing to adopt an extensive routine
is more a matter of personal preference,
budget and lifestyle than a strict must-do.
That said, there are some key factors to
keep in mind.

BODY BUZZ
“The skin on the face has many more
PHOTOGRAPHY, GALLERY STOCK (MODEL)

sebaceous glands than the skin on the

body, leading to greater oil production as
a natural moisturizer,” explains Fraser.
“As a result, the skin on the body tends
Long neglected, the skin below our neck to be more susceptible to drying out,
is finally getting the attention it deserves. especially in the winter months. The
lack of sebaceous glands can also lead
By INGRIE WILLIAMS to eczema, particularly on the elbows

64 ELLECANADA.COM
 BEAUTY

and knees.” A simple body lotion should The concoction was inspired by a
suffice to support the skin barrier, but if memorably fragrant shower her busi-
doing more makes you feel good, then, ness partner, Fatemah Hamidi, had the
by all means, go for it. This could mean pleasure of indulging in on a trip to Bali.
opting for formulas spiked with the sort “The feeling the eucalyptus oil gave me
of headlining ingredients usually used in was just so magical,” recalls a wistful
products designed for the face, such as Hamidi. “I knew we had to somehow
hyaluronic acid, retinol and niacinamide, get the ingredient into our showers and
IN FINE FORM
as the familiar favourites are now actively let everyone have the same experience.
expanding their reach south. Eucalyptus is so versatile: If you want to Give your body some TLC with
“Hyaluronic acid is a humectant, unwind, it relaxes you, but if you go in these luxurious skin treats.
which attracts water and helps the skin wanting to feel energized, it can really
retain moisture, so it is an excellent pick you up.”
ingredient for skin, especially if you’re Fragrance also plays a leading role for A plant-based blend
of nourishing oils and
prone to dryness,” says Fraser. As for Toronto brand SIDIA, which focuses on humectants makes for one
seriously hydrating cleanser.
retinol, considered the gold standard in effective, hydrating formulas featuring The sumptuous texture is a
dream, and the fresh scent
anti-aging, “the ideal candidate would scents developed by European noses. of eucalyptus will turn your
be someone looking to firm their skin, Expect invigorating notes of citrus peel shower into a spa.
MIFA EUCALYPTUS COCO
reduce hyperpigmentation and help and ginger mingled with rose petal, BODY WASH ($39, MIFAANDCO)

with breakouts,” she says, noting that it’s sandalwood and tonka bean. “The trend
also great for smoothing out the uneven I’m noticing is that people want body care
texture of keratosis pilaris. Also referred that can both smell fantastic and make Bumpy patches, be gone! This
milky serum contains lactic
to as KP, the condition most commonly their skin feel smooth, soft and supple,” and glycolic acids as well as
retinol, urea and squalane
occurs on the backs of the arms in the says founder Erin Kleinberg. “I’m a very to help remove dead-skin
form of small bumps or plugs that appear sensorial person—to me, everything is buildup while hydrating.
TOPICALS SLATHER
around the hair follicles. an experience. While I’m modern in my EXFOLIATING BODY SERUM
($40.50, SEPHORA.CA)
Still, the ingredient isn’t a winning approach to life, I am also très sentimental
choice for everyone. “A retinol body and nostalgic.”
lotion can be drying for those with The brand—whose products are
This fragrance-free gel-like
eczema-prone skin and exacerbate [the infused with fine fragrance and designed serum relies on hyaluronic
condition],” says Fraser. If you’re on the around grounding practices that prioritize acid as well as collagen-
boosting niacinamide to
sensitive side, “avoid using it altogether or self-care—is an homage to a formidable deliver deep hydration all the
way down to your feet.
start very, very slowly, like once a week.” figure from Kleinberg’s upbringing.
NÉCESSAIRE THE BODY SERUM
As an alternative, try niacinamide, which “For as long as I can remember, my ($61, SEPHORA.CA)

is also making a splash in body care. “It’s grandmother, Sidia, practically begged
great for those who can’t tolerate a topical me to moisturize from head to toe every
retinol,” she says. “It helps reduce water single day, if not twice,” shares Kleinberg. Gentle enough for
everyday use, this skin-friendly
loss and improve the skin-barrier function “No matter how late she was, she took fusion of bakuchiol (a retinol
in addition to being anti-inflammatory her everything shower super seriously dupe), niacinamide and non-
gritty rice exfoliators firms,
and anti-acne—all benefits for the skin and always came down glistening. It’s brightens and resurfaces.
Bonus points for its energizing
on the body.” something that has stuck with me since she aroma of eucalyptus, tea
leaves and spearmint.
If that all sounds quite clinical (read passed, and I’ve become religious about it.”
SIDIA THE BODY EXFOLIANT
“bland”), worry not. One of the hall- The creative powerhouse (Kleinberg is ($48, SIDIATHEBRAND.COM)

marks of this new generation of body also CEO of Métier Creative, a branding
care is the coupling of skin science and and advertising agency, and co-founder of While its musky, floral scent
prompts relaxation, this
sensoriality. Take the case of MIFA, a The Coveteur) likes to start her day with a overnight treatment—which
Vancouver-based body line that supports coldish shower and a full-body exfoliation is packed with retinol,
niacinamide and hyaluronic
a faster routine while elevating the shower followed by a layer of body serum. For acid—goes to work so you
can wake up to silkier skin.
experience. “People initially fall in love her, the ritual is about far more than just BODY PROUD SLEEP HERO
with the scent of our body wash,” says having nice skin all over. It’s a powerful way OVERNIGHT RECOVERY BODY
MASK ($15, WALMART.CA)
co-founder Michelle Lui. “It’s an essen- to show herself some love. “After giving
tial-oil blend of eucalyptus, lavender and birth to two beautiful children, I have a
geranium with a hint of peppermint. But complicated relationship with my body,”
we also use a coconut- and avocado-oil she says. “[It’s] generally just very different
base with cocoa butter and aloe vera, than it was pre-children. My mission to
which makes it really moisturizing, so revolutionize body care is inextricably
it cleanses without stripping your skin tied to this concept—finding the space
of its natural oils.” and time to celebrate my body and self.”

ELLECANADA.COM 65
 BEAUTY

JENNA LYONS
WILL SEE
YOU NOW
The J.Crew president turned beauty founder talks doing things
her way and feeling fabulous at 55.
By KATHERINE LALANCETTE

JENNA LYONS IS SIPPING HER STARBUCKS as her dog, Popeye, YOU JUST LAUNCHED LOVESEEN IN CANADA. HOW DID THE
yelps on her lap. “I know what he wants,” she deadpans. IDEA FOR THE BRAND FIRST COME ABOUT? “I have a genetic
“Coffee.” A pooch with a predilection for caffeine: Add it to disorder, so I have no eyelashes, and I think anything you feel
the list of quirks that make Lyons such a fascinating char- you’re deficient in, you tend to notice in others. So I always
acter. She speaks in the same reverent tones about a Celine noticed everyone’s eyelashes. A few years ago, I noticed that
jumpsuit as she does about beef jerky and once wore a denim a lot of women at my office at J.Crew who didn’t wear a lot of
jacket to the Met Gala (paired with a pink duchess-silk-satin makeup were wearing eyelash extensions. Then flip to all these
skirt, naturally). Huda Beauty tutorials and boys online putting on 16 layers
Put it this way: If there were ever an ambassador for being of contour and then, at the end, an eyelash, and I thought it
authentically oneself, it’s Jenna F*cking Lyons, as her castmate was really interesting that these two really diverse groups of
Bryn Whitfield dubbed her on The Real Housewives of New York people—one who wanted a really light look and one who wanted
City. When she left J.Crew after 27 years, including seven as full glam—were both focused on eyelashes. So I was sort of
the company’s president and executive creative director, most fascinated by that world, and whenever I had done any kind
expected “the woman who dressed America” to hop over to of red-carpet or TV [appearance], where you need lashes or
another big-name fashion label. Instead, she surprised everyone else you can kind of disappear, I couldn’t wear any of the ones
by making much riskier forays into beauty and reality TV. on the market. They were too long or too big, or they didn’t
She became RHONY’s first-ever openly queer participant quite have the look I was going for. I wanted something a little
and, in true Lyons style, flouted many of the franchise’s con- more delicate and a little more natural, and I couldn’t find it.
ventions, forgoing body-con dresses in favour of her signature So it was just born out of a need, really.”
button-downs and skipping out on cast gatherings to spend time
with her teen son, Beckett, or simply head to bed early. “My YOU MENTIONED HAVING A GENETIC DISORDER. HOW HAVE
lashes may be fake, but I definitely keep it real,” she quipped YOU COPED WITH THAT THROUGHOUT YOUR LIFE? “If you look
in the show’s intro. at pictures of me from when I was younger, I was missing
The lashes in question are from LoveSeen, the brand of many teeth and the ones I did have were shaped like cones.
ultra-natural-looking falsies she launched in 2020 as a result I just had them redone, so I smile a lot more now. But I had
of suffering from incontinentia pigmenti. On top of affecting big bald spots on the back of my head and scars on my skin,
her skin, hair and teeth, the genetic disorder prevents her from and I got made fun of all the time and didn’t feel beautiful.
growing lashes. “It was rough—kids are mean,” she says of When you’re little, people who love you can be like, ‘Oh, you’re
dealing with the condition in childhood. “I think that’s one of beautiful,’ but if you don’t believe it, that’s all that matters. So
the reasons I went into fashion and one of the reasons I like the I’ve always been a huge supporter of doing anything I can to
beauty industry; it’s really hard on your internal ecosystem to make someone who maybe doesn’t feel like they have access
PHOTOGRAPHY, YAEL MALKA

not feel good. And while you can say that beauty and clothing [to solutions] feel better about themselves.”
are superficial or shallow, how you feel about yourself when
you look in the mirror is not.” WHEN DO YOU FEEL MOST BEAUTIFUL THESE DAYS? “I think in
Here, Lyons opens up about her beauty rituals, embracing my later years, I’ve moved through a lot of it, and now I prob-
aging and finally feeling comfortable in her skin. ably feel most beautiful when I’m at the beach—feeling the

