GOOD GIRL AND VERY GOOD GIRL ELIXIR THE NEW FEMININE FRAGRANCE
We support women in their careers. We are dedicated to creating a more inclusive world and empowering women.
COVER STORIES
36 STYLE Let’s get loud: the return to maximalism. BY SUSIE LAU 66 WELLNESS Postpartum mothers deserve way better care—and some companies are starting to make that happen. BY AMIL NIAZI 76 CELEBRITY Model Precious Lee is leading the charge for change in the industry. BY NAOMI PIKE
STYLE & FASHION
STYLE The blouse has never been bigger. BY RENÉE REARDIN 29 STYLE Noémiah is creating wedding dresses that can be reinvented. BY
30 SHOPPING How to get the look by opting for local, sustainable and vintage brands. 32 STYLE Who is Willy Chavarria? BY MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN
35 STYLE Ten questions with Sasha Exeter. BY JOANNA FOX
FASHION Whimsical spins on ballet-inspired pieces.
BEAUTY & WELLNESS
BEAUTY Welcome to the “undetectable era” of cosmetic procedures.
BEAUTY Forget sharp contour and liner; it’s all about softly blurred makeup right now
THE NEW FRAGRANCE
61 BEAUTY This cult-favourite luminizer is many a model’s secret to glowing skin.
BY LESA HANNAH
62 BEAUTY Hair loss can be devastating for women. Luckily, there are now more ways than ever to address it. BY JOANIE PIETRACUPA
68 BEAUTY Canadian actor Shay Mitchell spills her beauty secrets. BY KATHERINE LALANCETTE
71 SHOPPING Everything you need for a head-to-toe spring refresh. BY KATHERINE LALANCETTE
72 BEAUTY When it comes to beauty treatments, good things often come to those who wait. BY EVE THOMAS
FEATURES
38 MUSIC Kesha is in control of her career. BY SUZY EXPOSITO
44 PROFILE Actor Brenda Song on landing the role of her dreams. BY PATRICIA KAROUNOS
48 PROFILE Tanya Lapointe has entered the filmmaking chapter of her career. BY PHILIPPE PAPINEAU
50 BOOKS Canadian journalist and Vogueeditor Christian Allaire shares his fashion ascent in a new memoir.
BY KELLY BOUTSALIS
52 PROFILE L’Oréal Canada’s first female CEO, An Verhulst-Santos, reflects on the importance of women in business.
BY LESA HANNAH
93 TRAVEL Club Med La Palmeraie in Marrakesh, Morocco, is a jumping-off point for the city.
BY THÉO DUPUIS-CARBONNEAU
96 TRAVEL 48 Hours in Lima, Peru. BY
JODY ROBBINS
107 FOOD Spring’s best Canadian-penned cookbooks. BY AMAN DOSANJ
110 DESIGN Fisherman style.
EVERY MONTH
19 PUBLISHER’S
ON THE COVER
Precious Lee is wearing a dress and heels by Dior and a necklace and bracelet by Dior Joaillerie.
NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR (TORONTO) MARCELLE WALLACE, mwallace@ko-media.ca NATIONAL SALES DIRECTOR (TORONTO) MARNI ARMOUR, marmour@ko-media.ca SALES DIRECTOR SANDRINE DAHAN, sdahan@ko-media.ca
DIRECTOR OF NATIONAL SALES & COMMERCIAL PERFORMANCE MARIÈVE LEMAY, mlemay@ko-media.ca
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AS I’VE MENTIONED BEFORE IN THESE PAGES, I love a good paradox—those contradictions that once thoroughly examined actually reveal all the complexities we carry. And if there is one area where paradoxes abound, it is certainly the realm of beauty.
Let’s take cosmetic surgery, for instance. Over the past few years, it’s been hard to ignore: swollen lips, protruding cheekbones, foreheads as smooth as marble. They were interventions that were amplified as much as possible to signal status or power.
But today, things are completely different.
Luxury now lies in “natural” beauty—meaning cosmetic procedures (and even beauty products and treatments) that produce results that aren’t obvious. We want to enhance our appearance without anyone being able to put their finger on what’s changed—we want that “Wow, you look so great and rested!” reaction. The phenomenon of undetectable work is in full swing (see our piece on page 54), allowing us to improve ourselves in the most subtle ways possible. Because deep down, isn’t that the dream? For our mirror to reflect an image that is still us but a fresher, more relaxed, glowier version?
I recently met Dr. Manish Khanna, a renowned dermatologist at the Peau Clinic in Montreal. He confided: “I’m torn because on one hand, I’m very proud when clients come back to see me because no one has noticed anything but they’re receiving more
The Art of Not Doing Too Much
compliments than ever before. On the other hand, how can my work be recognized if no one notices it?” I smiled. Achieving this level of naturalness in cosmetic interventions requires the masterful talent of an artist—the right dosage, the right technique. And it especially requires the exceptional ability to see every woman for who she is, recognize her unique beauty and add to it without erasing her individuality. Because no longer are we talking about standardized beauty; now it’s all about a more intimate, bespoke approach.
This desire for subtlety is also part of a larger movement of embracing authenticity. We can appreciate our wrinkles while still wanting to erase a few of them. We can love growing older and wiser but not necessarily love all the marks the years leave on our body. We can claim the right to age on our own terms—with our many nuances and without any pressure or taboos.
Beauty is about far more than our features. It’s in the way we carry ourselves, in the way our eyes light up, in our quiet confidence. And sometimes, to rekindle that spark, we just need a little boost—an imperceptible but meaningful tweak. Not to please others but to recognize ourselves when we look in the mirror and, better yet, love what we’re seeing. Long live the women who dare—with or without a scalpel—to give themselves permission to shine.
Sophie Banford , publisher @sophiebanford
JOANNA’S EDIT
BOOKSTORES
Long live books! Go out and support your local bookstores. In Montreal, check out Pulp Books & Café, Saint-Henri Books, De Stiil, Appetite for Books and Drawn & Quarterly. In Toronto, hit up Queen Books, Type Books, Another Story Bookshop and BMV Books. In Vancouver, The Paper Hound, Massy Books, Upstart & Crow and Kidsbooks are all wonderful. And in Halifax, head to King’s Co-op Bookstore and Bookmark.
I PRINT
Editor-in-chief JOANNA FOX wants to take a moment to celebrate publications, indie booksellers, authors and all the people and businesses who champion the written word in Canada. Let’s keep on supporting our local industry—there is strength in numbers.
MAGAZINES
FASHION, NUVO , SHARP , S Magazine and, of course, ELLE Canada help share the latest news in the worlds of style, beauty and culture through a distinctly Canadian lens. By reaching for our publications, you are uplifting an entire industry.
BOOKS
Our country is brimming with brilliant wordsmiths, from celebrated authors like Margaret Atwood and Robert Munsch to graphic novelists like Walter Scott and Kate Beaton. Here are just a few noteworthy titles from some of our top literary talents.
May
What’s on the ELLE editors’ radar right now.
PHOTO OP
Calling all photographers! ELLE Canada is thrilled to announce our photography contest, ELLE CAPTURE , presented by Canadian photo-printing company Black’s. It’s open to amateurs and professionals alike, and we are accepting submissions from now until May 31 of images in up to 10 different categories. With lots of exciting prizes, a judging panel of industry professionals and the winners’ work being featured in our 2025 and 2026 print issues, now is the perfect time to share your best shots. For all the details, go to ellecanada.com/contests.
Mum’s the Word
In internet slang, “mother” (employed without an article) is a term of endearment that originated in the Black and Latino LGBTQIA2S+ ballroom scene and refers to a woman considered iconic or inspirational. That is exactly the kind of woman RABANNE’S MILLION GOLD FOR HER PURE JASMINE was made for. Launched as a special Mother’s Day limited edition, the fragrance pays tribute to uncompromisingly confident women everywhere. Amplifying the bold floral essence of the original Million Gold for Her, launched last year, the new flanker welcomes the addition of sweet, sensual jasmine and captivating ylang-ylang. The resulting elixir feels at once daring and intensely feminine, making it the perfect gift with which to spoil the empowered queens in your life.
Full Support
BRAVADO DESIGNS , a female-led Canadian intimate-apparel brand, first shared the news of its role as the official bra sponsor of the Professional Women’s Hockey League (PWHL) late last year. More recently though, it unveiled Brianne Jenner of the Ottawa Charge, Emma Maltais of the Toronto Sceptres and Laura Stacey of the Montreal Victoire as brand ambassadors. According to a press release put out by Bravado Designs, “These powerhouse athletes from the PWHL embody the strength, confidence and resilience we champion.” With a more prominent presence across arenas and exciting pop-ups across the country, this brand highlights the strength, determination and confidence of the players of the PWHL. Together, they’re helping promote and elevate hockey for women everywhere. CA.BRAVADODESIGNS.COM
EYE OPENER
There’s no one way of thinking about or embodying motherhood—no matter how hard some may try to create a pigeonhole for the subject. In her engaging, thought-provoking debut book, STORY OF YOUR MOTHER, Chatelaine deputy editor Chantal Braganza interrogates the idea of motherhood as action or identity and instead attempts to frame it as an organizing principle. Weaving personal anecdotes from her upbringing as the daughter of Mexican and Indian immigrants as well as her own experiences raising two young children with pressing subjects like migration, language and identity, Braganza has created a powerful collection of essays that will change the way you think about so much. PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.CA
STYLE NOTE
Searching for some stylish new spring essentials? Beloved London-based clothing brand COS continues its expansion into the Canadian retail market with a new store in Montreal’s Royalmount complex. It’s one of the latest openings at the splashy shopping centre and COS’ second Quebec location—the other being in the heart of Montreal’s downtown core. This store will exclusively carry womenswear, giving fans of the brand another place to seek out elevated wardrobe staples that always feature contemporary design details and unique silhouettes. COS.COM
Sunny Delight
Picture this: You’re on holiday in some fabulous locale dressed in some equally fabulous ensemble—let’s say the Côte d’Azur and a flowing caftan. The sun sits low on the horizon, bathing the whole scene in warm, honeyed light: golden hour. It’s the inspiration behind CHANEL BEAUTY ’s latest makeup collection, which features luminous lipsticks in shades of tawny rose and brick red and an eye palette recalling the pink and orange hues of an early evening sky. The star of the range is the Les Beiges Healthy Golden Glow Powder, a complexion duo that captures those fleeting moments of magic before dusk. Available in two colour harmonies—satin pink and rose gold or muted orange and coppery bronze—the featherlight formula is enhanced with pearlescent particles that make skin appear softly sundrenched and dazzling. It’s basically a vacation in a compact.
WE THE NORTH
It’s now easier than ever to shop for Canadian cosmetics thanks to NORTH FINDER , a new search engine for local beauty brands. Launched by Quebec skincare line Omy Laboratoires, the innovative platform spotlights homegrown heroes like Cheekbone Beauty, Three Ships Beauty, NUDA, Sans-Façon and Wonderblush. Filter products by category, concern or feature (vegan, fragrance-free, hypoallergenic—you name it, they’ve thought of it) and find your best match in seconds.
“North Finder aims to inspire consumers to choose local and celebrate the expertise, diversity and richness of Canada’s beauty industry,” Andrea Gomez, co-founder and CEO of Omy Laboratoires, stated in a press release.
“It’s our way of saying: choosing Canadian beauty feels good—inside and out.” NORTHFINDER.CA
Make It Pop
For over 250 years, VEUVE CLICQUOT has been a symbol of winemaking mastery, and this summer we’re reaching for the iconic maison’s RICH and RICH Rosé—celebrations of effortless style and sun-drenched living. Designed to be enjoyed very cold or on ice, these easy-to-drink champagnes are the perfect choice when you’re celebrating the warmer season, whether on a rooftop with panoramic views, at a lively beach club or at a patio party. The RICH cuvée has notes of exotic fruits like pineapple, mango and mirabelle plum along with refreshing hints of lemon grass and peppermint, while the RICH Rosé is a delicate blend of strawberry, raspberry and redcurrant and features the same cooling notes. Every sip of these sweet champagnes is like a little burst of sunshine. Santé! VEUVECLICQUOT.COM
HEALTHY GOLDEN GLOW POWDER IN SOLEIL COUCHANT ($96, CHANEL.COM)
GROWING PAINS
In 2021, lauded Montreal-based writer and cartoonist Gabrielle Drolet discovered she’d developed a condition that left her unable to use her hands— and it only worsened as time went on. In her debut memoir,
LOOK MA, NO HANDS
Drolet uses her sharp voice and humour to explore how chronic pain has irrevocably changed her life and outlook as well as the way she performs even the most mundane daily tasks all while navigating a challenging health-care system and a world that does not make space for disabled bodies.
VACAY MODE
Everyone needs a break. That’s the message conveyed by KNIX in its new advertising campaign, Out of Office, for which the brand enlisted four entrepreneurial figures to introduce its latest summer swimwear: Métis designer Natalie Dusome (Poppy & Peonies) as well as beauty founders Babba Rivera (Ceremonia), Deepica Mutyala (Live Tinted) and Katie Sturino (Megababe). “This campaign represents much more than just swimsuits,” says Joanna Griffiths, founder and president of Knix. “It’s a celebration of women who embody undeniable strength.” The pieces—including an asymmetrical one-piece swimsuit and high-cut bikini bottoms—are crafted from an ultra-flattering sculpting fabric and available in several colours, and some of the designs feature the brand’s signature leak-proof technology. It definitely makes you want to take a break— preferably by a pool!
Bon Voyage
Legendary fashion editrix Diana Vreeland once proclaimed that “the eye has to travel.” Well, judging BOTTEGA VENETA’s newest fragrance collection, it appears the adage also applies to the nose. Each of the five fragrances was designed to be the olfactory equivalent of the house’s signature leather weave, Intrecciato. Paying homage to the brand’s origin city of Venice, a long-standing hub of cross-cultural trade, the perfumes intertwine influences from north and south, east and west. Each takes the wearer on a journey, transporting them one moment to Morocco, the next to Brazil or France or Spain. The exquisite bottles are also steeped in meaning: Their rippling glass evokes the lagoons of Venice as well as its centuries-old tradition of Murano glass-blowing, while their wooden cap winks at the stilts on which the city’s palazzos stand. Now that the scents have finally landed in Canada, you can discover their splendour for yourself at Bottega Veneta’s Yorkdale location in Toronto or at bottegaveneta.com.
EASY BREEZY BLOUSES
Meet the new season’s dreamiest offerings.
By RENÉE REARDIN
I RECENTLY PURCHASED TWO GARMENTS in a style I hadn’t worn in years: the flowy, frilly, feminine blouse. They were vintage Chloé finds I hunted down on The RealReal after being beguiled by the billowy ones in Chemena Kamali’s first runway show as creative director of the French luxury brand. With her fall/winter 2024/2025 and spring/summer 2025 collections, the designer has been praised by critics for bringing back the boho trend. But we can also thank her for giving the overlooked blouse—a key player in any bohemian-inspired wardrobe—back its allure.
“[The blouse] can be formal and strict or playful and romantic,” Kamali recently told The New York Times. “It reflects all of the things that make us who we are as women.” She treasures the once-dated garment so much that for the past 25 years, she has hunted down lace, Victorian, big-shouldered, colourful and designer blouses, purchasing any she finds inspiring. She’s now at 1,500 and counting. Kamali said that when she was designing her latest collection for Chloé, she treated blouses “not as a component of a look but as the main component.”
For spring/summer, Kamali showed blouses in all their romantic glory—made of lace and sheer silk and dripping with frills—and grounded them with understated flared pants. Her blouses offer a dreamy look while boasting a can-be-worn-anywhere feel. “A blouse is so much easier than a dress,” said Kamali. And she proves it can also be just as elegant.
CHLOÉ
NOW, THE BREEZY BLOUSE HAS SAUNTERED IN AS AN ELEVATED ALTERNATIVE THAT LOOKS MORE EFFORTFUL AND INTERESTING.
Other designers favoured the blouse this season too. It was accented with ruched dolman sleeves at Alaïa, draped at Carven, floral at Chanel, slouchy at Dries Van Noten, capacious at Khaite, pussy-bow-adorned at Prada and cut to the navel at Saint Laurent. But here’s the thing: Blouses across the runways this season felt fresh primarily because we saw a range of new silhouettes styled in unexpected ways, like with voluminous pants and skirts.
Montreal-based stylist Amanda Lee Shirreffs sees a parallel between the return of the blouse and the current political climate. “To me, it’s reflective of the early ’70s and women taking their power back,” she says. Women of that era were famously partial to billowy, non-constricting blouses—a symbol of rejecting traditional gender roles and embracing forms of self-expression. But the blouse was a feminist favourite long before it was beloved by the hippie set. Starting as a man’s undergarment in the 19th century, it was feminized in the 20th century and became a wardrobe staple for suffragettes, clerical workers and even royalty. An unfussy blouse with a plain skirt was the outfit of choice—a way of dressing that was more comfortable and practical than the previous trend of tight bodices and bustle skirts.
Blouses fell in popularity in the 1920s as drop-waist dresses came into fashion. They then returned to every chic woman’s wardrobe in the ’40s, when actors like Lauren Bacall developed a uniform that included a frothy, silky and/or off-the-shoulder blouse cinched at the waist and tailored high-waisted trousers. In the ’60s and ’70s, oversized silk blouses became the style—thanks to fashion icons like Lauren Hutton who paired them with both full and fitted knee-length skirts—as did fluid peasant blouses and puff-sleeved numbers à la Joni Mitchell, who wore them with miniskirts and flared pants.
The garment got the power-woman treatment in the ’80s, becoming the go-to base for office-bound Murphy Brown types. The ’90s saw blouses that had minimalist silhouettes and boasted the then new trend of three-quarter-length sleeves, while the ’00s saw flowy bohemian-inspired ones, most famously worn by Rachel Zoe and her celebrity-ridden posse. Since then, blouses have felt a little dusty—a bit too prim and proper for the 2010s’ laid-back athleisure trends and too fussy for the early 2020s’ preferred minimalist shapes.
Today, though, we’re more than ready for the blouse’s revival. We’ve witnessed the cotton tee reach its peak in popularity and teamed it with every casual or elevated piece—to the point where it has felt tired and overdone. Now, the breezy blouse has sauntered in as an elevated alternative that looks more effortful and interesting. “It adds variety to a look,” says Shirreffs. “It can transform into different things depending on what you pair it with.” Plus, thanks to the blouse’s voluminous shape, it can be just as comfortable as a tee—even more so in the hot and steamy months when you want next to nothing brushing against sticky skin.
Shirreffs does blouses two ways. For daytime, she’ll wear her mom’s old silk ones from the ’70s with oversized jeans and heels for a classic bohemian look inspired by Chloé and Saint Laurent. “Right now, I’m feeling the ease of it, the comfort of it,” she says. For night, she’ll pull out one of her loud vintage ’80s power suits and slip a fitted blouse on underneath to lend the otherwise masculine look a feminine touch. Kamali’s everyday look consists of a Chloé or vintage blouse teamed with high-waisted jeans, sneakers and an assortment of necklaces. With her Cher-like hair, the look feels equal parts French girl and Californian hippie—and also very Chloé.
But, of course, there’s not just one way to wear a blouse, and designers have certainly proven that the garment doesn’t have to fall into just the bohemian category. Instead, they’ve shown blouses in all their iterations this season—fanciful, artsy, ladylike, studious, sexy—and demonstrated their ability to exude elements of their wearer’s identity.
My vintage Chloé blouses have taken me through two iterations of myself: pregnant with my first child and new mom. For reasons my ego will not allow me to share, these two states have somewhat challenged my natural feminine demeanour. But when I slip on one of these blouses, I feel like my old dainty self again. I walk with my head a little higher and steps that are a little lighter, as if I spend my days prancing around the streets of Paris instead of hunched over my constantly starving (and absolutely heavenly) newborn while nursing an episiotomy.
As Kamali said, blouses reflect personalities. So who do you want the world to see you as this summer?
NOÉMIAH
Quebec-based designer NOÉMIE VAILLANCOURT on the poetry of fashion.
By ERICA NGAO
EVERY MORNING, NOÉMIE VAILLANCOURT wakes up at 5 a.m. and writes in a journal until the sun rises. Then she goes downstairs to her studio and begins to sew, taking breaks to welcome brides-to-be for fittings. “I like to call the studio ‘maison de couture in the trees,’” she says of the idyllic cottage, which is in the middle of Quebec’s Laurentian forest, allowing for an intimate process for the designer and a fairy-tale experience for clients preparing for their happily-ever-afters.
