Edmonton designer Nicole Campre is moving Workhall, her boutique and studio, into the historic McLeod Building on 100th Street to be closer to the city’s major hotels.
The move from 104th Street will allow the popular designer to expand her downtown store as well as set up an in-house production studio to manufacture small runs of locally designed garments, and hold workshops.
“The McLeod Building is one of Edmonton’s most beautiful and historic buildings,” Campre said Monday before an evening cocktail party officially launched the new store. “It has been my dream location for Workhall since the very beginning.”
A hub for local fashion designs, Workhall was founded by Campre in 2013 as a collaborative workspace in the Saddlery Building on 104th Street, just north of Jasper Avenue. Campre’s designs won national exposure that year when she qualified as a finalist in Toronto’s Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. She immediately set to work to find a work space and retail space where local designers could pool their resources and creative energy.
“It was important for me to be in the core,” she said of Workhall’s first home on 104th Street. “Edmonton’s downtown is growing into a vibrant and dynamic community and I wanted Workhall to be a part of it.”
Within a year, Campre opened a second Workhall location on Whyte Avenue, near 105th Street, and the downtown boutique expanded from the fourth floor to street level. In 2014, Campre began to redefine Workhall as its own independent label.
“With our own brand, we aim to showcase Edmonton design and serve as an alternative to fast fashion and the mall. We want to prove that local design can compete on a global stage.”
Campre is hanging on to the 104th Street location, despite Workhall’s move. “We’re not closing it — we’ve got another project planned there for the holidays.”
Workhall in the McLeod will include a production studio that will also serve as a community fashion resource. Campre and her team plan to use the space to develop an incubator mentorship program for aspiring designers as well as run workshops and classes there.
The workshops will be open to the public and offer a hands-on opportunity to design and sew. “Participants will walk away with a garment and an experience they’ve never had. We’re really excited to share our process.”
Find out more about the mentorship program and the workshops at workhallstudio.com.
Vickie Laliotis hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. She is an Edmonton-based fashion writer and the founder of popular style blog adventuresinfashion.ca.
What: A charity brunch hosted by Two Bears North in support of the E4C Women’s Emergency Accommodation Centre.
Featuring: A silent auction, delicious brunch prepared by Red Seal chef Tiffany Sorensen and live entertainment, including performances by Edmonton’s poet laureate Pierrette Requier, the Good Women Dance Collective, Two Bears North, and many more.
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Event: Italia with Gusto
When: Sept. 17
Where: David Morris Fine Cars (17407 111th Ave.)
What: A second-annual fundraising event in support of Edmonton Meals on Wheels.
Featuring: Wine tastings selected by Vinomania’s Gurvinder Bhatia and WineQuest’s Susan Giacomin, decadent finger foods created by Edmonton Meals on Wheels’ Red Seal chef Robin Cheverie, live and silent auctions, and live entertainment.
A small, unassuming dress shop on the ground floor of a downtown office building is doing a brisk business without advertising. Trendz on 6th doesn’t even have a website. What it does have are bargains and high-end fashions — two ingredients sure to get a shopper’s pulse racing.
“We cater mostly to government office workers,” says manager Evelyn Bakker of the steady stream of customers at Trendz, 10621 100th Ave. “And it’s word of mouth — daughters who work downtown will bring in their mothers when they’re off. And sometimes it’s walk-by traffic, people who just notice the 70-per-cent-off sign.”
With the slogan “Always on Sale,” a dress shop is bound to stir up some hype, even if it is only word of mouth. And the hype has reached the legislature, just up the street, where more than one MLA has augmented her wardrobe with a blazer or dress from Trendz. Bakker respects her customer’s confidentiality, but does point to one classy Joseph Ribicoff dress that made it to the steps of the legislature for the cabinet swearing-in ceremony in May.
The secret to Trendz’ six-year run has been a reliable supply of high-end and classic fashions, always offered at a discount from regular retail prices. Customers drop by regularly just to see what’s new in the tiny shop, where sizes range from a diminutive 3 to extra-extra large 3x.
How do they do it? The stock is bought on consignment from businesses in Edmonton and northern Alberta, from stores that are closing or want to unload unsold merchandise at the end of a season. So all clothing on offer is new, compared to personal consignment shops that sell gently used fashions.
In fact, if you liked the sophisticated styles at TK Clothing on 124th Street, which sadly shut down, you’ll now find some of its stock at Trendz on 6th. Bakker says she is choosy about the clothes she takes on, in the interests of maintaining quality. “It’s a bit tricky. We don’t want to deal with everyone.”
Here’s how it works: a rack of cocktail dresses and evening gowns will arrive, Trendz having an agreement to split the proceeds 50-50 with the originating store. Trendz managers set the prices, knowing their market and faithful clientele. Bakker says she and co-manager Kay Sivak also base their prices on how long the business had the stock before it was turned over to Trendz.
Discounts always start at 30 per cent and gradually work their way to 70 per cent, which is the usual end-of-season sale. Anything that is not sold then is put into storage until the following year. Then it’s displayed in the store again, starting with a 30-per-cent discount tag — but the markdown is off the last ticketed price.
The price range on a rack of designer-label dresses, for instance, is down to $200 — $300 during the 70-per-cent sale, meaning the pre-Trendz tags in the originating stores might have been $700-plus.
What’s the lowest price in the store? In the last phase of a season-ending sale, when the tags show a 70-per-cent markdown, the Trendz staff will set up a circular $10 rack with a variety of clothing that just hasn’t moved. Whatever’s there when the sale ends is donated to charity.
“The long, fancy dresses are classic and don’t go out of style, so we can put them out again,” says Bakker. “We’ve also sold wedding dresses, especially those styles that could work as an evening gown.”
The end of a season means extra work for the staff, as the shop undergoes a complete transformation. In mid-September, all the summer stock was removed in one fell swoop, replaced by fall and winter fashions. Spring returns to the store only when the snow melts, so if winter stubbornly sticks around into April, the 70-per-cent sale will last a little longer.
“Our customers know that too,” says Bakker with a smile. “The personal contact — they like that and so do we.”
