Max Hurd hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photographer and designer but he’s leaving for Toronto to pursue the next phase of his career there. Watch for our new Social Seen photographer Codie McLachlan next week.

Email your event suggestions at arts@edmontonjournal.com.

Event: Mad Hatter’s Gala 2016: Hard Hatter’s Gala

When: April 23

Where: Robbins Health Learning Centre

Who: MacEwan University

What: An annual fundraising event, now in its 31st year, where money raised goes toward MacEwan student scholarships and bursaries. This year is also celebrating the building of the new Centre for Arts and Culture.

Featuring: A ritzy evening featuring cocktails, a wonderful reception, extensive auctions, the concrete mixer after-party, and music by MacEwan graduates. 

Event: Dirt Buffet Cabaret #12

When: April 28

Where: Mile Zero Dance 

What: A monthly performance lab & avant-garde variety show celebrating its one year-anniversary

Featuring: The cabaret was comprised of very different 10-minute multidisciplinary performances by local artists, including a puppet show, book reports, dance & theatre, poetry, and a live tarot card reading. 

For a long time, blue eye makeup seemed like a relic of the 1980s, an enduring fashion faux-pas. But in 2016, you can’t open a glossy magazine or walk through a drugstore without seeing shades of azure, sapphire, navy and teal. Blue is having its major moment.

“Trends recycle through the years,” says Amber Victoria Prepchuk, a makeup artist who’s created looks for Avenue, Vue Weekly and Global Television and is an instructor at Eveline Charles Academy. “The blue trend has been huge on all of the runways.” 

Model Jourdan Dunn walks the runway at the Diane Von Furstenberg Spring 2016 fashion show during New York Fashion Week last September.

Prepchuk is particularly fond of the mermaid-inspired look that Pat McGrath created for Diane von Furstenberg’s Spring 2016 runway show at New York Fashion Week last September.

After the catwalk comes luxury makeup labels, says Edmonton makeup artist Nickol Walkemeyer, who’s worked with Vogue India, Condé Nast Traveller and Flare magazine. “It starts with brands like YSL and NARS, and you’ll see them coming out with amazing bright hues, especially for spring and summer.

“This summer I’d say it’s full-blown. You’re really seeing it penetrate the mass market and, more importantly, major beauty influencers. If you were to look at YouTube right now, you’d see the Jaclyn Hills — these massive YouTube vloggers — doing tutorials, and almost all of them are using graphic blue eyeliner.”

But how to achieve the new, modern look without going full ’80s music video? Prepchuk and Walkemeyer give us their best tips on wearing the trend.

Make up artist Amber Victoria Prepchuk works on Meredith Chase’s makeup.

1. Start out simple.

“Using a blue liner is perfect,” says Prepchuk. “Just doing your normal nude lid with a soft, warm contour and locking down a blue eyeliner. I really like MAC Fluidline gel liner in Waveline. You can put an eyeshadow over top of it and it’s still creamy, and you get a really intense blue.”

Prepchuk also suggests adding blue into the waterline. “Instead of doing black or brown inside, I’ll do a navy or indigo colour that’s safe for the waterline. Green-brown eyes will look yellow-green in an instant. It’s a hint of colour without wearing the colour.”

Walkemeyer agrees, and recommends one of YSL’s Shocking eyeliner pens in a bright blue hue. “You can use them along the top lash line and as a backdrop to your mascara. It adds a little something without looking overwhelmed and it’s relatively easy to use. You’re incorporating the trend but you’re not overwhelming yourself with it.”

Walkemeyer also suggests using a blue shade on your lashes. “Blue mascara is amazing. You can use it on its own or use it on top of black. It adds dimension to your eye.”

2. Mix it up.

“If you’re going to use shimmery blue, you need to think about depth and levels, and mix it up with some navies and shades that will give you shape to your eye, rather than taking a baby-blue shimmer and washing it all over,” says Prepchuk. “Anything with one tone and no depth is dated … One of my favourite smokey eyes is all blue tones. But you have to put something warm in the crease so that it isn’t too harsh.”

3. Pick a shade that works with your skin tone

“Everyone can pull off the look. But the easiest way to find out if a colour is going to look good on you, is if you’re in a store: hold up two shades of blue to your face. Your eye will naturally gravitate toward the one that looks complementary to your skin,” says Walkemeyer.