Vaillancourt and her partner decided to permanently relocate to their cottage during the pandemic and signed on architectural firm Mainstudio to build a studio extension. “It is possible to have a business in the forest, even if it doesn’t make any sense on paper,” she says of the move, which had a huge impact on her work. She also cites Montreal-born designer Valérie Dumaine, who passed away from cancer earlier this year, as an important mentor. “She was my fairy godmother,” says Vaillancourt. “She showed me the way and guided me at several key moments.”
The designer, who studied French literature prior to launching Noémiah in 2008, continues to imbue her creations with this influence, describing her brand as being at the “intersection of poetry and fashion.” At the heart of the collection, which ranges from elegant wool-crepe coats to flowy candy-hued dresses, is the bridal line, Cher Amour—a tribute to her great-grandparents’ love letters. Initially, Vaillancourt was hesitant to enter the bridal market because of the inherently limited longevity of a wedding dress.
“It didn’t make any sense that the clothes I spend so much time sewing would live just for a night.”
But when she got engaged herself, a bridal collection felt like a natural direction. The magic of her made-to-measure gowns is in the way they highlight the refined beauty of silk organza, which Vaillancourt skilfully drapes to create soft, sheer layers and airy silhouettes. Her dresses are timeless in not only design but also wear— brides can add on an at-home natural-dye kit made from local flowers so they can transform their special piece later for occasions beyond walking down the aisle.
PERFECT
MATCH
“It’s hard to say why you love the things you love. I write poetry, so I think it’s natural to me to [be drawn to] organza more than any other material. It catches the light beautifully. On a technical level, I love working with it. Every person I’ve spoken to says it’s hard to sew, but I don’t find that. It’s also a natural fibre, so I don’t feel guilty about using it. It’s the most romantic fabric you can find.”
A NEW CHAPTER
“[Bridal is] a very specific language, and it has such a long history behind it. I think today we’re reinventing it too. I make sure that my dresses can be worn up to size 4x. You can dye the dress a light peach colour or create a motif using dried flowers. The goal is to not abandon my brides and to be there afterwards to help them.”
FINDING THE ONE
“The connection the brides have when they come here and the whole process…it’s a very special place in the forest. You don’t get the address until you book the fitting with me. I like to have a conversation with them because each meeting is very different. There is a signature style of Noémiah, but [the brides] all have their own personalities. When they put the dress on, it’s like love at first sight.”
NOÉMIE VAILLANCOURT
MINDFUL MARKET EDITS
Make more thoughtful shopping choices by hunting down trendy pieces at vintage and consignment stores, shopping local brands that use deadstock or recycled fabrics and opting for brands that put sustainability and community first.
SPORTY SPICE
NEW ROMANTIC
WILLY’Sworld
Since launching his eponymous label in 2015, Mexican-American fashion designer WILLY CHAVARRIA has left an indelible mark with politically conscious collections, a deeply inclusive approach and a craft that pays tribute to his roots.
By MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN
WORLD-RENOWNED DESIGNER WILLY CHAVARRIA is Chicano and queer and proud of it. As the son of farm workers—a Mexican-American father and an Irish-American mother— he’s a symbol of the American dream and an important part of what makes up the country’s spectrum of diversity. Yet in the Donald Trump era, he’s the embodiment of what the U.S. president and his ilk are fighting against.
That’s why Chavarria’s work has never been more impactful or important. In his house, politics—and resistance—are never far below the surface. He grew up having respect for activist unions and the immigrants who epitomize the American spirit. During his sunny Californian upbringing in the small farm city of Huron in Fresno County, Chavarria observed first-hand the strength and significance of the people who work in the fields, get food onto tables, build cities, make music and weave their stories into the fabric of his country. As a child, he loved to draw and capture the world around him. The Dickies pants that workers wore in the fields fascinated him just as much as the black veils elevating church ladies’ looks on Sundays. Yet
it was only in his early 20s that Chavarria decided to study design in San Francisco while working part-time in the shipping department of Canadian brand Joe Boxer. After hours, he would stay in the office to draw, hoping to catch the eye of someone on the creative team. His perseverance delivered. He rose through the ranks under the wing of founder Nick Graham before moving on to Ralph Lauren and, later, American Eagle Outfitters. In 2010, he and his husband opened a shop in New York City that sold vintage pieces, furniture and his first in-house line of clothing and accessories. Five years later, he decided to take the leap into launching a brand under his own name, and it paid off, earning him accolades like Menswear Designer of the Year in 2023 and 2024 from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.
Through his brand identity, it’s as if Chavarria is seeking to manifest the “We the People” preamble of the U.S. Constitution— three weighty words that have all too often been weaponized by those in power. In that mindset, the designer left a copy of the country’s founding document on every chair at his
spring/summer 2025 runway show. That was back in September of last year, just weeks before the fateful presidential election.
Aptly titled “América,” Chavarria’s show was held in a former bank in New York’s Financial District—a.k.a. the capitalism epicentre of the world. An oversized American flag hung above the catwalk, its imposing presence a focal point for the audience. The collection borrowed codes from workwear and the full spectrum of blue-collar garb. Chavarria’s canvas jackets were reminiscent of Carhartt and Dickies classics. What came down the runway—the utilitarian shirts, the sharply pointed pachuco-style collars, the tucked-in ties, the pleated trousers—delivered a refreshing, meaningful and elevated familiarity. While the world of luxury at large has elitist tendencies, Chavarria prefers to celebrate his humble beginnings and those who have been part of his story. “Snobby and elitist is a tired approach to fashion,” he says. “There’s no real value in that. I think we live in a time when we want what we own to feel connected to something with heart.”
And Chavarria has heart in spades—inclusion colours every stitch of his fashion universe. On his runways, the models— muses like Paloma Elsesser as well as friends, activists and young “castaways”—hail from a wide range of gender expressions, cultures and ethnicities. For him, diversity is commonplace but far from banal. Although you’ll find his pieces in the men’s sections of Ssense and Dover Street Market, Chavarria designs his clothing without a particular gender in mind—it’s more about the cut and the fit.
His fall/winter 2025/2026 show in Paris in late January (a City of Light debut for the designer) featured evening gowns and pencil skirts for men and velvety pieces inspired by the zoot suit—a nod to the pachucos and jazz musicians of the 1930s and ’40s and a symbol of racial tensions that persist to this day. “We live in a time when art, music, fashion and media have a golden opportunity to amplify narratives that act against hate and oppression,” says Chavarria. “I think any industry—including fashion—is political whether it intends to be or not. The ideals we convey are up to us to define.”
As his Paris show wrapped up—just days after Trump’s inauguration—Chavarria addressed the crowd in a T-shirt bearing a strong message: “How we love is who we are.” A recording of Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde’s now infamous sermon—in which she urged Trump to show compassion toward the LGBTQIA2S+ and migrant communities—was played. While divisions grow deeper and the fate of millions of immigrants hangs in the balance, with truth and goodwill receding into the background of a hateful populist rhetoric, it is now more critical than ever that people speak up. And we hear Chavarria’s voice loud and clear as he stands up to power in his one-of-a-kind, wholehearted way.
So what’s next for the significant designer? “There are seven houses that I see myself at, but I like to keep those names to myself,” he says. “I do, however, plan to maintain the exponential growth of [my brand], regardless of where else I might work.” There’s more to be revealed, clearly, but one thing we know for sure is that Chavarria will make waves no matter which fashion waters he chooses to dive into. willychavarria.com
SPRING/SUMMER 2025
SPRING/SUMMER 2025
FALL/WINTER 2025/2026
Go-to clothing brand for everyday wear?
“For affordable pieces, I love, love, love COS. They can really do no wrong in my eyes. For elevated items, my go-to is Saint Laurent.”
Favourite budgetfriendly beauty product?
“This is so random, but I am obsessed with Neutrogena’s Hydro Boost Make-up Removing Cleansing Wipes. I am a chronic pre-cleanser, so I always start my evening skincare routine with them, and I also keep them in my gym bag to freshen up my face post-workout.”
Best style advice you’ve ever received?
“Never travel in sweatpants. Always look smart and put together—but comfortable, of course—when you’re going to the airport. You never know who you’re going to meet or sit beside on the plane.”
Favourite skincare product right now?
“Caudalie’s Premier Cru cream. It has been a key part of my skincare routine since I turned 40. It was already a 10/10 but has just recently been reformulated with rosewood extract, which gives skin two times more volume after just one jar.”
Favourite spring/summer 2025 trends?
“I think I am most excited about super-sheer fabrics making a comeback—silk organzas and sheer panels with a visible bra underneath. Something about that is just so sexy to me!”
“Rosie Huntington-Whiteley’s. Hands down. I literally drool over every outfit she wears: the red-carpet looks, her everyday vibes, the activewear—all of it.”
What do you never leave the house without?
“A lip moisturizer. There’s nothing worse than having dry lips, especially during the winter months.”
10 QUESTIONS WITH Sasha Exeter
Meet @sashaexeter, a fortysomething Toronto-based content creator, host, speaker, creative director, mother and all-around badass beauty.
By JOANNA FOX
Your ride or die?
“My kid, definitely.”
Coffee order?
“No coffee.
Designer piece you’ve been dreaming about lately?
“There are two, actually: a Saint Laurent blazer—a classic and something I can have in my wardrobe forever—and the Bottega Veneta HOP bag in chocolate brown. That bag has me in a chokehold.”
Loud Let’s Get
If “quiet luxury” is not for you, fear not—the spring/summer 2025 runways prove that maximalism is back in its main-character era. Early adopter SUSIE LAU explores.
WHEN I WAS 17, I WAS VOTED “person most likely to be the next Donna Karan” in my high-school yearbook. Although my well-meaning classmates may not have chosen quite the right designer for my actual style wavelength (no offence to the inimitable Donna, of course), what they were saying was “Susie is into fashion.” Or rather “We don’t quite understand why she comes to history class in a Victorian blouse, two vintage slip-skirts, stripey leg warmers and chunky sneakers.”
To me, more has always been more. From the moment I had full control over what I could wear, I messily rainbow-tie-dyed every plain garment in sight. One skirt was never enough—I had to layer three. Was there a way to sport powder blue, mint green and candy pink all at once? Of course! Could an outfit visually balance five prints? The answer was, as always, yes. When I was finally able to afford to buy my own clothes, I
gravitated toward the most ornate garments, the broadest and brightest colour palettes and the wildest textures on the rails. Maximal dressing has been my source of refuge in the face of difficulty, sadness and insecurity. When people talked about dopamine dressing post-pandemic, I could smugly turn to my hyper-stimulating wardrobe for an instant hit.
Thanks to Alessandro Michele’s return to fashion for the spring/summer 2025 season as creative director at Valentino, maximalism is (in reliably cyclical fashion) back. Once again, we are at liberty to flounce around in vintage-inspired layers, paying homage to Valentino’s heady history of big bows, lace and polka dots. Think of the 1980s excess depicted in Rivals, the hit Jilly Cooper television adaptation. Nicolas Ghesquière has never been one to shy away from maximal expression, and at Louis Vuitton, he challenged us with the single-trouser-leg/
dress hybrid. At Saint Laurent, Anthony Vaccarello looked to the house’s archive and struck gold with clashing vibrant-jeweltone silks and satins. Jonathan Anderson had us bouncing to the beat of his 19th-century hoop-skirted dresses and iridescent lacquered feathers at Loewe. The greatest manifestations of maximalism are those that make you believe you could traipse around a grocery store wearing these extreme ensembles.
But did maximalism ever really go away? Fashion has a constant need to declare trends with emphatic sweeping headlines. I eye-rolled at the countless articles extolling the virtues of “quiet luxury,” a trend spurred on by the heat of the final season of Succession; once you start name-dropping brands and layering up in oatmeal cashmere, it isn’t really quiet anymore. Looking further back, remember “normcore,” which was coined in 2013 (by a trend agency no less)? Maybe the simple truth is that some people gravitate toward layers of neutral-coloured cashmere and nondescript hoodies—and some people really don’t.
With every anti-fashion, pseudo-minimalist trend declaration, there will inevitably be an immediate backlash, with people refusing to disengage from the full buffet of what fashion has to offer—exuberant colours, prints, textures and shapes. But these are the things that make fashion such a rich tapestry. Moreover, what’s maximal depends on your vantage point. Even in the canon of supposed minimalist Phoebe Philo, there are maximal moments—feather-edged trousers with curved cut-outs, for instance (which sold out in an instant). Matthieu Blazy, who once worked for Philo at Celine, made Bottega Veneta his own with his brilliant knack for fun textures that draw the eye in and celebrate craft. Maximalism goes beyond trendy labels and aesthetics; rather, it’s an attitude that consistently fuels sheer creativity and experimentation.
I’ve often said that I would be a financial liability if I were ever to be a buyer for a department store or boutique. I’d choose the most-extra-looking things that invariably have no
commercial viability—the “show pieces,” as we call them in the industry—in the hope of convincing people that, yes, they do need a Simone Rocha panto-pink mini-crini-dress in their lives. But people like Annie Doble, purveyor of one-off vintage pieces and designer of OTT occasionwear, have captured a loyal audience of admirers who only want extravagant attire. At Annie’s Ibiza—Doble’s treasure-trove boutiques in Ibiza, Spain, and London, England—maximalism reigns supreme. “I designed a little black dress for my last collection, but I couldn’t sell it,” she tells me. “It just doesn’t work. My bestsellers are our most outlandish pieces.”
For a while, Instagram presented a uniform wave of influencers in layers of perfectly articulated beige showing off their matcha lattes and workouts. TikTok gave rise to imperfection and irreverence in social-media content, which meant individual style triumphed once again. Eve-Lily Charlotte, a selfcoined “maximalist cat lady” based in Manchester, England, has garnered an audience on Instagram and TikTok for her fearless sense of style, helping broaden the scope of so-called “influencer style.” “I’ve always felt like an outcast, and some of my favourite messages came from people who felt they couldn’t dress a certain way because of this other style of influencer; they say that seeing my looks gives them the confidence to break out of their shell,” she says.
Maximalism doesn’t have to be a high-octane visual gesture that’s restricted to red carpets and slick videos. What might seem like a dramatic return to maximalism on the runway will inevitably filter down as more subtle ways of dressing for our own personal pleasure. That’s the real power of fashion’s manifestations of maximalism: Amid ongoing conflicts, shaky economies and an unsettled world order, the joy of pearl-decorated shoes, the delight of a frilly polka-dot tulle skirt or the sheer bravado of wearing pink, red and orange all at once has the unfailing ability to uplift—even if it is just for one single, frolicking moment.
VUITTON
Kesha
FreesHerself
With a new album, her own record label and a 10-year plan to upend the music industry, the liberated pop star says that anyone with deep, dark secrets had better run.
By SUZY EXPOSITO
Photographer RUBEN CHAMORRO Stylist CHRISTOPHER CAMPBELL
BEFORE KESHA GOT THE CALL , she was frolicking naked with her friends off the coast of Zihuatanejo, Mexico—a sun-kissed Lady Godiva on a Jet Ski, cutting through the ocean waves. Her entourage of 12 friends followed her lead, shedding their beachwear to evade tan lines as they scanned the water for sharks and manta rays.
It was the pop star’s 37th birthday and the dawning of her most liberated year yet. “I got a big wake-up call to start living like a free woman,” she says of the divine intervention. “But I also got a literal phone call.” That one had happened three months earlier, when her lawyers phoned to say that it was official: On March 6, 2024, for the first time in 19 years, Kesha would reclaim the legal rights to her own voice.
Kesha was just 18 years old when she signed an ill-fated six-album deal in 2005 with songwriter and music producer Łukasz Gottwald, better known as Dr. Luke. Nine years later, she dropped a bombshell when she filed a civil suit against Gottwald for sexual harassment and assault and infliction of emotional distress.
Gottwald, famous for his work with superstars like Katy Perry and Rihanna, denied the allegations and immediately filed a defamation suit against Kesha. Still beholden to the terms she’d agreed to at 18, Kesha continued to release albums to fulfill her contractual obligations; the last one was released in May 2023. A chilling kiss-off of a record that was produced by Rick Rubin, it was cheekily titled Gag Order
After nearly a decade of sparring in courtrooms through a procession of lawyers, in June 2023, Kesha and Dr. Luke reached a settlement that would dismiss Dr. Luke’s defamation claim, which by that point was all that remained of their lawsuits
against each other. (When announcing the settlement, both parties continued to deny any misconduct.) Kesha gained full autonomy over her future music and recordings, allowing her to work freely with any producers she chooses.
In the months since, she’s founded her own label, Kesha Records, and released a string of new singles. She’s now getting ready for her new album, Period, to drop this summer and working on being a godmother to the next generation of pop stars, with a 10-year plan to upend the industry. “The music industry should be fucking terrified of me because I’m about to make some major moves and shift this shit,” she says. “I really want to dismantle it piece by piece and shine light into every corner. I hope my legacy is making sure it never happens to anybody ever again.”
O n a sweltering afternoon in Los Angeles, Kesha sits across from me on a leather couch inside West Hollywood’s Village studios, where Fleetwood Mac, Heart and Whitney Houston once recorded legendary records. She wears a T-shirt promoting her new record label—“KESHA RECORDS BITCH,” it reads in huge yellow letters—and a pair of seersucker overalls bedecked with smiley-face buttons. It’s here that Kesha’s been fine-tuning songs for Period, her very first album as an independent artist. “I’m free, and it feels good,” she says. “I have a reminder in my phone that says ‘You’re free.’” There are three words that cycle throughout our interview like mantras: freedom, safety and, most importantly, joy.
“This record is my little wild child,” Kesha says with an impish grin. “My last record, Gag Order, was me giving the more painful emotions a voice. I was really vulnerable.
“I really think that my joy is such a feminist act of defiance. And to everyone who has supported me and to anyone who’s a survivor out there, know that the energy of support for me also flows through me to you.”
Now I’m really trying to make way for the bad bitch. I’m giving her a moment—because we need the space to have all the emotions safely. I capture the empowered emotions so I can listen back when I’m not feeling that way.”
Propelled by a taunting loop of polka-style horn samples, Period ’s first single, “Joyride,” is a campy, libertine callback to the Kesha we met in 2009: a glitter-streaked weekend warrior with a party-girl ethos that verged on a death drive. “You know the Buddhist saying that life is pain? I’ve found that to be very true in my life,” she continues, sipping on a paper cup of green tea. “Everybody knows me as a fun human being. My soul is very fun. My name means ‘innocent joy.’ But, you know, there’s only so much somebody can take before just feeling wrecked.... My soul needs this album. I need to reclaim my joy. Because I fought so fucking long and hard for it.”
For Kesha, there is not only life after surviving a very public trauma but also room for dessert. “I really think that my joy is such a feminist act of defiance,” she says. “And to everyone who has supported me and to anyone who’s a survivor out there, know that the energy of support for me also flows through me to you.” Released pointedly on Independence Day, “Joyride” is a grown and sexy work of opera pop that’s been brewing since that divine call made its way to her in Mexico. “The second it came out of my mouth, I was like, ‘This is my first single.’ It was me busting the door back down and saying ‘No, no, it’s time to party again!’ We’re going to start with having fun, and then I’m going to try to dismantle all the shady shit.”
The song was written not only after her legal dispute had been settled but also in the aftermath of her last relationship, which had yielded fewer rewards for her than being alone. “I had a feeling that he was in it for the wrong reasons and was a bit of a starfucker,” Kesha says of her ex. “I decided to test that theory and took one of my friends instead of him to Taylor Swift’s party. He came over the next day and broke up with me.”
If she still believes in romance—and she says she does—she feels best equipped to give that love to herself. “I’m only going to enter into a partnership again if someone treats me as well as I treat myself,” she says. “I kept hearing people say ‘I’m looking for The One.’ I kept waiting for somebody else to fill that space, and then I just stepped into it myself. You gotta be all those things for yourself—your own boyfriend, sugar daddy, rich husband, best friend, cheerleader. I started taking myself on vacations, buying myself six dozen roses and taking
myself on shopping sprees at Saint Laurent. Yes, I take myself on really bougie dates—like, really celebrate the fuck out of myself. Then ‘Joyride’ started being written in my mind. I was like, ‘God, I am The One, though.’”
And even though she compares dating in Los Angeles to “digging through the garbage,” she hasn’t written off the possibility of falling in love again. “Can I use this ELLE interview as, like, my version of a dating app?” she asks. “Get the hot pictures poppin’.... Let’s see who we get. Anybody want to change the world?”