The six women on staff at Trendz are all retirees, many of them having completed successful civil service careers, and each work just a few days a week. In fact, they got to know each other as customers and staff at Del’s Fashions on 109th Street, a now-closed store that was similar to Trendz, selling clothes on personal consignment as well as business. When Del’s shut down, Trendz carried on the tradition.
Bakker says the atmosphere at Trendz is based on trust and honesty, much like a group of friends, with the customers knowing the staff will be straight with them if an outfit just doesn’t suit. “We’re honest with them, and then we say ‘Well, you have to wear it.’ They appreciate it.”
Vickie Laliotis hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. She is an Edmonton-based fashion writer and the founder of popular style blog adventuresinfashion.ca.
Featuring: A presentation from sustainable fashion e-retailer New Classics, as well as a look at the latest collections of local labels Suka Clothing and LUXX Ready to Wear.
Event: Citadel Theatre’s Anniversary Party
When: Sept. 24
Where: Citadel Theatre (9828 101A Ave.)
What: A celebration of the beloved theatre’s 50th year.
Featuring: Delicious nibblies and drinks provided by Normands Restaurant, great conversation and people-watching, and an opening night performance of Boom, starring Rick Miller.
Searching for that perfect leather jacket? You’re in luck. It just so happens that the perfect leather jacket-maker – Calgary’s lux outerwear designer Aleem Arif – is bringing his Bano eeMee line to two Edmonton stores this week, for a limited time.
Pop-up shops in Thread Hill (10725 124th St.) from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, and Bella Maas‘s St. Albert location (370-5 Giroux Rd) from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday will showcase the relative newcomer’s take on the fall staple.
Arif’s designs use sustainable leather and organic vegetable dyes to achieve their unique yet classic black, grey, brown and deep-red hues, and are made in his native Pakistan. Fitted and mostly waist-length, they put a spin on the traditional leather jacket with asymmetrical lines, exaggerated collars, perforated peplums, distressed finishes and fur touches.
If you’re planning to update your fall-winter wardrobe with just a few of the latest trends, start a list. True, it sounds like groceries, but experts say a clothes-shopping list helps you stay focused in the face of fashion temptation. So many beautiful choices await and, as it turns out, so many shades of grey.
With the need for research in mind, we talked to a few of Edmonton’s front-line experts: owners/staff of locally owned boutiques. Here’s what a few of them see as top trends for the coming cold season.
“Add grey to your wardrobe,” says Kim Hill of Threadhill Boutique. That’s the dominant colour coming in to her shop, at 10725 124th St., from European designers. Leather jackets, pants and tunics — grey is the shade of the season.
Top trends continue to include tunic tops and leggings as well as culottes in the cropped length. Pants for fall and winter are still skinny, all the better to slide into your leather boots. If you want an update, choose a printed style or cropped length in dark or earth tones. Wear them with loafers or ankle boots, suggests Kali Hill, 20-year-old daughter of Threadhill owner Kim. If you want to wear heels, then choose a pointed toe with a substantial heel, like a Cuban or box style.
Kim Hill encourages customers to play with colourful accessories. Avoid matchy-matchy. “Try for a little bit of the unexpected,” she says.
So much depends on how you put items together, Kali Hill points out. “Stay with what looks good on your body type. You can’t just follow the trends.”
Kelly Campbell, owner of C’est Sera, says the European lines she carries in her shop (8239 104th St.), have given her hints of what’s to come. Shades of grey and navy dominate, but she’s liking what she calls “the British green,” a warmer, deeper shade with a teal influence. Marsala is also a strong colour this fall, showing up in coats and shoes — all part of embracing a burgundy palette.
When it comes to shape, Campbell sees the big skirt coming back, the full sweep in vintage ’50s glamour. The midi-length pencil skirt is also a hot trend as are tea-length dresses for more formal occasions.
“The trick there is to know what to pair with the longer skirt so it doesn’t look dowdy,” says Campbell. She recommends chunkier shoes to add interest and style — a look she calls “modern grunge,” a more elegant version of ’90s grunge.
When it comes to pants, Campbell is seeing the full range from knee-length gaucho to the full-length palazzo, to the seven-eighth length that just touches the ankle. Again, chunkier footwear is the choice for pulling together an on-trend look.
Textures are making waves, particularly in straight-leg trousers, adding depth and character to tunic tops, long sweaters and dresses. Natural fibres are also showing up in blazers, skirts and sweaters. Even heavy linen is making a return in European designs.
Campbell points to leather details in some fall-winter arrivals, as well as jackets and coats. Grey and black are go-to shades, but Campbell is also seeing marsala leather jackets.
“It’s so nice to have a pop of colour that you love. And if you look amazing in it, well, then that’s the trend for you!” Laughing about our tendency for low-key colours on big-ticket purchases, Campbell advises: “Take a small risk to be ahead of the curve.”
Stacey Boruk, owner of Bamboo Ballroom, is excited to see more colour as she and her staff unpack fall arrivals at her shop (8206 104th St.). “We’ve been very ’70s in the last few years with all the earth tones. But now I’m seeing more of the ’80s influence, really a lot more fun with rich colours.”
Boruk advises buying a new coat in red or wine shades to inject colour into your winter wardrobe. If you want a more monochromatic look, grey is big this fall and works well with soft neutrals.
“Faux fur is a great way to punch up your winter wardrobe too,” she says, noting you can opt for just a collar or a vest, or go all the way with a full jacket. “You can get it in fun colours and it’s inexpensive.”
Boots will soon be a necessity for getting around Edmonton, so the pants for fall are still skinny or tapered. Wide-legged styles or flare pants are on fashion runways, but Boruk predicts that won’t take off here until spring. “They’re just not practical for Edmonton in winter.”
And speaking of warm and cosy fashion, ponchos and blanket sweaters are also filling the racks at Boruk’s shops (she just opened a Bamboo Ballroom in Calgary).
Jane Harrick, owner of Avenue Clothing, says fall fashion will be ruled by tunics and leggings. “They’re not going away, but we’re seeing more patterns and textures in both. With little booties, it’s just a nice, comfortable look.”
