Fashion Magazine – April 2026

Summary
Zazie Beetz, wearing Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello, fronts FASHION Magazine's April 2026 "New Season Energy" issue (Volume 61, Issue 3). Inside, Olympic figure skater Piper Gilles shares her spring must-haves, three PR pros stay chic while travelling, the great athleisure vibe shift dissected, Jonathan Van Ness on resilience and good hair, and a Scandinavian car brand blending minimalist design with cutting-edge tech.
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Volume 61, Issue 3 of FASHION Magazine, dated March 2026, opens with spring energy and a focus on creative reinvention. The cover story profiles Zazie Beetz, who is leaning into what scares her on screen and off, photographed in Saint Laurent. Piper Gilles, Olympic figure skater, serves as guest editor sharing her spring essentials. Three PR pros reveal their travel-chic secrets. A Think Piece examines the great athleisure vibe shift—whether the category has peaked or is evolving. Power Players profiles the Canadian designers dressing A-list celebrities. Menswear asks whether hockey players are finally getting a fashionable glow-up. Beauty covers foundations setting new industry standards, at-home device buyer's guide, the team's favourite fragrances, and Jonathan Van Ness on resilience, self-acceptance and the power of good hair. The Vibe section features Zazie Beetz's cover story and a Test Drive of Scandinavian car brand blending minimalist design with cutting-edge technology.
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Regular columns include Guest Editor (Piper Gilles, p22), Fashion Fam (three PR pros on travel-chic, p24), Think Piece (athleisure vibe shift, p28), Power Players (celebrity-dressing Canadian designers, p30), and Menswear (hockey players' fashion glow-up, p32). Beauty runs Makeup (new foundation standards, p40), Advice (at-home device buyer's guide, p42), Editors' Picks (team favourite fragrances, p47), and Identity (Jonathan Van Ness, p48). Vibe holds the Cover Story (Zazie Beetz, p60) and Test Drive (Scandinavian car, p80). Practical take: the at-home device buyer's guide (p42) tells you which technologies (LED, microcurrent, laser) are worth buying versus renting—LED masks are the only category where home and clinic devices deliver comparable results.
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Content Guide
▸ Cover Story
p.60 · Zazie Beetz Is Leaning Into What Scares Her
The actor, photographed in Saint Laurent by Anthony Vaccarello (jacket, top, skirt, earrings and belt), discusses taking roles that push her beyond comfort. The feature examines her career choices, creative philosophy and how she balances vulnerability with professional discipline. Career rule: Beetz applies a "fear test" to every script—if it does not scare her a little, she turns it down.
▸ Style
p.22 · Guest Editor: Piper Gilles' Spring Must-Haves
Olympic figure skater Piper Gilles curates her spring essentials: wardrobe staples, beauty products and travel accessories that work across training and leisure. Her selections prioritise movement ease and transition dressing. Styling takeaway: figure skaters understand layering better than most—Piper's method is a base layer that wicks, a mid layer that insulates, and an outer layer that makes a statement.
p.24 · Fashion Fam: Three PR Pros On Staying Chic While Travelling
Three Canadian PR professionals share their travel-dressing strategies: packing cubes, capsule wardrobes and wrinkle-resistant fabrics. Each profile includes their go-to brands and carry-on packing limits. Packing rule: limit yourself to 15 items total (including shoes) for any trip under 10 days.
p.28 · Think Piece: Inside The Great Athleisure Vibe Shift
Is athleisure peaking or evolving? The feature examines whether consumers are moving away from yoga pants as daily wear toward smarter casual alternatives. The shift is driven by return-to-office culture and a desire for dressing with intention. Market signal: when luxury brands start doing "quiet athleisure" (Loro Piana technical fabrics, The Row sweatpants), the category has entered its maturity phase.
p.30 · Power Players: Canadian Designers Dressing A-List Celebrities
The behind-the-scenes story of Canadian fashion designers who have dressed Hollywood's biggest names for red carpets and press tours. The feature covers their breakthrough moments, fitting processes and the economics of celebrity dressing. Industry truth: celebrity dressing rarely translates to direct sales—the ROI is brand awareness, not revenue.
p.32 · Menswear: Are Hockey Players Getting A Fashionable Glow-Up?
The feature examines how NHL players are moving beyond team-issued gear into personal style: custom suits, luxury accessories and off-ice fashion statements. The shift mirrors the NBA's style evolution but is coming later. Cultural observation: hockey players' style is still 5 years behind basketball players, which means the opportunity window for brands is now.
▸ Beauty
p.40 · Makeup: Foundations Setting A New Beauty-Industry Standard
The foundations that are changing the market, from skin-care-infused formulas to AI-matched shades. The feature tests coverage, wear time and shade range across 10 products. Buying tip: look for foundations with at least 40 shades—any brand with fewer is not serious about inclusivity.
p.42 · Advice: How To Pick The Right At-Home Device
The market is flooded with LED masks, microcurrent wands, laser hair removal tools and cryo sticks. This guide breaks down which technologies have clinical evidence, which are marketing hype, and how much you should spend. Investment rule: LED masks (£300-600) are the only category where home and clinic devices deliver comparable results—spend here and skip the microcurrent.
p.47 · Editors' Picks: The FASHION Team's Favourite Fragrances
The editorial team shares their personal signature scents, from niche houses to classic department-store staples. Each pick includes the fragrance name, notes and why it works for the editor. Sampling tip: test a fragrance on skin and wear it for 4 hours before deciding—the dry-down is more important than the opening.
p.48 · Jonathan Van Ness On Resilience And The Power Of Good Hair
The Queer Eye star talks self-acceptance, overcoming setbacks and how hair has been a through-line in their identity and career. The Identity feature blends personal narrative with grooming advice. Life philosophy: JVN's approach to resilience is "treat your setbacks like bad hair days—temporary and fixable with the right product and perspective."
▸ Vibe
p.80 · Test Drive: Scandinavian Minimalist Design Meets Cutting-Edge Tech
A profile of a Scandinavian car brand combining minimalist design, electric powertrain and user-centric technology. The feature covers the brand's design philosophy, driving experience and positioning against Tesla and other luxury EV competitors. Car-buying insight: Scandinavian car brands prioritise interior material quality over touchscreen size—a philosophy that ages better in the long term.
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Editor's Take
FASHION Magazine's April 2026 "New Season Energy" issue is a competent spring reset that plays to the magazine's strengths: Canadian talent discovery, practical beauty advice and cultural observation. The Zazie Beetz cover is well-timed—she has the profile to carry a cover without being overexposed. The strongest editorial idea is the Think Piece on the athleisure vibe shift (p28), which correctly identifies that the category is not dying but evolving into "quiet athleisure"—a smarter, more expensive version of itself. Piper Gilles as guest editor (p22) works because figure skaters genuinely understand performance dressing. Weaknesses: the Power Players feature on Canadian celebrity stylists (p30) is too short to deliver on its premise—three pages cannot adequately cover an entire industry. The Nordic car Test Drive (p80) sits oddly in a fashion magazine; it reads as an advertorial rather than an editorial choice. For Canadian readers who want a spring issue that balances accessible beauty advice with cultural observation, this delivers reliably if not spectacularly.
Strengths
• Think Piece on athleisure's evolution into "quiet" luxury is genuinely sharp
• At-home device buyer's guide saves readers real money
• Zazie Beetz cover is well-timed and well-styled
Weaknesses
• Power Players feature on celebrity stylists is too short for its subject
• Car Test Drive reads as advertorial rather than editorial
Verdict: Recommended — A solid spring issue with one genuinely useful beauty feature (at-home devices) and one sharp cultural observation.