ELLECANADA.COM 67
 BEAUTY

warmth of the sun and the softness of the sand. It’s not about him talk. Catching up can be hard because there’s always
how I look in that moment but about how I feel.” a lot going on, so it’s nice to have a moment when everyone
comes together.”
HOW DO YOU LIKE TO START YOUR DAY? “Someone told me
about this thing where you—it sounds gross, but after a while WHAT ARE FIVE LITTLE THINGS THAT ALWAYS MAKE YOU
you get used to it—put two teaspoons of ghee in hot water. HAPPY? “Candles, really nice sheets, fresh flowers, a pedicure
It’s supposed to help your digestive system. I do drink coffee, and cheesecake.”
but I’ve been trying to do that first and just get a little quiet
[time], usually making breakfast for my son before he goes to YOU’VE BEEN A STYLE MUSE TO SO MANY. WHO ARE YOUR PER-
school and then taking the monster [a.k.a. Popeye] for a walk. SONAL INSPIRATIONS IN THAT REALM? “There are so many. I’ve
Beauty-wise, I have a few things that I swear by, but I love always loved [socialite] Slim Keith and [fashion editor] Camilla
trying new products.” Nickerson. I’ve also always loved [actor] Charlotte Rampling.
What I love about her is she’s not all tucked and pulled. I think
WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR SKINCARE MUST-HAVES? “One of my the European idea of beauty is so interesting because it’s about
most treasured products is the Crème Masque Vernix from celebrating how you move through life, and I don’t think we do
Biologique Recherche. I would slather my entire body in it that so much here in the United States. Inès de La Fressange
if it weren’t so small and over $200. It’s probably one of the too—she’s so beautiful and stylish, but she still looks like herself.
best products I’ve ever used. I also have a Tata Harper face I’m not against all the other stuff—I get it. I think our culture
scrub [Regenerating BHA Exfoliating Cleanser] that I love; makes people feel like they need to do that, and I understand
it’s a gentle exfoliant. I love the Augustinus Bader serum and why, and I’m not saying I haven’t participated. But I am so
the Biologique Recherche P50 Lotion—I swear by that. And enamoured by that sense of beauty that can morph and change
the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask—I put that on every night.” and not have to look like it’s frozen in time.”

WHAT ABOUT MAKEUP? “Victoria Beckham did a primer with HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONAL APPROACH TO
Augustinus Bader that’s great. I don’t want to look cakey or AGING? “I mean, it’s hard. My girlfriend [Cass Bird] is a pho-
dry, especially at my age, and this keeps makeup from looking tographer, and we talk about this all the time. She recently shot
like that. There are also these Merit cream eyeshadows that Isabella Rossellini, who is one of the most beautiful women I’ve
I absolutely love and have on rotation in my bag. And there ever seen, and [Rossellini] was really insistent that [the photos]
are two concealers that I’m obsessed with—a Shiseido one not be overly retouched. Lauren Hutton does the same thing.
[Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer] that is so delicate She’s like: ‘I’m old. Can you celebrate me and leave me the
and light and one from Biologique Recherche [The Eye Care way I am?’ I think that’s really inspirational. It’s just so hard
Concealer]. It’s so liquidy and soft and works really nicely on in our culture to feel comfortable doing that. There’s nothing
my skin. There’s also not a blush I’ve met that I haven’t liked. I more challenging than being on a TV show with a bunch of
would marry blush. I have Dior ones, Charlotte Tilbury ones, young women and being like, ‘Wow, they look really great,’
Merit ones... And then for lipstick, it’s frequently been red and, you know, you look like you look. Again, I’m not saying
recently. There’s Red Square from NARS and this Maybelline I haven’t done things—I am all up in there—but I think it’s
lip lacquer [SuperStay Vinyl Ink] that stays shiny and doesn’t about trying to do it with as much grace as possible and without
move—it’s amazing.” changing my face too much. I’m 55, and I should look [it].”

WHAT PRODUCTS DO YOU KEEP IN YOUR SHOWER? “I really love YOU REINVENTED YOURSELF AT A LATER STAGE IN LIFE, WHICH CAN
the Ouai shampoo and conditioner. Every time I use them, the BE A REALLY DAUNTING THING TO DO FOR MANY WOMEN. WHAT
person who does my hair is like, ‘Your hair feels good.’ There’s WOULD YOUR ADVICE BE TO ANYONE CONSIDERING STARTING
the Wonder Valley Hinoki Body Wash, which I love. I also use OVER? “I struggled in the shift from doing one thing to the
the brand’s body oil in the same scent. And there are about next, and I had a lot of circumstances that were in my favour.
8 million loofahs in there and a pumice stone—I can’t get I’m very well aware of that and grateful for that. But I spent a
enough [exfoliation], especially as I get older.” lot of time doubting myself, which I think a lot of women do,
and not as much time focusing my energy on doing. I spent a lot
YOU HAVE A PRETTY EPIC BATHTUB. WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT of time psyching myself out and being like, ‘Oh, you can’t do
BATHING? “I’m six feet tall, so [as I was] growing up, no bathtubs this’ or ‘You can’t do that.’ I think focusing on all the reasons
were ever big enough for me. Every apartment I moved into why you can is definitely energy better spent.”
in New York, the bathtub was either absolutely disgusting or
tiny. So being able to lie flat in a tub is just heaven to me. I’m
the person who will light a candle, bring a book, add in Epsom
salts—it’s just very soothing.”

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE WAY TO UNWIND AFTER A HECTIC

DAY? “Spending time with my son. We’ll just cuddle and
chill. He likes science and random things—I have no idea
LOVESEEN IRIS LASHES IN LIGHT BROWN
what he’s talking about half the time, but I love listening to ($24.50, LIVING-BEAUTY.COM)

68 ELLECANADA.COM
 THE POOL AT SOULSHINE BALI RESORT

GET WELL
How to make the most of the new wellness-retreat
trend and apply what you learn in your everyday life.
By VAL DESJARDINS

LAST SPRING, after several months of meticulous planning, immerses guests in the region’s lush nature and has a number
I set off on a much-anticipated trip to Bali, Indonesia. I was of wellness offerings, including a wood-fired floating sauna
joining digital fitness studio THE CLASS’ Retreatment, a days- that’s surrounded by trees. For even more adventurous types,
long program that focuses on restorative practices, meditation, there are places like THE RANCH, a popular destination spa in
whole-food nutrition and calisthenic workouts and, this time, Malibu, Calif., that offers a week-long program centred around
was being hosted at SOULSHINE BALI RESORT, in the cultural guided hikes, plant-based eating and spa treatments. And if
capital of Ubud. you go to one of The Ranch’s other locations, you’ll find that
I had attended the American brand’s Los Angeles itera- it’s curated and inspired by the city or region it’s in.
tion of the program, which was hosted by co-founder Jaycee While I love these types of wellness trips and am delighted
Gossett, at the end of 2022 and wanted to see what kind of that they are becoming more popular, I also know that there’s
sense of renewal I would gain in a more tropical setting. Over an important conversation to be had about what we take away
the past few years, The Class has become known for its blend from them. Many of us leave with new practices that we hope
of workouts and mindfulness techniques—a combination that to incorporate into our routines and everyday lives. But the
I found transcendent during my time in Los Angeles and served reality is that this can be difficult to achieve outside of the
as a powerful motivator when the time came to book this trip. utopian setting of our time away.
While in Bali, I took part in traditional local ceremonies at Actually integrating these newly formed vacation habits into
the water temple in Ubud and ran through rice-paddy fields. our lives back home requires adaptation. At the end of a trip,
Early on, I could already tell that the retreat would both be I like to take some time for introspection and ask myself a few
restorative and encourage deep personal growth. This type of questions: Which experiences from this trip served me best?
travel—that is, travel geared toward health and recovery—is What would this practice look like if I continued it at home?
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF SOULSHINE BALI RESORT

not unusual for me, but it has also become part of a broader Will it fit into my already established wellness routine? After
trend in the wellness industry. Today, people are seeking both all, only you know what’s best for you—and what’s realistic.
individual and communal experiences that prioritize mental, And that’s what’s important to remember: A week-long
physical and emotional well-being. Retreats like The Class’ offer retreat can be amazing, but none of us lead lives where we
a guided framework that can be appealing to those seeking a can easily keep doing what we learned in an idyllic setting
“hard” reset through an immersive process. away from our responsibilities. What I experienced in Bali is
The retreat at Soulshine was a luxury option, but the impossible to recreate in Montreal, and that’s not something
demand for experiential wellness tourism is pushing the to feel guilty about. After a trip like this, just try to create space
industry to branch out into various locations, types of activities for these new habits in any way you can—that’s the best thing
and clientele. Take B.C.’s TOFINO RESORT + MARINA, which you can do to care for yourself.

ELLECANADA.COM 69
 SMALL—
BUT
MIGHTY?
Exosomes and their skin-restoring properties are
expected to be the next frontier in aesthetics. Can
the tiny particles live up to their big promise?
By CAITLIN KENNY

FOR MILLIONS AROUND THE WORLD, it was Kim Kardashian

who put the word “exosomes” on their radar just over a year
ago. But for Dr. Damian Naqvi, who’s based in Laval, Que.,
it was a Korean woman walking by him in Paris in 2018. “I
couldn’t believe the quality of her skin,” he says. “I was so
shocked that I ran after her.”
Her secret? Exosomes, also known as “extracellular ves-
icles.” “An exosome is essentially an envelope inside a cell
that contains messages,” says Naqvi, chief medical officer at
Univers NuFace medical cosmetic clinic. Think of it as a little
package of instructions—lipids, proteins, nucleic acids—that
tell nearby cells to create new proteins.
In skincare, exosomes are derived from stem cells (immature
cells that can develop into different types of cells) and thought to
tell lagging skin cells to pump up collagen and elastin production,
which contribute to skin plumpness and tightness, respectively.
“In Korea, the U.S. and some other countries, they’ve taken
stem cells and isolated exosomes—skipping the middleman,
which is the stem cell,” says Naqvi. Because they’re not actual Other formulas contain exosomes harvested from umbilical
full stem cells, exosomes don’t have what Naqvi calls “the cel- cords, blood and even roses—but these versions all give Naqvi
lular machinery to replicate themselves.” No nucleus means no pause because so far there isn’t enough data to back them. “All
cancer risk or immune response, which are potential downsides sorts of companies are making all sorts of claims,” he says.
associated with stem-cell therapy, he explains. “Even [for me] as a physician, it’s hard to sort out what’s real
Exosomes have been billed as stem cells but better, so it’s no and what has science and what doesn’t.” But sort it out is exactly
wonder they’ve become the latest buzzword in beauty circles. “I what he’s on a mission to do. We happened to connect with
go to a lot of trade shows, and over the past eight to 10 months, him the day before he presented on exosomes at the Canadian
exosomes have been the talk of the medical-aesthetics industry,” Association of Aesthetic Medicine’s 20th Annual Conference.
PHOTOGRAPHY, LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT

says Karmen LaMer, founder of Tight Clinic medical-aesthetics While doctors continue to learn more, glow-seekers are
clinic in Toronto. Keen to add the innovation to her offering, levelling up in-office treatments with exosome add-ons. They’re
she set out to research different manufacturers and landed on typically offered in conjunction with microneedling, laser
a formula that contains “adipose-tissue-derived” exosomes and treatment (as was the case in Kim Kardashian’s Instagram
is made by California-based Benev and distributed in Canada post) or chemical peels—all services that create tiny wounds
by Xcite Tech. Translation: They were taken from the removed in the epidermis, which allow the exosomes to pass through.
fat of four screened donors after liposuction, genetically tested, They can be smoothed over the skin after a treatment, much
colonized and then freeze-dried for stability. like a serum, or sprayed on with a JetPeel device, which uses