Kesha was born Kesha Rose Sebert in Los Angeles and raised in Nashville by Patricia “Pebe” Sebert, a single mom who worked as a country singer-songwriter. Pebe supported her daughter as she pursued her passions—like studying comparative religion at a Columbia University summer program—and rode shotgun on her road to fame, co-writing some of Kesha’s most colossal hits, such as 2010’s “Your Love Is My Drug.” She also shepherded Kesha through many years of legal strife and public scrutiny and was a support for her as she recovered from an eating disorder.
After featuring on “Right Round,” Flo Rida’s 2009 number one hit, Kesha rocketed to stardom at lightning speed; that same year, “TiK ToK,” her debut single as a solo artist, shot up to number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained there for nine consecutive weeks. Her winning streak continued for over a decade, with four albums hitting the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Her success, however, could not eclipse the anguish she experienced as her legal disputes with Dr. Luke began to feel like a referendum on her humanity.
Her mom “held [her] hand through this whole process,” says Kesha, but support from other women in the industry felt harder to come by in her early years. “I wish there’d been some woman in pop music when I was coming up that I could have reached out to to talk about stuff I was going through,” she says. “I found more support from the rock boys—Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl, Pat Smear and Alice Cooper were very real and helped me talk through things. So now I try to reach out to artists—girls and women—and just offer my services of life experience.”
Now that she can put her legal troubles behind her, she is fiercely dedicated to her own well-being. She drives to the ocean daily when she’s in town just to jump in. She gets acupuncture, she meditates, she journals, she juices, she goes to dance classes, she has microdosed mushrooms for PTSD.
MUSIC
“Being in myself after the life I have led is a fucking full-time job,” says Kesha. “And self-care is my number one most important thing. Because if I want to be making music, all of this has to come first. I prioritize myself.”
Although she wouldn’t have known it 10 years ago, Kesha’s perseverance and punk ethos have helped give rise to a growing brigade of gutsy, empowered women in American pop music who are eager to represent themselves authentically to a new generation of fans who are more queer, feminist and progressive than ever before. “I do feel protective of young women in music,” she says, adding that she DMs other artists to offer herself as a sounding board. “I really hope my joy can show others that it’s available to them and to not give up. I enjoy feeling my power, which hasn’t been available to me for a really long time, and I’d love to give that gift to others if I can.”
The two brightest lights in her periphery, she says, are superstars Reneé Rapp and Chappell Roan. “Reneé is the most genuinely cool, calm, unbothered, iconic pop girlie,” says Kesha, whom Rapp invited to perform at her show in Brooklyn in November 2023. The two reconnected this past April at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival when Kesha dropped by Rapp’s set to perform “TiK ToK.” Prior to their performance, the women
discussed a rewrite of Kesha’s original opening line—“Wake up in the morning feeling like P. Diddy”—to condemn disgraced music mogul Sean Combs, who was indicted on sex-trafficking charges last year. “Wake up in the morning like FUCK P. Diddy,” Kesha and Rapp shouted in unison to the approval of thousands of screaming fans. The decision to make the switch “was pretty quick and easy for the both of us,” Rapp tells me. “Diddy is such a fucking asshole. So many men who were working prominently at that time were such disgraceful shames of human beings. Kesha certainly doesn’t put up with any shit, and I most definitely don’t put up with any shit.
“She raised an entire generation of ‘fuck the man’ girls,” continues Rapp. “You would have to genuinely go out of your way and hate yourself not to like her.”
JACKET (THE FRANKIE SHOP), SKIRT (COURRÈGES), TIGHTS (FALKE), EARRINGS (COMPLETEDWORKS) AND PUMPS (JIMMY CHOO) FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE. HAIRSTYLIST, RIAD AZAR (THE ONLY AGENCY); MAKEUP ARTIST, OZZY SALVATIERRA (LOWE & CO); PHOTOGRAPHED ON LOCATION AT CONRAD LOS ANGELES
Kesha and Rapp later met Chappell Roan at Lollapalooza after she played to reportedly the biggest daytime crowd the festival had ever seen. Whereas many people would see this as a wish fulfilled for Roan, Kesha clocked the stress in her eyes. “Kesha was so lovely to me after my Lollapalooza set,” Roan tells me. “Because with that huge a crowd, maybe only five other people there understood what that’s like. Kesha came to talk to me after, and it felt like a big sister was helping me through it. Reneé and I were crying because we felt like we were being seen in a way we never had before. Kesha has always stood up for women and what she believes in, and that’s very inspiring.”
As executive of her own label, Kesha is ushering in what she calls her “music-mogul era.” “I am just 100 percent in complete control of everything now,” she marvels. “It’s exciting to be represented the way I want to be: ideating the song, writing the song, singing the song, comping the song, co-producing the song, marketing the song, designing what I’m wearing for the song... calling my friend Kyle Richards to borrow a Birkin or calling my friend Jonathan Wilson to borrow a Porsche for the shoot.”
In time, she hopes to build upon her role as a guru of sorts by signing and developing new pop talent. She is also working on her long-term plan to correct the wrongs of the music industry once and for all. She’d like to start by tackling the dubious terms of many artist contracts—some of which claim rights to songs, lyrics and even likenesses in perpetuity. “I don’t believe in ownership in perpetuity of anyone, anything, on any level, in any business,” she says. “That should not be something a human being can commit to. I’m allergic to control—it gives me a visceral reaction. I feel like people want to own a beautiful thing. And it sucks for them, but you just can’t! We live in a time that’s more democratic. People can share whatever they want on all these different platforms. I’m excited to see what that means for the future of music—what the future of the world will sound like.”
With help from some tech experts, Kesha is devising a digital platform on which artists’ safety will be prioritized instead of being sacrificed for the commercial gain of others. In fiercely championing herself for the past decade, she has grown more and more into the leader that pop music needs—and she’s starting with protecting artists from the kinds of predators who almost snuffed out her light.
“I don’t believe you can create if you’re not feeling safe,” she says. “The old guard, they’re falling. The old way of doing everything with secrecy—there’s no future there. So, like, those of you with deep, dark secrets, you’d better fucking run.”
Celebrating 100 Years
Welcome to the BRENDAISSANCE
Decades into her career, BRENDA SONG is ready to jump into the unknown.
By PATRICIA KAROUNOS
WHEN BRENDA SONG’S AGENT told her he’d found her next possible project, her mind started whirring. The role was in Running Point , a new Netflix comedy co-created by Mindy Kaling and starring Kate Hudson as the underestimated woman who takes over the professional basketball team her family owns. Song is a huge sports fan in general, and the show is loosely inspired by Jeanie Buss, the owner and president of the Los Angeles Lakers (Song’s favourite NBA team) and a producer on the show. But instead of excitement, the first thought the 37-year-old actor had when she learned all the details was “They’re never going to want me for this.” Little did she know the creative team had already asked to meet with her; they immediately hit it off while bonding over their mutual basketball fandom, making Song even more interested in the series.
“I walked away and literally called my agent, like, ‘Whatever they need me to do, I’ll do it,’” she says, adding that she found out a week later that she’d got the gig. “I freaked out. I was really in shock. I feel like—much like Isla, Kate’s character in the show—I am my own worst enemy. I’m the one who doesn’t believe in myself; I’m the one who thinks I’m incapable.”
That’s definitely not the impression you get when you see the L.A. native perform in Running Point, which started streaming at the end of February and has already been renewed for a second season. Song plays Ali, Isla’s supportive, steady and tell-it-kindly-like-it-is best friend and chief of staff for the team. Her chemistry with Hudson is natural and inviting; she delivers the show’s quick, witty and joke-filled dialogue without breaking a sweat and moves through the imagined onscreen world with
warmth and ease. “I love that Running Point is, ultimately, not about basketball—basketball is a vehicle for this crazy, dysfunctional work family,” says Song.
The show is the ideal marriage of Song’s interests and reliable (if often underappreciated) talent. It also came at the perfect moment—on the heels of her buzziest role in a while, as part of the ensemble cast in the Las Vegas-set Gia Coppola film The Last Showgirl alongside Pamela Anderson. “Someone was talking about how The Last Showgirl is about the closing of someone’s career and Running Point is about the opening of someone’s career, and that felt like such a beautiful, symbiotic adventure in my career.”
Part of what Song—who has been acting since childhood, perhaps most notably starring as endearingly ditzy hotel heiress London Tipton in Disney Channel comedy The Suite Life of Zack & Cody —loved so much about Running Point is how different it feels from the rest of her filmography. It’s one of the first times she’s played someone who has an explicitly similar cultural background to hers without that being the defining trait of the character—something that came up authentically in conversations with Kaling and the other writers. At one point, for example, Ali phones her grandmother, and showrunner David Stassen asked Song, who’s half-Thai and half-Hmong, which language she’d prefer to do the scene in. Song chose Hmong because she’s more fluent in it than in Thai, and that’s how the scene was filmed with no additional exposition about Ali’s family history necessary.
“One thing about working with Mindy is that she’s very, very aware of any [point] where she can introduce our nationalities or backgrounds,” says Song. “It’s really important to
her, and it makes the characters so much more well-rounded. It was so small, but [it was great] to be able to have that conversation and to have someone understand what it means to me to be able to represent my culture. If a character doesn’t need it, it doesn’t bother me—with any project, when it comes to authenticity in casting and representation, it’s story to story. This was just the first time I played a character where there was an opportunity to represent who I am in a playful sense without getting too serious—it was just another facet of Ali. And to have a work environment where you feel safe, where you feel like you can speak up and have an opinion in the room, changes everything. You go to work with a sense of security, and I knew it was a place where I could be silly, take risks and make mistakes. It was really liberating for me.”
It’s not a coincidence that the actor is feeling that sense of freedom in other aspects of her career. After having her two children, whom she shares with fiancé and fellow former child actor Macaulay Culkin, there was a point during the pandemic when Song thought there was no future for her in Hollywood. But, she says, working on both The Last Showgirl and Running Point —two creative sets where she was surrounded by women and people who didn’t make her feel like she had to choose between her career and actually spending time with her family—changed that. “Being a mother changes your priorities—I feel like I didn’t understand what real responsibility and being an adult was until I had kids,” says Song. “For me, it had always been work, work, work, but now it’s all about my family and kids. For the first time, I’m like, ‘I can’t just go to Bulgaria for six months to shoot something.’ That honestly made me nervous, especially because opportunities are so scarce. Then, working with Gia and Dave really showed me that it’s possible to do it all. It really inspired me—it reignited this passion in me.”
out during the call and they just wanted to run some tests before the next meeting.
You’d think that someone who has been acting for as long as Song has wouldn’t second-guess themselves so much. She actually thinks it’s a feeling that has grown as she’s aged—but she’s not bothered by that because she’s so much better equipped to handle it now than she might have been as a young teen in the spotlight. “I feel like I can openly talk about these deep insecurities now,” she says. “As you get older, you realize that you can’t fly, you can’t jump off a building. When you lose that innocence as you become an adult, you sort of have to start again. I used to say my insecurity drives me to be better, but now I think it stems from just being unsure. But I also say it now, honestly, more in jest because I’ve come to a point where I’ve realized that everything happens for a reason. Sometimes you just aren’t right for a role or your vision doesn’t align with the director’s vision. And that’s okay. The insecurity just stems from the fact that you’re expendable at any time. But that also makes every job so precious and exciting. I kind of think of every job like it’s my last ever, and with that mindset, I remind myself how lucky I am that this is what I get to do.”
“I kind of think of every job like it’s my last ever, and with that mindset, I remind myself how lucky I am that this is what I get to do.”
Regardless of what she’s feeling, there’s a sizable group of people who not only want Song’s career to keep thriving but are sure it will: the very people who grew up watching her during her Disney days. In fact, over the past few months, as Song started kicking up her public appearances and returning to the spotlight, fans online have often shared a particular sentiment: It’s time for the “Brendaissance.” Song is aware of the posts and, unsurprisingly, feels a mix of appreciation and gratitude while wondering if she’s worthy of such ardour.
Still, even with this new surge of momentum, Song is constantly battling that little voice that had her doubting she could land a role in Running Point in the first place. It’s a feeling that followed her even after she signed on to do the show: During the first table read, which took place over Zoom, someone asked her to stay online at the end of the call. Song immediately assumed she had messed up and was filled with that just-got-called-to-the-principal’s-office feeling in the pit of her stomach. “Oh, God,” she thought. “I’m going to get fired.” It turned out that her internet connection was cutting
Although she would never claim the term “Brendaissance” for herself, she does have a clear picture of what she hopes the future holds for her career. “For the first time, I’m very excited about the unknown,” she says. “Ultimately, I want to find my The Last Showgirl —I want to be pushed to places that I’ve never been pushed to before. I want to find a project that I’ll feel like no one else but me could do. My ultimate, ultimate goal—and I take a lot of inspiration from Mindy Kaling—is to get to a place where I can help create opportunities for young actors and others like me. If it weren’t for people like Mindy, I wouldn’t be here, and I want to be able to pay it forward.”
Durga Chew-Bose
This acclaimed Canadian writer is now your new favourite filmmaker.
By PATRICIA KAROUNOS
IT WAS SEVEN, MAYBE EIGHT, YEARS AGO that Montreal’s Durga Chew-Bose was approached to write the screenplay for Bonjour Tristesse, an adaptation of Françoise Sagan’s famed 1954 novel of the same name, which gained even more attention when it was first made into a film in 1958. But it soon became clear to the movie’s producers that Chew-Bose—already an acclaimed writer known for her essays and 2017 book, Too Much and Not the Mood —was also the perfect person to make the film, so they asked her to direct it too. “Like most things with my producers, it was all very intuitive, loving and natural,” says Chew-Bose. “They brought it up hesitantly on a call, and I was eight months pregnant with my first kid. I was like, ‘Let me think about it’ because I couldn’t imagine the next major thing happening in my life on top of directing a film [for the first time]. Ultimately, it was a huge, ridiculous risk on their part. When people whom you care about want to take that kind of chance on you, you’d kind of be a dummy not to listen.”
But if you actually watch Bonjour Tristesse —a coming-ofage drama that follows what happens between Cécile (Lily McInerny) and her widowed father (Claes Bang) when an old family friend (Chloë Sevigny) arrives at their home in the south of France—it’s obvious that Chew-Bose belongs behind the camera. Stunningly shot and gorgeously acted, the movie (out May 2) brings new perspective to a familiar tale and will have you asking what Chew-Bose is up to next.
FOLLOW THE PATH “I was not consciously [thinking about directing the movie]. I was world-building while writing, mostly because it helped me understand the world I was going to adapt from the book. In some ways, it would probably be dishonest to say that [I had] no sense that [directing] could be on the horizon, but it would also be dishonest to say that it was my intention. Most things that have occurred in my life have been incremental and step by step. If you surround yourself with the right people who can meet you halfway, these opportunities develop in a very organic way.”
INNER VOICE “There are so many literary adaptations that have been made, especially in recent years, so I was aware of that history, [people’s] perceptions and people’s expectations when it comes to adaptation and attachments to the original source
material. I had that in mind while adapting—my fear was very much in force. But I think that fear is actually a really interesting tool because what it does is edit a lot of the noise out. You are really challenging yourself to listen to the voice in your head because it’s such a guide.”
MAKE IT YOUR OWN “I reread the book with a very open mindset. If something—a sentence, a turn of phrase or a description of the setting—was, for whatever reason, very vibrant to me, I wrote it down. Something outside of my powers was saying ‘Pay attention to this.’ I felt that was the best way to adapt [it] because it meant that there was something that was very much my own guiding me. There wasn’t pressure to make it palpable, to address these times, to relate to young women today—I wasn’t being ushered by capital-I ideas. Instead, I was choosing to trust myself—which sounds far more confident than I was, but, in retrospect, it’s what I did.”
READY FOR MORE “I didn’t think I needed a whole set of eyes to become a director. I knew that I should trust what I had already developed as a writer and an editor and, honestly, as an admirer of film and an audience member who loves going to movies and who loves the spectacle, romance and beauty of it. My writing began in the film world—writing about film, interviewing directors and actors—and [through a] love of the world-building that goes into it, so I felt very at home on-set and at home translating my writing mind into my directing mind. The film is wonderfully imperfect, but I know it’s not for everybody. I’m not saying that the ‘seamlessness’ I experienced is a reflection of the film, but I want to make another one.”
In Search of GREATNESS
Filmmaker TANYA LAPOINTE is entering her third—and most brilliant—act.
By PHILIPPE PAPINEAU
IN HER PROFESSIONAL LIFE , Tanya Lapointe doesn’t hold back—she pushes herself to the point of near exhaustion, and then she just dives in deeper. Could her creative approach be likened to the movements of a Shai-Hulud sandworm from Dune, the fantastical world she explored with her husband, filmmaker Denis Villeneuve? Perhaps that’s a stretch. But after a hard-driving youth in ballet and, later, a career in journalism, the Franco-Ontarian from the town of Hawkesbury now finds herself in the middle of a third chapter—film—powered by a whirlwind of inspiration she can’t help but share.
“I have to be very organized to pull off what’s on my plate, but sometimes my mind slips into overdrive, and that’s when I have to hit the brakes a bit because I want to do it all,” says Lapointe. Over the past decade, she has worked in varying capacities on films such as Arrival, Blade Runner 2049 and both instalments of the epic Dune series. She also somehow found the time to direct two documentaries, 50/50 and The Paper Man. Lapointe first gained recognition through her journalistic work with the CBC. She took what was supposed to be a break from the small screen in 2015 and never looked back. “I’d achieved everything I wanted to as a journalist,” she says. “But I felt like I had more to give as well as this yearning to grow. And I saw an outlet for all that in cinema.” Working alongside Villeneuve, she found “a way to contribute to supporting his vision.” “Contribute,” Lapointe insists, is the key word here. After first helping out on-set, she made her way up to executive producer and then second unit director for Dune: Part Two. And she’s still pinching herself. “When everything
I’ve done previously somehow serves the present moment, it’s an absolutely incredible feeling,” she says.
Lapointe is just coming off awards season, which saw her on numerous red carpets, including those of the Golden Globes and the Oscars—where Dune: Part Two won for Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. “It’s fun to catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror,” Lapointe admits of all the fashion and glamour, but she would still take boots with crampons over stilettos any day. What’s important for her is not how she looks doing the job; it’s all about a job well done. She strives to share the creative experience and demystify the processes that bring art to life. “People often talk about culture as if it were totally separate from the rest of our existence, but I think creative endeavours—whether you’re a part of making them happen or you’re on the consumer side—sustain our society,” she says. “Now more than ever, we need to be reminded of that.”
If you had to name a common thread that runs through Lapointe’s projects, it would have to be a love of storytelling. She is also a big proponent of passing the baton and giving the next generation a chance—she feels a responsibility and desire to pay forward what has been given to her. With the third Dune film in the works, Lapointe has also accepted a role at the forefront of a Canadian project that’s still in its infancy but marries her passions for film and cultural encounters. “I just couldn’t help myself,” she says. “I think the project is going to foster more understanding around that world and fuel more passion for it. I’m about to say something super pretentious right now, but the goal is and has always been the same: to be a part of something greater than myself.”
Forging His Path
How a love of fashion turned into a career at Vogue for writer CHRISTIAN ALLAIRE .
By KELLY BOUTSALIS
FASHION HAS A UNIQUE WAY of both uniting people and making them feel like imposters. As a kid growing up in the Nipissing First Nation in Ontario, Christian Allaire would bond with his sister and female cousins and friends over pretend fashion shows and, as they got older, designer brands. Working his way up from doing internships at Flare and the National Post in Toronto to returning samples at Interview magazine in New York City, he eventually landed his dream job introducing coverage of Indigenous style to the world’s foremost fashion authority, Vogue. But while uploading images of the runway collections from New York, London, Milan and Paris fashion weeks as the revered publication’s digital producer, Allaire felt he wasn’t cool enough to be among celebrities and other attendees who were wearing better outfits.
“I felt like that for a very long time, honestly, but now I feel like I’ve earned my place,” he says on a video call during New York Fashion Week in February. “I think about exactly where I come from and what it took to get here, and [I know] I deserve to be in this front row.”
Allaire, who is of Ojibwa, French and Italian descent, shares how he got there in his new memoir, From the Rez to the Runway: Forging My Path in Fashion, which was published in March. Between the summer of 2023 and the end of last year, Allaire juggled writing the memoir with his full-time job at Vogue —he’s now the senior fashion and style writer—where he’s known for dissecting celebrity style, analyzing trends and spotlighting Indigenous fashion. Speaking from his Brooklyn apartment, where he’s lounging on a couch and wearing a dentalium-shell necklace by Cree/Dene designer Osamuskwasis, he recalls the chaotic late nights dedicated to writing. “I had no social life for about a year,” he says.