“I love seeing navies on deeper skin tones,” she adds. “It seems to pop out the cinnamon, honey and deeper-toned skin and makes flecks of brown and hazel in the eyes pop out. It’s sultry and different than black or brown. And I love using a cerulean or aquamarine as a really nice pop of colour on literally anyone. Blue makes the whites of the eyes look so white.”

And what about blonds? “Sometimes blue-eyed girls with blond hair get a little petrified of blue,” says Prepchuk. “But I would show them the Diane von Furstenberg look. If they’re into the mermaid look in any way, this is something they should play with. With blue-eyed, blond women, you want to stay a little lighter. The darker your eyes and the darker your hair, the more navy and smokey you can go.”

4. Balance it out

“There’s a lot of makeup that blue-based,” says Walkemeyer. For example, black eye makeup can be blue- or green-based. A red lipstick can be blue- or orange-based. “Wearing blue makeup makes everything cooler. So I say, when people are using blue in one spot, use a warmer tone somewhere else to complement it.”

Meredith Chase models makeup artist Amber Victoria Prepchuk’s work.

5. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Beauty movements don’t last forever — especially bold ones. Walkemeyer says that the next big wave is “almost translucent” makeup. “We’re going to be seeing a lot of dewy, beautiful, glossy skin and a lot of sheer, transparent finishes.”

The bottom line? Don’t be afraid of cobalt and turquoise. You never know when a trend, especially this one, is going to come back again.

Codie McLachlan hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photojournalist. Email your event suggestions to arts@edmontonjournal.com or tweet Codie at @fotocodie. Follow Codie on Instagram (@fotocodie) and Facebook (facebook.com/fotocodie)

Event: Fashion For Freedom

Where: City Life in Leduc 

When: April 30

Who: Poiema Productions

What: Third Fashion For Freedom Fundraising and Awareness Gala

Featuring: Appetizers and refreshments, fashion, a silent auction and a Polaroid station. Funds were raised for the Mennonite Centre for Newcomers.

Event: Night Moves

Where: The Works Gallery at Jackson Power

When: April 30

Who: The Works Art and Design Festival and Jackson Power

What: Night Moves opening reception

Featuring: Artistic works by Ashley Huot, Dwayne Martineau, Hans Cully, Holly Sykora, Laura St. Pierre, Mark Templeton and Sergio Serrano

Tucked into the main lobby of the Cross Cancer Institute, next to the bookstore and the Sun Room Café, is one of this city’s best-kept fashion secrets. It’s the hospital’s gift shop, which is quietly building a reputation for their selection of wearable, stylish clothing.

Small but mighty, the little store spreads its wares into the adjacent lobby, with racks of garments in chic black and white, along with fresh and seasonable pastels.

For people undergoing chemotherapy, the CCI gift shop has always been one of the go-to places for head gear and scarves. But more recently, the buyers have expanded the selection to include sleepwear, robes and stylish leisurewear, including skirts, tops, jackets and pants, mostly in easy-wear knits.

Selected as much for style as comfort, the clothing has become popular with patients, staff and visitors alike. For some, dropping into the Cross has evolved into destination shopping, long after the excuse of medical appointments or patient visits at the hospital has ended.

Edyth Florence is one of two buyers for the store. She began volunteering at the Cross 26 years ago, quickly finding fulfilling work in the gift shop. For most of those years, she has also been one of its principal buyers. Since 2009, when the store expanded with a stylish new makeover, she and store manager Marieta Mieila have travelled to the Toronto Gift Show annually to purchase clothing and gift items to stock the shelves.

“Over the years we have developed a sense for what works in the store,” says Florence. And they know their clientele.

The two saw a need to balance the hats, turbans and scarves, which had been a mainstay of their sales, with other clothing items, and were encouraged by the response. “We have even added a change room where people can try on the clothing,” says Florence. Given that the store is scarcely more than 200 square feet, that was quite a challenge. Despite the tight quarters, volunteers work hard to present welcoming and attractive displays.

At the outset, garments were selected primarily with patients in mind, so the pieces have easy openings and closures and slip-on waistbands. “Having something new to wear that’s pretty and comfortable goes a long way to helping people feel better,” says Florence. But the clothing lines were so appealing that others began to discover them for themselves. Especially since the price point is low enough to be affordable for most people. The majority of items range between $30 and $100.

Florence loves her volunteer job, with a regular shift of one day a week. “It’s a great place to work,” she says. “I just get to do the fun parts, the buying and working with people I enjoy, without having to worry about salaries or management.”