70 ELLECANADA.COM
 BEAUTY

paying the extra $350 to add exosomes to their treatments,

and so far, all the feedback has been positive. “One hundred
percent of people are happy—everyone is shocked,” says LaMer,
who herself swears by exosomes for the way they shorten the
duration of her post-microneedling “Freddy Krueger-esque”
face from roughly four days to 36 hours or less.
Naqvi has experimented with exosomes on his own skin
too, including when he had a gash on his forehead. “For the
heck of it, I put exosomes on it every day,” he says. “I took a
picture every day, and it was completely healed in five days.
To me, that was really fast. It should’ve taken a lot longer, and
there should’ve been a scar.”
But not all of his trials have gone as smoothly. “The first time
I had exosomes was in Korea; I had them injected into my face,
and my dark beard turned red for eight months,” recalls Naqvi.
It should be noted that Health Canada has not approved the
injection of exosomes (and that the brand that turned Naqvi’s
beard red isn’t available here). “At the time, I thought, ‘Wow,
it’s changing the proteins expressed by my [genetic] code, but
imagine what else it’s doing that we don’t know.’”
No one was ever able to explain why that happened, which
is part of the concern Naqvi has about the current state of
exosome research. “My big caveat is that though there can
be some messages that are beneficial, I don’t think we know
all the messages,” he says. There’s even disagreement in the
scientific community about what part of the exosomes’ “mes-
sages” deserve credit for their effects—be it the growth factors,
mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) or some combination.
There’s a lack of independent studies, with most research
coming from the companies that are making exosome prod-
ucts. In Naqvi’s practice, where he uses Benev’s fat-derived
exosomes, he has noticed anti-inflammatory effects, with results
like shortened post-procedure healing and improvements to
eczema. He’d like to see these benefits confirmed with a large
double-blind study, but in the meantime, he’s comfortable
offering topical exosomes to his patients, having researched their
safety carefully. “With the ones I’m using from fat cells, I think
a pressurized stream to deliver the ingredients deep into the the worst that can happen is that nothing happens,” he says.
skin. (This means that at-home products boasting exosomes But he remains captivated by the possibilities that go far
on their labels are a no-go. “If you’re using a skin cream with beyond “nothing.” Naqvi has seen companies overseas working on
exosomes in it, you’re wasting your money,” says Naqvi. “An transdermal patches that they claim will heal diabetic ulcers and
exosome is way too big to go through the skin’s barrier.”) skin blisters caused by autoimmune diseases. “If we could really
With their purported ability to jump-start your skin cells, do that, imagine how much it would reduce morbidity,” he says.
exosomes promise to improve the results of anti-aging treatments Hopes are high in the cosmetics world too. “One day, when
while also reducing healing time. When applied to the scalp, we’re able to inject this, it’ll probably put filler out of business,”
they’re said to support hair growth. These uses and benefits says LaMer. But injections—whether for medical or cosmetic
have earned exosomes comparisons to PRP facials (a.k.a. “the use—are unlikely to get approved in Canada anytime soon,
vampire facial,” where your blood is drawn, spun to isolate says Naqvi. “There are too many unknown factors and too
the cell-repairing plasma and then applied over microneedled many people taking advantage of the idea that some people are
skin), except they don’t require a blood draw and are a more hoping for miracles,” he says. His advice to the exosome-curi-
predictable product (since the quality of your plasma depends ous, including the doctors he speaks to at conferences: “Yes,
heavily on your own health, age and lifestyle). there’s something here, but it’s not some sort of magic bullet
At Tight Clinic, one of the first spots to offer exosome therapy at the moment—there’s still a lot of work to do before we can
in Canada, LaMer estimates that about half of her clients are harness this technology to its full potential.”

ELLECANADA.COM 71
 BEAUTY

LA
DOLCE
VITA
Picture the scene: Capri on a summer day,
an Italian ditty playing in the background.
Front and centre is none other than singer
KATY PERRY, the face of a new fragrance toasting
the Italian way of life with a most surprising note.
By MICHELA MOTTA
PHOTOGRAPHY, DOMEN & VAN DE VELDE
 IN 1915, deep in the backcountry of the Amalfi Coast in a IN THE COMMERCIAL FOR DEVOTION, YOU IMMERSE YOURSELF
town called Sant’Egidio del Monte Albino, Aniello Califano IN A DREAM ITALIAN HOLIDAY. HOW WAS THAT EXPERIENCE FOR
wrote what remains—more than a century later—one of YOU? “I actually brought my mom and my friends with me!
the most famous Neapolitan songs of all time: “O surdato The mood was really relaxed, warm and spontaneous—I think
’nnammurato,” which translates to “the soldier in love.” you can tell when you watch it. I was even able to enjoy a few
Thousands of versions of the love ballad have since been recorded, local delicacies between scenes.”
the best known being that of Anna Magnani, which is featured in
the 1971 film La Sciantosa. The tune has become a sort of second THE AD FEATURES A FAMOUS NEAPOLITAN SONG. WERE YOU
national anthem for Italians, so it’s no surprise that Domenico ALREADY FAMILIAR WITH IT? “Yes, I knew it well, and what’s
Dolce and Stefano Gabbana selected it as the soundtrack for funny is that I had once been to the club you see in the com-
their latest fragrance campaign. The commercial for Devotion mercial and had actually danced to that very song in real life!”
by Dolce & Gabbana shows superstar Katy Perry living out the
perfect vacation day in Capri. Think sparkling sunshine, clear IS THIS YOUR FIRST CAMPAIGN WITH DOLCE & GABBANA BEAUTY?
blue water, sizzling island nightlife...and an equally sizzling “It is. I really admire Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana’s
appearance by actor Michele Morrone, who also stars in the work. I love their bold, inimitable style and how their connection to
campaign. We caught up with Perry in Italy to chat fragrance, their roots shines through in everything they do. They created this
fashion and il dolce far niente (the sweetness of doing nothing). brand from scratch, and it has evolved so beautifully over time.”

74 ELLECANADA.COM
 BEAUTY

KATY PERRY POSES WITH

LOCALS IN CAPRI, ITALY

AN UNEXPECTED SCENT
In Devotion, the new gourmand
fragrance from Dolce & Gabbana
Beauty, orange blossom mingles
with Madagascan vanilla and
hints of candied citrus.
DOLCE & GABBANA DEVOTION EAU
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE DEVOTION, AND DE PARFUM SPRAY ($198 FOR 98 ML,
SEPHORA.CA)
WHAT ABOUT IT APPEALS TO YOU? “It’s a gour-
mand fragrance that’s very soft and sensual.
There’s something really magnetic about it that
makes you want to smell it again and again. I’m
quite picky when it comes to smells, and I’ve
never really veered away from certain notes.
Devotion is my new go-to way to wear those ORIGIN STORY
scents I love so much.” “It started with this wild idea of capturing the smell of
panettone, that quintessentially Italian brioche,” says
HOW DID YOU FEEL THE FIRST TIME YOU SPRAYED
Olivier Cresp, the perfumer behind Devotion. “We
IT ON? “I felt totally like myself. It’s a scent that’s
worked closely with Domenico Dolce and Stefano
really easy to wear. It’s delicate, youthful, a bit Gabbana to figure out how to best translate Italy
sweet... One spritz and you feel like you’re falling and the values of the brand with a scent in a way
in love for the very first time.” that hadn’t been done before. We thought of gelato,
coffee, wine, martinis…but nothing felt quite right. I
IT’S OFTEN SAID THAT SMELLS CAN UNLOCK FOR-
reflected on the meaning of devotion, which for me
GOTTEN MEMORIES. HAS THAT EVER HAPPENED
is all about helping friends and family. That’s when we
TO YOU? “It happens to me all the time, and it
came up with panettone, a sweet symbol of sharing
really is like travelling back in time. Scents have that can be found in every Italian household during
a way of making us relive certain emotions.” get-togethers.” Thus was born Dolce & Gabbana’s
latest perfume, opening the door to a whole new
WHAT ARE YOUR EARLIEST SCENT MEMORIES?
world of gourmand scents. “I’m considered the fore-
“The smell of the ocean and the fresh salty air father of this olfactive family [Cresp created Angel by
take me back to Santa Barbara, where I was Mugler, which launched the category, in 1992], but I
born. There’s also vanilla, my all-time favourite have to say that today we’re in a totally different place.
scent, which I’ve been wearing in one form or another since The new gourmand fragrances aren’t too sweet and
I was 18.” have a freshness that makes them unique. The inspir-
ations have also evolved. In the case of panettone, it
DEVOTION IS A DECLARATION OF LOVE AND GRATITUDE. WHAT
hearkens back to childhood—to moments when we
ARE THE THREE THINGS YOU’RE MOST THANKFUL FOR? “My
felt safe and protected. It took me a whole year to
daughter, Daisy Dove, love and music.” perfect this note by selecting the very best ingredients.
That’s what makes all the difference, including in how
TO WHOM OR WHAT ARE YOU MOST DEVOTED? “First and fore-
it lingers on the skin. I had a lot of family members and
most, motherhood—and then music, which totally changed my colleagues smell it, and they all loved it.” Devotion can
life. I try to share that with others and give back through my
PHOTOGRAPHY, DOMEN & VAN DE VELDE

also imply sacrifice, so did anything have to be sacri-

Firework Foundation, which strives to empower children from ficed in order to achieve the best outcome? “I didn’t
underserved communities by igniting their inner light through use any notes tied to the Sacred Heart [a religious
the arts. Our most important project is Camp Firework, an symbol found in many D&G designs], such as incense,
artistic program set in nature.” but it’s one of the emblems of the house, which is why
it’s depicted on the bottle.”
WHAT ARE THREE THINGS THAT COME TO MIND WHEN YOU
THINK OF ITALY? “History, culinary excellence and fashion.”