The result is a fascinating look at the journey of someone who identified their love of fashion at an early age and did everything it took to reach the hallowed offices of an industry institution like Vogue From the Rez to the Runway also includes Allaire’s slow realization that the powwow-dancing family and community he left behind in Nipissing had given him the inspiration to put Indigenous fashion into his work.
It wasn’t an easy decision to put his life story on paper. “I thought it was weird to write a memoir as someone who’s in their early 30s—like, it’s not even a third of [my] life, if [I’m] lucky,” he says. “It is kind of crazy to think about how a little rez kid ends up working at Vogue in the middle of the fashion industry, so it might not be my full life picture, but I think it’s a story that people can relate to if they’re trying to achieve their dreams.”
It was also difficult for the private Allaire, who is used to interviewing others—from Cate Blanchett to Sabrina Carpenter—to turn inward, especially when it came to exploring some of his lower points or past mistakes. “You have
to face things that you don’t really want to face sometimes,” he says. “It’s essentially like letting people read your diary, and I don’t think anyone wants that, but I think your duty as a writer is to share your perspective and hope someone can relate to it.”
One of the universal elements of Allaire’s book is the restlessness he experienced growing up. “When I was in high school and college, I was not out partying with my friends; I was applying [for jobs] or writing things,” he says. “[I was] such a nerd and, honestly, a loser. But I was driven.” He wanted nothing more than to leave his small town and enter the fashion world he dreamed of belonging to.
Ironically, it’s the place he left that helped him stand out at Vogue. In his memoir, he details how his career flourished when he began to pitch stories about Indigenous fashion. Designers and artisans from Indigenous communities had rarely appeared in the top fashion magazines, and readers and designers alike were effusive in their responses.
“Every time I write about someone, the number one [response] I get is ‘I never thought I would be written about in Vogue’ or ‘I never thought anyone would write about my work, period,’ and it’s frustrating that that’s so common,” he says. “[We] should be writing about these artists because their work is out of this world and it’s such a shame that people aren’t discovering them. Every time I hear [their surprise at being featured], it drives me to do it even more because this has got to stop being the reaction.”
Given that Allaire comes from a community-focused people, it is unsurprising that he wants more for the talented creators he highlights in his work. It also goes without saying that his intended audience for his latest book are younger versions of himself. “I wanted to show Indigenous youth that you can do anything—like, if I’m from a small town in Canada and can somehow end up working at Vogue in New York City, you can too,” he says. “I didn’t come from money; I made this happen out of sheer will, sheer luck and maybe a little bit of talent. [With the book], I wanted to show that you can make your wildest dreams come true but also that paths to success are not linear. There isn’t just one way to get there—my path was certainly messy at times, and I had a lot of setbacks—so I just wanted to be honest and show that it might be hard to get to where you want to be, but just persevere and keep doing it, because somehow that worked for me.”
Before he prepares for a night of fashion shows and, presumably, more writing, Allaire reflects momentarily on releasing his private life into the public. He’s nervous but not scared, he says. He’s in his confident era—deservedly so—because wherever he is, whether at Vogue or at home in Nipissing, he no longer feels like an imposter. “When you find your niche in fashion and [your] voice and style of writing, you become more confident as a result. It’s important to find your It factor in fashion.”
LEXI LAFLEUR BROWN
Power Moves
AN VERHULST-SANTOS is the first-ever female CEO of L’Oréal Canada. Here, she looks back on her trail-blazing path and underscores the importance of having women at the table.
By LESA HANNAH
AN VERHULST-SANTOS’ CAREER BEGAN 34 YEARS AGO in her native Belgium, where, fresh out of university, she joined L’Oréal’s professional division. After she did a stint in Paris overseeing professional products in Europe, promotions led her to Brazil as well as the U.S.; she found these experiences “pivotal” as they challenged her to adapt. In 2021, VerhulstSantos became the first female CEO of L’Oréal Canada, which she says is “a privilege [she] cherish[es] deeply.” For her, L’Oréal’s mission extends far beyond selling beauty products. As exemplified by the company’s Sense of Purpose campaign, it is about creating a better future through a commitment to both people and the planet. We spoke to the business leader about being a woman in charge and a catalyst for change.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have faced in your career? “For me, key turning points in my career have involved embracing challenges and leaving my comfort zone many times. Change [offers] an outstanding opportunity to learn and grow and to [be exposed to] new perspectives but also bring your own. There have been times when I feared I wasn’t up to the task. But when I experienced those moments, I instinctively invested and involved myself even more in my work. Overcoming self-doubt and embracing moments of vulnerability were crucial steps. Ultimately, these challenges shaped me into the leader I am today, teaching me valuable lessons about perseverance, empathy and the importance of building strong support networks.”
What unique perspectives or qualities do you think women bring to leadership roles? “Women bring a wealth of diverse perspectives and qualities. [Thanks to] collaborative leadership styles, strong communication skills and empathy, women often excel at building strong teams and fostering inclusive environments. These qualities are not exclusive to women, but they are often under-represented in leadership roles.”
Do you think women face more challenges when they’re ambitious and striving for top leadership roles? “There’s a frequently cited statistic that serves as a powerful reminder of existing gender disparities in the job-application process: Women tend to
apply for jobs only when they meet 100 percent of the qualifications, whereas men are more likely to apply even if they only meet 60 percent of the requirements. I really trust that this will change. The advice I like to give is: Don’t put barriers on yourself. Dare to push the limits. Rely on your strengths to believe in yourself and speak up. Everyone should feel empowered to pursue opportunities based on their skills, potential and passion rather than being limited by self-imposed and/or societal barriers. And by encouraging and supporting women to step out of their comfort zone and embrace their full potential, we can create a more diverse workforce.”
How do you see the future of women within L’Oréal? “At L’Oréal Canada, we champion the cause of women, and our ambition is to build a business that has inclusivity at its heart and where every woman can thrive and reach her full potential. Currently, 63 percent of our employees are women and 63 percent of our managers are women. Beyond leadership representation, there are programs like our partnership with The A Effect and our robust Share & Care employee benefits, which include mental-health support and flexible work arrangements designed to support women’s overall well-being and career advancement. We also foster open dialogue and address critical issues through our 10 employee resource groups. Specifically, Women in Leadership and Generations create safe spaces for conversations and provide resources such as the Menopause in the Workplace program. And our commitment extends beyond our internal walls. Through the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science program, we’re championing women in STEM, empowering the next generation of scientific leaders. Furthermore, our brands are actively engaged in driving positive social change for women. YSL Beauty’s Abuse Is Not Love program combats intimate-partner violence, and L’Oréal Paris’ Stand Up Against Street Harassment initiative empowers individuals to intervene and create safer communities. We’re not just building a company where women can succeed; we’re actively shaping a future where they can lead and inspire.”
IThe New GLOW-UP
Welcome to the “undetectable era” of cosmetic procedures. Gone is the overpulled, overplumped look. Now it’s all about subtle tweaks that make people say “Wow, she looks amazing!” instead of “Whoa, she’s sure had a lot of work done.”
Discover the modern way to hit refresh on your face.
By KATHERINE LALANCETTE
T WAS THE COMEBACK OF ALL COMEBACKS. When freckle-faced child star turned fallen idol Lindsay Lohan emerged from a months-long hiatus last fall to promote her film Our Little Secret, it appeared the actor had a little secret of her own. With eyes aglow and a creamy, lineless complexion, the 38-year-old looked worlds away from her worse-for-wear mug shots of the early aughts.
Maybe her new-found radiance was due to her turning her life around—moving to Dubai and ditching her partygirl ways, finding love and welcoming her first child. She was happier and healthier, and it showed. Or maybe, just maybe, it was the product of a laundry list of procedures, as has been widely speculated in the media.
“I think she got an upper-eyelid lift and a lower-eyelid lift and very probably a brow lift,” guesses Montreal cosmetic surgeon Dr. Amanda Fanous. “Now the real question is ‘Did she get a facelift?’ My gut feeling is yes. [Her new look] could be attributed to weight loss, diet, exercise, skin treatments, lasers—but I think it’s a facelift.”
The fact that even an experienced facial plastic surgeon like Fanous can’t be fully sure perfectly exemplifies what has been dubbed the “undetectable work” trend: a move toward more discreet improvements courtesy of clever cosmetic tweaks. You can’t pinpoint exactly what someone has had done; they just look...refreshed.
Dr. Steven Hanna has noticed the shift happening in his own practice. “Lindsay Lohan has come up quite a bit at the office lately,” says the Toronto plastic surgeon. But instead of asking him to replicate Lohan’s specific features on their own face, patients are simply wanting to look similarly rejuvenated.
“In the past, people were really pursuing a certain aesthetic ideal,” he says. “Society had this vision of celebrity X or Y as
being perfect, and people wanted to look like them.” Even the simulation software he uses to show patients their projected outcomes has a built-in library of famous traits. Want to see what you’d look like with Nicole Kidman’s nose? He could show you. But now, he says, patients are less interested in that kind of thing and keener to enhance their own individual beauty. “People are really looking for change that is harmonious with their appearance.”
The reason for this isn’t just skin deep; it has a lot to do with our subconscious. “Studies recently have been digging into why people want a natural look, and psychologists are finding that people don’t like to be fooled,” says Fanous. “When someone has bad plastic surgery or obvious plastic surgery, the subconscious of the viewer will see that as this person trying to deceive people. It creates a sort of resentment.”
But increasingly, thanks to recent breakthroughs, practitioners are able to trick the subconscious and reverse the clock in totally imperceptible ways. “Our techniques are getting so advanced that delivering undetectable results is now possible,” says Fanous. “It’s never been as possible as it is now.”
So, you might be wondering, “What are these amazing innovations?” Contrary to what one might assume, achieving natural-looking results often involves doing more procedures, not fewer, and opting for more invasive ones too.
Take the case of hyaluronic-acid injections, a.k.a. fillers. The most common mistake people make with them, according to Megan Kozak, founder of Toronto’s POUTx Clinic, is treating a single area in isolation. “It never leads to a seamless, optimized outcome,” she says. Even a millimetre difference in one place can throw off the entire face, making something feel odd. So instead, she and a growing number of practitioners are advocating for a technique called “facial balancing.”
beauty
“Techniques are getting so advanced that delivering undetectable results is now possible. It’s never been as possible as it is now.”
“On Instagram, we see all these before and afters of just the lips, and they look beautiful, but if you zoom out and see those plump lips on an aging face, it doesn’t look good,” says Fanous. “It doesn’t fit the face. To be undetectable, anything you do has to fit your face.”
With facial balancing, small doses of filler are administered in multiple areas to correct overall volume loss, which occurs in the cheeks, lips, under-eyes and even the temples as we age. This way, the ratio between features is maintained and nothing sticks out as being abnormally augmented. Though it amounts to more filler, the final product is often much softer and more proportioned than when, say, half a syringe is added solely to the lips. When patients come in to see Lindsay Jones to treat a concern like hollow tear troughs and she suggests also putting filler in the cheeks and mid-face, she admits that they tend to get a bit wary. “I tell them, ‘I’m looking at the forest, not the tree,’” says the founder and medical director of Toronto’s Lift Clinic. Even after a treatment, when she hands them a mirror, most people hold it right up to their face. “I always have to say: ‘Take a step back and look at your face now as a whole, because that’s how other people see you. They’re not looking at this specific laugh line.’”
What can be achieved with filler is admittedly remarkable, but filler alone can’t fix everything. “Over the past 10 years, we really tried to push the limits of what is possible with injectables, so you ended up with people looking overfilled or frozen,” says Hanna, who offers filler and Botox in his own practice and believes there’s a time and place for them. “But when you combine things appropriately, you get a more natural correction than just ‘Well, you’ve got jowls so I’m going to blow up your cheek with fillers so that it lifts your jowls’—[because when you do that], you get this really wide face that the person wasn’t born with and probably didn’t need.”
That’s why patients are increasingly being advised to go for a more holistic, multi-modal approach. As Jones explains it: “Our face is made up of many different layers of tissue, and they all age at the same time. So there’s no one single treatment that’s ever going to be a home run.”
While fillers (which cost between $550 and $800 a syringe) can help restore volume and neuromodulators like Botox (averaging between $200 and $600 a treatment) can iron out wrinkles, they can’t address skin laxity, for instance. For that, you need to rev up collagen production through things like radiofrequency microneedling (between $500 and $1,500 a session, with most people requiring a course of three to four
followed by maintenance appointments every six to 12 months) or, as is becoming increasingly buzzy, injectable biostimulators like Sculptra (around $900 a vial, with two to four usually being needed).
“I describe Sculptra as being like a bra for the face,” says Jones. “It holds everything in a nice, tight space and fights gravity.” She likes using it in the mid-face and lower face to target concerns such as marionette lines, jowling and sunken cheeks. Unlike traditional fillers, which deliver immediate volume, biostimulators produce gradual plumpness. There’s no predicting exactly how much collagen the treatment will engender; you just have to wait and see, but the results are incredibly natural-looking since you’re benefiting from your own collagen, and they can last two or more years (versus about six to 18 months with filler, though some studies have shown certain kinds can hang around longer).
Another treatment that’s even longer-lasting is fat grafting: taking fat from one area, such as the abdomen or inner thighs, and injecting it into the face, in areas like the temples, forehead, under-eyes, nasolabial folds and marionette lines. Hanna and Fanous will often recommend it over filler, depending on a patient’s particular situation. It’s a short surgery performed under general anaesthesia and costs around $8,000.
Not all of the fat that’s injected tends to survive, which means touch-ups are often needed, but once perfected, the effects are usually permanent. “Facial fat grafting can be great in a young patient who wants a natural-looking correction,” says Hanna. “If the person’s goal is ‘I want to do the thing that lasts a long time, and I want to be done with it,’ then 100 percent, facial fat grafting is the way to go.”
As for targeting droopy lids or under-eye bags, your best bet is an upper and/or lower blepharoplasty, in which excess skin and/or fat is removed from the eyelids. That’s what Fanous believes Lohan had done, along with a brow lift to further open her gaze. A brow lift and lower bleph yield permanent results, whereas an upper bleph might need to be refreshed 10 to 20 years down the line. Doing all three procedures in one go can set you back upwards of $20K.
Last but not least is the somewhat infamous facelift, which has long been associated with a stretched-out wind-tunnel look. That description is no longer accurate, says Fanous. Procedures in this realm have gotten ultra-sophisticated, largely thanks to the deep-plane technique: Instead of only pulling back the skin, surgeons also reposition the underlying muscle and tissue. “Even though it may sound more invasive, the end result
is much more natural,” says Fanous. It makes patients look 15 to 20 years younger and is often done in conjunction with fat grafts as well as skin treatments that use lasers or energy devices to improve tone and elasticity. The starting age for the procedure is around 45, and the bill (for the facelift alone) can range from $20K to $30K.
While combining treatments or undergoing more invasive ones obviously adds up to more money (and downtime), it can also equate to more seamless and sustained results, ultimately making for a better investment. “It’s like girl math,” jokes Jones.
What you want to do is find yourself an “aging coach,” a skilled professional who’ll be able to guide you in making the best decisions for your concerns and budget and who, very importantly, shares your aesthetic preferences. “At your consultation, look at their face,” advises Kozak. “If you don’t love their look, why would you trust them with yours?”
Once you’ve selected the right person, sit down with them and establish a long-term plan. Otherwise, you run the risk of treating your face like an online Zara cart: adding to it just because you’re craving a pick-me-up or have an event coming up. Too often, “people chase quick fixes that don’t actually make them look better,” says Kozak. “[They’re] just a bunch of piecemeal tweaks that end up looking cheap and disjointed and, over time, compound to [look] overdone instead of undetectable.”
She and many of her peers are happy to be seeing patients consider enhancements more mindfully these days and strive for “undetectable” outcomes. But a lot of them also express unease over the secrecy implied by the term. See, the danger with people lying about getting procedures is that it promotes unrealistic and potentially damaging standards of beauty. It’s like when A-listers chock up their ageless glow to chugging umpteen ounces of water a day or dousing their face with olive oil instead of simply disclosing that they’ve gone under the knife or needle; it makes the rest of us feel really shitty about ourselves.
“And it’s not just celebrities; it’s women in general who won’t admit that they’ve had work done,” says Kozak. “We have many clients in their late 30s and early 40s looking flawless and posting on Instagram about how their secret is green juice and eight hours of sleep. Meanwhile, we know the truth.”
When designing POUTx’s flagship location on King Street East, Kozak decided to create something completely unprecedented: a wall-less clinic where treatments happen in plain sight for all to see. “No closed rooms, no secrecy,” she says. “This should be the future of aesthetics: an open conversation where we remove the stigma and take pride in the work we put into ourselves.”
LIKE FINE WINE
Did they or didn’t they? Whatever the answer, these stars are redefining what it means to age gracefully.
Demi Moore, 62
H 8
Salma Haye 58
Fuzzy Feelings
Blurring makeup is having a moment. It’s out with sharp lines and in with soft washes of colour.
By OLIVIA STREN
IN THE FINAL SCENE OF THE CLASSIC 1942 FILM CASABLANCA, Ingrid Bergman’s Ilsa gazes at Humphrey Bogart’s Rick—the couple are parting ways against a backdrop of spinning airplane propellers and drifting fog. Bergman is filmed in ravishing close-up, her eyes glossy and glinting with tears, her face bathed in soft, voluptuous light. While the film explored themes of violence, political corruption and heartbreak, Bergman’s complexion remained inviolate—as gently befogged and perfect as a dream. Legend has it that cinematographers of the era used an assortment of filters—gauze, stockings, Vaseline—to yield this kind of fuzzy, velvety glow, only enhancing a film’s high romance and its starlets’ splendour. It’s hard to imagine that now iconic scene having the same emotional impact had it been shot in, say, sharp, pore-revealing, pixel-rich HD.
Today, a passel of new makeup products devised to create a similarly filtered, blurring effect are in the spotlight. Wende Zomnir, founder of beauty brand Caliray and co-founder of Urban Decay, has declared that “blurring is of the moment.” Among the newcomers are Caliray’s Blurry Blush, Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation from Huda Beauty and Glow Recipe’s Strawberry BHA Pore-Smooth Blur Drops. Makeup by Mario—helmed by celebrity makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic—recently launched its SoftSculpt Bronzing & Shaping Serum and talc-free SurrealSkin Soft Blur Setting Powder, which are both aimed at magicking that Old Hollywood petroleum-jelly-on-the-lens glow. Rasa Gardiner, senior director of global education for Makeup by Mario, muses: “In Old Hollywood, actresses were essentially wearing heavy cake makeup. Products hadn’t benefited from the innovation we have today, so filmmakers were forced to rely on tricks. Look at Mario’s new collection as the equivalent of those tricks.” Dedivanovic, best known as Kim Kardashian’s long-time makeup artist, has been celebrated for his chiselled, contoured aesthetic (assiduously drawn lips, sculpted bone structure, snatched jawline)—sharp, high-glamour looks fashioned to withstand the merciless glare of the flashbulb. (Kardashian is hardly known for her naturalness or embrace of imperfection.)
“Those defined and enhanced looks were intended for the camera, for the runways, for the red carpets, for the bright lights,” says Gardiner. By contrast, Makeup by Mario’s new launches are designed as much for iced-coffee runs as Instagram reels. “These products have a softer, more natural approach and are about looking beautiful in person,” says Gardiner. That’s why Mario’s SurrealSkin is packed with light-diffusing spherical powders to produce a blurred finish, as well as amino acids for easy blendability and spreadability. The result is a powder that melts into the skin, never looks overly “done” and lends a lineless, pore-refining look. “You don’t see where the blush starts and stops or where the eyeshadow starts and stops,” says Gardiner. “Mario always says, ‘Makeup should look lived in.’ These products create that signature lived-in look straight out of the gate.”
Trends in beauty and makeup, as in fashion, express the mores and appetites of the day. Lipliner, like hemlines, can be seen as a reflection of—or protest against—the broader political, economic and emotional climate. We live in, to put it summarily, extreme and polarizing times, defined by sharpness and divisiveness of both opinion and political discourse. Perhaps this new spate of blurring products speaks to our collective yearning for the gentleness of all that softens and blends, for the fuzziness of nuance, for the harmonizing comfort of diffused borders. As gen-Zers swap their smartphones for the nostalgia of analog film cameras, makeup’s blurring trend is beauty’s answer to the rebirth of film photography, telegraphing our longing for tenderness in a hyper-digitized, too-hard world cluttered with edges. “With everything feeling very heavy right now, there may be a reason people want to lean into their soft sides,” says celebrity makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, whose client roster includes Dua Lipa and Hailey Bieber. Her own brand, KJH, is all about soft washes of colour. Even its packaging—in lickable shades of mint and pale peony—leans into sorbet-fresh hues.