Blazers are back in her shop (10344 82nd Ave.), but they feel different. Instead of being stiff and unyielding, fabrics are more stretchy, says Harrick. “They’re still quite structured, but stretchy, not as body hugging. We’re seeing a longer, boyfriend blazer. It’s perfect to add that formal touch for work, but they also look awesome with jeans and little boots for the weekend.”
While the blazers are coming in subdued shades — a medium, heathered grey is a new look — Harrick is also seeing a lot of bright blues and a brighter teal in other garments. “The bright colours are so nice on so many different women.”
Cosy, bulky knits and chunky boots take us through fall in style.
From left, Nancy Rinas and Kelly Campbell, owner of C'est Sera, model outfits, showing some of the trends for fall-winter fashion in Edmonton.Bruce Edwards / Edmonton Journal
Chunky boots with a buckle detail available at C'est SeraBruce Edwards / Edmonton Journal
Lace-up boots in warm, buttery leather at C'est Sera Bruce Edwards / Edmonton Journal
From left, Nancy Rinas and Kelly Campbell, owner of C'est Sera fashion boutique model outfits, showing some of the trends for fall-winter fashionBruce Edwards / Edmonton Journal
These boots get the benefit of a splash of metallic colour at C'est Sera.Bruce Edwards / Edmonton Journal
It’s hard to keep a classy boutique down, even in the face of demolition. Forced to vacate along with the art galleries along Jasper Avenue near 124th Street, Liliana’s Boutique has resurfaced in the historic LeMarchand Mansion on 100th Avenue and 116th Street.
The designer fashion shop has been open for business in the new spot since Sept. 1 but is celebrating its grand opening Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. The party is also a fundraiser for owner Ljiljana Kujundzic-Tesevic’s favourite cause, the E4C’s School Lunch Program. A Joseph Ribkoff trunk show will highlight the fashion side of the opening, while an informal fashion show and entertainment will round out the fun.
Her new business neighbours in the LeMarchand are joining her in the fundraiser, all donating part of their proceeds from that day to E4C: Rowles and Company Gift and Art Gallery; Active Care Chiropractic and Wellness Centre; Kline Fine Jewelry and Design; and DermaLounge Medispa and Laser Clinic.
Since she began donating proceeds from her boutique sales to E4C, Kujundzic-Tesevic has raised thousands of dollars. In one three-year period, she contributed $32,000 by transferring 100 per cent of proceeds from every pashmina, eternity scarf and necklace sold.
The E4C lunch program makes sure elementary students in need get a full meal during each school day. Children are enrolled in the program in 10 Edmonton schools.
Kujundzic-Tesevic’s efforts to seek sponsors for her January climb of Mount Kilimanjaro were rewarded in a further boost to the lunch program’s bottom line: she raised $54,000. When she decided on her plan, the energetic store owner had yet to hike the Canadian Rockies, but in 2014 she began training for the African challenge. Her next trip? Hiking in Sierra Madre in California. She’s looking for sponsors there too.
Vickie Laliotis hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. She is an Edmonton-based fashion writer and the founder of popular style blog adventuresinfashion.ca.
What: A casual get-together celebrating the theatre company’s temporary new location
Featuring: Drinks and nibbles provided by Seasoned Solutions, a viewing of the renovations to the new theatre space, and great conversation between Roxy staff, board members and theatre-lovers alike.
Event: Liliana’s Boutique grand opening and fundraiser
When: Oct. 1
Where: LeMarchand Mansion (11523 100th Ave.)
What: A fundraising event benefitting the E4C School Lunch Program for 10 inner city schools.
Featuring: Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, entertainment from Coleen Francis Lazurok in the mansion’s fabulous main lobby, and a Joseph Ribkoff trunk show.
Fun fact: All the businesses in LeMarchand Mansion donated a percentage of their sales from the day to help the School Lunch Program.
An Edmonton judge continued his war on hippie styles when he sighted two long-haired young men in his courtroom.
“There are a couple of girls in this courtroom. When you come into this courtroom, you come properly dressed, that is, with haircuts and shirts and ties,” said Justice H.W. Riley as he left court at the end of a trial.
When court resumed in the afternoon, the young men were back in court.
Riley told the RCMP constable in the courtroom: “Mr. Constable, I notice two girls in the court. Please remove them.”
The constable approached 18-year-old John Zwickstra and 17-year-old Ray Mercredi and said: “Ladies, will you come with me, or will I get help?”
“We’re not ladies, so you don’t have to be rude about it,” Zwickstra replied. He then asked to speak to the judge.
Riley said no, but later changed his mind.
Zwickstra said the judge told them not to come back to his courtroom and that they had insulted the court by coming back in the afternoon. The judge also claimed not to be prejudiced against long hair, but disliked their clothes, although there were about six other spectators in the courtroom, two of whom also were not wearing jackets or ties.
Zwickstra was a second-year commerce student at the University of Alberta, and was taking a course in business law from Justice M.B. O’Byrne. He told the Journal he was in court out of curiosity about the workings of the law. Mercredi tagged along.
Riley had recently written a letter to Calgary city council threatening to take back Riley Park if hippies in that city continued to use it for love-ins. His family donated the park in northwest Calgary to the city in 1910.
In an interview, the judge said he was not against hippies, but he didn’t like people without ambition.
“What’s a hippie?” Zwickstra and Mercredi said when asked if they considered themselves to be hippies.
“What’s wrong with the way I’m dressing? I’m dressed more expensively than half the people in the courtroom,” Zwickstra added.
“If the court is open to the public, I am a member of the public.”
But a judge has almost unlimited authority in his courtroom, the story noted.
Zwickstra and Mercredi complained that their long hair made them a target for city police. They said they had been stopped by the police several times, sometimes in broad daylight on Jasper Avenue.
It was a bad month for long-haired city youths. Two weeks later, anyone whom security guards considered shabby, mop-topped, noisy or smelly were banned from the Towne Square restaurant in the basement of The Bay downtown because groups of these teens were keeping regular customers away, the store said.
Six glamorous friends — each dressed as a Madonna from a different era for the queen of pop’s Oct. 12 Edmonton concert — might seem like a lighthearted girls’ night.
