Elle Canada November 2025

You can’t aspire to be what you don’t see—especially when it comes to sports. Yes, we celebrate female athletes who make it to the podium, but the story is bigger. Every achievement is powered by a network of women too often out of sight: coaches, trainers and referees, marketing directors and operations managers, producers and photographers, agents and journalists. They’re the ones keeping the season alive while the cameras chase the scoreboard. So why is it important that we put them front and centre? Because sport isn’t just entertainment—it’s pop culture. What we choose to showcase becomes the images girls and boys internalize. When more women appear on the ice, court or playing field, behind the mic, in the control room and at the boardroom table, the message is clear:…

Streamlined This past September, COS presented its fall/winter 2025/2026 collection at New York Fashion Week (its fourth consecutive showing at the event). In a minimalist industrial setting at the Greenpoint Terminal Warehouse in Brooklyn, the U.K.-based brand packed the room with fans, including actors Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Naomi Watts, Jodie Turner-Smith and Christopher Briney. The 47-look collection features sleek, stylish and pared-down lines and an emphasis on dramatic details such as high necks, hoods, sculptural draping, sheerness and pops of plaid. The colour palette (deep, rich and inky) is what fall-dressing dreams are made of, and it plays with textured materials like leather and shearling as well as matte and shiny fabrics, adding depth and movement to the clothing. On the runway, coats were belted, handbags were folded and clutched and…

IN THE ICONIC OPENING SCENE of the 1968 film Funny Girl, Barbra Streisand’s Fanny Brice walks past her own name in flashing lights, catches her glamorous reflection in a mirror backstage and—swathed in a leopard-print coat and matching turban—murmurs, “Hello, gorgeous.” The moment, which sets up Brice’s rags-to-riches arc, is also one of the many pop-culture milestones that established animal print as shorthand for opulence and power. It seems Brice—and women like her—was very much on designers’ mood boards this season, as animal prints and faux furs roared down the runway in unapologetic more-is-more forms. At Khaite, there were countless iterations of leopard print: a sharp-shouldered jacket paired with a strict pencil skirt as well as a draped strapless blouse with straight-legged trousers and a slouchy serpentine boot thrown in…

DAY Reimagine the office’s all-neutral palette with a splashy tank tucked into a more formal midiskirt; then accessorize with personalized pieces to your heart’s content. NIGHT In contrast to their polished accompaniments, a pair of colourrich satin lingerie shorts set a playful tone for an unexpected going-out look. WEEKEND Window shopping never looked so chic thanks to a zingy buttoned-up cardigan, a strawberry-hued base layer and scores of easy, elevated extras.…

IT SEEMS THAT bringing intergenerational craftsmanship and know-how into the present day—while fusing them with sustainability and timelessness—is integral to how Elsa, Mathieu and Antoine Mothay do fashion. After all, the Mothays’ great-grandfather was the founder of Saint James, a Normandy-born brand that drew on centuries-old expertise to produce the iconic sailor-striped sweaters and shirts that are now known the world over. The Mothay siblings had always dreamed of becoming entrepreneurs themselves, just like their industrious predecessor. Hopping on the sweater train could have been their most direct route to success, but this trio took the road less travelled—without totally forsaking their family history. Together, they stayed the fashion course by launching a leather-goods label back in 2016, clear on the brand story from the beginning. Polène—the Mothay family compound…

WANT LES ESSENTIELS This Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards-recognized Montreal label is sold in boutiques across the country and around the world and has been leaning into the “quiet luxury” aesthetic for almost two decades. These days, the company is also embracing more-sustainable materials, using recycled nylon, responsibly sourced leather and organic cotton across its fashion and accessory collections. This season, Want Les Essentiels is introducing just one new boot style for women: The Holton, made in Portugal using a smooth Italian leather, features a sculptural 55-millimetre heel. ANFIBIO This family-owned company’s boots are all made in Montreal and designed with comfort in mind. Every pair in the collection features a supportive 10-millimetre footbed, a shock-absorbing base and arch support. Plus, winter styles come with a wool or sheepskin lining…