KJH’s new Soft Smudge Lip & Cheek sticks lend a veil of velvety colour and are available in an array of shades (Soft Tomato, Soft Coral, Soft Raison and so on—“soft” being the ever-present prefix). “There have been so many blush launches recently, and every single one of them was creamy and wet and dewy and juicy and radiant,” Hughes tells me over the phone. “Mine is powdery, very velvety, very blurring, very soft focus, very long-lasting—it doesn’t slip and slide on the face throughout the day. We’re moving away from hyper-wet, hyper-dewy products.”
I try a swipe of KJH’s new stick in Soft Tomato, a lush red that somehow manages to be at once matte and sheer,
Brought to you by celeb makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes, this cream-to-powder stick serves up sheer matte colour that never feels dry.
richly pigmented and light. I blend it using KJH’s tapered No. 1 brush, and it gives a lively, wind-blushed freshness. On the lips, Soft Smudge lives up to its name, endowing your pout with a vaguely smudged allure—what the French call “bouche mordue ” (bitten mouth). It’s a slightly undone, pulpy, stained look that plays into the romance of freedom and ease and pleasure. (A carefully lined lip is too precise, too disciplined, too effortful to read “pleasure.”) This more diffused look makes the wearer appear as though they’ve perhaps just finished enjoying a picnic of ripe summer cherries, their mouth reddened with fruit, or indulged in an evening of sipping Malbec in Le Marais. If the look is easeful and sensuous—the Jane Birkin-style louche oversized button-down shirt of the lipstick world—it’s also deeply forgiving. “People are realizing that soft makeup is superduper flattering,” says Hughes.
I’m reminded of a time in my teens when I desperately needed glasses but refused to wear them. (Spectacles were not the chic accessory they are today.) Instead, nearsighted, I’d walk the halls of my high school recognizing nobody but noticing how everyone looked just a little bit hazy, indistinct, floaty and fabulous—their complexions benefiting from my myopia as any flaws were concealed by my quasi blindness. It occurs to me now that my impaired vision was the OG filter. Or maybe that’s just how I remember it. Memories (cue Barbra Streisand in The Way We Were) tend to be “misty” and “water-coloured”—not, say, high-res. But if nostalgia for softer times, with its attendant tool box of blurring setting powders and blush sticks, is having a moment, so is nostalgia itself. With our love affair with the past not set to smudge or rub off anytime soon, one thing is coming into focus: The future looks fuzzy.
ALL A BLUR
Five ways to score a soft-focus glow.
Much like a sneaky filter, this setting powder subtly enhances the entire face, blurring away texture while also controlling shine.
MAKEUP BY MARIO SURREALSKIN TALC-FREE SOFT BLUR SETTING POWDER ($52, SEPHORA.CA)
Part serum and part primer, this fluid refines pores over time with BHA and strawberry enzymes but also delivers immediate gratification via a velvety finish.
Parisian pro Violette Serrat bottles the coveted bouche mordue (bitten mouth) with a lipstickmeets-balm that imparts just the right amount of pigment.
VIOLETTE_FR BISOU BALM IN AMOUR FOU ($45, VIOLETTEFR.COM)
Spiked with smoothing niacinamide and silica, this weightless foundation makes the complexion appear airbrushed yet totally natural.
HUDA BEAUTY EASY BLUR NATURAL AIRBRUSH FOUNDATION ($50, SEPHORA.CA)
It’s Lit
IT WAS WHILE WORKING ON PHOTO SHOOTS
that Canadian makeup artist Rose-Marie Swift first started developing products for what would become her brand, RMS Beauty, a pioneer in the “clean” beauty space. She was aware of controversial ingredients in cosmetics and was a self-proclaimed “organic green girl” well before that kind of thing became mainstream. In 2009, she launched her line, comprising luxe little pots of colour that were chock full of good-for-the-skin ingredients. But the idea for the product that would ostensibly put her on the map came to her while she was on-set at an outdoor swimsuit shoot for Victoria’s Secret starring the one and only Gisele Bündchen.
To prep the model’s body for photography in natural sunlight, Swift slathered her limbs and torso with jojoba oil. “It has a little bit of a [warm tinge] to it, so it makes the skin look amazing,” she says. But she struggled to find a product that would produce a similar yet non-oily radiance on the face.
It was the mid-2000s—the height of pow dery matte mineral makeup. “The industry did not want your face looking dewy at the time,” she remembers. “I wanted the skin to look moist. It was unheard of!” The only so-called “illuminating” products available were overladen with glitter. “When the sun hit, they looked like ground-up sparkles,” she says. “I wanted something more subdued, more relaxed and more real.”
RMS Beauty’s Luminizer stood out from the get-go with its natural ingredients and unrivalled ability to make skin look dewy and gorgeous. It’s been earning glowing reviews ever since.
and a bit on the bow of the lips as well as the collarbones and shoulders. “I even got to the point where I would brush it lightly across their knuckles, so if they were holding anything, you would catch this beautiful glow.”
In that pre-social-media era, having high-profile friends like Bündchen and her fellow Victoria’s Secret Angel Miranda Kerr name-drop the product in interviews helped generate buzz. “I was giving it to the girls. They were all freaking out, loving it.” When she started swiping it on the fresh-faced models in J.Crew’s catalogues, subscribers had a similar reaction. “The customer service agents got a lot of calls from people asking, ‘What is that glow they all have on their cheeks?’” Before long, the retailer was carrying Luminizer in its stores and the product was selling out.
So she took matters into her own hands and created Luminizer. Made up of only seven ingredients, including cold-centrifuged coconut oil, rosemary and castor-seed oil, the sheer cream yields a subtle gleam that never shimmers. That’s largely due to the special mica (“It is, like, the most expensive mica you can buy,” says Swift) it contains. “We got one that’s so refined, you don’t see a single glitter particle.” Getting the perfect ratio of ingredients “took forever,” recalls Swift. “It had to be the right balance of oil [so the skin wouldn’t look] too greasy.”
Once she got the formula right, Swift would apply it on models: a hint on the cheekbones and down the bridge of the nose
Culturally, the context was ripe for RMS Beauty. The wellness movement was gaining momentum, with players like Goop and SoulCycle amassing loyal followings. People wanted to feel—and look—healthy. A plant-powered highlighter that made you appear as though you mainlined kale and meditated daily fit right in. “Everybody was raving about green juices and doing all the super-clean stuff,” says Swift. “And so my product just synergistically stepped alongside all that.”
Dupes of creamy highlighters have obviously followed, but Swift insists that hers, which hasn’t changed since its inception, is still the best. For starters, she thinks it coming in a pot—as opposed to stick form—is better because you can lightly dab it on with your finger to the areas you want, resulting in a precise, elegant application. The natural formula also seamlessly enmeshes itself with the skin rather than sitting on top of it and works in any type of light, from sunlight to candlelight. “You can’t go wrong with it,” she insists. But most noteworthy is the veritable magic Luminizer creates on the complexion. “I love to see a woman’s skin looking healthy—alive rather than matte,” says Swift. “That equates [with] beauty.”
Free Fall
Female hair loss remains a taboo topic for many even though research shows that more and more women are grappling with the issue. Its consequences can be devastating, impacting one’s selfesteem, relationships and overall quality of life. While the causes are manifold, luckily, so are solutions that can curb its ravages.
Here’s what to know.
By JOANIE PIETRACUPA
IT’S FUNNY: My husband knows and embraces everything about me—my dreams, my fears, my qualities, my faults—and he’s been at my side in my very worst moments, but I would never let him see me without my extensions, which hide my alopecia,” 37-year-old Emily* tells me.
Before I noticed my own hair getting sparser, about a decade ago (around age 29), this admission would have likely elicited a slightly judgmental eyebrow raise on my part. But once you experience this kind of thing for yourself, you start to understand how deeply it can affect a person, engendering feelings of shame, fear, stress, anger and even trauma. “I tried everything I possibly could to keep my hair from falling out: I bought every product on the market and spent a fortune on in-clinic treatments,” says Emily. “I just could not stand feeling so insecure in my appearance and in my relationship. Finally, I found the winning combo: prescription meds plus topical minoxidil plus extensions. It’s not miraculous, but it’s what’s worked best for me so far.”
THE PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT
Emily and I are certainly not alone in dealing with this issue. According to a 2024 study led by Medihair, an online platform that reviews hair-loss-treatment options, 33 percent of women will suffer from alopecia at some point in their life. Of the women affected by the condition, 40 percent, like Emily, encounter marital difficulties as a result and 63 percent claim to experience problems in their career.
of alopecia. If you’re concerned about hair loss or thinning, your first step should be seeking out a health professional, ideally a trichologist—an expert specialized in treating the hair and scalp—to determine if there really is a problem and, if so, what might be causing it.
Most commonly, the condition is triggered by factors beyond one’s control, like hormone variations (due to things like pregnancy and menopause), emotional shock (following life events like grief, divorce or job loss), stress, nutritional deficiencies, medication, autoimmune disease, infection, chemotherapy, seasonal changes or genetics.
“When [my hair] started falling out, it was as though I was losing this really big piece of myself. I felt so self-conscious and so unfeminine that I could barely stand to look at myself in the mirror.”
That’s what happened to Imani*, 53, who nearly lost her job as a sales representative for a pharmaceutical company because of her alopecia. “My hair has always been a huge part of my self-esteem and my identity as a Black woman,” she says. “When it started falling out, it was as though I was losing this really big piece of myself. I felt so self-conscious and so unfeminine that I could barely stand to look at myself in the mirror, much less muster the courage to meet with potential clients in person. Soon, my performance started dwindling. I was even called into a meeting with my boss and HR about it, which made me feel really vulnerable. I finally decided to start looking for ways to treat the issue.”
GETTING TO THE ROOT
It’s normal to shed hair every day as part of the natural growth cycle. However, losing more than 100 strands a day, either all over or in a localized area, on a continual basis could be a sign
Women can be affected by different types of alopecia, including central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, which causes hair loss as well as the formation of scar tissue on the scalp; telogen effluvium, which is temporary shedding brought on by a triggering event such as a hormonal imbalance or trauma; alopecia areata, an autoimmune disease wherein the body attacks its own tissue; traction alopecia, which is usually due to too-tight braids or ponytails creating excessive tension at the roots; and the most common, androgenetic alopecia, which close to 57 percent of women over 80 struggle with as a result of genetics and/or age. “Certain types of hair loss are irreversible, while others can be treated,” says Dr. Noémie Vézina, medical director for Montreal spa Sabbya. “But the faster you look for help, the likelier you’ll be able to do something about it.”
WHAT CAN BE DONE
After reading the Medihair report, I wondered why an increasing number of women seem to be losing their hair and why those women are losing it earlier than previous generations did. “More and more young women are affected by hair shedding because of stress, hormonal imbalances, poor diet and environmental factors,” says Kilian Wisskirchen. The CEO and founder of Medihair points out that many women today have jam-packed lives and high-pressure jobs. It also doesn’t help that ultra-sleek buns and ponies have been trending of late.
The question is: Can hair loss be stopped or at least slowed down? Or, better yet, is there a way to actually grow back strands after they’ve fallen out? “Yes, but it depends what type of alopecia you suffer from and how quickly we intervene,” says Dr. Shereene Idriss, a New York-based dermatologist and founder of skincare brand Dr. Idriss. “If your hair follicles are still active, certain treatments can really help with
BEAUTY
regrowth.” For example, minoxidil (the active found in many oral medications and topical products like Rogaine) is one of the few ingredients clinically proven to slow down hair loss and stimulate regrowth. PRP (platelet-rich plasma) therapy has also shown impressive results when it comes to revving up regrowth. The in-clinic treatment involves injecting your own growth factors into your scalp. Certain supplements (such as Viviscal) can also support hair health from the inside. However, it’s important to understand that if follicles are completely scarred over, as happens in more advanced yet relatively rare cases of cicatricial alopecia, regrowth sometimes isn’t possible. At this stage, a hair transplant might be your best bet. The good news is that treatments keep getting better and better and solutions seem to be multiplying. Here are a few more to consider, from the simplest (be nicer with your hair) to the most high-tech (a next-gen transplant robot).
ACTION PLAN
GOOD HABITS
To prevent hair loss, Idriss recommends:
• Caring for your scalp by massaging it with a scalp brush, exfoliating it with a scrub and hydrating it with a nourishing oil. Repeat these steps at least twice a week.
• Washing your hair two to three times a week to keep your scalp clean without stripping it of its moisturizing natural oils.
• Eating a diet rich in protein, iron, vitamin D and biotin (vitamin B8).
• Managing stress.
STYLING AIDS
According to Wisskirchen, although we should be wary of miracle treatments touted on social media, certain hair products can help make thinning manes appear fuller. Here are a few of the most popular and best-loved on the market.
THE NUMBERS
• M ore than half of women may suffer from hair loss following menopause.
• O ver 50 percent of women experience hair thinning to some degree after they turn 50, the severity of which depends on several factors.
• O ne of these factors appears to be stress: Women who lead stressful lives have been shown to be 11 times more likely to suffer from alopecia, although it remains unclear exactly how stress prevents hair follicles from producing growth.
Source: Medihair, 2024
TREATMENT OPTIONS
Before undergoing a procedure in a clinic or medi-spa, make sure to seek out the advice of a medical professional. Certain treatments are better suited to some patients than others. Here are some of the ones that have been found to be most effective, especially when combined together or with medication or over-the-counter products like Rogaine.
• L ow-level laser therapy (LLLT): This increases blood flow around hair follicles to boost growth.
• PRP: Your blood is drawn, spun and then injected into your scalp to stimulate it.
• H air transplant: Hair follicles are extracted and then transplanted into sparser areas. However, unlike with men, not all women are good candidates for a transplant, says Vézina, who specializes in the procedure.
• H air-transplant robot: The ARTAS iXi robot is a cutting-edge transplant tool powered by artificial intelligence, which allows it to achieve ultra-precise and -natural-looking results, says Dr. Michael Brandt of Toronto cosmetic-surgery clinic FORM Face + Body.
*Thewomeninterviewedabouttheirhairlossforthispieceaskedto remain anonymous, a further example of how the issue remains a source of embarrassment for many.
THE SKIN WIN
Get acquainted with Vichy Laboratoires’ greatest launch in a decade. (Yes, it’s that good!)
WHEN YOU THINK OF VICHY LABORATOIRES, maybe its cult French pharmacy status comes to mind—or its powerful, clinically proven skin and scalp solutions. Truth is, it’s all that and more: the very first dermocosmetic brand that’s been at the forefront of dermatological innovation since 1931. Liftactiv, its most celebrated line, has yielded some of the industry’s most beloved products (seven Collagen Specialist Day Creams are sold every minute in Canada!), but the collection’s next iteration is set to define a new era of age-related-skin results.
Meet the all-new Liftactiv Collagen Specialist 16 Serum. Backed by decades of research that discovered that there is not one but 16 types of collagen in the skin, this formula takes aim at the critical 1 percent annual collagen loss we experience as we age. Here’s where the science—and cutting-edge technology— kicks in: Its revolutionary Co-Bond Technology—designed with a combination of peptides, maitake mushroom and a plant sugar called rhamnose—boosts and bonds all 16 types of collagen in the skin to visibly correct 16 signs of aging. Think plumper skin that’s both firmer and smoother with a radiance quotient that you have to see for yourself. This meticulously developed serum comes after testing more than 1,000 molecules and has the solid support of an astounding 42 scientific publications.
But are the real-life skin outcomes from the Liftactiv Collagen Specialist 16 Serum as sound as the science? Turns out, resoundingly yes. Two ELLE editors put this soon-to-be skin icon to the test and assessed everything from its routine-worthy feel to the signs of aging it addresses. Even before you encounter its game-changing results, the Liftactiv Collagen Specialist 16 Serum delivers a sensorial experience. Samantha Puth, art director for ELLE Canada and ELLE Québec, calls its milky, hydrating texture “perfect”—one that strikes a delicate balance between being lightweight and nourishing without veering into sticky or greasy territory. “It’s really soft and pleasant to apply on the face and absorbs beautifully into the skin,” says Puth.
The results were equally as noteworthy. “After seven days, my skin was smoother and firmer,” offers Puth, who hadn’t realized her skin had lost elasticity until after seeing the improvements. “On top of that, I noticed an improvement in my skin’s radiance and a more even complexion.”
Laurie Dupont, head of cultural content at Véro and ELLE Québec, was particularly taken by the “texture and bounce” of her normally sensitive skin following the week-long trial. “After witnessing how this product helped strengthen my skin barrier, I’m definitely adding it to my skincare routine!” she says.
THE MOTHERLoad
Postpartum retreats are vowing to give moms the care they need following childbirth. Unfortunately, very few can afford them.
By AMIL NIAZI
WHEN I WAS PREGNANT WITH MY FIRST CHILD IN 2017, I spent a lot of time preparing for the baby—getting diapers and cute clothes and creating the perfect nursery in our apartment. I thought a lot about what kind of bassinet I’d use for him, picked the best stroller and car seat and obsessed over sound machines and blackout blinds. What I didn’t do is really think about what would happen to me after he was born.
Because so much of the story of birth centres on the labour itself rather than what happens afterwards, many women are caught off guard by the shock of postpartum life.
I knew about labour in a kind of “as seen on TV” sense. “What’s to know?” I kept telling myself. The baby comes out, and you go home. I wince even now at both my naïveté and what actually happened to my mind and body once I did give birth.
I remember my mom really trying to warn me about how much care I would need once the baby came, since in our South Asian culture, it’s traditional for new moms to rest for up to 40 days, eating and drinking nourishing foods and having their bodies cared for by their own mothers. But you know how it is with moms—you hear them, but you’re not always listening. Besides, I didn’t want to stay inside for 40 days with my baby; I wanted to be out and about like all the moms I saw on Instagram.
My first labour was long—almost 24 hours—and as it was a vaginal birth with no complications, my husband and I and our newborn son left the hospital a couple of days after. Still high on oxytocin and love, I bundled up the baby and we went on our first family walk right after we got home.
What can I say? I learned my lesson in the most painful way possible, as I tore my stitches and had to sit on ice packs for the next three weeks just to be able to focus on anything but the pain down there. And as more physical changes overwhelmed my body those first few weeks, coupled with the lack of sleep, my mental health also took a nosedive, as I felt totally detached from myself and my new baby. It was not the postpartum experience I’d imagined I’d have.
Andrea Paul, a birth and postpartum doula at Discover Birth in Toronto, sees new mothers face this kind of disconnect all the time. “We have a tendency to think that birthers need to be able to do it all and do it all perfectly right away,” she tells me.
Paul recommends the 5-5-5 rule, which encourages moms to spend “five days in bed with baby, five days on the bed with baby and five days near the bed with baby.” Because so much of the story of birth centres on the labour itself rather than what happens afterwards, many women are caught off guard by the shock of postpartum life, she says.
Finally, though, there’s a movement to change that by utilizing care methods from places like Korea and South Asia, where tending to the new mother is viewed as being as important as caring for the new baby. Swanky postnatal retreats have started popping up in North America, with places like Boram in New York City and Sanhu House in L.A. providing a sort of spa-meets-birthing-centre experience. Think wellness treatments for both mama and baby, access to lactation consultants and pediatric nurses, fresh meals and 24-hour infant care.
Alma Care is Canada’s first such retreat, operating out of the Kimpton hotel in Toronto with plans to expand into Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Ottawa. It takes a page from South Korean postpartum centres, or joriwon, where
mothers are pampered alongside their babies, given healing foods, broths and teas and offered perks like facials and massages and, most importantly, where trained staff can take their babies at night so moms can get some much-needed shut-eye.
I had a chance to stay at Alma last year following the birth of my third child. By then, I understood exactly how much time it takes to truly heal from having a baby, and I was eager to see what kind of care a postpartum retreat offered.
Co-founder Melissa Gallagher told me that quite a few women who stay at Alma choose its full-confinement offering: 30 nights of round-the-clock care, including meals, acupuncture and belly binding.
I was there for two nights about two months after my son was born, and although I wasn’t just out of the hospital, it was still incredibly refreshing to have two days to stay in bed and do nothing but rest and recuperate. Every room comes with a sleep-safe bassinet and all the essentials you need for postpartum recovery and baby care, including diapers and wipes as well as skincare for mom from Canadian brand Three Ships.
