best dressed canadians

Meet the Best Dressed Canadians of 2022

These fashionable folks embody the joy of getting dressed. It's inspiring!

This just in: Getting dressed—and doing it for the daily hit of pure, unadulterated joy—is all the way back. With sloth-like separates, Zoom tops and athleisure parading as partywear firmly in the rear view, our country’s most style-inclined came out to play in 2022, putting their outfits together with more verve than ever before. We live to celebrate them, so from up-and-coming designers to writers, lawyers and gallerists, we’ve zeroed in on fashionable folks who embody the directive: Wear clothes, make magic.

Without further ado, presenting The Kit‘s best dressed Canadians of the year.

Photo: Vonny Lorde

Téjahn Burnett

Toronto-based footwear designer Téjahn Burnett is well on her way to the big time—Cardi B is already a fan of her signature strappy sandals—and she’s got the striking closet to match. Pivoting between boss-type separates, body-con evening looks and athleisure-leaning streetwear with the deftness of an on-the-rise entrepreneur, her wardrobe represents similarly burgeoning Canadian brands, like a Sid Neigum cutout blouse, acetate sunglasses from Adidem Asterisks* and a ribbed-knit maxi dress embellished with crystal buttons by Fumi the Label.

 

Hawley Dunbar

The grainy film pictures that dot longtime content creator Hawley Dunbar’s Instagram page are symbolic of her fashion sense: intentional, emotional, perennial. Once a festival season regular with the eclectic wardrobe to match, Dunbar’s evolution into, let’s call it, “gallery-going elegance” has delivered an abundance of refined looks to covet. Standouts include a pleated, puff-sleeve white Beaufille dress—a work of art; a cream tailored vest-and-trousers combo by Donni; a gauzy, reptilian-printed dress from Baum und Pferdgarten; and offbeat accessories fit for Art Basel like a grass-green Louis Vuitton Coussin PM bag and an oversized Paco Rabanne necklace.

 

Snow Zhou

The joy of playing dress-up never faded for Snow Zhou. Putting together slightly unusual pairings, like Dior kitten heels with a green balaclava, is pure pleasure for the Toronto-based jewellery designer. In-the-know basics from brands like Uniqlo, Aritzia and Cos make up most of her daily wardrobe, but it’s Zhou’s unabashed inclusion of colour-drenched designer pieces—glittery Miu Miu mary janes here, bug-eyed Dries Van Noten sunglasses there—that make her a street style prodigy.

 

Jenny Bird

You know those people who effortlessly toe the trend line but somehow make it completely their own? That’s acclaimed jewellery designer Jenny Bird. One day you’ll catch her in a pistachio-hued coordinated suit set by Akris with Celine high-tops; the next, an unmistakable Kika Vargas dress—those sky-high ruffled sleeves!—set off with Simone Rocha’s pearl egg shoulder bag. Of course, you’ll always find Bird accessorized with a perfectly layered jewellery stack—perhaps the key to standing out as a singular style force.

 

Musemo Handahu

Fun, fearless, a little in your face. That’s the style ethos of Musemo Handahu, a content-creating multihyphenate based in Halifax. Her made-you-look mantra and closet full of up-and-coming African brands makes for a much-needed visual stimulant in our minimalism-obsessed world. She wears bold prints aplenty, scores of enviable sunnies that span the rainbow and one unforgettable teal birthday dress covered in ruffles from Nigerian fashion brand Rendoll Lagos.

 

Lisa Corbo

Cultural norms say we’re supposed to shrink ourselves, pare ourselves down, as we get older. Not Lisa Corbo. The founder of George C. boutique and Toronto fashion icon has a defiant style code that’s all her own: cool colour clashes, fanciful flourishes and out-there designer finery that’s likely to be spotted on someone 30 years her junior. One of her recent looks incorporates not just feathers (a cyan sweater from Lapointe), but tiger print (a coat by The Attico) *and* sequins (a chocolate-brown skirt care of A.L.C.). It all comes together in a riotous harmony. Much of Corbo’s wardrobe can be traced back to the fashion jewel box that is George C.—you can even book a styling appointment with her.