She is one of more than 350 volunteers at the Cross, who help out in the gift shop, bookstore, Sun Room Cafè and elsewhere in the hospital. Over the years, volunteer efforts in these facilities have netted the hospital more than $5 million in revenue, says Florence. The funding is used to purchase enhanced medical equipment and refurbishing patient areas.

Other stores

The Cross store isn’t the only hospital gift shop that sells clothing. Nearby gift shops at the University of Alberta Hospital and the Mazankowski Heart Institute both have attractive apparel for sale. A phone survey of several other area hospital gift shops reveals that many have expanded into fashion. Each is run by a combination of paid and volunteer staff who do their own buying. So expect to find different styles and selections at each store.

Saylish Haas and Landon Schedler’s wedding last October really started with a vintage ring from 124 Street home decor shop, Plum Home + Design. That’s fitting, considering just how many local businesses would eventually play a part in their nuptials.

Saylish had seen the 1858 rose gold wedding band there, and hinted to Landon that she wanted it. He was sure he was going to propose, but after secretly filing away the details, buying the wrong ring once (before eventually getting it right), and a period of months where he wondered if she’d actually wanted it as an engagement ring (indeed, she did), he finally popped the question. It was last July on Saylish’s birthday, in the house they’d bought together and were renovating.

“He pulls out the ring and I look at it and I’m like, ‘That’s the ring! You had it the whole time?’ So he had me pretty good.”

Once he asked her, Landon didn’t want to waste any time — he wanted to get married that fall. Saylish was hesitant at first, but ultimately agreed.

“We were really excited to be married, instead of focusing on planning a wedding,” she says. “By the end of July we had a date in mind in October.”

The couple had started dating in the fall of 2013, after meeting the previous year when Saylish needed a general contractor for Meat, the restaurant she was opening in Old Strathcona. Landon, who owns the ultracool woodworking company Oliver Apt., wound up doing the tables in the new space, which is next door to the Next Act pub, which Saylish also owns.

“He was very persistent,” recalls Saylish. “I thought, ‘Who’s this younger guy who wants to go out with me’?” (Saylish is 35; Landon, 29.)

They chose the Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend for their wedding date, knowing that although some people might be away, the wedding would bring a number of their friends back into the city.

Despite the fact that they’re both particular people, says Saylish, both bride and groom were happy to let their friends — many of whom own local businesses — help them out with the planning and execution. 

One thing they did worry about was their guest count. They wanted to get married on the High Level Bridge Streetcar, so the biggest wedding challenge was whittling numbers down to the 52 people who could fit on the train.

Ultimately, the couple decided to have an intimate wedding on the streetcar, followed by a party. Meat was the obvious choice for the venue. (The restaurant doesn’t host private events, but being an owner has its perks.) “We met there; it was the reason we are together,” says Saylish. 

One of her employees at Next Act volunteered to decorate. The room was filled with gold, cream and white fabric ribbons and twinkling lights. There were lanterns, candles and flowers on the tables. Meat’s kitchen provided perogies, fried chicken and beef tenderloin, plus a taco bar for the late lunch.

Almost every detail was locally made. The couple had their good friends at Hunt Amor design studio custom-make their rings. Both bride and groom got their hair done at Weekly  in the Mercer Warehouse; Saylish picked out her own bouquet from Laurel’s On Whyte; coffee entrepreneur and café owner Nate Box provided cold drinks and snacks around ceremony time; Duchess Bake Shop made dessert for the Meat after-party (pots de crème and macaroons) and Rob Batke of Artisan Loyalist played guitar on the streetcar while DJ Thomas Culture handled the music at Meat. Their photographers, Paula Shyba and Nicole Bhar of Arrow Film and Photo, also captured their day with a vintage Super 8mm film.  

Their wedding day was unseasonably warm — 25 degrees — and the I dos took place smack in the middle of the North Saskatchewan River. They’d been officially married the day before on the front porch of their house so that a friend of the family could officiate at the streetcar ceremony. Afterwards, the couple and guests did a candlelit walk over to Meat, where they met the rest of their invitees.

“The whole wedding was just a fun extension of our life and day-to-day,” says Landon. “For us to walk through our neighbourhood — that wasn’t orchestrated. The food, the DJ, the photographers, Duchess, the flowers — they’re all people who we interact with on a weekly basis and are close to us.”

Skipping bridal party, having a late wedding start (5 p.m.), and letting friends and co-workers help out made for an incredibly stress-free day for the couple. By the time their party was winding down at 2 a.m., they were still having the time of their lives. They grabbed some leftover food and cards and left — but it wasn’t quite over yet.