A specialized care team took the baby for a bit at the start of his bedtime routine so that I could get a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. (Although I admit I just watched TV and stared at my phone for most of it—close enough!)
The most valuable thing I got from Alma was an opportunity to think of nothing more than healing and bonding with my new baby. I came away feeling determined that every birthing person be able to receive this kind of care.
Unfortunately, in Canada, postpartum care is the bare minimum: a brief visit with your midwife or OB/GYN six weeks after delivery, and that’s it. Paul agrees that there are major gaps in how practitioners treat the postpartum period. “Our system isn’t set up in a preventative way but is rather reactionary,” she says. “Our expectation over the past 100 years has been that women and birthers just figure it out and do so with a smile.”
Alma is trying to lead the charge to change that, but with a one-week stay priced at $10,500 and the full 30-day confinement package costing $39,000—not including massages and any other extra services you might want—this care is not accessible to the average Canadian. Not to mention, as Paul underscores, the people who can afford this type of stay often already have resources in place once the baby comes home, but those who could really use extra help aren’t getting it. “The folks who cannot access these types of retreats are often the ones who are most vulnerable and desperately need the support.”
Hopefully, though, the existence of places like Alma Care will encourage more people to consider the importance of extending to mothers the same level of care we give newborns and to finally see the fourth trimester for what it is: a process that requires time, healing and a lot of tenderness.
Magic Touch
SHAY
MITCHELL talks go-to beauty products, Canadian pride and the power of manifestation.
By KATHERINE LALANCETTE
BACK IN HER EARLY 20S, when she was working as a bottle-service waitress in Toronto, Shay Mitchell put up a vision board in her apartment kitchen. Plastered on it were images of what the aspiring actor hoped her life would someday resemble: palm trees, a Teen Choice Awards surfboard, a Maybelline ad starring model Adriana Lima...
Shortly after, she sent in an audition tape for a teen mystery drama called Pretty Little Liars, got the part and moved to L.A. to film the series. It would go on to garner a cult following as well as several Teen Choice Awards nods. Since then, the Mississauga, Ont., native has appeared in a slew of TV shows and movies and was recently unveiled as a global ambassador for Maybelline.
“When it comes to manifesting, I really do believe in it,” Mitchell says over Zoom. “I think that’s the number one key. It’s not like, ‘Oh, I’ll put it on my board and then hopefully it happens.’ It’s ‘This is going to happen.’” Take, for instance, a vision board she made before becoming pregnant: It featured two young girls who, she says, bear an uncanny resemblance to her daughters, Atlas, 5, and Rome, 2. “When I show people, they’re like, ‘Wait, what?’” she says with a laugh. “I call myself a ‘good witch’!”
Busier than ever with her family, business ventures (she is the founder of luggage brand Béis and Onda tequila) and new beauty gig, the bewitching star continues to live out her dreams—just as she envisioned them.
You were born in Mississauga and grew up in Vancouver. What do you love most about Canada?
“The people, period. I feel like Canadians are special. We’re very welcoming as people. If we had a motto, it’d be ‘You can sit with us.’ Whenever I land [in Canada], whether it be in Vancouver to see my parents or in Toronto, I feel at home. I see the Tim Hortons [laughs] and it’s just comforting.”
As a teen, you dyed your hair blond and wore light contacts. How did you learn to become confident in your natural features?
“All my girlfriends [when I was] growing up had blond hair and blue eyes, so I think it was a way for me to fit in with the group. I think with age, you start to embrace what you were born with and are grateful for it. I’m not mad about it because I think those are the years when you’re supposed to play around and try different things, but I think you should always try to be yourself. As long as you’re happy, then great, but don’t be doing it for anybody else.”
BEAUTY
I know you’re a real beauty lover. Could you take us through your routine, starting with skincare?
“I try a lot of things, but my go-to steps in the morning are always washing my face and then [applying] vitamin C. I layer that with a barrier cream, and I always use sunscreen. I never leave the house without it. I put it on my chest and my hands. That’s something my mom always told me [to do]. And then before going to bed, I take my makeup off. I don’t care what state I’m in—I take my makeup off. I happen to be good friends with [facialist] Shani Darden, so I use a lot of her products, and I love them. IS Clinical is another great line for skincare.”
Are you into any facial tools?
“Shani has a sculpting wand she uses when she gives me a facial. I love that for depuffing; whenever I’m about to do glam, I use it to give my face a little lymphatic massage. I also love her redlight mask.”
What are your everyday makeup must-haves?
“I always start with my brows. Kelley Baker is my go-to brow girl— she’s the brow queen. I love her eyebrow products. Then, if I’m going to be on camera, I may do a bit of foundation. If not, then it’s mostly just concealer—the Eraser one [Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer]. It has a sponge [applicator], which is super convenient. I also love a bit of highlight on the cheeks. For lips, lipliner is now my thing. I have a bunch of these Lifter Liners kind of everywhere. I do this darker one [Let’s Bounce] with one of the clear Lifter Glosses [Ice]. I love that. And then, obviously, mascara [holds up a tube of Maybelline Lash Sensational Sky High Mascara]—[this] is the best mascara, period. It just is.”
How do you like to care for your hair?
“When I’m not shooting or doing anything, I like to have it up. I sleep in a little silk bonnet. I like putting oil on the ends of my hair and braiding it before going to sleep to prevent breakage. I like natural things, like coconut oil. My mom grew up in the Philippines, and that’s something they use for everything there, whether it’s in their hair, on their hands or on their feet and then putting on socks. Coconut oil is so incredible.”
What about body care?
“I have a little dry brush that I use before I have a shower. I’ve always been a fan of lymphatic massage. Flavia [Lanini] is my girl for all things lymphatic. She’s Brazilian. I knew her when she first came to the States, back in my PLL days. I love a lymphatic massage when I’m getting ready for a red carpet or a shoot or just in general. You can do this at home too with a dry brush and certain tools or even just with your hands. I love doing that and then sitting in an infrared sauna.”
How do you like to start your day?
“With two young kids, it’s always a surprise! Will I be waking up to screaming, crying or a cuddle? I don’t know! Currently, my mom is here visiting us, and that’s really nice because when the girls wake up, I just send them downstairs. So I’m getting a little extra time to rest these days. I do have a routine-ish: I make my protein smoothie, and I take my vitamins. But every single day is different for me, and I feel fortunate because I like it like that.”
Do you have any evening rituals?
“When I’m done shooting and I know I’m not doing any content stuff, I take off my makeup to let my skin breathe, have a shower and put on my ‘home clothes,’ as I like to call them. And then I sit in front of a red-light panel—it’s warm and puts me in a bit of a meditative state, but it’s also really [beneficial]—and I do my work after I put the girls to bed. That way, I’m not on my phone when I’m with them.”
What are five little things that always make you happy?
“Art from my daughters, a new book, a new playlist that I’ve made, getting a plane ticket and putting on mascara!”
You mentioned plane tickets. Are there any places you’re hoping to visit this year?
“I want to go back to Tokyo, and I’m contemplating taking the girls. I just love Japan and always feel so inspired there.”
When you’re having a rough day, what’s the quickest way to turn it around?
“Get into bed, order food and turn on a show.”
As a mom of two daughters, what do you hope to teach your girls about beauty?
“That they are enough. I want them to feel good within themselves and to be doing things for themselves, not for other people’s gaze. Even when they show me art or something they’ve made and they go, ‘Mom, look at this,’ I’m not like, ‘Oh, I love it.’ I say: ‘Oh, cool. Do you love it? How do you feel?’ because it’s about [them]. If you’re happy with how you look and how you’re out there in the world, that’s what matters. Giving them that confidence— especially as they’re girls—so that they don’t need other people’s approval feels so important. It’s hard out there for [women] as we get older. You doubt yourself a lot, and there are beauty standards and all these things you have to deal with, so the more confidence we can inject during these early stages of life, the more it will hopefully help them when they’re older.”
SHAY MITCHELL’S
This cushiony cream-to-powder blush blends like a dream and yields a gorgeous, healthy-looking flush.
RARE BEAUTY BY SELENA GOMEZ SOFT PINCH MATTE BOUNCY BLUSH IN GRATEFUL ($37, SEPHORA.CA)
One whiff of this sunny clementine, magnolia and vanilla mélange will erase any memory of snow and slush. THE 7 VIRTUES CLEMENTINE DREAM
EAU DE PARFUM SPRAY ($127 FOR 50 ML, THE7VIRTUES.COM)
Slough away those rough, scaly bits left behind by the colder months with this brightening body scrub. Spaghetti straps and miniskirts, here we come!
SKINFIX RESURFACE+ GLYCOLIC RENEWING BODY SCRUB ($44, CA.SKINFIX.COM)
SPRING Awakening
We did it, guys: We survived another winter in Canada! Brighter days are now upon us, and they call for an equally glowy you.
By KATHERINE LALANCETTE
Before slipping on your favourite sandals, do your feet a favour and crack open this softening peel.
GRACE & STELLA EXFOLIATING FOOT
PEEL MASK WITH ALOE VERA + LAVENDER ($22, GRACEANDSTELLA.COM)
A few drops of this lightweight leave-in serum mend damage and dial up shine like you wouldn’t believe. Seriously, you’ll look like you just got an in-salon gloss. THE ROOTIST BIOBREW FERMENTED STRENGTHENING SERUM ($65, SEPHORA.CA)
blue and purple tones in dark circles to wake up your peepers.
KOSAS REVEALER EXTRA BRIGHT SERUM-POWERED
COLOR CORRECTOR ($43.50, THEDETOXMARKET.CA)
Slap on these patches under your eyes while you sip your morning coffee and you’ll find yourself looking infinitely more rested and refreshed.
OMY LABORATOIRES INSTANT-LIFT EXPRESS
REVITALIZING EYE PATCHES ($50, OMYCOSMETICS.COM)
THE LONG Haul
In the age of fast fixes, some beauty treatments are worth the wait.
By EVE THOMAS
ONE-CLICK SHOPPING. NEXT-DAY DELIVERY. When instant gratification is the norm, patience is more than a virtue—it’s a must for beauty products and wellness treatments that can take days, weeks, months or even years to produce lasting benefits. Their effectiveness can depend on factors you can control (like consistent use and lifestyle) and some you can’t (like age and genetics). Sometimes it’s just a matter of hanging in there without getting bored or distracted. Here, we do a deep dive on what’s worth sticking with and how to maximize your results.
5 DAYS+
ALPHA-HYDROXY ACIDS
AHAs, such as glycolic and lactic acids, are great for giving you a quick glow by sloughing off dead cells from the surface of your skin. But if you want more noticeable results—like reduced hyperpigmentation—you’ve got to wait a little longer. “Our approach is progressive, not aggressive,” says Nadia Paglia, director of education at Dermalogica. That means the brand offers treatments that balance powerful and soothing ingredients, avoiding side effects like redness and scaling. Its Powerbright Dark Spot Peel, for instance, promises visible results in only five days when applied and left on every day for 15 to 20 minutes. Space out uses if you have sensitive skin, or leave the product on for up to 30 minutes if you want an extra boost. (And don’t forget SPF.)
But be warned: Using the wrong product, like a single type of harsh acid (versus Powerbright’s mix of AHAs and PHAs, a.k.a. polyhydroxy acids, like mandelic acid), can actually trigger post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation—worsening the very problem you’re trying to solve.
And how do at-home AHA peels stack up against those done in a derm’s office? “As a general rule, the deeper the injury, the more potential effects there are,” explains Dr. Beatrice Copps, a Toronto-based medical and cosmetic dermatologist. In other words, as acid concentrations can be higher in a medi-spa compared to those in over-the-counter products, you’re likely to experience more noticeable results—but more downtime too. “In the AHA family, you can get superficial to superficial-medium results, potentially with a bit of downtime—zero to seven days—but still on the lower end, versus medium peels and deep peels, which are much harder to access in Canada.”
2 WEEKS+ BOTOX
If you’re getting botulinum toxin injections, often referred to by the brand name Botox, before a big event (like a wedding or a school reunion), be sure to factor in a buffer period. “People won’t walk out of our office noticing a change,” cautions Copps. “Maximum results are typically visible after two weeks.” That’s because neuromodulators like Botox work by selectively weakening muscles, allowing the skin to relax over them and lessening dynamic wrinkles. The results occur gradually over those two weeks, and the impact also depends on the dosage.
But there’s another number most clients want to know: How long does it last? “Three months on average, especially if you’re getting started. If they’re lucky or have gotten Botox for a while and have lost the habit of moving certain muscles, some patients will get improvement for up to four or five months.”
And more isn’t always more. As Copps points out, as you age, muscles are even more crucial for, well, holding up the shape of your face. So when it comes to treatments like weakening masseter muscles to counter TMJ, she suggests patients and doctors proceed with caution.
8 TO 12+ WEEKS AT-HOME LIGHT THERAPY
“Just like with a great workout regimen, if you want amazing results, you have to have that daily dedication,” says Lyma Laser founder Lucy Goff. The company touts its signature product, which delivers low-level light therapy, as “the world’s most powerful at-home beauty device,” but with great power comes great responsibility—namely, following a strict regimen of 30 minutes a day every day for two to three months (depending on factors like age and lifestyle) to begin with. That’s about how long it takes for the treated cells to migrate to the skin’s surface, leading to benefits like reduced redness, faded pigmentation and smoother fine lines. Up to 46 hours of use may seem like a big time commitment, but is it really more work than binging a few seasons of Real Housewives ?
Copps emphasizes that “consistency is one of the main obstacles for any at-home device.” The Lyma Laser’s size
and shape mean it can be used in bed before you fall asleep (or even discreetly on transatlantic flights and audioonly Zoom calls), but for some people, hands-free LED masks—like those from Shani Darden or Omnilux—are more likely to keep them regular.
But Copps’ main advice for at-home light therapy? Do your homework. “[These kinds of devices] do have studies to back them up, but the strength of the light used will correlate to the dose being delivered. So what studies is the company citing? What strength is its product delivering?”
As for effectiveness compared to in-clinic laser treatments, Copps considers them apples and oranges (or light-emitting diodes and light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation). “LEDs use photobiomodulation, while ‘laser’ is a broad term, with results depending on what you’re targeting. For something like fine lines, you might be looking at four to six sessions six weeks apart with a typical downtime of one to two weeks.” She sees in-clinic treatments and at-home devices as complementary rather than substitutes for each other: “If anything, they can work hand in hand.”
3 TO 6 MONTHS RETINOL
By now, even the most casual skincare devotee either uses retinol already, wonders if they should or has tried it without guidance and gotten burned (literally). Because while it can take three to six months to see improvements like unclogged pores and increased collagen production, too much too soon and too strong can be too harsh.
So, what to choose: potent prescription retinol or a weaker over-the-counter product? “Prescription retinol is stronger and has the highest data in terms of effectiveness, but it’s actually not better in 100 percent of cases,” reasons Copps. “If you deal with irritation, eczema or rosacea, you may be better off with OTC.” And proper moisturizing and sun protection are a must, whatever your skin type. (As for alternatives like bakuchiol, Copps considers them an interesting option for pregnant women who can’t use retinol.)
6 MONTHS+ LASER HAIR REMOVAL
There’s a reason laser clinics sell package deals for hair removal—dipping in and out won’t give you the results you want. “Skipping sessions or not adhering to the recommended treatment schedule can delay the effectiveness of the treatment,” cautions Dr. Noémie Vézina, medical director at Montreal’s Sabbya spa. On the plus side, many clients are encouraged a bit more with each session.
Lasers only target hair in its active growing phase, which means booking about six to 12 sessions four to eight weeks apart, depending on a range of factors, from hair type (the process takes longer with lighter hair) to age (growth cycles slow as we get older). Because lasers target melanin, using them on darker skin used to be trickier, but newer versions with adjustable wavelengths are now safe and effective for all.
It’s also important to avoid sun exposure before and after treatments as well as certain skincare products like retinol, as skin is more sensitive afterwards. And once your sessions are up, some maintenance may still be required since “dormant” hairs can be revived due to things like medical conditions or hormonal changes. But even with no guaranteed end date, the closer you stick to the plan, the less likely you are to waste your time—and money.
Submit your photos before May 31, 2025. For full details, go to ellecanada.com/contests
MAY THE SEASON OF RENEWAL WELCOMES POWERFUL PIECES.
DOING
IT ALL
PRECIOUS LEE IS PART OF A WAVE OF WOMEN WHO ARE OWNING THEIR POWER AND REDEFINING WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A SUPERMODEL.
By NAOMI PIKE Photographer YULIA GORBACHENKO Stylist HEATHERMARY JACKSON
IT TAKES ME TWO WEEKS to pin down Precious Lee for this interview—she’s travelling, she’s shooting, she’s on-set with ELLE. To put it plainly, she is “booked and busy.” As I align schedules with her people, nerves set in and I worry that when we finally sit down together, I might encounter a diva who has somewhere else to be and rushes through answers. What I find is the opposite. Chatting with Lee feels like talking to an old friend. She’s the wise one, with encouraging words and advice to remember.
Lee breaks the ice by bringing up astrology. She’s a Virgo (“like Beyoncé”) and wears all the attributes assigned to the zodiac’s most logical, practical and high-achieving sign on her sleeve. She’s a lifelong perfectionist—a very Virgo trait and one she’s had since her childhood in Atlanta, where she balanced competitive cheerleading, Girl Scouts and dance team with debate club. She dreamt of becoming a lawyer.
“SOMETIMES PEOPLE THINK THAT BECAUSE YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL, THE PHOTO IS GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL, BUT THAT LITERALLY COULD NOT BE MORE DIFFERENT FROM THE TRUTH.“
Today, that capacity to juggle while maintaining attention to detail defines Lee’s professional life. Whether she’s on-set for fashion shoots, modelling in campaigns for Miu Miu, Calvin Klein or Fenty or walking the runway for the likes of Fendi and Versace, she demands the best from herself. “I want to get an amazing, one-of-a-kind, never-before-seen image,” she says from her adopted city of New York. “I want to make it hard for the photographer to select—I want them all to be good.”
It frustrates Lee that people assume modelling is just standing in front of a camera. “Sometimes people think that because you’re beautiful, the photo is going to be beautiful, but that literally could not be more different from the truth,” she says. One of the striking things about Lee’s career is that she has been able to move through the industry’s binary categories with ease and success—from the world of commercial ad campaigns to high-fashion runways and back again. A new season of shows looms as we talk. At the past few presentations, there was a clear regression when it came to diversity on the catwalk; “the return of size 0” was a dominant talking point in the front row and beyond. Lee’s presence at shows including Nina Ricci, Conner Ives, Ahluwalia and 16Arlington added to the size diversity, offering an all-toorare representation of the vast majority of women. But she refuses to be boxed in by any single narrative—especially one about her body—or reduced to a type. “From the start of my career, I thought it was all kinds of silly [that models were divided into categories] because I think a great model is a model who can do it all,” she says.
A decade into her career, Lee has joined the illustrious pantheon of supers who are known for their character, opinions and values rather than just their look or ability to wear clothes. She’s a model in the spirit of Cindy Crawford, Christy Turlington and Linda Evangelista—women who paved the way for cover girls to become bona fide celebrities in their own right. Within the industry, there’s been a slowly building feeling of change, and a new generation of supermodels who come without pre-assigned celebrity are achieving a hard-earned fame. Lee, Paloma Elsesser, Vittoria Ceretti, Selena Forrest, Adut Akech, Mona Tougaard—they are women who are on the road to becoming mononyms, developing a sense of self on the world stage and revealing personas beyond the day job that require them to act in character. “All my life, every model I have loved is able to be a transformer,” says Lee. “If you can’t transform on different sets, in different clothes or locations or [in front of] different lenses, I think that just means you have more work to do.”
One model who has inspired her is Naomi Campbell. A serendipitous meeting in an elevator in 2018 led to Lee’s one-time idol becoming a long-term mentor. “The reason I’ve always admired Naomi and she was so powerful for me to witness when I was a little girl was that she held this space with so much
confidence,” she says. “It’s what drew me to her. Now I am just really grateful that we met. She’s always encouraging me and checks in on me. There’s something so cool about having someone you admire support you.”
Lee exudes a similar self-possession to that which she admires in Naomi; some might call it a thick skin. The modelling industry remains a challenging place for women, especially women of colour. Yet Lee says her conviction has always been a part of her. It was instilled by her mother, Anita, a teacher with an unwavering commitment to her daughter’s success. A strong work ethic runs through her family; her father, Rudy, is an entrepreneur who owns a series of hair salons. She lost her older sister, Charisma, when she was still in elementary school. “It’s a testament to my ancestors and my family,” she tells me. “I had a laser vision. We should all have that and protect it. You should have that too.”