And it is. But the reasons behind this particular evening out — the second of Madonna’s two Rexall Place shows over the Thanksgiving weekend — are deeper than the chance to wear a black catsuit or a kick-ass cone bra corset.
“I’m the Make-A-Wish kid in this group,” says Robbie Crosswhite, a.k.a. Ruby Slippah. “My dream has been to go to Madonna with my five best friends — all six of us together — forever.”
Madge’s 2012 MDNA tour skipped Edmonton altogether, so Ruby and David Cutforth (a.k.a. Ethyl Alcohol) went to see her in Vancouver. Dressed in their own drag personas, Ruby and Ethyl were noticed by Madonna’s camp, who invited them to the “Golden Triangle” — basically a VIP pit in the middle of the stage. Madonna noticed them, too.
“It meant the world to me, as somebody who’s admired her my entire life, to have her give us some accolades and tell us that we were fabulous,” says Ruby. “The only thing missing was the other four girls.”
Ruby, Ethyl, Kristopher Heuven (a.k.a. Krystall Ball), Dan Lof (a.k.a. GoDiva), James Decker (a.k.a. Binki) and Jason Morris (a.k.a. Chanelta) are longtime friends who met through Edmonton’s drag community.
For their Journal photo shoot, they recreated (or pre-created) the concert looks they’ll don Monday night. It takes about four hours to get the makeup, hair and outfits just so. No easy feet for a weekend morning.
“Some of them I’m sure didn’t want to get up at 6 o’clock on a Sunday to come and do this,” says Ruby. “But because it means so much to me, they did it.”
After corsets were tied and Lycra was zipped and eyelashes applied, here’s what they had to say about their favourite Madonna, their costumes and the Material Girl herself.
Chanelta (Jason) begins the four-hour process of dressing up in drag for the Madonna concert coming up Monday night, Oct. 12. Furry friend Oliver looks on.
On why they chose this incarnation of Madonna
Ethyl (Bedtime Story): I don’t know if it’s my favourite Madonna but it’s the one I can achieve the best because I’m the oldest in the group. I didn’t want to just look like some crazy old cougar. I remember seeing the video and saying, “Oh my god, that’s the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”
Krystall (Material Girl): It’s one of her looks where she’s known for wearing an actual gown and lots and lots of jewelry. I love putting on every piece of jewelry I own and I’m the one who always likes wearing gowns.
Ruby (Truth or Dare): It’s iconic. I remember watching Truth or Dare so many times as a kid, and that corset and the blond ponytail — it’s been my dream to wear this outfit forever, so this would be the time to wear it.
GoDiva (Evita): I enjoy theatre and musicals, and my drag persona really embodies that. And currently I’ve really embraced vintage glamour.
Binki (Into the Groove): When I was in junior high school, I saw Into the Groove. It was just everything that embodies freedom and dancing.
Chanelta (Human Nature): When I was living in Toronto, I would put this song on every night before we would go out — and we did go out every night in Toronto. I’ve been wanting to do it forever in drag, like I mean 20 years I’ve wanted to do this song, and I got to do this look.
Ethyl (David) applies makeup while preparing for her turn as Bedtime Story Madonna for the upcoming show in Edmonton.
On how their costumes were made
Ethyl: Halloween Store. Dead easy.
Krystall: I had another drag queen here in town make the dress for me, and then stole as much jewelry from everyone else’s jewelry cabinet as possible.
Ruby: Elise from Sweet Carousel Corsetry made the corset. She did such an amazing job. It’s almost identical to the Jean Paul Gaultier one.
GoDiva: I had another drag queen, same as Krystall’s, make my dress for me. And of course Ruby and Ethyl did our hair for the evening.
Ruby: We’re the hairstylists so we did everybody’s wigs.
Binki: It’s the easiest damn outfit to put together in the world — just grab whatever you find in a garbage bag!
Chanelta: The boots and the catsuit are from Nightshade Corsets (two locations: 10832 124th St. and 8128 Gateway Blvd). They’re very good at fetish wear.
On why they love Madonna
GoDiva: I grew up up north, and even long before I knew I was gay, something about watching Material Girl on Video Hits just spoke to me as a kid.
Binki: She just keeps evolving. She evolves and evolves and evolves and evolves.
Ruby: She made me feel like being gay was OK in a time — living in Edmonton, especially — when being gay wasn’t OK. Being a kid, once I discovered what gay was, watching her videos and watching Truth or Dare where she had openly gay dancers in the tour and she was OK with it … it just made me love her even more because she loved who I was without even knowing me.
Preview
Madonna
When: Sunday, Oct. 11 and Monday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m.
Shopping local doesn’t often mean perusing the racks at a major department store. But Oct. 8, local designer Malorie Urbanovitch is launching the Fall 2015 line of her eponymous label at Simons, the 175-year-old, Quebec City-founded institution that sells fashion-forward brands such as Elizabeth and James, Filippa K and Marc by Marc Jacobs.
The Western Canada Fashion Week alum has been showing at Toronto’s fashion week since 2013, when she won their Mercedes-Benz Start Up competition for emerging designers.
For the last few years, Urbanovitch has sold her clothes in the trendy, upscale boutique Gravity Pope, who she says have been “like family” to her. That won’t change, but the additional exposure in Simons is a fashion coup that could propel her label to the next level.
Q: How did your line end up in Simons?
A: I’ve worked as a stylist with Simons for a couple of seasons now, because they participate in Fashion with Compassion. I do the styling for that show. Last year, I showed one of my collections because we’re starting to feature a Canadian designer every year. We proposed that (this year) we would do an event in conjunction with the Fashion with Compassion event, but then the buyer just reached out to me and said, “Maybe we should just carry the clothes.”
Q: Were you surprised by that?
A: I was really surprised because the timing was quite strange. It was quite late to be carrying a fall collection. We only found out about it in mid-August. So, I hopped on a flight to Romania — where my factories are — and got things rolling.
A model walks the runway for the Malorie Urbanovitch collection during Toronto fashion week in Toronto on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.