“We hadn’t done a bouquet toss or anything,” says Landon. “So we walked out — and a bunch of our friends had gone over to Next Act. There was a huge table of people just having a beer. So, we opened the door and Saylish was like, ‘See ya, guys!’ and just threw the bouquet in. And then we walked home.”

It couldn’t have been more “them.”

Making Choices

Wedding date: Oct. 10, 2015

Wedding location: High Level Bridge streetcar

Reception location: Meat

Guests: 52; 110

Budget: just over $10,000

First dance: Coming Home by Leon Bridges

Codie McLachlan hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photojournalist. Email your event suggestions to arts@edmontonjournal.com or tweet Codie at @fotocodie. Follow Codie on Instagram (@fotocodie) and Facebook (facebook.com/fotocodie)

Event: Friars Ball

Where: Westin Hotel

When: May 6

Who: The Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton

Featuring: Reception, dinner, live auction and dancing. Funds were raised in support of Catholic education.

Event: Art & Sole fashion event

Where: Studio 96

When: May 6

Who: Citie Ballet, sponsored by Global TV, Kunitz Shoes and Cointreau

Featuring: Music by DJ Thomas Culture. Foot fashion by Kunitz Shoes, Poppy Barley, March First Footwear, Good Luck Sock and Workhall. Funds were raised in support of Citie Ballet.

Event: Junior Achievement Alberta Business Hall of Fame

Where: Expo Centre

When: May 5

Who: Alberta Business Hall of Fame

Featuring: Reception, dinner and inductee ceremony.

Consignment shops and online shopping are pure gold for the thrifty teen. Even as the price of oil remains volatile, pinching the parental pocketbook, young women (and men) in Edmonton have plenty of options when it comes to grad fashions.

Consignment, thrift and vintage shops are overflowing with items — from shimmery clutches to patent spiked heels — that can be had for a few dollars. At the same time, a couple of local organizations, Cinderella’s Closet and The Gregor Foundation, will make dresses and men’s suits available for free for students from low-income households, as long as they have a referral from a counsellor or teacher.

Online options from Kijiji to Etsy to Mod Cloth, and other shops without storefronts, turn a lack of overhead into bargains for the discerning virtual shopper.

With her mother’s $100 budget in mind, Freya Hammond-Thrasher, 17, of Old Scona High School thought hard about how to put something together that she’d be pleased with. She wanted to look good, but also to feel good.

“I want those memories, but looking confident is what I’m going for,” says Hammond-Thrasher.

After checking out the traditional selections at local bridal-style shops, she turned to online clothing sites. Hammond-Thrasher eventually scored a $60 dress ($80 with shipping) that perfectly suits her boho chic style and willowy frame. She has paired the purple, sequined, cocktail-length, flapper-style dress with a simple silver clutch.  

“To be honest, floor-length dresses aren’t necessarily my thing,” she says. “It doesn’t seem to suit me and for the price — from $200 to $1,000 — that was just something I was not interested in.”

Hammond-Thrasher’s twin sister, Stephie, also found part of her outfit online — a floor-length, voluminous floral skirt that she plans to wear with a cropped top. Some shoppers worry about sizes with online purchases, but the price of the skirt was so reasonable that Stephie could afford to have it tailored locally. 

Tailoring is not a problem when the cost of the garment is low, says clerk Tiana Barnes of Divine Decadence, a used clothing shop on Whyte Avenue.

Tiana Barnes of Divine Decadence says the shop has plenty of vintage clothing at reasonable prices.

“This is a good place to come if you want a certain style and then you can alter it,” she says. “It’s cheap.”

There are dramatic and elegant dresses, and frocks that are pretty “kooky,” she says, pulling a red and white polka-dot number off the rack. The average size is 12 to 14. Expect to spend less than $25 on a dress at Divine Decadence. Full-length gloves and small, boxy bags are available to polish the look.

When Barnes, 18, graduated last year from Victoria High School, she and her girlfriends didn’t spend too much time or money on the event. They set up a Facebook page to share ideas and images of their chosen outfits (which also served to avoid duplication of styles). They visited a number of mall stores, including H& M and Simons, plus Aldo and Forever 21 (the latter two for accessories). In the end, Barnes bought her dress at Anthropologie, but she did have a 25-per-cent off coupon and spent $450. Generally speaking, she thinks dropping big bucks on a high school grad is out of proportion with the event.