ELLECANADA.COM 75
 BEAUTY

Black Magic
IN THE SUMMER OF 2021, Janet Pardo, A sheer lipstick time, it was housed in a slim silver tube but
Clinique’s senior VP of product develop- that appears could still be applied without a mirror. “You
ment, got a call from her daughter, who ebony on sight yet weren’t getting that gooey shine anymore,
told her that a TikToker with the handle looks different on but [it had] this comforting balmy texture
“Shanniedarko_” had posted about Black everyone continues that [made it feel] like you were putting a
Honey, the brand’s iconic lipstick shade, saying to captivate 50 years treatment product on your lips. It became a
that Liv Tyler had worn it in the first Lord of after it launched. very big hit very fast.” (The company would
the Rings film, The Fellowship of the Rings. “I go on to make a Black Honey blush, and it just
mean, she’s a total gen Z,” Pardo says of her By LESA HANNAH brought out a lipgloss version too.)
daughter. “But she understands Clinique. It’s And since then, it has never gone away. It
in her blood because she grew up with me manages to persevere in spite of trends like
talking about it constantly.” It got picked up transfer-proof full-colour matte lipstick. “The
by other influencers, and soon Black Honey people who loved it loved it and never went
went viral—50 years after its initial launch. away from it,” says Pardo. “But it wasn’t really
In its original iteration, the dark shade attracting a newer audience because there were
was part of a 1971 line of lipglosses in a pot. trends involved.” That is until gen Z discovered
At the time, British makeup brand Yardley it, and a rabid demand for the product ensued.
of London was hugely popular, as was its Pot “We didn’t anticipate this,” says Pardo.
o’ Gloss. Capitalizing on the trend, Clinique The company had to change its forecast
founder Carol Phillips launched six shades and secure more time on the production
of lipgloss in the same kind of vessel. “The line to manufacture the product as it was
idea was it was an ooey-gooey gloss that felt unavailable in Canada for about six to nine
like honey,” says Pardo. “It was thick and months. “For quite a while, we were out of
dense, and you used a lip brush to put it on, stock, and that only made the frenzy worse.”
and your hair would stick to your lips.” Some people would try to source it through
The shades were mostly soft, pinky and gift-with-purchase promotions. “And it wasn’t
peachy except for the one that would outlive stopping. It was everywhere. Clinique was
them all. “Black Honey was like the odd man once again part of the narrative.”
out,” says Pardo. “It was very disruptive-look- That hasn’t ceased either. In October,
ing, because when you opened up the pot, it Black Honey won the Iconic Beauty Award
looked black. But when you put it on, it was at the CEW (Cosmetic Executive Women)
a delight—a surprise.” That’s because the Awards, and it is the number one lipstick not
pigments were in the exact right dose to allow just in Canada but in all of North America.
the shade to work with one’s natural lip tone. “I have to chuckle because I think it’s pretty
“The way it looked on a Black woman versus remarkable that something from 1971 still
a Latina versus a Caucasian woman, you resonates to this day,” says Pardo. It’s espe-
would think it was three different shades.” It cially noteworthy that it’s resonating with a
soon became a cult favourite—one that you whole different consumer who wants different
kind of had to be in the know about. things from a brand and from a lipstick. “It’s
Glosses eventually fell out of favour, but one of those products where all the stars
Black Honey got a second life in 1989 when lined up—like everything was right about it.
Phillips made it one of the shades in the brand’s And that’s why it has stood the test of time.
Almost Lipstick range. “It obviously had such Fifty-something years later, it’s still here.”
a following,” says Pardo. “She brought it back
CLINIQUE ALMOST LIPSTICK IN BLACK HONEY
in this collection and made it modern.” This ($30, CLINIQUE.CA)

76 ELLECANADA.COM
 SHOPPING

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an in-salon gloss,
it dials up shine,
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but since it’s clear,
it won’t alter your
To help chase away the
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leave it positively
dazzling. Apply after
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It’s an age-old makeup-artist

trick: a stroke of pale-beige
pencil along the waterlines to
illuminate the eyes. Victoria
This is the antithesis of a Beckham has sworn by the
glittery highlighter that turns hack for years, which is why
cheekbones into disco balls. she made it her mission to
The clear balmlike formula create her dream version of
catches the light just so the liner for her eponymous
while making it look like you brand. VICTORIA BECKHAM
BEAUTY INSTANT BRIGHTENING
have totally bare skin. Dab
WATERLINE PENCIL ($39,
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VICTORIABECKHAMBEAUTY.COM)
face for a gorgeous glassy
glow. WESTMAN ATELIER LIT UP
HIGHLIGHT STICK IN LIT
($64, HOLTRENFREW.COM)

ELLECANADA.COM 77
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 fashion

MARCH
BE LURED INTO
WINTER’S END-OF-
SEASON EMBRACE
WITH STATEMENT
PIECES, SOFT
MATERIALS AND
MUTED LUXURY.
PHOTOGRAPHY, PETROS; TOP AND LEGGINGS (MOSCHINO)
 Guiding
Light

LILY GLADSTONE IS CHANGING THE WAY

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ARE SEEN ONSCREEN.
By TERESE MARIE MAILHOT Photographer MARK SELIGER Stylist ARIANNE PHILLIPS
CAPE AND DRESS (RODARTE) AND
EARRINGS (GLADSTONE’S OWN)
 CELEBRITY
BLOUSE (MAX MARA),
HEADPIECE (STEPHEN JONES
MILLINERY) AND EARRINGS
(MAHNAZ COLLECTION)

82 ELLECANADA.COM
 CELEBRITY

L
ILY GLADSTONE RECENTLY DEBUTED AT CANNES —alongside
her friend and Killers of the Flower Moon co-star Leonardo
DiCaprio—wearing Valentino: a devastatingly beautiful black
cashmere cape that featured abstract floral embellishments
and seemed to have been made for her alone. The cape was
from Valentino’s fall/winter 2022/2023 couture collection,
which, per the brand, “broadens the spectrum of beauty” by
centring what is peripheral and turning “into protagonists
those who, once, did not even have supporting roles.”
That also describes Indigenous women in a nutshell,
especially in Hollywood. We’re rarely portrayed as people
with layers or dynamism, but Gladstone, who has Blackfeet
“I DON’T REALLY (Siksikaitsitapi) and Nez Perce (Nimíipuu) heritage, never
makes herself smaller. “I’m not sure I know how to dissolve
COME INTO THESE into the background,” she tells me via Zoom, leaning in

SPACES AND PUSH so close to the screen that it cuts off the top of her head.
She’s been subverting the lens for years, such as in her 2016
MY PRESENCE TO performance in Kelly Reichardt’s Certain Women, which
offers a rare depiction of a queer Indigenous woman. “I’ve
THE FRONT. THE been really lucky that my career has largely been shaped by
women filmmakers,” she says.
AUDIENCE WILL Now, her performance in the Martin Scorsese-helmed

KNOW YOU’RE Killers has made her the Golden Globes’ first Indigenous
nominee—and winner—in the category of Best Actress
FEELING IT IF YOU’RE in a Motion Picture—Drama and the first Indigenous
person in history to be nominated for an Oscar for Best
FEELING IT.” Actress. Who better to challenge common misconcep-
tions than Gladstone, who’s been known to fight for better
representation as well as equity and equality, even when it
carries a cost. During her sophomore year at the University
of Montana, where she was studying drama, the theatre
department decided to add Peter Pan to its fall slate. She was
the only Indigenous woman student in the department at
the time, so people told her she’d be “a shoo-in for the role of
Tiger Lily,” she said in 2019. Gladstone refused to audition,
even though students were expected to read for every pro-
duction. Taking the stand isolated her, but it motivated her
to expand the way Indigenous people are seen.
Last fall, Gladstone was photographed—sign in hand,
dancing a little and ready to fight—protesting with fellow
SAG-AFTRA members in Times Square. The image is
a contrast to her onscreen work, which is typically intro-
spective and focused on quietness, subtlety and movement.
“I don’t really come into these spaces and push my presence
to the front,” says Gladstone. She works from the heart,
where she says her spirit lives. “The audience will know
you’re feeling it if you’re feeling it.”

ELLECANADA.COM 83
DRESS (SIMONE ROCHA),
EARRINGS, BRACELETS AND
RINGS (ASEP DESIGNS) AND
BOOTS (PAUL ANDREW)

84 ELLECANADA.COM
 CELEBRITY

DRESS (ALEXANDER
DRESS
MCQUEEN),
(GUCCI), EARRINGS
CUFF BRACELET
(ASEP
(ELSA PERETTI
DESIGNS)
AT TIFFANY
AND GLOVES
& CO.)
E L L EAND
C A(SERMONETA
RINGS
N A D A(TIFFANY 85
. C O MGLOVES)
& CO.)
 CELEBRITY

ON HER GOALS
“I’ve never really been an eye-on-the-prize person. There’s
a quote from Carl Sagan and Iosif Shklovskii’s book,
Intelligent Life in the Universe: ‘The prey runs to the hunter.’
That’s something that has kind of governed what my goals
are—just keep doing it and what’s meant to find you will
come to you.”

ON GETTING INTO A ROLE MENTALLY

“When I play characters who are holding a lot of trauma,
I make them left-handed. I’m right-handed, so it takes a lot
of physical work, but literally being able to hand yourself off
to yourself... It’s an easier way to physically carve out two
different spaces.”
“WHEN I ACCEPTED
ON DEALING WITH CRITICISM AND HATE
“When I accepted this role, I knew that my life was going to
THIS ROLE, I KNEW
take a very different turn and I would have a much bigger THAT MY LIFE WAS
spotlight on me. So I’ve had a low level of anxiety for the
past couple of years about what’s going to happen when GOING TO TAKE A
the internet figures out who I am. So far, I’ve been very
pleasantly surprised that there’s way more love than hate out VERY DIFFERENT TURN
there. And that goes back to community. It’s a reminder of,
like, ‘Okay, maybe all these things I’ve been saying—that
AND I WOULD HAVE
representation matters and that seeing yourself represented
gives you a sense of your place in the world—[resonated].’
A MUCH BIGGER
So my anxiety went away when I started seeing all the love SPOTLIGHT ON ME.”
and excitement and support.”