Q: How does a designer from Alberta end up using factories in Romania?
A: I found them at a trade show in Paris dedicated to manufacturing. I knew I wanted to do something in Europe. So I went, and they were the people that I thought did the best work and they seemed really nice and eager to work with us.
Q: You’re showing at Toronto’s fashion week, World MasterCard Fashion Week, not long after your launch event here in Edmonton at Simons. You must be busy.
A: Haha. Well, it’s all kind of happening at once. But I tend to work best under pressure. It’s going well. Deadlines are approaching really fast. I’m feeling super creative. Now that I know that Simons are buying my collections, I want them to be impressed. I don’t want them to think, “This girl’s a one trick pony.” There’s a little more pressure than normal but that’s kind of how it is every season.
A model walks the runway for the Malorie Urbanovitch collection during Toronto fashion week in Toronto on Wednesday, March 25, 2015.
Q: Can you tell us about the Spring 2016 collection you’ll be showing in Toronto?
A: I’m collaborating with an artist here in Edmonton named Bernadette Paetz. She’s a good friend of mine and I’ve always admired her work, so I approached and asked if she wanted to do something. I’m incorporating prints for the first time — well, not a print per se, it’s more painting on the clothing. She’s going in and working on them after I’ve sewn them. We’re also collaborating on some jewelry. I’m working with a 3-D printer to create some accessories.
Q: Will you always be based in Edmonton?
A: That’s a good question. It’s really surprising to me that I can get this far being here. I’m comfortable here. I travel a lot so I get a world perspective. Definitely the resources are limited here, but generally I’m getting materials from elsewhere around the world …
It is a disadvantage in some ways but in others I feel it gives me a bit of a different perspective and the fact that I can get a retailer like Simons based out of Edmonton is kind of amazing, so I’m going to play it by ear — I don’t have any immediate plans to leave.
Q: Why is Simons such a good fit?
A: They cater to fashion crowds, and being next to major designers who are at the upper echelon is amazing for me. Just to be put in the same section as them really elevates my brand. I feel like I have a lot of creative freedom with them. They’re not looking for white T-shirts because that’s something they do with their house brand. They’re really excited about the more editorial pieces, which I’m also more excited about. It’s nothing too crazy — it is always wearable — but at least I can play with colour and not be afraid that it won’t sell.
Malorie Urbanovitch’s launch event at Simons West Edmonton Mall is Thursday, Oct. 8 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. A donation has been made to Sorrentino’s Compassion House by Simons in support of Fashion with Compassion.
Vickie Laliotis hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. She is an Edmonton-based fashion writer and the founder of popular style blog adventuresinfashion.ca.
What: An annual fundraising event in support of the Edmonton Police Foundation (EPF).
Featuring: Drinks and a decadent meal, displays from various units, speeches and award presentations, and a live auction that raised over $30,000.
Fun fact: Since 2000, EPF has awarded over $3.9 million in grants to the EPS and scholarships to students preparing for careers in law enforcement.
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Event: Fashion First
When: Oct. 8
Where: Bavaria BMW (18925 Stony Plain Rd.)
What: A fashion show raising funds for Alberta’s First Responders.
Featuring: Cocktails and a chef cook-off, silent auction bidding, a lively fashion show featuring first responders as models, and great people watching.
Benefitting: All money raised during the event will go towards the advancement of PTSD therapies and the CAREN (Computer Assisted Rehabilitation Environment) at Glenrose Rehabilitation Hospital.
Today, the Journal launches a new occasional series introducing some of Edmonton’s most fashion-forward people. We start by shining the spotlight on Alyssa Lau, Ordinary People blogger and owner of online sustainable-clothing store New Classic Studios.
In 2011, when she was just 19, Alyssa Lau started a fashion blog, Ordinary People, showcasing her unique, trend-eschewing, modern style. The now-saturated blogosphere wasn’t quite so crowded back then, and Ordinary People quickly gained a following, allowed her to travel all over Canada, and got her invited to New York Fashion Week (she attends every season). Now that she’s 23, Lau is determined to differentiate herself from the sartorial flock, and her blog now focuses more on her creative pursuits (photos, videos) and less on her hella-awesome, often oversized-yet-elegant outfits.
Last year, after deciding against pursuing the masters in bio-chemistry she’d registered for, Lau instead moved her focus to opening an online clothing shop, New Classics Studios, something she’d always wanted to do. But she’d also always wanted to open a business with purpose. Motivated by an interest in ethical clothing, and noticing a large hole in the Canadian market, Lau launched the site. Its focus is sustainable and fair-trade clothing, the opposite of fast-fashion brands such as H& M and Zara. You might pay a little more — $150 for a sweater, or $250 for a dress, say — but you won’t throw it out after three wears. And the fashion-forward options (echoing Lau’s no-frills, androgynous style) — lesser-known, higher-quality brands such as Thu Thu, Kowtow and Baserange — are classic enough to be worn season after season.
Her respect for individuality and clothing design makes Lau the opposite of a trend-follower, but someone who is true to herself — rather than a slave to fads — is always on trend.
Q: How would you describe your personal style?
A: An eclectic mix of tomboy, minimalist and quirky.
Q: What’s your go-to boutique?
A: It’s biased, but Coup Boutique, because I still do work there. So many of my favourite pieces are from the store, and they carry such an awesome collection of really unique pieces that you can’t find anywhere else.
Q: What wardrobe piece can you not live without?
A: A black boot. (Right now I’m wearing) the Acne Jensen boot.
Q: Who’s your style icon?
A: I’d have to say Kiko Mizuhara, a Japanese model — just the way she carries herself and the way she puts together outfits.
Q: What’s your must-have item for fall?
A: Knit joggers or a really oversized jacket
Q: Go-to accessory?
A: A pretty cool pair of sunglasses. I have this Céline cat-eye pair. They’re huge.
Q: Who do you think is the best-dressed Edmontonian?