 

Christian Allaire

Christian Allaire’s got cosmopolitan digs (he lives in New York City), a prestigious job (hello, Vogue fashion writer) and pretty much unlimited access to a who’s who of the design world. As a noted Ojibwe figure who’s set on shining a spotlight on emerging Indigenous talent, Allaire dresses the part of style advocate, too. This year’s highlights: A printed shirt from Jamie Okuma, an embroidered vest by Tracey Larochelle, hand-beaded accessories by Tania Larsson and Elias Jade Not Afraid, and a spectacular look incorporating modern ribbonwork by Skawennati for the CAFA awards. Throw in the odd runway piece care of TheRealReal (a sequined Dries Van Noten shirt circa 2015 is a standout) and you’ve got the makings of modern fashion alchemy.

 

Photo: Ryan Emberley

Lucia Remedios

The Toronto gala circuit is a sea of frothy gowns and column dresses, but Lucia Remedios, photographer and owner of Toronto’s Analogue Gallery, is known to don something a little different. Tailored suits dominate her occasionwear closet—sometimes sleek Zadig & Voltaire, sometimes Pepto-pink Zara. This year, she swore off all-black event attire in the pursuit of, well, fun—recently she wore a bright floral poplin dress from Meg on Toronto’s Queen West that she “definitely would not have gone for pre-pandemic”. But she made a very worthy exception for a black velvet Saloni jumpsuit that sparkled with crystal-embellished bows to co-chair the Writers’ Trust of Canada Storytellers Ball.

 

Romy Nassar

An all-grey, Elle Woods-inspired take on law clerk cool; a wholly Y2K outfit featuring a Blumarine cardigan and ultra-low-rise jeans—it’s hard to pin down model Romy Nassar’s aesthetic, and that’s why it’s so compelling. Whether she’s scouring Montreal vintage stores or splurging on a piece with big impact (a pair of Meryll Rogge jeans with skirt overlay comes to mind), Nassar is out to make fashion fun again. Her looks are always bookended by piles of chunky gold jewellery (Versace drop earrings and a vintage Rolex among them) and those tumbling lengths of hair.

 

Photo: Getty Images

Maitreyi Ramakrishnan

How a rising starlet approaches the red carpet following their first big hit is often a litmus test of their future potential (dress for the job you want, you know?) Mississauga-born Maitreyi Ramakrishnan of Netflix’s Never Have I Ever is making all the right moves. This year, she sported a slew of cool (and age-appropriate) contemporary looks—an Aje bubble-hemmed skater dress here, a patent-leather Staud fit-and-flare over a prim Alice & Olivia blouse there—but went all out where it counts. TIFF brought especially memorable moments like a marigold Jason Wu strapless dress and a blue velvet Greta Constantine gown.

 

Anjli Patel

A real sense of thoughtfulness is weaved into everything fashion lawyer Anjli Patel wears. Take the expertly layered look she put together for an exhibition opening this past spring: A Satya Paul sari the Patel purchased on her first trip to India in 2008, with some sartorial additions: Sid Neigum trousers, a vintage Yves Saint Laurent necklace and Robert Clergerie slides. Patel ended up matching a Pop Art-meets-Bollywood artwork on the wall by Maria Qamar—style as storytelling at its finest.

 

Photo: George Pimentel

Mana Mansour

You’d never know that Mana Mansour stands five feet flat. The TV host, producer and on-air style expert takes a high-low approach to dressing that can only be described as larger than life. Bright colour plays well onscreen, but for Mansour it feels like an extension of her personality. Her style staples include a rotating collection of kaleidoscopic blazers (soft lime by Versace; bubblegum pink and feather-cuffed from Zara), puff-sleeved everything (even better if it’s in a glorious gingham print) and regular helpings of spectacular vintage items like a Bill Blass tuxedo dress plucked from Toronto’s Wild Thing Vintage.

 

Emma Doll

Let Calgary-based slow-fashion designer Emma Doll be your guide to the wide world of upcycled vintage. She doesn’t do campy or gaudy: whether it’s an ’80s-era oversized blazer or a wool mini skirt from the ’60s, Doll steps in and out of the decades with complete finesse. Local boutiques like Worn Studio, Bù Vintage Shoppe and Change is Good are shopping go-tos, but often she’ll sew herself a fresh piece from thrifted fabric, like the buttercream babydoll dress and bandana she sported on an Italian jaunt.

Written by Jillian Vieira

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