“A lot of girls get these huge, fluffy dresses that are very expensive,” says Barnes. “Personally, grad is an achievement, but in the end, your wedding is the day you should spend a lot of money on a dress.”

If you find the search for just the right look stressful, don’t despair; you are not alone. Have faith that your hours spent trolling online, or stomping around malls will lead to a purchase that makes you feel special in the end. Teacher Corey Nahayowski has worked with graduating class committees at Archbishop O’Leary High School for 12 years. When asked what young women find most stressful about graduating, she chuckled.

“I’d love to say it’s the actual graduation, ensuring they are eligible to graduate,” she says. “But the honest truth is it’s the clothing, the attire, the hair, the makeup. The kids might not be ready to graduate just yet, haven’t got all their credits. But they have their dress.”

lfaulder@postmedia.com

Workhall, the popular Edmonton clothing store with two city locations, is pushing west. The owner of the shop, Nicole Campre, is throwing open the doors of a Workhall in Vancouver, due to launch in August.

“We’ve got our grassroots in Edmonton, and I’m so happy we’re expanding,” says Campre, 26.

A 2012 graduate of MC College, Campre was raised in the Vancouver area before moving to Edmonton when she was 13.

“We have a huge client base in Vancouver and a lot of the time, they tell us we need to open in Vancouver,” says Campre of the decision to open a location at 157 West Hastings St. “Although our concepts are born and bred in Edmonton, our Vancouver customers, every time they shop, they love the story and the process, and the thought we put behind our company. It resonates with them, and they find it unique.”

Eventually, Campre would like to open a factory for the Workhall line in Vancouver, so she could have more control over the production of the clothing, which ranges in price from about $38 for a T-shirt to about $130 for a dress.

Workhall currently has its tailored items manufactured in Vietnam; its other lines are made in California. They also make clothing in Edmonton, often right in the downtown shop where customers can see the process, crafting 10 to 15 garments a week locally. Workhall has outlets in the McLeod Building at 10130 100 St. and on the south side at 10552 82 Ave.

lfaulder@postmedia.com

Follow me on Twitter@eatmywordsblog.

A new store in Edmonton is focused on women who have undergone breast surgeries of all types: mastectomy, lumpectomy and reconstruction. Helping women to continue to have a positive body image after these surgeries has been a passion for Crystal Rudolph, owner of Fit Essentials and a breast-care specialty fitter of 20 years.

“I am so dedicated to what I do I decided to open my own store,” says Rudolph.

“I appreciate the opportunity to possibly make a difference in a woman’s life who has gone through so much. Being fit for a breast form can be a very easy and stress-free thing to do for yourself and I encourage women to take that step. I’ve heard far too many times after a fitting, ‘I’ve been putting this off because I thought it was going to be an unpleasant experience, but this has been far easier than I imagined and I’m glad I came in.’ ”

It’s important to listen to what a woman says about the type of breast form she needs, says Rudolph.

Amoena has recently developed a silicone breast form that is 40 per cent lighter than the regular silicone form. Women like comfort and don’t want wearing a breast form to be an uncomfortable experience. It should be something you put on and forget about, like any other piece of clothing.

Fit Essentials has put the entire Amoena catalog on its website so anyone can take a look at what is available.

There are breast forms that are featherlight, especially useful during the healing phase. There are silicone designs with patented temperature-equalizing technology built right into the form. There are even breast forms for swimming and leisure activities. You’ll find every shape, size and weight to ensure appearance, balance and, above all, comfort.

Rudolph says Amoena is also the only brand that offers complete essentials for women with breast-care needs, such as a beautiful variety of pocketed bras for leisure, active and home use. Swimsuits, one of their design specialties, fit beautifully on any figure with a built-in pocketed bra on all styles.

“It’s important to us at Fit Essentials that every woman be happy with her fitting,” says Rudolph. “Your comfort, fit and appearance are a priority to us because they are essential to you.” 

If someone is unable to come into the store, they can look on the website to see what is available and phone to place an order.

The store offers regular promotions, so customers can watch for specials through the website www.fitessentials.ca, Facebook and Twitter. There is also a resource page and a blog on the website with cancer information, lymphedema information, financial coverage information and much more. 

Fit Essentials is open Monday to Friday 9-5 pm, and available for evening and Saturday fittings by appointment.

This story was provided by Fit Essentials for commercial purposes. Postmedia had no involvement in the creation of this content.