A: This is hard! There are a lot of really well-dressed Edmontonians. In my opinion … Vickie Laliotis (of Adventures in Fashion blog and the Edmonton Journal’s Social Seen columnist), local fashion personality Anton Atienza, Sandy Joe Karpetz (of The Pretty Secrets online store and blog), human resources adviser Philippe Phan, students Lady Tugade and Chalina Huynh, (Coup Boutique owner) Anna McDonough, Workhall owner Nicole Campre and designer Malorie Urbanovitch.
Q: Favourite city to go shopping?
A: Probably Tokyo, just because it’s so weird. It’s so good and so weird.
Q: Do you have a beauty routine?
A: Not really. I’m really bad with that — I just put soap on my face and that’s it.
Q: Do you get your hair cut at a particular salon?
A: I cut it myself.
Q: Is there a fashion trend you wish would go away?
A: All of them … ? I don’t mind fashion trends, but I don’t pay attention to them so I’m not too aware. I just wear what I like. The whole idea of trends only leads to disposable fashion, so there’s another reason why I pay little attention to them.
Vickie Laliotis hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. She is an Edmonton fashion writer and founder of popular style blog adventuresinfashion.ca. Email Vickie your event suggestions at arts&life@edmontonjournal.com or tweet her at @advinfashion.
On the Town
Event: An Evening with Van Gogh
When: Oct. 15
Where: Art Gallery of Alberta
What: A special presentation of nine certified limited editions of the Dutch master’s most famous works, courtesy of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam.
Featuring: Delicious finger foods and cocktails, a special Q&A with Van Gogh’s descendant Willem Van Gogh, and an unveiling of the Van Gogh Museum Edition Collection, a series of lifelike recreations of the artist’s work.
Fun fact: 260 copies of each painting have been created using a breakthrough technology called reliefography, and are available for purchase at $40,000 apiece.
See for yourself: The works will be on display at Southgate Centre’s centre court until Nov. 15.
October in Edmonton means coat season. For the next six months (if we’re lucky), when you leave the house, warmth will be your top priority. But your outerwear doesn’t have to be simply functional (read: boring).
New colour and detail trends mean that your topper can be incorporated into your wardrobe — or better yet, its standout item.
Here are five things you should know before coat-shopping this year.
Burgundy is the new black
Looking for an alternative to basic black? Burgundy (or maroon or oxblood or bordeaux) is everywhere in outerwear this season. In wools, in puffers and in parkas — in most brands.
“It’s on-trend for the fall,” says Holt Renfrew (10180 101st St.) coats sales associate Karen Lee. That’s the hue she’d recommend to customers who want to step outside their comfort zone.
Other shades to look for? “Olives are a new neutral this season,” says Floc Boutique (10106 124th St.) co-owner Janelle Rocher, who also mentions creams, blushes and navies as good alternatives. “You can still wear something like an army green colour as a neutral, and you don’t get as tired of it. And of course, ivory’s classic, too.”
Shine is good
Shiny can get a bad wrap (think: complexion). But this year, a shinier finish — like the ultracool waterproof look Moncler is known for — is popping up in more and more brands, says Lee.
“(This season) Andrew Marc is doing that kind of nylon finish. And we have (Italian brand) ADD coats in the shiny-finish outer shell as well.”
You can (and should) wear Canadian
Canada isn’t known for being a fashion powerhouse, but we’re killing it — not surprisingly — in outerwear. Many of the best brands, including the ones you’ll find at high-end department stores, come from our own backyard. Mackage, Rudsak, Soia & Kyo — and yes, Canada Goose (natch) — are among the many stylish and up-to-date Canadian coat companies.
Leather trim is in
For the past few seasons, leather trim has added edge to formal wool coats. But now, leather detailing is de rigueur for most styles. In other words, it’s not just for jackets and boots anymore.
“We’re seeing a lot of leathers,” says Rocher. “Lots of leather trims; a couple lines do the leather belts. Even on our downs you see the little bits of leather trim.”
Other finishes that are on-trend? Fur (both real and faux) continues to be huge, especially when lining collars or hoods. Plaid linings are becoming a thing (“Plaid is in clothing and it’s also in outerwear,” says Rocher), and bouclés and cable-knits are cropping up more often.
Parkas are the new evening coat
It used to be that you had an evening coat (likely wool), and a functional parka that actually kept you warm. Not so anymore with the latest parkas having leather belts, fur finishes and bold new colours. Just ask Rocher, whose Rudsak parka takes her from day to night: “Their downs? They are the warmest. And it still feels nice, like you can go for dinner in it. I feel trendy, but then I can walk my dogs in it and it’s warm and I feel cosy. It covers off all of that.”
Vickie Laliotis hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. She is an Edmonton-based fashion writer and the founder of popular style blog adventuresinfashion.ca.
What: An annual fundraising event in support of Kids Kottage
Featuring: Cocktails and dinner, a live auction, musical performances from Bella Rouge and amazing people-watching.
About the organizer: Kids Kottage is a 24-hour crisis centre for children at risk of abuse.
BARRRK! A Pirates Tale
When: Oct. 17
Where: Italian Cultural Society (14230 133rd Ave.)
What: A ninth-annual gala hosted by Dogs with Wings Assistance Dog Society
Featuring: A delicious meal, fabulous auction, lively entertainment and appearances from pirate-clad pups
About the organizer: Dogs with Wings Assistance Dog Society is a registered non-profit organization that provides certified guide and service dogs for people who are visually impaired or have physical disabilities or mobility issues, and children living with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Edmonton fashion designer Stanley Carroll has been on the North American and European fashion scenes for more than three decades, but for the past six years or so, his business model has been largely based around pop-up shops.
The Dutch-born designer has done them in Amsterdam, Belgium and here in Edmonton at traditional spaces like studios, and non-traditional ones like pubs, hair salons and outdoor party tents.
Carroll is just back from Antwerp, Belgium, where he presented his latest collection, Cocoon, in September. The artist, who has a permanent studio workshop on the south side of Edmonton, unveiled the collection to Canadian audiences on Sunday at a pop-up shop on Whyte Avenue.
Missed out? No need to panic. Keep an eye on stanleycarroll.com and his Facebook page to find out when and where in town the next one will spring up (there will be one every month or so here this fall). Or contact him directly at info@stanleycarroll.com.
