Local Canadian fashion and jewelry lines Allison Wonderland, Refine Jewelry, and Erin Templeton (handmade leather bags) will be having a Studio Sample and Overstock Sale in Gastown on Thursday, June 17, 2010. Drop by 210-309 West Cordova Street between 1pm – 7pm to find some good deals and support local designers. Cash only.

Adhesif Clothing is excited to announce the grand opening of its first store! Stop by 2202 Main Street (crossroad: East 6th Avenue) on Saturday, May 29^th between 6 to 11pm to enjoy some homemade nibbles, drinks, music, art by Anthony Wilson and “entertainment by a surprise guest”. With 20% off all Adhesif designs, this would be a great time to browse through “one of a kind” clothing pieces. See invitation details below.

If you read Modern Mix Vancouver, you probably read The Style Spy also! The Vancouver-based fashion website is hosting a shopping party at Fine Finds Boutique (1014 Mainland Street) in Yaletown on May 20, 2010 from 5pm to 8pm.

.
Please join L2 Leone (350 Howe Street) on Sunday, April 11th for a live appearance and meet & greet with will.i.am of the Grammy award winning Black Eyed Peas! L2 is thrilled to launch i.am clothing, will.i.am’s Spring/Summer 2010 signature line for men. Inspired by music, art, fashion and individuality, the i.am clothing collection is contemporary in design and embodies a lifestyle. L2 has always been a front-runner on what is new, edgy and unique in fashion and bringing Montreal produced i.am to L2 is a natural and exciting fit!
.
The superstar will be in-store from 1-2pm and the first 200 fans will receive a free gift! There is also an awesome gift with purchase and a contest available only to those who come to the store on Sunday! Entrance is first come first serve so arrive early if you want to meet will.i.am! Entertainment Tonight Canada will also be live, filming.

The date has been set for the third annual Nifty for Fifty shopping extravaganza – April 17 and 18, 2010. Targeting “style-savvy and frugal fashionistas”, over 10 local designers are ready to part with their much-loved designs and vintage finds for $50 or less. To make things even more exciting, this year Nifty for Fifty will be happening at Five-Sixty, a new space on 560 Seymour that has been serving as a gallery for the Cultural Olympiad. Local fashion favourites include: Adhesif Clothing, Planet Claire, Clutch Designs, Kulus Designs, cream puff by gg, Carny Love, Dahlia Drive, Flaming Angels, Dotted Loop, and Catalyst Reaction.
.
Saturday, April 17th: 11am-6pm | Sunday, April 18th: 12-5pm | Free Admission
.

Forsya Boutique (2206 Main Street) is turning one, and what better way to celebrate the success of the Main Street boutique than with a party and fashion show, launching the first season of the new in-house label, Forsya by Julie Hebb. Sip spiked punch and try the adorable cupcakes in dreamy colours like lemon, sky, and lavender, mimicking the new in-house collection. So stop by Forsya Boutique, located at 2206 Main Street (at 6th Avenue), on April 9 to partake in the festivities and receive 20% off all merchandise.
.

It’s that time again! The Aritzia Warehouse Sale, my favourite discount event of the year, will be happening between April 1st and April 5th at 611 Alexander Street. New merchandise will be added daily.

Labeled as the GAP Give & Get campaign, every purchase you make at GAP from March 18 – March 21, 5% goes towards GAP’s non-profit partners including the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, Canadian AIDS Society, CARE Canada, Humane Society of Canada and The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. If you are a SPRIZE member, shop one day earlier starting on March 17th. Print out the below coupon to take advantage of this offer.

The Velvet Room Boutique (2248 West 41st Avenue) “Design A Dress” contest is open to aspiring designers who have less than two years trade or professional experience and are 18 years or older.

.
Choose one of the below events and submit a design for a dress that fits the criteria described. Participants may include sketches, pictures, flats and fabric selections in their submissions. Participants may submit designs for one or more of the categories for a maximum of three submitted designs.

• Gala: Design a floor length dress for a black tie gala or awards night (size six)
• Wedding: Design a dress that can be worn to a daytime wedding and evening reception (size eight)
• Birthday: Design an age appropriate dress that the Birthday Gal can wear to her 40th or 50th Birthday Bash. (Curvy size eight)

Initial submissions are due at 6pm on Friday March 26, 2010. For more information, click here.

In the fashion industry, trendsetting can be compared to a pyramid. High fashion and couture, starting at the top, and their runway looks for the upcoming season are way beyond the budgets of the average shopper (and MMV reader). But as time passes, these trends trickle down the pyramid as assessable ready-to-wear fashion available at our favourite clothing chains.

Described somewhat as a “fashion visionary”, being a fashion globe-trotter is part of Barb Atkin’s job description as the Vice President of Fashion Direction for Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir Street). At Holt Renfrew’s Spring 2010 Media Preview, Barb gave a presentation about forecasted fashion trends for Spring/Summer 2010 and brought back to local media, her insights and observations about upcoming trends, neatly packaged into 4 easily-understandable “looks”