ON HER “ONLY IN HOLLYWOOD” MOMENT

“Marty [Scorsese]’s 80th-birthday party. I couldn’t turn
around without being like, ‘Oh, my God.’ First, I sat next to
Robbie Robertson, who I’ve loved since I was a kid. Before
I did a lot of theatre, I was just a chunky little expressive
ballerina who would choreograph her own dances, and I
did a lot of choreography to Robbie Robertson & The Red
Road Ensemble. Margot Robbie was seated at one table;
Jennifer Lawrence was at another. And in all of that, the
person who was grounding for me was Leonardo DiCaprio.
Like: ‘Where’s my friend? There’s my friend! What is
happening?’ So that was a very Hollywood experience—I
couldn’t turn around without [seeing] a titan right there.”

86 ELLECANADA.COM
 DRESS (LAUREN GOOD DAY),
FLATS (ETRO), ZUNI CUFF AND RING
(THE WAY WE WORE) AND EARRINGS
(GLADSTONE’S OWN, BIGBOW BEADS)

FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.

HAIRSTYLIST, BOB RECINE (THE WALL
GROUP); MAKEUP ARTIST, ROMY
SOLEIMANI (THE WALL GROUP);
MANICURIST, CASEY HERMAN (THE
WALL GROUP); SET DESIGN, JAKOB
BOKULICH; PRODUCERS, RUTH LEVY
AND MADI OVERSTREET
JACKET AND SHORTS (CHLOÉ)
INTO THE BLUE
SINK INTO THE SOOTHING TONES OF AZURE, INDIGO AND
CERULEAN THAT HAVE ARRIVED FOR THE NEW SEASON.
DESIGNERS HAVE HONED IN ON TACTILITY AND TECHNIQUE TO
FLAUNT EXCEPTIONAL ARTISTRY IN ALL SHADES OF THE HUE.
PHOTOGRAPHER PETROS
STYLIST JENNY KENNEDY

TOP, BRA AND PANTS

(NENSI DOJAKA) AND
HEELS (NEOUS)
DRESS, SLIP, BRA, GARTER
BELT AND STOCKINGS
(DOLCE & GABBANA)
DRESS, SOCKS AND FLATS
(SIMONE ROCHA)
DRESS AND HEELS
(ALEXANDER MCQUEEN)
JACKET, SOCKS AND FLATS
(CHOPOVA LOWENA)
CORSET, JACKET AND TROUSERS
(VIVIENNE WESTWOOD)
 SWEATER AND SHORTS (MICHAEL
KORS COLLECTION)

FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE.

MODEL, ELLEN ROSA (PREMIER
MODEL MANAGEMENT);
HAIRSTYLIST, YOSHI MIYAZAKI;
MAKEUP ARTIST, CELIA EVANS;
MANICURIST, CHERRIE SNOW
(HERMÈS BEAUTY); STYLIST’S
ASSISTANT, GRACE CLARKE
 FASHION

The ART
of FLUIDITY Nina Ricci creative director Harris Reed is
making his mark on the fashion industry—
no matter what gets thrown his way.
By JOANNA FOX

WHEN HARRIS REED POPS UP ON MY SCREEN from the Nina Ricci completing his degree in 2020, he and his namesake brand
atelier in Paris, he’s wearing a white T-shirt with the brand’s were catapulted to the runway. The queer designer made waves
logo across the front. “I’m so sorry I’m wearing a T-shirt,” again when he put Styles in a tailored suit attached to a hoop
the British-American designer says. “I just spilled an entire skirt draped in tulle and pink satin garlands for the December
smoothie on my blouse.” It’s a winter Monday morning, and I 2020 issue of Vogue. Reed’s crew of high-profile friends and cli-
can relate to that first-day-of-the-week energy. “It’s definitely a ents (including Ashley Graham, Beyoncé, Nicki Minaj, Adele,
fucking Monday,” he says with a laugh. “Crystals on standby.” Selena Gomez, Shakira, Miley Cyrus and Kaia Gerber—a
It’s hard not to instantly fall in love with Reed. The 27-year- lineup that would rival Taylor Swift’s squad) helped propel
old’s down-to-earth real-talk demeanour is a breath of fresh his designs further into the spotlight, and in September 2022,
air in an industry where everyone comes across as reserved, he was named creative director of Nina Ricci, becoming the
perfect and put together. Not that Reed isn’t channelling some youngest designer in the brand’s 91-year history.
serious glam. His signature silky-smooth reddish-blond long Now, with two very-well-received Nina Ricci collections
hair, love of flared pants, heeled platform boots and penchant and the release of his first fragrance, Nina Le Parfum, under
for blurring the lines of what’s considered masculine and his belt and with preparations for his third Paris Fashion Week
what’s considered feminine definitely make him stand out under way, Reed is keeping everything in perspective. “The
from the crowd. But it’s less about how Reed looks and more point of this job was never to be like, ‘Three seasons and then
about his infectious energy and the I’m going to just sip my coffee and
message of inclusivity he conveys smoke my fake lavender cigarettes,’”
with everything he does. It’s like HARRIS REED he says. “It’s about really going in and
he’s buzzing at a higher frequency, constantly trying to outdo [myself]
bubbling over with enthusiasm and and be bolder—which makes it fun.”
creativity and constantly pushing On top of balancing Nina Ricci
PHOTOGRAPHY, HANNA MOON (H. REED) & COURTESY OF NINA RICCI (RUNWAY)

fashion boundaries in the realms of and his namesake brand, he just

gender norms and representation. released his first book, Fluid: A Fashion
Born in Los Angeles to parents Revolution, which explores the world
Nick and Lynette Reed—an Oscar- of gender-defying fashion through
winning British documentary film- his lens. “I am gobsmacked that it’s
maker and former model turned a real, tactile thing,” says Reed. “I
candle maker and boutique owner, always wanted to release a book,
respectively—the designer went to [but] I thought it’d be much later in
London’s Central Saint Martins, my career.” We recently spoke with
whose graduates include Alexander the talented designer about his busy
McQueen and John Galliano. life, his first two Nina Ricci shows,
While Reed was still a student, his first fragrance with the brand and
he dressed Solange Knowles and the importance of creating an open-
Harry Styles, and shortly after minded, diverse fashion industry.

96 ELLECANADA.COM
 PHOTOGRAPHY, ALANA PATERSON

ELLECANADA.COM
97
FASHION
 space where we need to also show what this wardrobe looks
like. So this one was a bit like trying to make sure that we’re
representing this everyday person but still doing it the fabulous
camp Nina Ricci way.”

DO YOU FIND IT’S GETTING EASIER OR HARDER? “I would say

both. It’s easier because we’re figuring out what the language
of the brand is. When I started, I went up to the atelier, which
is still the original one in the building, and there were no pat-
terns, no blocks and no mannequins—there was nothing. Now
I walk up there and we have the suiting department, we have
all the different jackets and we have our babydolls. Now I can
be like, ‘We’re doing evening—this is the Nina shoulder, and
this is the Nina skirt.’ It’s beautiful to have these DNA codes
that we didn’t have [before]—it makes the design easier. But
it also becomes harder because the audience becomes wider.
We went from zero stores to, like, 120 stores so quickly. So I’m
constantly challenging myself on the modernity of what [the
Nina] woman looks like and exploring her ever-changing and
complicated [persona]. But I like a challenge.”
CAN YOU TELL ME HOW THE ROLE WITH NINA RICCI CAME
ABOUT? “At the time, I was in a place where I was generally YOUR CLOTHES ARE SO MUCH FUN. WATCHING YOUR SHOW IS
looking for growth within myself. I had my label, which I still SO MUCH FUN. EVERYTHING EXUDES THIS SENSE OF JOY. “When
have, but I had this moment where I thought that I could give you go into a brand and you’re redefining what the customer
more in a creative space. In one month, I was approached looks like and what people expect, it’s so difficult because
by three different houses—Nina Ricci being one of them. I there’s so much rigidity and calculation. I was just like, ‘I want
went to meet them all, and Nina felt right. I developed a deep the clothes to be fun; I want the person to feel fun.’ What I
obsession with finding out who Nina really was and what the love about Nina Ricci is that we’re not Chanel and we’re not
brand is really about. I also very much Dior—we’re a name that is known in
vibed with the people in this atelier, so it the same spaces, but we’re not that large.
was a very beautiful experience of seeing “I love that people We’re not paying anyone to wear Nina
myself in a brand.”
are getting that Ricci on the red carpet; we’re just build-
ing our family of starlets. They’re people
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO PRESENT YOUR energetic sense of who genuinely want to have a joyous, fun
SECOND COLLECTION WITH THE BRAND? joy from putting on fucking night, like Florence Pugh, Harry
“I was a lot more anxious. I’ve always been
very clear, even when I went for the job at
the garments, and I Styles and Priyanka Chopra. I love that
people are getting that energetic sense of
Nina Ricci, about what my three-show think that’s the most joy from putting on the garments, and I
plan is. The first one was always—in a I could ever ask for think that’s the most I could ever ask for
polite way—[about the fact that] Nina
is dead and she needs to be reawakened
with this brand.” with this brand.”

and people need to become refamiliarized YOUR SHOW HAD ONE OF THE MOST
with who she is. So, for me, the first show was like, ‘Make a DIVERSE CASTS OF MODELS I SAW DURING PARIS FASHION WEEK.
splash, make it colourful and make it exactly who I am.’ With HOW IMPORTANT IS IT TO YOU TO REPRESENT EVERYONE? “In
the second one, we grew the team. I got to hire people I trust, Paris, it’s not so easy—I’m trying to push the status quo forward.
and I grew the relationship with people who have been there [In] London, that was never really a big conversation—like,
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF NINA RICCI

for 20 years. [I got to] build more of the wearable wardrobe of course you have to have gender diversity, body diversity,
of Nina Ricci. It still [has] the flashy, colourful fabulousness racial diversity and age diversity. It was just a part of my ethos.
that I’m known for and that the house is, hopefully, becoming Coming to Paris, I didn’t realize that that was something that
re-known for, with the colours, the polka dots, the stripes and not that many people were doing. For me, it was super integral
all these grand archival staples that had been kind of lost over to be able to showcase that a woman is everything—there was
the years. It was very nerve-racking to kind of go from those nothing tokenistic. That’s just what I do as a designer—make
‘Let’s make a big splash’ VIP moments over the years to a you feel joyous, make you feel accepted.”