We spoke to Carroll about his cosy new collection (he calls it the “comfort food of clothing”) of soft, shawl-collar jackets, knit dresses, mixed-print shirts and patchwork sweaters.
Q What should we know about your latest collection, Cocoon?
A We decided to call it Cocoon because I tried to draw on the feeling I get from the world around me, the uncertainty in the world on so many different levels: political, economical, safety. People want to crawl into a shell of comfort, of shutting things away a little bit and just hunkering down as the storm passes by. Through the clothes, I tried to give people that sense of comfort and ease — for lack of a better world.
Q How is it different from your other collections?
A For a long time now, I use the word “collection” very lightly. It’s an ongoing process, so it’s not like, “OK, these styles are done, stop, on we go.” It’s very much an evolutionary process rather than a revolutionary process. That said, if I were to look back over previous seasons, there was a time when there was a sort of lighthearted, positive attitude to the clothes, and I’m not saying that things are necessarily dark and sombre, but there’s a certain sense of lightheartedness that isn’t there anymore and a certain sense of inwardness.
Q What is it about pop-up shops that you like so much?
A By nature I’m non-conformist/rebellious. (Pop-up shops) suit that whole essence … where you don’t get hung up with a locked retail environment. You don’t have to go on your knees to other retailers. It’s a guerrilla-style kind of marketing where you pop up. It makes sense because it allows me to focus on the one thing that I’m better at than anything else and that is being a designer. I’m not necessarily the best retailer in the world or the best businessman. It suited and suits what we do.
Q Your designs aren’t trendy necessarily, but are you influenced by trends?
A To some extent, I’ve always been passionate about the essence of fashion. We all live in the same planet and the same universe. To some extent we’re all more or less influenced by the same thing. I’m not immune to the same things, whether it’s a musical trend or an art trend or whatever. But I think I’m at a stage in my career where if I see someone else doing it or I’ve done it, I don’t have much interest in doing it anymore. The whole idea of fitting in with the masses is something that I’ve never been (interested in) and I think that my customers aren’t (either). It’s about saying to the world: “Here I am. This is the kind of person I am.” If there’s a sad thing in fashion, it’s that it has become very homogenized, and fashion used to be the place where people could make statements about themselves and show their own true personality. People have become afraid of doing that. Fashion seems to be about status or looking like somebody else.
Toronto-based designer Sid Neigum is excited his fashions will be in the local spotlight Thursday at two shows for Fashion with Compassion. It’s his first time at the glamorous fundraising event, now in its 19th year in support of Sorrentino’s Compassion House.
Neigum, 27, is so busy mounting shows on international fashion runways that he rarely gets the chance to share his work with his family and friends, many of whom live in Drayton Valley. His is a success story in the world of global fashion, but it’s meant having to live far from his Alberta roots.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve done a show in Edmonton; in fact, the last time I showed in Edmonton was my graduation collection from MC College,” he says, on the phone from Toronto where he launched his latest collection at World MasterCard Fashion Week.
As the featured designer for Fashion with Compassion 2015, Neigum plans to present a mixture of his past two collections, ranging from wearable daytime outfits to red-carpet-style gowns. It’s Neigum’s first time putting on a show for a charitable cause; he’s glad to lend his support to cancer survivors and their families.
“It’s totally new for me and I’m really looking forward to it,” he says, noting he lost one grandfather to cancer, while his other grandfather battled the disease and survived.
Sorrentino’s Compassion House provides an Edmonton home-away-from-home residence for women undergoing cancer treatments at the Cross Cancer Institute. Some of the women will be participating in the fashion shows at Fashion with Compassion, modelling before 1,500 guests at the Shaw Conference Centre.
Returning as stylist for the fashion shows is Edmonton’s Malorie Urbanovitch, a leader in the city’s thriving fashion-design community. She won the Toronto Fashion Week emerging designer competition in 2013, the year before Neigum captured the prize.
Michael Meneghetti, agency director of Mode Models, produces the shows and provides about 80 professional models. “The highlight for me, though, every year is the special models,” he says, referring to the breast cancer survivors who walk the runway during the lunch and dinner shows.
“It’s always emotional. We rehearse with them the night before. We want them to feel very welcome and assure them there’s nothing but love in the room.”
The show also includes child models, who show fashions from Alligator Pie, one of the regular retail participants in Fashion with Compassion. “Our kids really love it,” Meneghetti says of the annual shows.
He says the job of producing and styling the event is massive and he praises the work of Urbanovitch, who is also his business partner. “She pulls the looks together from the retailers, gives the show a mood and direction, and tries to make everything cohesive.
“Malorie and Sid are the top two designers in Canada right now and they’re both from Edmonton,” says Meneghetti. “Edmonton is really making an impact in fashion nationally. It’s a good thing for young people to know.”
In fact, Meneghetti’s friendship with Neigum persuaded the award-winning designer to come back to Edmonton to present at Fashion with Compassion. “It really sounded like something I wanted to be a part of,” Neigum says.
London, England is calling for Neigum, however, and the young designer will be showing his work there in 2016 at fashion weeks in February and September after winning a global competition run by IMG, the company that owns fashion weeks in places such as Toronto, Sydney, Berlin, Tokyo and London. He was chosen over 150 other designers from around the world for the all-expenses-paid invitation to show in London.
“My mom is definitely quite happy,” says Neigum. “It’s quite something for someone from Drayton Valley.”
Here's just a small sample of fashion designs by Alberta-born Sig Neigum, returning to the city to take part in Fashion with Compassion, a fundraiser for the Sorrentino's Compassion House.
Models at Toronto Fashion Week Oct. 19 show the spring 2016 collection by Alberta-born designer Sid Neigum.GEORGE PIMENTEL / Supplied
Models at Toronto Fashion Week Oct. 19 show the spring 2016 collection by Alberta-born designer Sid Neigum.GEORGE PIMENTEL / Supplied
Models at Toronto Fashion Week Oct. 19 show the spring 2016 collection by Alberta-born designer Sid Neigum.GEORGE PIMENTEL / Supplied
Models at Toronto Fashion Week Oct. 19 show the spring 2016 collection by Alberta-born designer Sid Neigum.GEORGE PIMENTEL / Supplied
Models at Toronto Fashion Week Oct. 19 show the spring 2016 collection by Alberta-born designer Sid Neigum.GEORGE PIMENTEL / Supplied
Vickie Laliotis hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. She is an Edmonton-based fashion writer and the founder of popular style blog adventuresinfashion.ca.