Lee says that the longer she stays in the industry, the harder she must work to hold on to her sense of self-belief. “The confidence I came into this industry with was indestructible,” she says of her transition from Atlanta to New York immediately after graduating from university. “I knew I was a model that the industry had never seen before.” But with time, “I’ve realized that it is really difficult to maintain that level of mental power. You can physically push yourself to do it, but you have to grow yourself emotionally and spiritually as you also grow your career.”
Lee’s modelling aspirations began when she was a student at the historically Black university Clark Atlanta, where she’d planned to study law. Her freshman year, she attended a local agency’s open call, a decision that set her on her way. A string of jobs eventually led her to New York, where she signed with Ford Models. “I think about it now and crack up remembering what I would wear to those first castings. I would be pumping around New York, going to castings with a red lip and a shirt tied up. That was just ‘no’—that’s not necessarily the protocol.” Now, she says, she’s a woman in transition, exploring who she wants to be. “I want to shift my personal and professional style this season,” she says. She’s keen to move beyond the “super-glam” personality she embodies on red carpets. “I guess my model style is snatched-corset-siren girl. But deep down, I’m the T-shirt girl. I want to show more of my versatility. This is my personal style. For example, yesterday I wore a Bottega Veneta tennis dress that I got in Tokyo with Margiela shoes. My hair was in a bun. I just think it’s about sharing that chill side more.” She’d like to see the fashion industry recover its joy in a climate that has been politically, economically and environmentally challenging. “Don’t get me wrong—I love those serious runway moments that make you cry. But we have an opportunity right now to deliver a sense of joy. I’m excited to see if we can counter this moment in history and push things to a more positive place.”
HAIRSTYLIST,
KARADA (MANAGEMENT ARTISTS); MAKEUP ARTIST, KARINA MILAN (THE WALL GROUP/DIOR BEAUTY); MANICURIST, NORI (SEE MANAGEMENT/DIOR BEAUTY); TAILOR, KIKI PEDRO HALL; SET DESIGN, JAVIER IRIGOYEN (LALALAND); STYLIST’S ASSISTANTS, ABBY MCDADE AND HADYA TUOFIQ
STRIKE A POSE
FASHION’S LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE WORLD OF DANCE TAKES ON A NEW DIMENSION WITH WHIMSICAL SPINS ON BALLET-INSPIRED CLASSICS.
Photographer EKUA KING Stylist JENNY KENNEDY
CARDIGAN AND SHORTS (CHLOÉ) AND LEGWEAR (STYLIST’S OWN). OPPOSITE: TOP, BELT, TIGHTS AND HEELS (PRADA) AND RINGS (CARTIER)
TOP AND SHORTS (YUHAN WANG)
BRA (BASERANGE) AND SKIRT AND HEELS (LOUIS VUITTON)
FOR DETAILS, SEE SHOPPING GUIDE. MODEL, LILY MCMENAMY (NEXT MANAGEMENT); HAIRSTYLIST, HIROSHI MATSUSHITA (BUMBLE AND BUMBLE); MAKEUP ARTIST, TINA KHATRI; MANICURIST, AMI STREETS (CHANEL BEAUTY); STYLIST’S ASSISTANTS, SABRINA LEINA AND NINA GAHRÉN WILLIAMSON; SET DESIGN, JULIA DIAS; SET ASSISTANT, MATTHEW PAYNE
A Journey for THE SENSES
The imperial city of Marrakesh seduces with its lively souks, storied palaces and enchanting gardens.
By THÉO DUPUIS-CARBONNEAU
JEMAA EL-FNA SQUARE
MARRAKESH, THE CROWN JEWEL OF MOROCCO, is a unique place where tradition and modernity coexist seamlessly. After only a few days in this vibrant city, you’re sure to fall under its spell. Here’s what not to miss.
MAJESTIC MEDINA
Listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1985 and girded by nearly 19 kilometres of walls that date back to 1122, the old city of Marrakesh is known locally as “the Medina.” Upon entering, you can’t miss JEMAA EL-FNA SQUARE, which, as the sun sets, lights up with snake charmers, musicians, jugglers, monkey trainers, fruit-juice merchants and henna artists all competing for your attention—and the competition is fierce.
Jemaa el-Fna is studded by cafés and restaurants with panoramic views of the square that will take your breath away. Among them is LE GRAND BAZAR, one of the few restaurants in the area that serve alcohol alongside innovative Moroccan-flavourcentred cuisine.
For delicious veggie fare, LA FAMILLE is the spot. Its wait staff, back of house and management are entirely composed of women, and the menu changes daily according to what’s fresh. A meal here includes two kinds of vegetable dips and either a salad, a pasta dish or a well-topped focaccia bread. The bright and spacious setting—a green oasis in the heart of the Medina—is truly a delight for the senses.
Inhabiting the 19th-century residence of a prince, LES JARDINS DU LOTUS is a restaurant that will sweep you off your feet. With its stunning black-and-white-checkered marble floor, pastel wrought-iron chairs, rococo bar, orange trees and stylish pool, it’s the perfect place for a midday meal. MexicanCanadian chef Clarisse Jolicoeur serves up an abundance of scrumptious options, including tuna tostadas, filet mignon quesadillas, shrimp tacos and more.
SOUK SHOPPING
Exploring the souks—a.k.a. the local marketplaces—is a rite of passage for any newbie to Marrakesh. Simply dive in and let your senses be your guide: Every flare of the nostril is lit up by waves of cumin, paprika, saffron and ras-el-hanout from fragrant spice stalls, while the eyes are continually dazzled by the exacting detail of berber textiles (rugs and poufs) and gorgeous jewellery, ceramics, footwear, metalwork and other artisanal designs. There’s enough Moroccan craftsmanship in Marrakesh to fill the souvenir suitcase you must bring. And remember: Haggling is 100 percent a part of the experience! Need a break from all the shopping? Under a woven straw umbrella at Place des Épices’ CAFÉ DES ÉPICES, take a moment in the shade to enjoy a delicious and deceivingly simple sandwich (we recommend the kefta option) accompanied by a cup of cinnamon-infused tea.
A PEACEFUL OASIS
Located a mere 15 minutes from the Medina and nestled in the heart of a 67-hectare palm grove, CLUB MED LA PALMERAIE is a refuge that allows guests to escape the frenetic city vibes of Marrakesh. Wellness activities, including tennis, morning yoga, trapeze and horseback riding, abound here. And then there are the tranquil pools, beckoning you to laze beside them with a cup of Moroccan mint tea. The resort’s design was inspired by the land, and there are several different areas in which to relax and dine as well as a wide-ranging culinary offering. Pro tip: Pull up a seat under the garden’s olive trees and enjoy a traditional Moroccan dinner.
If you’re looking to up your Marrakesh game even further, you’d be well advised to book a room belonging to the EXCLUSIVE RIAD COLLECTION: a small, freshly renovated haven amid palm trees and bougainvillea. Every one of its 60 curated suites comes with a garden or roof deck, à la carte breakfast, which is served in-suite (please order from the Moroccan menu, with its Baghrir and Msemmen), and exclusive use of the riad pool and private bar, where sipping champagne at sunset feels almost compulsory.
We can’t forget LE KSAR , a recent family-centred addition to the resort with colourful rooms expertly designed for parents and children sharing space. This area has been carefully constructed around an all-ages pool, a wading pool, a water-games space and three sizable waterslides.
Exploring the hotel’s excursion portfolio is also a must, especially when it comes to discovering the High Atlas Mountains (about an hour’s drive from Marrakesh) and connecting with the Berber people who live there. Another expedition that’s well worth the effort: a trip to the Agafay Desert, which is a short 30ish kilometres from town.
PALACES AND GARDENS
The most popular historical sites in Marrakesh include the ruins of EL BADI PALACE, the BEN YOUSSEF MEDERSA and, of course, the exquisite LA BAHIA PALACE . Built in 1867 by grand vizier Si Moussa, this luxurious residence is the belle of the Moroccanarchitecture ball, boasting ornate courtyards embellished with intricate mosaic work, jaw-dropping gardens, fountains and carved stucco walls.
Gracing both private riads and public spaces, gardens are an integral part of Marrakesh life and the city’s architectural heritage. Of particular note is JARDIN MAJORELLE , a luxuriant garden that was founded by French painter Jacques Majorelle and then lay abandoned for 20 years before being purchased by Yves Saint Laurent and his partner, Pierre Bergé, in the 1980s. Despite Jardin Majorelle’s respectable amount of foot traffic, it’s still a fabulous place for a peaceful stroll— preferably an aimless one. If time allows, Le Jardin Secret is also jauntworthy.
ONE OF THE POOLS AT CLUB MED LA PALMERAIE
LE GRAND BAZAR
48 Hours in LIMA
Where to go and what to do in this historic Peruvian city.
By JODY ROBBINS
ONCE KNOWN AS THE SPANISH CAPITAL OF SOUTH AMERICA , Lima is a trove of historical treasures, and its entire downtown core is one very large UNESCO World Heritage Site. But underpinning the city’s cultural legacy is a flourishing culinary landscape, an array of contemporary artisans and a variety of stylish shops housed in magnificent 16th-century buildings, making Lima the spot for a dreamy city break.
STAY
HOTEL B You’ll be treated like royalty at Hotel B, a luxe retreat housed in a belle époque mansion in the stylish Barranco district. The property exudes elegance, from its intricate exterior facade to its 20 exclusive guest rooms, many of which include wroughtiron-edged private terraces and free-standing bathtubs. There are 300 works of modern art (including a few pre-Hispanic and colonial gems) punctuating the estate, and the on-site curator can guide you through them. Afterwards, grab a shaker and learn how to make a proper pisco sour with the hotel’s award-winning bar manager or dine on Peruvian specialties, such as garlic-butter razor clams, at The Dining Room. Still hungry? Cap off your night with tapas while watching the sun slowly sink into the Pacific from The Rooftop—widely considered Lima’s best terrace.HOTELB.PE
SHOP
DEDALO Peruvians have been working with clay since time immemorial, so they know a thing or two about pottery. Browse the irresistible shelves of ceramics at Dedalo, situated across the street from Hotel B. Ceramics here aren’t cookie-cutter monochromatic designs featuring repetitive patterns. Instead, they capture Peru’s playful spirit with vivid colours, sleek shapes and whimsical detailing. In addition to tableware, you can snap up contemporary home decor, jewellery and artwork by local designers. DEDALO.PE
LARCOMAR A mall notched into the side of a cliff overlooking the Pacific isn’t something you come across every day. Set along the boardwalk in the tony Miraflores district, Larcomar intermingles local specialty brands with global luxury giants. Search out Sissai for ethical Peruvian jewellery that highlights local gemstones in their natural state set in traceable gold. Aguaclara is a Peruvian resortwear brand with timeless swimsuits and matching silk cover-ups and dresses. For a luxurious souvenir, invest in an alpaca sweater or scarf from either Sol Alpaca or Pure Alpaca. LARCOMAR.COM
EAT AND DRINK
MAIDO Peruvian chefs are known for innovatively blending different cuisines and culinary techniques, and nowhere is this more apparent than at Maido, an acclaimed PeruvianJapanese-fusion spot that ranked number five on The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2024. The menu features memorable dishes like squid-noodle ramen, soup dumplings filled with duck and nigiri that features fat slices of fresh tuna belly carved tableside. You’ll also want to save room for dessert, especially if the zapallo-loche-squash ice cream ribboned with miso paste and drizzled with pumpkin-seed milk is on offer. MAIDO.PE
CASA TAMBO The perfect pit stop to make while exploring the Historic Centre of Lima, Casa Tambo features several distinct dining rooms that each reflect a different period of European influence, from Spanish colonial to French antique. This upscale casual restaurant features contemporary Peruvian cuisine such as ceviche: plump pieces of sea bass marinated in leche de tigre, a slightly spicy citrus-based marinade. (Pro tip: In-the-know locals never order ceviche after 3 p.m. so they can be sure that they’re enjoying the day’s freshest fish.) For something more substantial, go for Aji de Gallina, a traditional chicken stew studded with potatoes and olives in a mild yellow-pepper sauce. While waiting for your meal, check out the private art collection, which is brimming with ceramics, woven artifacts and iconography. CASATAMBO.COM.PE
AYAHUASCA Set in a historic 19th-century mansion, this restobar is renowned for its eclectic design thanks to the decidedly different vibes in each of its many rooms. (Think traditional Peruvian art and Andean woven textiles in one room and all modern furniture in another.) It’s also celebrated for its extensive cocktail list—most notably its pisco-based drinks, which are muddled with local herbs or exotic fruits. As for bites, go for the Causa, a dreamy layered-potato-and-seafood appetizer.
DO
CASA DE ALIAGA Built in 1535, Casa de Aliaga is believed to be the oldest house in South America. The manor is still occupied by the original family (17 generations later), but with a licensed guide, visitors can poke through its lavish interior, which boasts priceless works of art, a gold stove embellished with the signs of the zodiac and a dining room that looks set for a state banquet. There’s also a room filled with gold-leafframed oil paintings that serves as the family museum as well as an ornate wooden chapel where Rose of Lima—the patron saint of Peru and South America—once performed prayers.
CASADEALIAGA.COM
CICLOS CAFÉ Peru has a rich chocolate history—60 percent of the world’s cocoa varieties are indigenous to the Amazon basin. Chocolate lovers can head to Ciclos Café, where they’ll learn how to taste chocolate properly, how flavours change depending on where the cacao bean is grown and how to figure out their preferences. Coffee connoisseurs can add on a more caffeinated component, as the resident (and national-award-winning) barista is only too keen to show you how to brew the perfect cup. INSTAGRAM.COM/CICLOSCAFE
MIRAFLORES Strike out on foot and explore Miraflores, a cosmopolitan community and shopping district brimming with upscale boutiques, cafés and art galleries. Begin by strolling along the Malecón, a picturesque clifftop promenade that offers panoramic views of the Pacific. Along the nearly-10-kilometre walkway, you’ll come across Parque del Amor. Particularly popular at sunset, the landscaped park is dedicated to lovers and features a massive sculpture of a couple kissing. From there, it’s a 15-minute walk to Parque Kennedy, where more than 100 stray (but well-looked-after) cats live amid its brilliant flower beds. And be sure to stop in at Jessica Butrich’s shop to peruse the Peruvian shoe and accessories designer’s bold retro designs, which are infused with pop elements.
AYAHUASCARESTOBAR.COM
CICLOS CAFÉ
THE PLAZA MAYOR, THE MAIN PUBLIC SQUARE OF LIMA’S HISTORIC CENTRE
TAKING CONTROL OF YOUR FINANCES
LONG KEPT AT ARM’S LENGTH from the economic decisions that affect their daily lives, women are now taking their rightful place in the world of finance with the agency, curiosity and knowledge they need to do so. Despite this, access to financial independence remains difficult due to several factors: gender and ethnic wage gaps, maternity-related career breaks, the world of finance and investment being driven by men... It’s definitely time for things to change, because good financial health is not a luxury—it’s a necessity.
Achieving wealthness (the coming together of wealth and well-being) is essential. Managing your money is no longer just about saving. To be bold, to protect yourself and to thrive, you need to build a stable financial foundation. That’s why ELLE Canada is partnering with the National Bank—which is already involved in many initiatives related to women’s finances—to create six special issues over the next two years that will highlight the concept of wealthness and offer a wide
Financial Empowerment
range of useful information to help improve the financial health of our readers. Because it is true that many women struggle in this area. Money is still fraught with taboos and synonymous with constraint and pressure, and financial education is often unequally shared between women and men.
Daring to talk about money is to reclaim one’s power. And being well informed is crucial to both managing finances within a relationship—which can be a source of inequalities and friction—and regulating your emotional state when it comes to your own financial footing. Whether you’re taking the first steps to face money fears head-on or are confronting higher-stakes decisions, we want to provide information that’s useful and empowering.
Money is a tool for freedom. To be able to use it well, you have to take charge of your wealthness, and we hope to be able to help you do that in the coming months.
Happy reading!
Sophie Banford , publisher | @sophiebanford
May
What’s on the ELLE editors’ financial radar right now.
THE SOCIAL NETWORK
When Camilla Falkenberg, Emma Due Bitz and Anna-Sophie Hartvigsen met at the Copenhagen Business School back in 2017, they immediately bonded over their shared desire to democratize finance, especially for women. That’s how they got the idea for FEMALE INVEST, a membership-based platform that demystifies the world of money by providing online resources as well as a judgment-free space in which women can feel comfortable asking any questions they might have. The aim is to not only teach users to be better investors but also help them achieve financial freedom. While the program began in Denmark, it quickly won over fans around the globe, including Hillary Clinton. FEMALEINVEST.COM
MONEY TALKS
While sex is often seen as the ultimate taboo topic, finances are a close second. Whether it’s sharing your salary with a new partner or confiding in a friend about a raise at work, discussing dollars often comes with a great deal of discomfort. In FEEL GOOD FINANCE , financial therapist Aja Evans aims to change that by helping readers shed the shame and shift their mindset. Informed by her years of experience as a clinical practitioner, Evans delves into how our relationship with money impacts our mental health and breaks down why it’s especially important for women to take control of their finances.
MIND THE GAP
Here’s a sobering fact for you: According to a report by the World Economic Forum, it will take 167 years to close the worldwide economic gender gap. Because idly waiting simply isn’t an option, we should all turn to GIRLS JUST WANNA HAVE FUNDS: A FEMINIST GUIDE TO INVESTING for smart, simple strategies for making your dollars go further and helping change the tides of financial power. Created by the trio of gurus behind Female Invest, this money manual is uplifting and cheeky in tone and supremely easy to navigate: just five chapters chock full of tools and tidbits to help you secure your bag and grow your personal wealth.
PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.COM
Plugged In
On her wildly successful podcast, GIRLS THAT INVEST, host Sim Kaur strives to give women the knowledge and confidence they need to invest their money (something less than 25 percent of women do worldwide, making us lag behind men when it comes to accumulating wealth). Having racked up over 10 million downloads and counting, Kaur is a household name in the financial world (she’s a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum), and she uses her platforms to educate women on the often intimidating world of stock markets. Her episodes cover a wide array of topics, from the best stocks to buy now to the most lucrative side hustles. GIRLSTHATINVEST.COM
Love INTEREST
What to know before consciously coupling your finances.
SO YOU’VE DECIDED TO TAKE YOUR RELATIONSHIP to the next level—congrats! But before moving in together or getting married, you and your partner should consider how you’ll want to consciously couple your finances. It’s not a super-romantic task compared to picking out new furniture together or planning a glamorous destination wedding, but it’s one that can deeply impact your overall “wealthness”—and your relationship—in both the short and the long term.
Research has consistently shown that finances can become a big source of stress and conflict in a relationship, and communicating openly and being aligned with your partner before mixing your finances can help you avoid big headaches (and heartache) down the road. Money can be a difficult topic to bring up, even with—or perhaps especially with—the person closest to you. But it’s important to share your expectations and be prepared to make big decisions together before taking any leaps.
THE MONEY TALK
How much does your partner make? Do they have any debt? What are their spending priorities and long-term money goals? Whether you’ve been together for a few months or a few years, you may not know the answers to all these questions if you haven’t mixed finances or shared any expenses as a couple. But once you’ve lived together for a year, you’ll have to file taxes as a couple whether or not you’re married.
Start by thinking about your own finances: your goals, your current situation and your budget, says Catherine Patenaude, a National Bank financial planner. Then ask your partner about the same things. “And once that’s done, we can now look as a couple at what we want to pool and what we want to keep separate,” says Patenaude.
DOING THE SPLITS
Once you’re living together, you’ll have to agree on a household budget and how to split shared expenses like rent and utilities. You could divide expenses evenly or pro-rate them based on your salaries so that the person who is earning more contributes more. “What we often see is that people decide to split fifty-fifty, and that, in the long run, can have a hugely negative impact on the person in the couple who earns a lower salary,” says Patenaude. “The person with the lower income isn’t able to save as much.”
JOINT ADVENTURE
Another consideration is whether to pool all your bank accounts, open one joint account for shared expenditures or keep everything separate. A joint account can be a good solution for sharing common expenses, says Patenaude. But the best approach also depends on what each partner is used to and feels comfortable with. One study published in Journal of Consumer Research in 2023 found that having a joint account— and therefore increasing financial interdependence—can help newlyweds build and maintain a stronger relationship. The researchers found that merging finances can help partners look at their spending communally, feel better about how they handle money and promote alignment of financial goals. But ultimately, it is up to you and your partner to decide what will work best for your situation. Finances can be a deeply personal subject, and long-held beliefs or fears can make it challenging to get onto the same page financially.
