Our cover story tests the limits of style without a human subject, projecting the absences that have defined the year.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Originally from West Vancouver, model Kate Bock is beautiful and graceful, yes, but more importantly, she is adaptable, and she understands the business she’s in.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: Actor Wendy Crewson provides insight into the Hollywood blockbuster stereotyping of women.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: The artisan and his craft are not ordinary creatures. The essence of artisan work relies on dedication and a precision requiring a focus not common in a modern, industrial economy, if it were ever common at all.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: The dress as icon. There are many reasons why in front of a campfire lacey frills and robin eggs’ blue make the image impressive. A little girl will become obsessed, refusing even to wear anything else but a dress.

Sneakers that can head from the boardwalk to the beach, boutique to the bar.

FROM THE ARCHIVE: It would be easy to consider Hermès not dissimilar from other maisons de luxe. Beyond the superficial, however, resides a philosophy and even a philosopher with a belief in the “exquisite perception of the improbable.”

FROM THE ARCHIVE: To see your world through an artist’s eyes, to participate in the act of creation, or in Barthesian terms, to create a writerly work of art, rather than to simply and passively see the artist’s world through your eyes; that is the ultimate goal of retracing the artist’s steps.

Architectural curves and a sharp sense of style frame our favourite looks from the fall/winter collections.

Moody lighting lends a bad-boy vibe to our favourite clean-cut styles from the men’s spring/summer collections.

A slick dreamworld juxtaposed with the vivid colours and patterns of wardrobe accessories from the autumn/winter collections.

Wardrobe essentials you’ll need to get your autumn arsenal in proper working order.

Editor: Claudia Cusano. Art Director: Mark Reynolds. Producer: Katie Nanton. Hair & Makeup: Brenda Bakker for Lizbell Agency. Model: Laurence for Richard’s Model Management. Photographer’s Assistant: Cory Dawson. Set Design: Hitoshi Okamoto. Paint provided by Farrow & Ball: All White No. 2005, Eco-Friendly Dead Flat.

There is a resounding chorus when one sits down in the stock room of a Harry Rosen store with it’s founder and Executive Chairman. “Watch the youth in their environment, at clubs, beaches, in the streets, hang on to good staff, and be committed to quality standards.”

FROM THE ARCHIVE: A Quebec forest retreat in search of truth with one of Canada’s most elusive shooting stars.