Codie McLachlan hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photojournalist. Email your event suggestions to arts@edmontonjournal.com or tweet Codie at @fotocodie. Follow Codie on Instagram (@fotocodie) and Facebook (facebook.com/fotocodie)

Event: Taking Flight

Where: Aurora Jet Partners (Edmonton International Airport)

When: May 12

Who: University Hospital Foundation

What: Taking Flight, a followup to last year’s Pave the Way event

Featuring: Guests toured private planes and exotic vehicles while enjoying the antics of Firefly Theatre and fine cuisine and cocktails. Funds were raised in support of the Brain Centre Campaign.

Event: Art on the Block

Where: Art Gallery of Alberta

When: May 13

What: annual Art on the Block art auction and cocktail party

Featuring: Music, food, wine and art auction. Proceeds from ticket sales go to AGA’s art education programs.

Calgary — After Calgarian Lauren Bilon gave birth, she lost some of her hair and eyelashes.

Hair loss isn’t uncommon for women post-pregnancy, but it’s not pleasant, either.

Hoping to stop the loss and encourage new growth, Bilon tried an over-the-counter treatment but it wasn’t as successful as she had hoped. “I tried a chemical serum and it turned my eyelids purple,” she says.

She then tried false eyelashes — only to get glue in her eyes. “I ended up with a severe eye infection and nearly ended up in the hospital,” Bilon says.

“I was at my wit’s end. I wanted something that would grow my real eyelashes back, but not at the cost of my eye health.”

She eventually had to create it herself. Bilon and her family are the co-owners of Plume Lash and Brow Enhancing Serum, a natural formula that promises to “promote the longevity and fullness of brow and lash follicles,” according to plumescience.com.

It’s for sale on the website and at various boutiques around Calgary. In the Edmonton area, it’s available at multiple retail locations, including  KoKo The Salon, The Beauty Parlour on Whyte Avenue and Suburbia Hair Spain St. Albert. 

For Bilon, the serum is the result of hard work and plenty of testing. Originally from Guelph, Ont., Bilon worked in Mexico for awhile with her husband, Brett Bilon. After moving back to Canada in 2008, the couple had two children, now aged five and almost two.

After her negative reaction to the over-the-counter eyelash growth treatment, she began to research natural alternatives, but quickly found there wasn’t much. “So, I started looking online for different natural ingredients that were known to trigger hair growth,” she says. “And I started putting together my own formulations at home.”

It didn’t take long to notice a difference, and when her friends and family also commented on the change, she and her husband knew they had a business opportunity.

For the next year and a half, with the help of Calgary chemist Irene Schnell, Bilon perfected the formula, which contains ingredients such as Cinchona Succirubra, Achillea Millefolium and vitamin E. They conducted several clinical studies on 60 women of various ages; about 97 per cent noticed an improvement with the current formulation, Bilon says.

After they sent their creation for health and safety testing with Health Canada, they began commercial production at a manufacturing plant in Calgary. 

In September 2015, they launched the Plume Lash and Brow Enhancing Serum into the Canadian market. The product is applied along the lash line; it goes on white and dries clear, and has very little aroma, she says. Safe for pregnant and nursing women, it is also being used on women going through the side-effects of chemotherapy.

Although the serum hasn’t even been in stores for a year, the company has already grown considerably. Plume now has six full-time staff. Plans are in the works to expand internationally this year, with interest from as far away as Australia, Macau and the U.S. While the serum is currently the only product they have in the market, plans to expand the line are underway. First up is a mascara, to be launched this coming summer.

As for Bilon, she hasn’t had a problem with her lashes since starting the new business. “I use it every day, especially being the woman behind the product. I need to keep my lashes in tip-top shape.”

The online price is $95 for a five-mL applicator (about a three-month supply.)

Metallics aren’t just for holiday anymore. We’re used to shimmering throughout December and, especially, on New Year’s Eve. But in 2016, the fashion gods are communicating loud and clear: mineral-inspired hues are for any season.

First, there were the Spring 2016 runway shows. Models in Paris, New York, London and Milan traipsed down catwalks in head-to-toe sparkling silver and gloriously gaudy gold. There were disco-ball dresses and gold jackets at the Lanvin fashion house show; ’70s-inspired gold rompers and short-suits at Diane von Furstenberg; head-to-toe sequins at Alice and Olivia; bright metallic bottoms at Karen Walker (below-the-knee skirts, high-waisted pants and balloon shorts); and full-body spaceman silver looks at Philipp Plein.

