Elle Canada February-March 2026

THERE ARE WORDS that seem so simple, we forget their power. “Thank you,” for example—a tiny expression that slips between two elevator doors or punctuates a quick email. It’s a phrase we often toss out by reflex, much the way we say “Hello.” But over the past few weeks, I’ve been rediscovering the phrase—not the one we murmur out of habit but the one that changes everything: the intentional, heartfelt thank you. My friend François-Xavier gave me the book Philosophy of Gratitude: Be Always Grateful, Be Sometimes Ungrateful by French writer Jacques Attali, and it got me thinking. In a world where everything moves too fast, everything can be bought and everything is measured in likes, ROI, KPIs and luxury cars (and sometimes Monday-morning existential crises), gratitude quiets the dopamine-driven desire…

THIS YEAR, we are hitting a milestone. We’ve been creating insightful, uplifting and inspiring content for Canadians for a quarter of a century—and we could not be more proud. Although this magazine has gone through many different hands and had many different teams along the way, I think we all believe—and have always believed—in the power of print. To celebrate, we are featuring 25 women whom we admire from various creative realms throughout the year. Starting with the first five in this issue, we’re looking at the rise of Canadian romance writers. (Hello, Heated Rivalry.) But before that, we want to share a little visual history of the brand—how we started and how far we’ve come. 1945 ELLE magazine is founded in Paris by journalist Hélène Gordon-Lazareff. Finally, there’s a magazine…

A NEW ERA IN FASHION has arrived, and we’re here for it. This past September saw 15 designers—including Louise Trotter at Bottega Veneta, Jonathan Anderson at Dior and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel—make their debuts with their spring/summer 2026 ready-to-wear collections, each setting a fresh tone for their respective house. Meanwhile, returning designers—such as Chemena Kamali at Chloé and Sarah Burton at Givenchy, who have proven their fluency with their brands—felt free to be more experimental and lean deeper into their visions. It’s clear that the vibe shift fashion insiders have long anticipated is finally here. Get ready for unexpected pairings, loud adornments and new ways to show more skin for almost any occasion (if that’s your thing). These trends, contentious or otherwise, will be everywhere this season. ’80s Vibes The best…

ONE OF THE MOST SURPRISING THEMES to emerge from the spring/summer 2026 runways was the return of the trad wife. She was unchanged in her visual essence but newly aspirational in her empowerment. Enter the haute housewife. She knows her Edith Wharton etiquette and lives like a Renaissance woman, honing her many skills and deepening her interests and knowledge. She is financially independent, spiritually contemporary and armed with pre-industrial savoir faire. She represents a rebirth of classic women’s work through a savvy female gaze—and the apron is her uniform. In the past, the apron straddled the worlds of protection and seduction. Its history is as long as modern civilization itself—it’s been worn by bakers, nurses, midwives, barmaids and housemaids as a garment of attentiveness and ministration. By the 18th century,…

SOME PEOPLE seem to have an innate sense of style. You might spot them crossing the street or in a photo or video on social media and they immediately catch your eye. Often, it takes very little to create such impact: a well-cut blazer with rolled-up sleeves over a striped shirt, a colourful necklace over a turtleneck, a carefully tied scarf or another small detail that changes everything and is something you’d never have thought of yourself. It’s not about trends or designer labels, either. Style really comes down to perfectly balanced proportions, a clever play on textures, accessories that draw attention and shapes we instinctively admire. It’s also about confidence. “They say that style isn’t just what you wear—it’s how you inhabit it,” says Montreal-based stylist Amanda Lee Shirreffs. “I…

DAY Swap your office greys for something more splashy (but still HR-approved). Here, butter yellow and deep purple get a hit of silver and striking red thanks to architecturally minded accessories. NIGHT Nineties-inspired minimalism tempers a skylike quartet of colours—sunny yellow, fiery orange, brick red and periwinkle blue—in this effortless a.m.-to-p.m. look. WEEKEND Embrace a spring state of mind (and off-duty errands) with vibrant layering: A punchy-pink utility jacket plus grass-green shirting pairs up perfectly with off-white denim.…