Where: Art Gallery of Alberta (2 Sir Winston Churchill Sq.)
What: The gallery’s annual Halloween masquerade fundraiser
Featuring: Amazing nibbles and drinks, live music by The Almighty Turtlenecks, soul readings from Josephine Hendrick, a photo booth, appearances from the Secret Burlesque Society, a live printmaking station with Megan Stein, psychic fortune writing, and chocolate treats provided by local favourite Jacek.
Event: Fashion With Compassion
When: Oct. 29
Where: Shaw Conference Centre (9797 Jasper Ave.)
What: A 19th-annual fundraising gala, held in support of Compassion House Foundation and Sorrentino’s Compassion House
Featuring: A decadent meal, lively fashion show including looks from Derks, DKNY, Simons and feature designer Sid Neigum, live entertainment and incredible people-watching.
Fun fact: Compassion House Foundation serves nearly 200 communities across Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Northwest Territories and the Yukon each year.
OK, none of us look forward to standing at a bus stop on a minus-20 morning. Even the thought of starting our car on the same frozen morning isn’t an inviting scenario.
But there’s no avoiding the need to get ready for an Edmonton winter. With Halloween out of the way, it’s time to assess your wardrobe. Do you have what it takes for warmth and style this winter?
If you’re convinced toasty toes are impossible in fashion boots, talking to Everett Kunitz might change your thinking. The co-owner of Kunitz Shoes makes it his mission to show customers you can kick winter’s butt in style.
We can have it all, he says, if we start boot shopping with the right question: what is my application? If you want boots for tobogganing or enduring a wait at the bus stop in — 20C, you’re looking for a polar application. For short walks from parking lots to buildings, a wider world of winter boots is yours.
“If you want warm and waterproof, there are only so many ways to dress that up,” says Kunitz, explaining the insulation technology of the polar boot. But a boot that’s warm even in extreme winter conditions doesn’t have to sacrifice fashion for durability. With prices around $200, a quality polar boot such as a Sorel or Manitoba Mukluk is built to look great and an investment for many winters.
Kunitz anticipates another busy season for the Romika spike boot, in which cleverly disguised traction devices can be pulled out from the outer sole when conditions are really icy. Spike boots, with prices ranging around $300 a pair, have been available in the city for several years but only really took off last winter.
“We’re getting so many more of those — 10C winter days now with Montreal-style ice covering sidewalks and roads,” says Kunitz. “These spikes are really a lifesaver.”
If you’ve been persuaded that polar boots actually do look stylish, there’s a reason. Worlds are colliding, or at least merging, as leather winter boots take on military styling and more masculine shapes.
Chunky ankle boots, particularly in lace-up styles, are the hottest trend for winter 2015-16. Faux fur linings and felt trim are part of the look in many styles that are insulated enough to be comfortable on most days in a typical Edmonton winter. Sturdy soles ensure boots make a firm connection with icy sidewalks.
Jamie Boles, owner and buyer at Mayfair Shoes, notes the material that the sole is made of is key to good grip. She points to her Beautiheel line ($300-$525 a pair), which features a latex heel that’s soft and gummy and, most important, impervious to moisture. Heels that soak up water and then freeze are your enemy.
“We’ve noticed a huge shift in boots this season. People used to wear high boots a lot, but not anymore,” she says. “Ankle boots are so much more versatile; you can wear them with pants, a tunic top or a dress.”
Boles is seeing a heavy look dominate ankle boots, many laced up in a Victorian military style. She says she appreciated the tread on her Miista ankle boots ($350 a pair) all through last winter, and had no problem staying warm. Memory foam ensured comfort.
European lines feature a slimmer design with more subtle enclosures, resulting in a dressier ankle boot that will both look professional in the office and function on short winter walks from transit stops or downtown parking.
“Edmontonians in general are a hardier bunch,” says Kunitz. “There’s only so many ways you can hide the features and functions of a really warm boot.”
While black is still the go-to shade, leather boots in grey and merlot are at the footwear forefront, pushing aside anything in brown. In fact, merlot may well be the new brown.
“If you’re just getting one pair of boots, you probably want to go with black,” says Kunitz. “But merlot is great — you could wear it right across your wardrobe.”
Black is dominating, however, and Boles blames the recession, noting designers stop turning out a lot of colour when times are tough. But she advises customers to go for quality, spend a little more, and think of boots as an investment spread out over three or four winters.
“The most important thing in winter boots is fit and that’s what you get with better quality. If that’s good, you’re going to enjoy wearing those boots and they will last longer. Just think about how long our winters are.”
For fashion and warmth, here's a look at some trends in cool-weather footwear in Edmonton.
Spike boots by Romika are just the thing for icy sidewalks and streets; available at Kunitz Shoes for about $300. Greg Southam / Edmonton Journal
Merlot is the new brown in boots for winter 2015-16. This military, lace-up style is available at Kunitz Shoes for about $200.Greg Southam / Edmonton Journal
Textured Insets add a trendy look to these grey winter boots, available at Kunitz Shoes in Edmonton. Greg Southam / Edmonton Journal
Black is still the go-to shade for winter boots, but red details add a stylish edge. Greg Southam / Edmonton Journal
Manitoba Mukluks are a Canadian line of boots sold at Kunitz Shoes for $200-$300 a pair. Greg Southam / Edmonton Journal
Manitoba Mukluks are a Canadian line of boots sold at Kunitz Shoes for $200-$300 a pair. Greg Southam / Edmonton Journal
Amor by Beautifeel, $485, from Mayfair Shoes in Edmonton
Jada by Mista, $350, from Mayfair Shoes in Edmonton
Siena by Beautifeel, $525, from Mayfair Shoes in Edmonton
