Fashion & Retail

OAKRIDGE Fall 2008 Fashion Show – Review

Vanessa Choot September 18, 2008

As the models posed in trios before disappearing backstage at the end of their catwalk strut, the crowd truly had an opportunity to digest the trends of the upcoming season. According to my observations, from trench coats and jackets to winter dresses and dress shirts, solid hues of dark colors dominated the runway – in both men’s and women’s wear. It was the subtle details which set the pieces apart from each other – the speckles on a formal jacket from Aritzia or the thin stripes on a Jacob dress shirt.

Spend on Trend – 2008 Review

Vanessa Choot September 11, 2008

With over 20 booths this year at Spend on Trend, the event was more personable than a trade exhibition but much classier than a stereotypical craft fair, it was a diverse yet lovely opportunity to converse with the individual designers. And each artist had so much to say about their creations – from belts to hair accessories, from Chinese silk to leather and from Victoria to Montreal, Spend on Trend captured the essence of Canadian design with a national diversity. Each item had its own story, and each artist told it well; a narrative of their background, their inspiration, their hopes and their dreams.

ARITZIA – Wilfred Clothing gets its own website!

Vanessa Choot September 9, 2008

Update: Wilfred opens its second standalone boutique at Pacific Centre. === I love Wilfred Clothing! – my favorite in-house brand at Aritzia, aimed between women

BLUBIRD – new boutique on Alberni and Burrard

Vanessa Choot August 19, 2008

I absolutely adore anything to do with bird silhouettes and I was pleased to discover several items of Blubird branded in-house clothing lines…

Komakino

Vanessa Choot August 6, 2008

Fans of “sophisticated” men’s high-fashion, expensive goods and the obscure in general may take interest in dropping by the Komakino. Currently located in 111 East Pender St. in Chinatown Vancouver, this “Guerrilla Shop” has covered various downtown locations, frequently moving around with little attempt at raising its awareness to the general public.

O.B. Promotion – “mighty small”

Vanessa Choot August 5, 2008

Not too long ago, I was contacted through Modern Mix Vancouver by Matchstick, a Toronto “word of mouth” company with O.B. as one of its clients. After answering a few preliminary questions, I was postal-mailed a huge (as in the-length-of-my-arm) trial kit with a ton of goodies, aka a comfort pack which included a bottle of EXTRA STRENGTH TYLENOL, a hot water bottle, the newest issue of Elle Canada, and a ton of tampon samples with cutesy, stylish case packaging (see picture on left – my friend and I were joking about reusing them for mints or gum), and an aluminum water bottle branded with the words “mighty small”.