PAPER WORKS
The last thing you’ll want to sort out either before or just after moving in together or getting married is some key paperwork, starting with a cohabitation agreement or marriage contract outlining topics like how household responsibilities will be shared, parenting and custodial arrangements if you break up or one of you dies and how shared assets will be split if you break up. “When you’re married, things are fine, you love each other,” says Patenaude. “But if you separate and you’re not married and you don’t have a cohabitation agreement, it can have a huge impact on your retirement and [create] financial stress.” Other final steps to consider include making or revising your will and updating any insurance to reflect your new cohabitation status.
This might seem like a lot to take in, but doing the groundwork can help you set up your relationship for long-term success. A study published in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that when couples fight about money, it’s usually because of issues like mismatched financial values and disagreement over who should pay for joint expenses. Talking about money may not be so romantic, but it’s an honest part of your love story—so why not normalize it? After all, nothing kills romance faster than clashing finances.
THE PSYCHOLOGY OF MONEY
Why are finances also tied to our emotions?
By MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN
MONEY IS UNDENIABLY PART OF OUR DAILY LIVES. We earn it, spend it, save it and invest it and sometimes accumulate debt. But beyond the numbers we add to or subtract from our bank accounts, money is also a deeply psychological issue that influences our choices, our relationships and even our mental health. In fact, when it comes to our personal finances, emotions related to them often tend to surface. Whether positive (pride or peace of mind from knowing we’re financially secure) or negative (shame, fear, stress, guilt or greed), these emotions can, in turn, affect our overall financial situation. But despite the significant impact money has, it’s still difficult to openly talk about finances, debt and income in our society. Why is this topic so taboo when it permeates almost every aspect of our reality?
RICH IN EMOTIONS
At first glance, money seems like something of concrete value guided by logic—just a series of fluctuating numbers. But this limited view doesn’t account for its subjective value—the value we assign to it, often subconsciously, based on our perceptions, culture, dreams or life experiences. In fact, our relationship with money is shaped from a young age. It’s first influenced by our environment, family situation and other circumstances under which we are brought up. What this relationship is like depends on whether money was a source of stress or security during our childhood. Our early experiences with money
leave a lasting mark and continue to affect us decades later. A need to save can be anxiety-inducing if we grew up in financial precarity, whereas a need to spend without any limitations may indicate an attempt to fill an emotional void.
It can be difficult to feel at ease with one’s financial situation when it doesn’t meet societal expectations of professional success, financial independence and the acquisition—or even accumulation—of material goods. Money can become a source of embarrassment, shame or anxiety when we feel that our income, expenses or debts prevent us from acquiring certain symbols of social success, such as property, cars, designer clothes, stylish furniture or plane tickets to a sunny destination. Social media, which only shows a polished version of reality, can exacerbate these feelings; when we scroll through images that display the success of others, it’s easy to compare ourselves. Various negative emotions—such as shame for not measuring up, guilt for not doing enough, jealousy that stirs greed or a sense of inferiority when we assign more value to someone who has greater wealth—can impact both our relationship with money and our financial reality. We might even feel compelled to spend beyond our means simply to keep up appearances.
LOVE AND MONEY
“When you love, you don’t count,” the saying goes. But when it comes to money, love is not exempt from emotions—quite the opposite. Each partner is influenced by their own values,
beliefs, personal history, upbringing, social background and habits. Within a couple, financial priorities—when it comes to things like saving, spending, investing and joint projects—can diverge or even be radically opposed. If partners don’t manage money in the same way or don’t place the same importance on it, it can quickly become a source of discomfort, tension or even conflict, straining the relationship. When one partner earns more than the other, things can also become complicated. The person earning less may feel embarrassed, ashamed, dependent or vulnerable, while the other may feel frustrated if they’re contributing more to joint expenses. The resulting tension can help explain why many households still hesitate to discuss money openly.
FINANCIAL TRANSPARENCY
Avoiding the subject is not a viable solution and can, in fact, directly impact financial security. Understanding the emotions that guide our relationship with money can help us make more rational decisions that will benefit our financial health. Transparency remains the best solution: Having open, honest and judgment-free discussions allows us to better understand behaviour and expectations and is the best way to learn about and better manage our personal finances. In this regard, a third party (such as a financial planner, a financial adviser, a notary, an HR specialist or a financial therapist) can help immensely by offering unbiased insight and advice. The most important things are to not be afraid to start the conversation and to free ourselves from our emotions.
FINANCIAL HEALTH 101
ALYSSA DAVIES , Canadian personal-finance expert and founder of the award-winning blog Mixed Up Money, gives us key ways to feel better about money.
By MAROUCHKA FRANJULIEN
WHAT DOES SOLID FINANCIAL HEALTH LOOK LIKE AND HOW CAN IT BE ACHIEVED? “It’s not just about your bank balance. It’s about feeling secure, calm and in control of your financial choices. It means having a financial cushion so you can handle life’s unexpected events. The key steps? First, know where your money is going. Then build an emergency fund so you’re not solely reliant on credit to survive. Automate your savings and investments so you don’t have to rely on your willpower. Set thresholds when it comes to your money. If you’re self-employed, set rates that reflect your true value. Finally, leave shame behind; money is a tool, not a moral compass.”
WHAT ARE THE MOST COMMON FINANCIAL MISTAKES AND HOW CAN THEY BE AVOIDED? “The biggest mistake is thinking that financial literacy will solve everything. Even if you have all the numbers down pat, you’ll keep sabotaging yourself if you don’t work on your feelings about money (like shame, guilt or avoidance). Other common mistakes include not saving for emergencies, thinking investing is for ‘later’ (future you deserves to have compound interest work for you) and imagining you need to have a ‘perfect budget’ before you get started. Another mistake is not charging enough for your work. (Women, I’m looking at you: Raise your rates.)”
HOW SHOULD WOMEN PRIORITIZE THEIR FINANCIAL GOALS?
“It depends on your current situation and what’s causing you the most stress. There is no one-size-fits-all formula. Everyone has a unique financial situation and a personal emotional relationship with money. That said, start by finding balance instead of going to extremes. What matters most is consistency. Money is a long-term game, and you have the right to go at your own pace.”
WHY AND HOW SHOULD WOMEN IMPROVE THEIR CREDIT SCORE?
“Your credit score is the equivalent of your financial reputation. It tells lenders whether they can trust you with money. A good score means you can get a lower interest rate, get approved more easily for a mortgage and pay less in debt. How can you improve it? Pay your bills on time, even the small ones, because any late payment is a red flag to credit-rating agencies. Use your credit card, but keep the balance under 30 percent of your limit. Don’t close your old credit accounts; the longer your history, the better your score. Also, limit credit inquiries over a short period, as they can affect your score.”
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO WOMEN FACING FINANCIAL ANXIETY OR INSECURITY? “Financial confidence isn’t something innate; it’s built. Start with small wins: Check your bank account regularly (without letting it overwhelm you), make your money work (every dollar counts and should have a purpose) and rewrite your relationship with money. No, you’re not ‘bad with money’— you’re learning. Surround yourself with people who can talk about financial matters without shame, because financial shame thrives in silence. And most importantly, remember that your personal worth is not measured by your net worth.”
ALYSSA DAVIES
SPRING FEAST
Here are eight of the tastiest Canadian-penned cookbooks hitting the shelves this season.
By AMAN DOSANJ
MOOD DRINKS: ALCOHOL-FREE COCKTAILS TO CREATE THE PERFECT MOOD
By Gabriel Cabrera
Gabriel Cabrera is a Mexico-born Canadian photographer who started his career as a food stylist and recipe developer. With his first book, Cabrera is upping the at-home cocktail experience with 60 alcohol-free drinks for anyone, anytime. He uses mood as his compass when coming up with flavour profiles. For example, on those low-key chill days, sip on the tart cinnamon- and nutmegspiced Sleepy Cherries. When you’re celebrating, whip up a batch of La Flore, a hibiscus-and-pineapple punch recipe that has been family-tested for several generations. And to get out of your comfort zone, sip on Umamilada, a funky mushroom-broth riff on a michelada.
OUT NOW (PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.CA)
CHOP CHOP: COOKING THE FOOD OF NIGERIA
By Ozoz Sokoh
In her debut cookbook, Nigerian-born, Canadian-based food explorer and culinary anthropologist Ozoz Sokoh pays tribute to her home country’s regional cooking. Her joyful love-letter-cumcookbook covers all six regions with 100 culturally curious recipes, stunning photography and fun historical explanations tracing how ingredients like cassava were introduced and adopted into the country’s post-colonial foodways. Nigerian cuisine is a kaleidoscope of soups, stews, sauces, swallows (soft, doughy, glutinous starches) and more. Think comforting Chicken Pepper Soup, flame-grilled Beef S ya skewers, Pineapple Skin Drink—which embraces her father’s waste-not philosophy—and lesser-known discoveries from Southern Nigeria like Yedem’blong (leaf wraps with fish), the preparation of which incorporates caffeine-rich kola nuts. OUT NOW (PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.CA)
MY CYPRIOT TABLE: MEDITERRANEAN RECIPES FOR GATHERING, SHARING, AND SAVORING
By Irene Matys
My Cypriot Table is a combination of heartfelt personal stories and vibrant recipes by Irene Matys, a Cyprusborn recipe developer, food stylist and photographer who relocated to Canada in 1976 as a refugee. It explores her culinary journey through history and heritage, time and distance. The farm-to-table advocate beautifully blends the traditions and flavours of Cyprus with the Canadian landscape through recipes like Cedar Plank Za’atar Salmon With Tahini Yogurt Dip, Garlic Scape Halloumi Quiche (with a crispy phyllo base) and Koubepia (Ontario grape leaves stuffed with ground beef, pork and rice).
OUT MAY 20 (PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.CA)
CRAVE: CUPCAKES, CAKES, COOKIES, AND MORE FROM AN ICONIC BAKERY
By Carolyne McIntyre Jackson and Jodi Willoughby
Sisters Carolyne McIntyre Jackson and Jodi Willoughby have an inspiring story. In 2004, the passionate home bakers took a leap of faith and opened Crave in Calgary without any formal training. The bakery has since expanded and now has a total of six locations—four in Calgary, one in Edmonton and one in Saskatoon. Their debut cookbook serves up a slice of that sprinkle-topped magic. It features the tried-and-tested recipes they’ve been using to bake from scratch every morning for over 20 years, including the one that sparked their dream, Chocolate Cake With Crave-olicious Buttercream Frosting, their bestselling Vegan Confetti Cookies and Carrot Cake With Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting, which went through 50 iterations before landing on one of their Easter menus.
OUT MAY 6 (TOUCHWOODEDITIONS.COM)
TWO CHEFS IN THE GARDEN: OVER 150 GARDEN-INSPIRED VEGETARIAN RECIPES
By Lynn Crawford and Lora Kirk
“Moving out to the country in 2020 was life-changing for us, and I never regretted leaving the big city,” says Food Network star Lynn Crawford. In Two Chefs in the Garden, Crawford and her partner, Lora Kirk, share the fruits of building a family garden. Through 150 vegetarian recipes—including Buffalo Fried Cauliflower, Eggplant Banh Mi Salad and Fried Green Tomato Sliders With Zucchini Relish and Spicy Rémoulade Sauce—the co-authors encourage readers to slow down, hit up their local farmers’ market and be inspired by the bounty of in-season vegetables available in their own backyard.
OUT NOW (PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.CA)
SPILLED: STORIES & RECIPES FROM NATURAL WINEMAKERS
By Stephanie Mercier Voyer, David McMillan and Zev Rovine
Co-authors Stephanie Mercier Voyer, David McMillan and Zev Rovine are obsessed with organic agriculture and natural wine—which is no surprise as Mercier Voyer co-penned Montreal restaurant Elena’s cookbook, Salad, Pizza, Wine, and McMillan, who co-founded Montreal bistro Joe Beef, co-wrote both Joe Beef cookbooks. Rovine, who’s based in New York City, is one of the most influential natural wine importers and distributors in the U.S. The trio, along with Tokyo-based Canadian photographer Xavier Tera, travelled across France and Italy to meet some of the best winemakers in the business. Spilled is the kind of unpretentious, non-judgmental book the co-authors wish they’d had when they first discovered natural wine. It’s stacked with the personal stories of 25 natural-wine makers who opened their homes and farmhouse kitchens. But you won’t find any food-and-wine pairings here. Instead, 34 homey recipes—from Tempura Artichoke Hearts in Sicily to Whole Roasted Harvest Fish in Burgundy—reflect what these winemakers enjoy making after a long day in the vineyard.
NOW (RIZZOLIUSA.COM)
WOOD, FIRE & SMOKE: RECIPES AND TECHNIQUES FOR WOOD-FIRED COOKING
By Michael Smith
Celebrity chef Michael Smith and his team at The Inn at Bay Fortune on Prince Edward Island are back. This time, he’s teaching backyard cooks how to master live-fire cookery. Because doesn’t everything taste better cooked over (or next to) an open flame? Smith guides you through the cooking-fire spectrum, from wood-fire to pit-smoking to barbecue. Whether you’re a novice or a pro, you’ll appreciate the standout recipes, including Iron-Seared Salmon With Fire-Roasted Romesco Sauce and WoodGrilled Salt and Pepper Ribeye Steaks With Maître d’Hotel Butter. Try the cinnamon-scented Campfire Baked Apples With Whisky Walnut Butter for some grown-up nostalgia.
OUT MAY 13 (PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.CA)
THE ESSENTIAL COTTAGE COOKBOOK: SIMPLY DELICIOUS RECIPES FOR COTTAGES, CABINS, AND WHEREVER YOUR TRAVELS TAKE YOU
By Andrea Buckett
You might recognize Andrea Buckett from her regular stints on CTV’s The Good Stuff With Mary Berg. The food-industry veteran has been visiting her family’s cottage in Haliburton, Ont., since childhood. As the title suggests, The Essential Cottage Cookbook is your one-stop guide for crafting practical and tasty meals with minimal kitchen tools and equipment when you’re escaping the routine of everyday life. Each chapter covers a fundamental skill—from making things ahead of time to entertaining a crowd—and includes kitchen hacks to help pre-empt any bumps. Check out the Epic Layered Breakfast Pie, Broccoli & Blue Cheese Jalapeño Melts and Grilled Perogy Platter With Red Onions & Mushrooms. OUT APRIL 29 (PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.CA)
HOOK, LINE & SINKER
GEMINI
MAY 21 – JUNE 20
A new solar cycle means another pit stop for your personal growth. This moment is about realigning your physical health with your mental well-being. By late May, there could be a shift within your social circles. Which networks or friendships are holding you back? Greater community involvement could bring more discipline—and even open the door to an unusual career path.
CANCER
JUNE 21 – JULY 22
How can your talents be of service to the world? If you’ve been feeling uninspired by your work or career, now’s the time to step up. Immersing yourself in new communities could remind you of forgotten passions and long-lost dreams. Use this rekindling to branch out and envision a purpose that truly echoes your aspirations.
LEO
JULY 23 – AUGUST 22
Through everything from networking to collaboration, this month is about exploring the resources at your fingertips. Your physical home and ambitions may branch out in different directions, reflecting your partnerships and lifestyle choices. Are fertile grounds calling you somewhere else? Whether intellectually or spiritually, the end of the month seems to present opportunities to foster personal growth.
VIRGO
AUGUST 23 – SEPTEMBER 22
Since November, your routines and workspaces have been slowly changing. This month, the loose screws become more visible, hinting at the need to rebalance your physical and mental loads. Reclaim your power! Themes of inheritance and shared assets could also strengthen. Alongside talks about your career, a deep search for meaning colours your month.
LIBRA
SEPTEMBER 23 – OCTOBER 22
What has your heart been yearning for these past few months? Your relationships have weathered a long journey and may now be seeking a safe harbour. Through emotional upheavals, this process could lead to a renewed sense of faith for you. Is this the honeymoon phase all over again? Get ready to embrace responsibilities as a wave of commitment is in the air from late May.
TAURUS
APRIL 20 – MAY 20
Personality quizzes, reflections, mood boards... This month sparks personal discoveries. At the same time, revelations about your connections—particularly professional ones—could unfold throughout the month. Time alone may bring deeper healing and regenerate your thought processes. The last week of May paves the way for a lasting reconnection with your spiritual practices—a theme for the years ahead.
By MIMO MAGRI
SCORPIO
OCTOBER 23 – NOVEMBER 21
Mirror, mirror on the wall, who’s the realest of them all? Your selfawareness could challenge some power dynamics this month. The first couple of weeks are marked by revelations and resolutions, hinting at a radical makeover. By shedding outdated labels, you can give both your body and mind something of a rebirth. Going back to a physical routine with vigour is a way to close the month on a high note.
SAGITTARIUS
NOVEMBER 22 – DECEMBER 21
AQUARIUS
JANUARY 20 – FEBRUARY 18
Early May sets the stage for a long and evolving identity shift. Your vocation may rise on your priority list, especially as you pursue dreams of success and professional growth. Are your passions steering you toward new ambitions? Meanwhile, a key agreement or significant encounter could mark this period, highlighting a need to anchor your knowledge more deeply.
PISCES
FEBRUARY 19 – MARCH 20
Companionship and romance could be calling, but this month begins with a pull toward solitude. Since winter, your creative output and pleasures have taken on a more avant-garde twist. As you refine and unlock the channels of your expression, certain passions and projects show long-term potential. Ready to bring more magic to the world? Nurture your inspiration.
CAPRICORN
DECEMBER 22 – JANUARY 19
This month, you could find yourself knee-deep in assessing what enhances your lifestyle. Like taking inventory of your tools, desires and goals, reinforcing your foundations is now key. Between self-worth check-ins and well-earned rest, the end of the month brings clarity to your sanctuary. Willpower, diligence and catharsis? They’re the perfect trio to complement your new decor.
Your ecosystem—from your neighbourhood life to your daily habits— is the star of this month. Your social nest, whether small or welcoming of everyone, is entering a new chapter. Recent decisions may lead you to reassess your assets. Thanks to financial strategies and a renewed confidence, the end of the month replenishes your values with greater mindfulness.
ARIES
MARCH 21 – APRIL 19
Vitality and rigour are back in your arsenal. For the past few months, ideas, fantasies and impulses have been shifting your creative process. This month invites you to wipe the slate clean and lay new playgrounds for your expression. Which patterns are ready for closure? As inspiration simmers, a new era of vision and direction begins to take shape by the end of the month.
ELLE CANADA EXTRA
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WHAT ELLE EDITORS WILL BE DRINKING THIS SUMMER
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Available in Ontario and Quebec in May, Veuve Clicquot’s RICH and RICH Rosé cuvées are something to watch out for. (LCBO.CA)
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NOT ONE BUT 16 TYPES OF COLLAGEN
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DELIGHT & WHIMSY
AT ONE OF JONATHAN ANDERSON’S early fashion shows for Loewe in 2016, guests were welcomed into the storied Paris headquarters of UNESCO, where they perched atop clear plexiglass boxes filled with orange disposable razors, light bulbs and kitchen sponges and watched a procession of minimalist sleek dresses that were styled, inexplicably, with cartoonish cat pendants. This might seem like a minor detail in Anderson’s landmark tenure at the Spanish luxury house, but it’s one that underscores the designer’s handle on the wildly idiosyncratic—something he sprinkled into his collections like a dash of seasoning at the exact right moments. During his 11 years as creative director, stiletto heels morphed into cracked eggs, anthurium florals were upsized into bodices and pigeons were fashioned into clutch purses—unserious moments that added levity to his very serious impact on high fashion.
The Anderson era at Loewe, which began in 2014 and ended in March of this year, marked a transformative shift in the house’s identity. Once a dusty heritage brand that many couldn’t even pronounce (“lo-eh-vay,” as online tutorials instruct), it has now become the hottest name in modern luxury, having created surreal red-carpet moments, obsession-worthy candles and museum exhibitions. The 179-year-old house’s past decade has become the fantasy playbook for other heritage brands attempting a comeback—it was the perfect blend of new shapes, old-world craftsmanship and timeless ideals of the avant-garde. His Puzzle bag, first introduced in 2015, says it all: a highly covetable objet d’art that requires 75 pieces of leather and over nine hours of precise cutting, hand-sewing and painting. In Anderson’s own words, “the secret of life is in art,” and as he bids adieu to Loewe, we’ll be here marvelling at a delightful, inspirational and whimsical tenure made for the history books.
