Kristen Stewart stuns in Zuhair Murad at the Toronto premiere of On The Road

Kristen Stewart certainly brought her A-game to Toronto last night, with bright pink lips, killer heels, a high ponytail and a stunning Zuhair Murad dress embellished with sequins and lace for the TIFF premiere of On The Road. Considering it was her first appearance post-scandal, the sleek outfit did not disappoint. There may have been doubts leading up to her moment on the TIFF red carpet, with many of the very dedicated fans who were camped outside Ryerson Theatre expressing worry that Kristen Stewart wouldn’t actually show up. Instead she was just a somewhat-fashionable hour late to TIFF—and slightly skittish in a “I’m really worried you’re going to ask me about Robert Pattinson” sort of way. (No one did.) And the fans were rewarded for their patience, as the star signed autographs and posed for pictures (what could be better for a Twilight fan than a KStew selfie?) while walking the TIFF red carpet. Perhaps being flanked by her On The Road co-stars, Kristen Dunst and Garrett Hedlund—who are, to our delight, dating IRL—helped keep Kristen Stewart at ease? At the very least it kept her from switching into Converse on the TIFF red carpet.

For some people, ugliness is a central aspect of their persona. Jean-Paul Sartre had a lazy eye and a bloated, asymmetrical face, and he attributed many of his philosophical ideas to his lifelong struggle to come to terms with his self-described ugliness. Socrates also used his ugliness as a philosophical touch point, concluding that philosophy can save us from our outward ugliness. Famous in his own time for his perceived ugliness, Abraham Lincoln was described by a contemporary: "to say that he is ugly is nothing; to add that his figure is grotesque, is to convey no adequate impression." However, his looks proved to be an asset in his personal and political relationships, as his law partner William Herndon wrote, "He was not a pretty man by any means, nor was he an ugly one; he was a homely man, careless of his looks, plain-looking and plain-acting. He had no pomp, display, or dignity, so-called. He appeared simple in his carriage and bearing. He was a sad-looking man; his melancholy dripped from him as he walked. His apparent gloom impressed his friends, and created sympathy for him—one means of his great success."

The characterization of a person as “beautiful”, whether on an individual basis or by community consensus, is often based on some combination of inner beauty, which includes psychological factors such as personality, intelligence, grace, politeness, charisma, integrity, congruence and elegance, and outer beauty (i.e.physical attractiveness) which includes physical attributes which are valued on aesthetic basis.

Emma Watson and Nina Dobrev show us the perks of wearing florals at The Perks of Being a Wallflower party

If TIFF parties were award shows, most would be like the Golden Globes—totally fun, but you’ll never really get to sit with the A-listers. However, for a film like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the night is more like the MTV VMAs: from up-and-coming stars to fully-certified teen heartthrobs, everyone’s in on the party. (Which, when you think about it, is actually what The Perks of Being a Wallflower is all about.) Despite all eyes being on Nina Dobrev and Emma Watson, they both circled the room throughout the night, stopping to mingle with guests (or Degrassi-era Toronto friends, in Nina Dobrev’s case) and pose for pictures with fans. Both were also dressed in white, frothy florals: a peplum’d Erdem dress for Emma Watson and a intricately beadedMonique Lhuillier gown for Nina Dobrev.

Mae Whitman, in a dress by Opening Ceremony, appeared to be the real ringleader of the party. She skipped around the room, bouncing between conversations with Logan Lerman, Ezra Miller and The Perks of Being a Wallflowerwriter/director Stephen Chbosky. But best of all, Mae Whitman provided partygoers with a mini Arrested Development reunion when Alia Shawkat arrived. The two stayed together all night—that’s right: Maeby Funke and Ann/Egg are BFFs in real life—and rallied the entire Perks of Being a Wallflower cast, plus Glee’s Chord Overstreet and Darren Criss into the Polaroid photo booth. Also spotted in the photo booth: Jason Reitman and DJ Brendan Canning. Outside there was more interactive fun to be had thanks to a white-washed car and many colourful markers—Paul Aguirre-Livingston almost covered the entire trunk with doodles. And, because it was just too clever not to mention, Vitaminwater also built an oversized Lite-Brite where the bottles served as colourful pegs. Even Ezra Miller couldn’t resist playing with it.

The pace of change accelerated considerably in the following century, and women and men's fashion, especially in the dressing and adorning of the hair, became equally complex and changing. Art historians are therefore able to use fashion in dating images with increasing confidence and precision, often within five years in the case of 15th century images. Initially changes in fashion led to a fragmentation of what had previously been very similar styles of dressing across the upper classes of Europe, and the development of distinctive national styles. These remained very different until a counter-movement in the 17th to 18th centuries imposed similar styles once again, mostly originating from Ancien Régime France. Though the rich usually led fashion, the increasing affluence of early modern Europe led to the bourgeoisie and even peasants following trends at a distance sometimes uncomfortably close for the elites—a factor Braudel regards as one of the main motors of changing fashion.

Inside The Room’s Viktor & Rolf party, photo of fashion’s who’s coming out of hibernation for spring

Viktor & Rolf’s love affair with Toronto began last night with a fittingly springy fête at Toronto’s Hudson’s Bay Queen Street flagship. In town to celebrate their recent collections as well as to do press spots for their upcoming Dolls retrospective exhibit with Luminato this summer, designers Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren sported matching embroidered jeans (Horsting’s featured sunglasses while Snoeren’s featured moustaches) and matching thick rimmed frames, making them the ideal models for Toronto’s new eyewear-specific blog, The Spectacled.

In keeping with the Dutch duo’s eccentricities, The Room was transformed with newly papered walls featuring the Fall 2013 runway room’s eerie black and white floral print, a string quartet playing instrumental takes on pop music and strapping waiters, who passed many a prettily-decorated Perrier-Jouët champagne flute while wearing V&R-esque (and maybe even a little Denis Gagnon) glasses.

Held on one of the first days that actually felt like spring in Toronto, the city’s who’s who was finally ready to come out of fashion hibernation and many were sporting new looks. Designer Jeremy Laing and partner Frank Griggs both showed off new haircuts—Laing losing both his signature curls and thick rims, and Griggs sporting a post-punk under shave. The ladies were not to be outdone, and PR maven Suzanne Cohon, in a magenta bell-sleeved Roksanda Illincic dress, topped my best-dressed list. Society’s most notable doctor, Lisa Airan, was close behind, in a coral Carven midi dress featuring waist cut outs.

Even newly transplanted Toronto couple Rufus Wainwright and Jorn Weisbrodtmade it out to greet old pals Horsting and Snoeren (Wainwright performed at the Viktor & Rolf Spring 2007 ballroom themed fashion show in Paris) and the foursome were sharing many genuine smiles all night long.

In recent years, Asian fashion has become increasingly significant in local and global markets. Countries such as China, Japan, India, and Pakistan have traditionally had large textile industries, which have often been drawn upon by Western designers, but now Asian clothing styles are also gaining influence based on their own ideas.

The fashion industry has long been one of the largest employers in the United States, and it remains so in the 21st century. However, employment declined considerably as production increasingly moved overseas, especially to China. Because data on the fashion industry typically are reported for national economies and expressed in terms of the industry’s many separate sectors, aggregate figures for world production of textiles and clothing are difficult to obtain. However, by any measure, the industry accounts for a significant share of world economic output.