98 ELLECANADA.COM
 FASHION

HOW DO YOU MAKE SOMEONE FEEL BEAUTIFUL THROUGH

CLOTHING? “It’s a lot about [having a] conversation and really
understanding who somebody is. It’s about [asking] ‘How
are you feeling? What are you going through? What are you
trying to magnify right now?’ It’s so important to understand
someone’s perspective, and I think a [big part] of the reason
why we do get so many ‘best-dressed moments’ with Nina
Ricci—and my own label—is [because we work] from a space
where we really try to listen to someone and magnify how
they feel. You can see on their face that they’re feeling quite
confident or they’re feeling really expressive because there’s
been a dialogue. The dialogue is what makes someone feel
extra special, extra validated and extra beautiful.”

LET’S TALK ABOUT SCENT. WHAT WAS IT LIKE CREATING YOUR

FIRST FRAGRANCE FOR THE BRAND? “It’s been amazing. I think
everything at Nina is such a collaboration. My mother has
been a perfumer for 25 years, and part [of the excitement]
when I got the job at Nina Ricci was that I’d be able to cre-
ative-direct on the fragrance side. It was such a big moment
for me because I wanted there to be this beautiful relationship
between fashion and beauty. It’s been a really fluid experience
to jump between both [worlds]. The fact that my mother has
done fragrance my whole life is so integral because it very much
means that I know exactly what I like and what I don’t like.
So when creating something, I’m constantly thinking of this
beautiful mix between the masculine and the feminine and
how to magnify that in a way that feels like what a modern
woman would wear.”

WHAT DID YOU WANT THE SCENT TO CONVEY? “Confidence.

It’s a word I say a lot. There are so many styles out there right
now, but for me, the most important thing is that when you
put on your clothing—and I’ve said this since day one—it’s
NINA RICCI SPRING/SUMMER 2024 your armour. When you put on your scent, it’s your sword.
(ALL RUNWAY IMAGES)
I love this idea that it’s not about being a weapon; it’s about
being protected and feeling validated and confident and like
you have this kind of tool that will slay the dragon.... I’m a very
metaphorical person!”

YOU’RE SUCH AN INSPIRATION FOR SO MANY PEOPLE. IS IT HARD

TO SHOULDER PRESSURE LIKE THAT? “I find it overwhelming 90
percent of the time but in a really good way. Like, it validates
[my work]; it makes me walk out of a meeting—or anything
I’m doing—and be like, ‘This is why I do what I do, this is why
I’m fighting for fluidity, this is why I’m fighting for inclusivity
and this is what I believe in.’ And then other times, I have to
just put my phone down and step away because it does become
too much with two companies, multiple projects and so many
things [going on] while also still trying to have a private life.
PHOTOGRAPHY,

It becomes a bit all-consuming. So I’ve not found the perfect

balance. But it’s about trying to find the fluid balance in the
mayhem and not letting it sit too much on my shoulders.”

ELLECANADA.COM 99
 TROPICAL
BLISS
Discover the power of a
slow getaway in a remote part of
the Dominican Republic.
By JOANNA FOX

PLAYA GRANDE BEACH,

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF AMANERA

lifestyle
 TRAVEL

VIEW FROM ONE OF THE

RESORT’S CASITAS

THERE ARE MANY VERSIONS of a tropical beach vacation. the restaurant—with its floor-to-ceiling windows—is lit up
There’s the action-packed one—where you’re always on the go, against the night sky like a giant beaming lantern. But what
exploring attractions and moving from place to place. Then, I really notice is that there are only two other couples eating.
on the opposite side of the spectrum, there’s the one where you The property counts a total of 25 ocean-facing casitas (guest
just sit back under an umbrella without a care in the world or houses), each nestled into the cliffside and enveloped in foliage,
a schedule to follow and let yourself completely unwind. so although you might see a handful of guests relaxing by the
On a recent trip to the quieter, less touristy part of the pool, lounging at the beach or dining at one of the resort’s
Dominican Republic, I was more than ready to indulge in the two restaurants, there are never that many people around,
latter option. With a wilder and more rugged coastline than that making the whole place feel secluded and private. And that’s
of the capital city of Santo Domingo and the resort-dotted Punta the whole point. Amanera’s primary aim is to foster tranquility
Cana, the island’s more remote north shore is just the ticket if you’re within its surroundings. The resort has this incredible ability
looking for space in which to breathe, pause and decompress. to draw out the days in the best possible way—and make you
When it comes to escaping the hustle and bustle and never want to leave.
connecting with nature and culture, there’s no better place Every Aman property is designed to fit seamlessly—and
than the intimate, family-friendly Amanera resort in Rio impressively—into the landscape. Here, Casa Grande seems
San Juan, about an hour and a half from Puerto Plata to float above the mountain, with its open-air rooms and cas-
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF AMANERA

International Airport. Perched atop an 18-metre-high cliff cading water features giving way to the verdant hills and sandy
overlooking the Atlantic Ocean and the expansive—and beach below. Clean and minimal, the concrete and wooden
often deserted—golden sands of Playa Grande beach, this structure disappears into the lush backdrop and, from within,
small slice of luxury certainly lives up to the prestigious Aman perfectly frames the glittering blue ocean. Make sure to take in
hotel group’s worldwide reputation. the breathtaking views from the bar before the sun sets—with
On my first evening, I make my way to the impressive a pre-dinner drink in hand, of course—and let the sights and
two-storey reception building, Casa Grande, for dinner, and sea breeze wash over you in a tropical sensory overload.

102 ELLECANADA.COM
 A CASITA BEDROOM

The accommodations do not disappoint either—they’re the second-highest number of—and the highest-paid—players
designed to be places you’ll want to bask in. My sprawling in the Major League. On the third evening, I find a gorgeous
contemporary two-room (living room and bedroom) casita guayacán-wood box filled with dominoes, a national pastime,
features a glass facade with sliding doors that open onto a and on my final night, I am treated to local chocolate, rum
perfectly manicured lawn, an infinity pool, loungers and a and mamajuana. Although I know that the country is famous
table with plush banquettes, all overlooking the crystalline for its rum and its chocolate is often touted for its fruity, floral
water. Yes, I could absolutely take the two-minute walk to the notes, mamajuana is completely new to me. The traditional
beach or head to the 40-metre-long heated main pool, but I liqueur can be traced back to the native Taíno people, who,
have everything I need right here to just sit, soak, read a book, long before Europeans arrived, lived throughout the Caribbean
listen to music and stare out at the horizon—which is exactly and brewed mamajuana as a herbal remedy. It’s a mixture of
what I end up doing, for the most part. rum and wine infused with local spices, tree bark and honey
Sampling the resort’s delicious cuisine gives me the best and is still considered a cure-all today. These little tokens are
reason to finally leave my private quarters. The two restau- such a thoughtful way to introduce guests to local culture, and
rants—one on the main floor of Casa Grande and the other the staff are more than happy to elaborate on Dominican life,
right on the beach—highlight local seasonal ingredients, with talk baseball or even sit down for a friendly game of dominoes.
the Beach Club being the more casual option of the two. I get to The spa (a.k.a. Wellness Casa) also incorporates elements
spend some time with executive chef Cesar Landeo, who tells that come from the Taíno culture. The Moon Ritual treat-
me about learning how to cook from his mother and shares the ments, for example, start with smudging ceremonies. Guests
Dominican dishes that are near and dear to his heart. One of are fanned with the smoke of burning palo santo, which is
them, La Bandera Dominicana, a traditional meal consisting considered a “holy wood” by the island’s Indigenous people,
of rice, beans and meat, represents the Dominican flag—the to cleanse them of negativity and usher in new beginnings. If
beans are the red, the rice is the white and the meat (either you’re wanting to dig even deeper into Taíno traditions and
chicken, beef or pork) is the blue. Later that evening, during herbal medicine, you can join one of the spa’s experts on a
the Dominican-themed night at the beachside restaurant, guided stroll through the nearby forest to learn which plants
Landeo serves up his mom’s bean recipe specially for me; are used for which remedies. They’ll even teach you how to
combined with melt-in-your-mouth slow-cooked pork and properly harvest and prepare them.
fluffy white rice—making it the Bandera trifecta—it proves While there is no shortage of activities to keep both adults
to be comfort food at its best. and kids fully entertained—from water sports to horseback
A focus on the details is what makes this resort a cut above. riding to sunset yoga to golf at the nearby Playa Grande Golf
Take, for instance, the small gift tied to Dominican culture left & Ocean Club—there is also zero pressure to actually take
in my casita every night along with an explanation of its signifi- part in any of them. In a world where life often feels rushed and
cance. First, I receive a set of maracas, which are an essential complicated, doing next to nothing can feel like the ultimate
part of local Bachata music. Originating here in the early luxury—and Amanera invites you to do exactly that. A spa
20th century, Bachata has a singular style that melds together treatment one day, a gentle workout at the gym the next, maybe
influences from the island’s European, Indigenous and African a lazy afternoon dip in the pool—sometimes soaking in quiet
descendants. On the second night, I am given a baseball—a nod moments like these is exactly what you need to recalibrate,
to the country’s favourite sport. The Dominican Republic boasts recharge and reset.

