Between the torrential rain and high wind, Halloween costume shopping may have taken a backseat this year. However, nothing will stop those Trick or Treaters from lining up at the front door. The easiest way to come up with something in a hurry is to look at pop culture. Not everyone has gore and guts laying around the house, but you may just have the perfect dress to emulate a certain celebrity, dead or alive. Here are some last minute ideas to help you on your way:


FRIDA KAHLO
Saturday was supposed to be a night in watching scary movies until my friends decided there were too many fun parties to miss. Costume-less in the 11th hour, I pulled together this Frida Kahlo look in ten minutes flat. She was on my mind thanks to the current exhibit at the AGO, so I could picture the unibrow and knew a simple flower crown with centre parted milkmaid braids would be easy enough. Then I paired a white blouse with an embroidered Mexican-style skirt and wrapped a red scarf around my neck.

As we battle an earthquake in the west and a hurricane in the east, it seems impossible to talk about anything but the weather. Mother Nature is mad, and forecasters expect that once we battle these storms, we will be facing a cold winter to more than make up for the mild temps of last year.

Here then is a round-up of the best waterproof, wick-away, super-warm, tech clothes on the market:


A word to the wise: "Water-resistant", does not mean waterproof. The Patagonia Women's Triolet Jacket is made of waterproof Gortex with coated zippers (yep, it can sneak in that way, too) and an adjustable heavy-duty hood, because there's no point in fussing with an umbrella in high wind.

Last week, we were lucky enough to attend a preview of Swarovski’s Tropical Paradise collection for spring/summer 2013. Inspired by exotic locales – like Rio, the Amazon, and Acapulco – the influence is evident in the vibrant colours and playful styles.

Here are 5 of our favourite items:

 Tropical necklace

My pick: Old Navy's Peter-Pan Collar Wool-Blend Coat, $74.94.

As Canadians, there are two wardrobe items we must invest in: a warm winter coat and a great pair of boots. Normally the goods will cost you the big bucks, but if you can spread the love around in multiple styles at a lower price, all the better.

That's why I'm over the moon about Old Navy's winter coat collection. First of all, the entire selection is under $100, and in some cases under $50. For those prices, buy two—a waist length puffer and a mid-length wool blend and you are good to go. Furthermore, it's not a major investment, so there's also no need to be precious with it. If you head to a wild holiday party and someone else leaves in your wears, you can save the tears.

Maybelline's Grace Lee explaining her beauty looks backstage.

Downtown Toronto has been buzzing all week as some of the top names in Canadian fashion have taken over the catwalks at David Pecaut Square for World MasterCard Fashion Week. Besides the brilliant fashions, the beauty looks, provided by Maybelline and Redken, have been nothing short of inspiring. Here are the top three trends you need to know for Spring 2013:

      

BOLD LIPS
Seen at: from left, Joe Fresh, Evan Bidell, Lucian Matis
Even though the nude lip reigned in other parts of the world, Toronto isn't yet ready to relinquish the colour. Maybelline New York's Lead Makeup Artist for Canada, Grace Lee, was seen swiping a heavy dose of rouge on the models at Evan Bidell, a coral lip at Joe Fresh, and, for Lucian Matis, fuchsia was the shade of choice. In all three cases, the rest of the face was nearly nude—generally a strong brow and swipe of mascara were the only supporting players. The lip texture varied from show to show, however; Grace went for a chalky finish at Joe Fresh to complement the pop art-inspired collection, while Bidell's lips were high gloss for maximum impact. The models at Lucian Matis wore more of a sheen finish.

Headed to a Halloween party this weekend and feel like giving your nails a festive touch?

Here’s a super easy DIY Halloween nail idea. I used a press-on nail sticker for my accent nail (Limited Edition Kiss Nail Dress Halloween Collection in “Tights”), and 2 polishes from the Quo by ORLY Holiday Nail Set in ‘Naughty’ (brown and gold).

Victoria's Secret Angel, Doutzen Kroes.

Last week a few blogs got hold of unretouched pics of the Victoria's Secret models and showed a comparison to the final ads that went to press. Unlike many Photoshop flubs, the changes are actually quite subtle—skin darkening, boob lifting, and a little hip trimming. All in all, not the worst we've ever seen. But then a few of the girls were asked to weigh in on the changes and their answers made up for any damage the images overlooked.



Fashionista.com spoke to both Erin Heatherton and Doutzen Kroes, two of VS' best known blondes, the latter of which is seen in the unretouched images that were released. Here's what Erin had to say: "It’s all about creating this fantasy. And I don’t think people should confuse fantasy and reality because no one is perfect." As for Doutzen: "I think people still want to believe in the fantasy and they just have to know that that’s not always the way it is [in real life]."

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something…pink? If only that were the case, because the new trend out of Hollywood would cover all the bases. 

After selling their wedding photos to People Magazine for a cool $300,000, we are now learning detail after detail about the Italian wedding of Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake. (Pics to come in the next issue.) First the guest list (Andy Samberg, Chris Kirkpatrick, and Beverly Mitchell) and then the location (the Borgo Egnazia hotel) and now, details on Jessica's apparently pink and white bridal gown.

If you're a woman on the go, time and convenience are key. So when I sat down in the styling hair of Carla Beça at Blo Dry Bar with 15 minutes to spare before heading off to Toronto Fashion Week, she came up with a quick styling solution that would last all night: curling my hair with a straightening iron.

Is it weird that I'm jealous of a three year old? To be fair, she's three-going-on-30 and not only the most adorable child maybe ever, but she has a wardrobe any grown woman would drool over. Chanel bag, check! Snakeskin dress, check! Black Ray-Bans, check! Yep, what we have here is one seriously stylin' toddler.