Taylor Swift arrives at The Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Benefit Gala on May 2, 2016, in New York.

Next came the biggest fashion event of the year: the Met Gala at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art. The “Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology” theme had half the celebrities (including Taylor Swift, the Kardashian-Wests, Alicia Vikander, Cindy Crawford, Brie Larson and Lady Gaga) in full-body shine, or in the case of Zayn Malik, emphasizing one body part (his were silver, robotic-looking arms).

Want a piece of the trend here at home? Good news: accessible options are cropping up in Edmonton boutiques. For those keen on accessorizing with glitz as opposed to draping yourself in it, metallics are especially huge in shoes and bags. But if you’re brave enough, why not go full-body.

The accent clutch

The Foldover Bag ($90) available at Edmonton e-tailer New Classics Studios (newclassics.ca) from brand SMK comes in a rainbow of colours, including dark copper, gold and silver.

“For those of us who aren’t too keen on wearing a lot of colour in the summer, metallics are a great way to add that pop without resorting to bright colours.” — Alyssa Lau, New Classics founder and curator 

The Bowie Tribute

In honour of David Bowie, Edmonton’s Poppy Barley (poppybarley.com) imagined and designed a silver leather Stardust Collection, including a zippered bootie, a pointed flat, a lace-up ballerina shoe and a heeled mule. Prices range from $235 to $300, and depend on whether the item is available in-stock at their showroom (10822 82 Ave.) or needs to be made to order.

The power-flats

For those who need to pound the pavement, March First Footwear (marchfirst.ca; 18336 Lessard Rd.) has a variety of shiny styles with substance in varying heights. We love the gold and black loafers from A.S. 98 ($245) and silver and baby blue oxfords from Donna Più ($220).

The babe’s first mocs

Plum Home + Design (plumhomeanddesign.com; 12407 108 Ave.) has your baby covered with handmade First Prints moccasins ($47) in glorious gold. 

The bridesmaid’s dress

Think outside the box with edgy metallics for your bridal party. Novelle Bridal Shop (novellebridal.com, 10553 124 St.) carries a couple of options including a full-length, halter-style dress from Amsale in metal chiffon ($420). And the ultra-luxe (and no-expense-spared) bride can get in on the trend, too, with an Eve of Milady lace-covered gown that looks like it was dipped in gold ($8,335).

The space sandal

A nod to the gladiator looks of a few seasons ago, these silver Sol Sana sandals ($135) from Mayfair Shoes (mayfairshoes.ca; 10524 124 St.) add glamour to a casual, slip-on style.

“We love that metallics are a staple this season because they take a lot of work out of wardrobe planning. They’re no longer just for evenings and can be paired with any colour, silhouette or material. Metallics revamp classic styles and take them to a new level with an added element of intrigue and chicness.” — Jamie Boles, Mayfair Shoes owner and buyer

The carryall

A reversible metallic tote from Simons (simons.ca; West Edmonton Mall) — available in rose gold, silver and gold ($49 each) — that’s big enough to carry all of your summer essentials: book, sunglasses, sunscreen, gold bikini. 

The pump

A silver pump goes with everything: jeans, Little Black Dress, evening gown, cut-offs. Gravity Pope’s (gravitypope.com; 10442 82 Ave.) metallic styles are numerous in sneakers, sandals and shoes. But we think this one heel covers all your bases. ($190) 

Codie McLachlan hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photojournalist. Email your event suggestions to arts@edmontonjournal.com or tweet Codie at @fotocodie. Follow Codie on Instagram (@fotocodie) and Facebook

Event: Pioneer High Tea

Where: Hotel Selkirk in Fort Edmonton Park

When: May 25 (every Wednesday till August 31)

Who: Fort Edmonton Park

What: A unique high tea experience

Featuring: A selection of sandwiches made in-house, plus a wide selection of teas to enjoy in the historic Hotel Selkirk.

Event: IABC Gala

Where: Chateau Lacombe

When: May 26

Who: International Association of Business Communicators Edmonton

What: IABC Edmonton Capital Awards Gala

Featuring: Cocktails, networking and an awards gala recognizing the top communications and public relations professionals in Edmonton.