ELLECANADA.COM 103
 48 Hours in
MEXICO CITY
Where to discover the hidden gems—markets, mezcal,
modern art—of the Central American capital.
By JENNIFER NGUYEN

STAY
CASA POLANCO This boutique hotel—located in the posh
Polanco neighbourhood—feels more like a visit to your artsy
friend’s stylish home. There are only 19 guest rooms, which
contributes to the intimate, homey feel, and they have all of
the amenities of a luxury hotel. Details like 600-thread-count
Egyptian-cotton sheets, marble-clad bathrooms with luxury
toiletries from local perfumery Xinú and a turndown service
that comes with chocolate truffles elevate the experience. The
property also has a plant-adorned veranda (where guests can
start their day with a complimentary breakfast), a fully equipped
gym, terraces overlooking Lincoln Park and a cozy library. But
what truly sets this spot apart is the service, which includes
coffee, tea and snacks delivered to your door each morning
and free garment pressing. CASAPOLANCO.COM

PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF CASA POLANCO, THE RITZ-CARLTON, MEXICO CITY (SAMOS SABORES MIOS), EAT LIKE A LOCAL (JAMAICA MARKET) & XINÚ PERFUMES
EAT AND DRINK
SAMOS SABORES MIOS Go to this restaurant—on the 38th floor
of The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City—for the panoramic views;
stay for the hearty yet upscale food. Grab an outdoor table and
order the Huevos Chapultepec Divorciados (a breakfast dish
that includes eggs, tortillas and a signature sauce) with a latte or
freshly pressed green juice to start the day. INSTAGRAM.COM/SAMOS.MEXICOCITY

CONTRAMAR This culinary haven, from esteemed chef Gabriela

Cámara (whom you may have seen on Netflix’s Iron Chef or
in the 2019 documentary A Tale of Two Kitchens), attracts both
locals and visitors for its vibrant seafood creations. The menu
is filled with fresh daily-caught fish and shellfish dishes, from
tuna tostadas with chipotle mayo and crispy leeks to a simple
pasta tossed in butter with mussels. Securing a table can be a
challenge, so book in advance. CONTRAMAR.COM.MX

CASA POLANCO BAR LAS BRUJAS Mixology meets history at this all-women-
operated bar. The ever-changing seasonal menu is inspired by
Mexican herbalism and features cocktails named for notable
WELCOME TO MEXICO CITY, where the weather is temperate, Latin American women activists. Take the Abeja, for example,
the museums are bucket-list-worthy and good food can be which is made with mezcal, raspberry coulis, coconut milk and
found on every corner. Warm-weather lovers, art enthusi- honey; it’s a salute to Guadalupe Vázquez Luna of the pacifist
asts and dedicated foodies are flocking to this hip urban activist group Las Abejas. Many of the bar’s ingredients—think
centre—and with good reason: The buzzy Mexican capital yellow jasmine and macambo cacao—have historically been
has it all. Here are just a few of the best places to stay, shop, used by brujas (Spanish for “witches”) for their healing properties,
dine and explore. adding to this venue’s moody ambience. INSTAGRAM.COM/BRUJASMEX

104 ELLECANADA.COM
 TRAVEL

SHOP
LOOSE BLUES Tucked away in the trendy Roma Norte area,
this eclectic boutique offers locally sourced vintage clothing,
Japanese bags and plenty of fun knick-knacks. But Loose Blues
is so much more than a store. Just like you would at a cool
SAMOS SABORES MIOS
speakeasy (but without the secrecy, as the owners proudly tout
the hybrid hot spot), you can ascend a discreetly positioned
staircase near the back of the property to step into a charming
Japanese-Mexican fusion eatery. Sip on sake, dine on comforting
udon carbonara and, if you’re feeling adventurous, get a tattoo
from the spot’s dedicated artist. LOOSEBLUES.MX

PROYECTO RUFINA This boho-chic store stands out for its

selection of home decor and clothing by Mexican artisans.
Discover a treasure trove of glassware, ceramics and candles—
think terracotta incense burners and wavy hand-dipped wax
pillars—that are both trendy and timeless. The minimalist
clothing fits the vibe just as well; try on billowy cotton dresses
and A-line linen skirts in neutrals like beiges, soft pinks and
sage greens. PROYECTORUFINA.COM
JAMAICA MARKET
XINÚ PERFUMES Upon entering the lobby of this perfumery,
you’re greeted by a sunlit display of elegant fragrance bottles
and lush greenery. Head farther inside and you’ll discover a
DO dark staircase that leads guests to a large room where they can
THE RITZ-CARLTON SPA The Ritz-Carlton, Mexico City’s spa indulge in the brand’s full sensorial experience. In it, there’s a
menu offers both classic services, like deep-tissue massage, and large table divided into five sections, each representing one of
singular treatments influenced by Aztec practices. Massages Xinú’s signature scents. Meaningful books, raw materials (like
like the Metzli Cleansing Ritual and the Awakening Ceremony vanilla bean and wood) and circular vessels with samples of
are inspired by the lunar phases and incorporate elements perfume at different stages (when it’s first sprayed and 24 hours
like sage, anointing oil and jade to rejuvenate the body and after spritzing, for example) are on display, giving visitors an idea
mind. After your treatment, have a cup of tea in the sitting of the various elements that go into creating each fragrance.
room, enjoy the wet and dry saunas or spend some time in Guests can also immerse themselves in the serene garden
the pool area, which has views of Chapultepec Park (one of area where the brand grows plants for its wares. In addition
the largest urban parks in the country) and El Ángel de la to perfumes, there are home products like toiletries, candles
Independencia, a historical monument honouring Mexico’s and incense—all of which make this a must-visit location for
War of Independence. RITZCARLTON.COM scent aficionados. XINU.MX

TAMAYO MUSEUM This small yet thoughtfully curated contem-

porary art museum is perfect for those who value quality over
quantity. While it’s small compared to mainstream attractions
like the Frida Kahlo Museum and the National Anthropology
Museum, the international and national exhibitions pack an
emotional punch. Also memorable are the stunning large-scale
flower installations in the lobby and regular performances by
local musicians. MUSEOTAMAYO.ORG

EAT LIKE A LOCAL FOOD TOUR A trip here isn’t complete without
a visit to a local market. Enter Eat Like a Local, a woman-
owned ethical walking tour known for its guides’ unrivalled
expertise and its community-first initiatives (such as supporting
local education-accessibility programs). The tour takes you
through two must-visit markets in Mexico City: La Merced,
the city’s largest market, and Jamaica Market, which is known
for its exquisite array of flowers. Sample savoury tacos, sweet
conchas, mezcal and more with 19 different tastings that are XINÚ PERFUMES
designed to convey the essence of Mexico. EATLIKEALOCAL.COM.MX

ELLECANADA.COM 105
 NATALIE PREDDIE WITH HER
FATHER AT 16TH STREET
BAPTIST CHURCH,
BIRMINGHAM, ALA.

TRAVELLED
ROADS
Writer NATALIE PREDDIE and her father wade into
the Deep South to confront a painful history and
find the Black joy that still shines through.

WHEN MY FATHER WAS AN EIGHT-YEAR-OLD IN JAMAICA , my South. “And for over 60 years, I kept that promise,” he tells
grandmother opened the newspaper one day to images of me as we sit on a wooden pew at 16th Street Baptist Church
children being attacked by dogs and sprayed by firehoses in the heart of Birmingham. It was here that, more than six
in Kelly Ingram Park during the now famous Children’s decades ago, the Ku Klux Klan murdered four little girls by
Crusade of 1963 in Birmingham, Ala. Under the direction of planting a bomb metres from where we are now. Time stands
Southern civil rights leaders, more than 5,000 Black children still as we inhale a weighty pause.
marched for racial equality in one of the most successful We are touring Birmingham, which was the centre of 1963’s
peaceful protests in history. The Children’s Crusade was part civil rights activity and where monumental events changed
PHOTOGRAPHY, COURTESY OF NATALIE PREDDIE

of a series of marches that aimed to bring national attention the future of Black people not only in the U.S. but worldwide
to calls for desegregation and eventually prompted President too. Being Black means my father has experienced a lifetime
John F. Kennedy to publicly support the groundbreaking of being judged by and discriminated against for the colour
Civil Rights Act of 1964. In Birmingham alone, the protest of his skin. This has bred within him a distrust of the world,
helped lead to the desegregation of lunch counters, restrooms something he has passed on to me and my siblings. Now, he
and businesses. is facing the many visceral fears Black men experience during
“Never go here!” my grandmother directed my father upon our journey through the South—a trip made possible by the
seeing the news. Terrified by images of countless angry white incessant nagging of a daughter who wants to show him that
men, he swore that he would never venture into America’s Deep there is joy to be found beyond the angst and pain.

106 ELLECANADA.COM
 TRAVEL

It’s not my first time in Alabama. I visited in 2021 as part of

a group tour of the U.S. Civil Rights Trail, which is a collection
of sites—stretching from Washington, D.C., to Louisiana—
that were integral to the movement. After visiting spots like
the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma (where many peaceful
Black protesters were violently attacked while trying to cross
toward the state capital), the Tuskegee Airmen base (where a For the first
group of Black airmen and military members joined the fight time in my life,
in the Second World War) and multiple churches that served
as bases for protesters, I was filled with immense pride in my
I watch my
Blackness. The constant fear and distrust I’d inherited as a well-spoken
biracial woman dissipated as I found comfort in Alabama’s father search for
welcoming and inclusive Black community. I was so inspired
by the enduring power, fellowship and infectious enthusiasm for
his next words.
life that I wanted to share this Black joy with the world—and,
more importantly, my father.
Eighteen months later, he and I are sitting with Paulette
Roby, Nadine Smith and Terry Collins, three of the people who
marched in the Children’s Crusade 60 years ago. I see my dad’s that’s vastly different from the notorious white oppression of the
jaw tense as they describe the Birmingham he knows from the past. From restaurant owners to strangers we pass in the park,
papers—one filled with white aggression, violence and forceful people in Birmingham have many stories to tell, and we revel in
segregation. Their ease in referencing a racially terrorizing each one. As we stand in the renovated courtyard of the A.G.
past unnerves the young Jamaican boy in my dad—the boy Gaston Motel, the base for the Southern Christian Leadership
who promised he would never come here. As they describe Conference, a civil rights organization led by Martin Luther
the genesis of Birmingham’s civil rights movement, the oaths King Jr., I turn to my father and whisper, “Dad, we are on
of non-violence, the years of passionate revival-style meetings hallowed ground.” A small smile grows as he nods and takes
and intense training on how to protest peacefully and when in a deep, cleansing breath. “This city created the template for
and where to march, I notice that the silence surrounding us fighting discrimination,” my father responds as he listens to
is palpable. My dad—always fidgeting, contemplating, ready another story of resistance, survival and triumph. “And they
for his turn to speak—is completely still. His chin rests in his don’t even know it.” Standing where Dr. King stood, we reflect
palm and his brow furrows. For the first time in my life, I watch on the very real race issues the world still faces today and the
my well-spoken father search for his next words. power of peaceful protest, which was first brought to the global
After what seems like a lifetime, he speaks. “Weren’t you stage here in America’s South. We are filled with Black pride
scared?” He cocks his head and squints his eyes in disbelief and, for a moment, overwhelmed with optimism for the future.
at the accounts of their arrests and imprisonment at age 10. Near the end of our trip, historian Barry McNealy takes us
“No,” they each reply, shaking their heads. “We had a chance through the city’s dark history at the Birmingham Civil Rights
to do something to change things, and we were going to do it.” Institute. We wade through Black trauma in the interactive
I watch my father internalize their words, his body relaxing and immersive exhibits that highlight the realities of Black life in
his face softening. Ever so slowly, bricks crumble from the wall America. It’s a painful excavation of discomfort in the Deep
of assumptions he’d arrived with. Together, they commiserate South that I was hoping to avoid on this adventure. The sight
and find the ability to laugh over the commonality of the of a white hood and robe splattered with Black blood catapults
day-to-day Black experience: being harassed by police, being my dad back into his lifelong fear. The wall is up again; he is
tracked and followed in stores and suffering aggressions from stunted. I, too, feel nauseous, and I become scared that our
white classmates. When Smith breaks into a joyful spiritual, journey has been in vain. Later that night, we share a meal
it is a song my father and I know well. I see the familiarity with McNealy and a small group of Birmingham natives,
soothe his soul. celebrating our melanin-born bond. As we talk about our
Over the next few days, we tour the Birmingham Negro favourite musicians and iconic Black actors and celebrities, I
Southern League Museum (which highlights the successes of watch my father relax once again. Soon, we are laughing and
the segregated baseball league and eventual desegregation of sharing anecdotes, and by dessert, my dad and McNealy are
baseball), Kelly Ingram Park (the site of the Children’s Crusade freestyling over sweet-potato cheesecake and peanut-butter
and now a collection of sculptures honouring civil rights leaders pie. Once again, Birmingham showcases its healing powers.
and the events of 1963) and Bethel Baptist Church (where civil The next day, as we prepare to board our plane back to
rights action was planned and launched). Together, these places Canada, I notice a new softness in my father’s demeanour—the
show a cohesive Black Birmingham—one that’s fuelled by a antithesis of his mood on our arrival. “I’m glad we came,”
passion and a persistence that my father had underestimated. he says with a sigh and his characteristic side smile. Here in
It seems that everyone in the city’s Black community has a Birmingham, a layer of fear has slipped away and been replaced
foot in history and is committed to a celebratory Black future with unwavering strength in the power of our Blackness.

ELLECANADA.COM 107
 FOOD

FOOD FAN
In every issue, Canadian content creator MARGAUX VERDIER
shares her love of dairy-free, mostly-plant-based dishes. On the
menu this month? A warm salad of grilled cabbage and lentils
with a peanut-miso vinaigrette.

I’M THE KIND OF PERSON who loves to eat salad all year round. It’s GRILLED CABBAGE AND LENTIL SALAD
WITH PEANUT-MISO VINAIGRETTE
the perfect opportunity to enjoy seasonal produce while playing
with different layers of flavours and textures. For this recipe, I Servings: 4 | Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes
like to cook my cabbage in a cast-iron skillet so it caramelizes
INGREDIENTS
while still keeping a bit of its crunch, but any frying pan will
do the trick. The main source of protein here is the lentils, Grilled cabbage
which, in addition to being affordable, add a delicate taste 1 small green cabbage, cut into 6 to 8 wedges
and satisfying mouth feel. But the star of this dish is definitely 3 tbsp (45 mL) vegetable oil
the peanut-miso vinaigrette. I’ve been cooking with miso a lot salt and pepper
more lately—it’s so versatile and adds a good hit of umami to
Peanut-miso vinaigrette
any recipe, but it works especially well here in a balance of
2 tbsp (30 mL) peanut butter
sweet, spicy, salty and tangy flavours. Bon appétit!
1 tbsp (15 mL) miso
3 tbsp (45 mL) lime juice
1 tbsp (15 mL) honey or maple syrup
1 tbsp (15 mL) toasted sesame oil
2 tsp (10 mL) sambal oelek
2 tsp (10 mL) soy sauce
2 tbsp (30 mL) water
1/4 tsp (1.25 mL) salt

Salad
1 can (398 mL) lentils, rinsed and drained
3 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced
1/2 cup (125 mL) coarsely chopped fresh mint
1/3 cup (80 mL) thinly sliced red onion

METHOD

Grilled cabbage
Season the cabbage wedges with salt and pepper. In a cast-iron
skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat and cook the cab-
bage wedges for about 6 to 8 minutes per side or until easy to cut
with a knife. Reduce the heat to medium halfway through, and
add oil as needed. Let cool on a plate for about 5 minutes. (This
step helps further tenderize the cabbage.) Slice the cabbage
wedges into 3 portions.

Peanut-miso vinaigrette
In a small bowl, combine all the ingredients. Mix well.

Salad
Place the cabbage pieces on a large plate. Add the lentils,
cucumbers, mint and red onion and drizzle some vinaigrette
overtop. Serve the remaining vinaigrette on the side.
CHECK OUT MARGAUXFOOD.CA FOR MORE DELICIOUS RECIPE IDEAS.

108 ELLECANADA.COM
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(versus untreated skin). VASELINE.CA
 SHOPPING GUIDE

P. 80 MAX MARA
ca.maxmara.com P. 88 NEOUS
neous.co.uk
COVER STORY PAUL ANDREW INTO THE BLUE RALPH LAUREN COLLECTION
paulandrew.com ralphlauren.com
ALEXANDER MCQUEEN ALEXANDER MCQUEEN
alexandermcqueen.com RODARTE alexandermcqueen.com ROKSANDA
shoprodarte.com roksanda.com
ASEP DESIGNS CHLOÉ
asepdesigns.studio ROLAND MOURET chloe.com SIMONE ROCHA
simonerocha.com
PHOTOGRAPHY, PETROS; DRESS AND HAT (ROKSANDA)

rolandmouret.com
BIGBOW BEADS CHOPOVA LOWENA
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SERMONETA GLOVES viviennewestwood.com
ETRO
sermonetagloves.com DOLCE & GABBANA
etro.com dolcegabbana.com
SIMONE ROCHA
LAUREN GOOD DAY simonerocha.com MICHAEL KORS COLLECTION
laurengoodday.com michaelkors.com
LEILA JINNAH STEPHEN JONES MILLINERY MOSCHINO
leilajinnah.com stephenjonesmillinery.com moschino.com
MAHNAZ COLLECTION THE WAY WE WORE NENSI DOJAKA
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ELLECANADA.COM 111
 PROMOTION

ELLE CANADA
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ARIES
MARCH 21 – APRIL 19
Deep introspection prompts you to
clean out the cobwebs from your past

PISCES
relationships. By forgiving, you’ll release
a weight from your shoulders and give
yourself space to make new beginnings
that will celebrate your individuality, your FEBRUARY 19 – MARCH 20
desires and your drive for life.
The spotlight is on you this month, Pisces. You might want
to make some changes to your personal style in order
TAURUS to express who you are more authentically. Instead of
APRIL 20 – MAY 20
Consider your aspirations with more
depending on others to get what you want, have confidence
maturity and wisdom this month. Pay
in your ability to fight for what you deserve.
attention to your body, especially if it By VANESSA DL
encourages you to reduce your daily
exertion. Think of the next few weeks as
a time of constructive rest, and allow VIRGO SAGITTARIUS
your dreams to begin to take shape. AUGUST 23 – SEPTEMBER 22 NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 21
It’s time to let your uniqueness shine—it It’s time to recharge your batteries.
GEMINI will significantly boost your self-esteem. In doing so, you’ll find the courage
MAY 21 – JUNE 20 By letting go of the need for external to take on the role of a leader rather
What trade-offs are you willing to make validation, whether through the than a support as you pursue your
in order to achieve your goals? There’s approval of others or the accumulation creative ambitions. Bet on
a difference between making outsized of possessions, you’ll anchor your your potential!
sacrifices and making momentary confidence in your inner resources.
concessions to prioritize what you deem CAPRICORN
to be truly important. LIBRA DECEMBER 22 – JANUARY 19
SEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 22 Your imagination is more fertile than
CANCER You need more space in your routine to ever, and it’s crucial to slow down if you
JUNE 21 – JULY 22 contemplate things and listen to your want to retain all the ideas that pop
You thrive on new experiences that take intuition. Inspiration is ready to pay you a up. Think of this time as a period of
you out of your comfort zone, Cancer. It’s visit if you dedicate time to being open hibernation that invites you to redefine
time to leave your cocoon and take on to its arrival. Have faith in what you want, your real needs and protect what’s
the world. Be brave in your career path, and follow your impulses, especially important to you.
and dare to venture into the unknown. those that lead to bold new alliances.
AQUARIUS
LEO SCORPIO JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 18
JULY 23 – AUGUST 22 OCTOBER 23 – NOVEMBER 21 You seek a smoother and easier
Instead of gaining new knowledge, work Develop your spiritual courage by letting relationship with your surroundings.
on unlearning the beliefs that hinder go of what is wearing you down. Ditch the Work on your adaptability, and trust
your growth. Because if what you’re after endless chases and self-sabotage. Instead, your intuition to make informed
is different results, you need to choose prioritize your well-being by saying yes choices. Be transparent about your
a different approach. Express your true to having fun and making laughter and needs, and don’t be afraid to express
essence, and follow your passions. lightness the order of the day. them without reservation.

ELLECANADA.COM 113
 FINALE

ENGLISH
ROSE
IT’S BEEN 14 YEARS since Lee Alexander McQueen’s tragic death, but this incredible
loss still feels somewhat fresh no matter how many seasons have come and gone.
TEXT, ESTELLE GERVAIS; PHOTOGRAPHY, LAUNCHMETRICS SPOTLIGHT (RUNWAY)

His right hand, Sarah Burton, was appointed as creative director only months after
his passing, and she remained at the reins of the British legacy brand—until now.
The spring/summer 2024 show presented Burton’s last collection for the house; it
was a strong adieu thanks, in part, to the couture-like skills of the McQueen atelier.
Powerful feminine symbolism—the beauty of the female body as a driving force of
nature—was evident throughout. The red rose, a quintessentially British emblem,
was evoked on gowns with ruffled petals resembling the female anatomy, while
impeccably structured suiting featured skin-exposing slashes. Abstract paintlike prints
were splattered on coats, extravagant embroidery was finely applied to knitwear and
it all came together as an ode to the core McQueen codes. Closing the show was an
emotional Naomi Campbell, whose noticeable tears acknowledged the end of an
era. A McQueen muse, the supermodel shone in a glass-beaded peplum bodice and
fringed skirt, and she was followed by Burton herself giving a final bow in honour of
her mentor. Burton learned from one of the greats and gave us more than two dec-
ades of inspiring work—and, without a doubt, would have made McQueen proud.

114 ELLECANADA.COM
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