Codie McLachlan hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photojournalist. Email your event suggestions to arts@edmontonjournal.com or tweet Codie at @fotocodie. Follow Codie on Instagram (@fotocodie) and Facebook (facebook.com/fotocodie)

Event: Holy Trinity Catholic High School graduation

Where: Shaw Conference Centre, Hall D

When: May 28

Featuring: Dinner, speeches and dancing

Event: Archbishop MacDonald High School graduation

Where: Shaw Conference Centre, Hall A

When: May 28

Featuring: Dinner, speeches, student videos and dancing

For years, Edmonton entrepreneur Angus Pecover had the same complaint as many a wage slave hopping toe-to-toe at the bus stop.

Why can’t anyone seem to make a winter boot that’s warm and looks good, too? Now, after more than a year of research and development, Pecover — for 27 years the owner of Polly Magoo’s clothing and gifts on Whyte Avenue — has created this elusive object. He’s hoping fellow enthusiasts of toasty, fashionable feet will join to support his vision for Red Frog Boots on Kickstarter, and contribute to the collective dream.

“It offers a good fit without bulk, and it’s anything but boring,” says Pecover, who moved to Mexico more than a year ago to start the manufacturing process.

Angus Pecover

Right now, Red Frog Boots is only making five pairs of boots a day. With an infusion of $11,700 through Kickstarter, Pecover hopes to increase production enough to make this a viable business in the long-term. He wants to buy more equipment and expand his facility in Leon, in the state of Guanajuato. The area is known for shoe production and Pecover had visited there when he was attending trade shows to buy products for Polly Magoo’s.

The boots, which come in tall and short lengths with numerous design options, are indeed innovative. Pecover knew that the soles of boots were a big issue in cold climates like Canada. Leather soles can’t take the snow and muck, and other materials are too slippery. He decided to look at working with old tires, taking advantage of their bountiful supply and propensity to hug the road. He and his team of shoe specialists broke tires down into small bits and then created sheets of soles, experimenting with different formulations to maximize grip and durability. Then they set about creating a really good felt to insulate the inside of the boot, and to decorate the outside.

Pecover, who stopped operating Polly Magoo’s about a year and a half ago, says the key to warmth is to have trapped air within the boot. The felt, made from wool fibres, does just that. Because it’s so warm in Mexico, Pecover had to test the shoes in a meat freezer. But they work.

The exterior of the boot is finished partly with leather and laces, and partly with a handmade felt and cotton print, often colourful. It can be cleaned with soap and water. Pecover says though the boot is warm, it is stylish enough to wear out in the evening without “looking like a lumberjack.”

Designing the boot, however, was only half the battle. When Pecover arrived in Leon and met the handful of people who would become his workforce, he realized they were working under poor conditions, a common situation in Mexico. So he found another space, and built a clean and well-ventilated factory floor.

When he could see that the boot production was going too slowly, he consulted his workers (uncommon in Mexico) to see if they had ideas for speeding up the process. One of them said the felt took too long to dry, and suggested bringing an old wringer/washer into the factory to squeeze water out of the felt, before they put the liner to dry on the foot mould. Now, Pecover says he’s happy with his team, his website by Renee La Roi, his product and the workplace. But he needs a little more money to fine-tune and increase production. 

The Kickstarter campaign offers a variety of incentives to contribute, including a Red Frog key chain, a pair of boots, and a week in a Mazatlan condominium. Visit redfrogboots.com for more details.

Pecover began thinking about a better boot when he was a boy of about 12, and read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, with its scenes of workers in a Soviet camp slogging through the gulag at minus 40C. He has sold all his assets to finance the boot business, which sold 100 pairs last year. He thinks he can make life better for customers who buy his product.

“I’ve had cold feet my whole life, and it does affect your mentality,” he says, noting a warm boot makes people happy.

lfaulder@postmedia.com

Follow me on Twitter @eatmywordsblog.

Codie McLachlan hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photojournalist. Email your event suggestions to arts@edmontonjournal.com or tweet Codie at @fotocodie. Follow Codie on Instagram (@fotocodie) and Facebook (facebook.com/fotocodie)

Event: Indulgence

Where: Delta Edmonton South

When: June 6

Who: Junior League of Edmonton

What: Indulgence is a food and wine pairing festival in its 16th year

Featuring: Alberta chefs and food producers showcase regional ingredients paired with Canadian wines. The event is held in support of the Junior League of Edmonton and the NAIT Culinary Arts program.

Event: Let There Be Height

Where: Fringe Theatre Adventures

When: June 8

Who: Firefly Theatre and Circus

What: The 12th annual fundraiser Let There Be Height: An Aerial Cabaret

Featuring: High-flying aerial circus acts including trapeze, aerial silks and ropes plus a silent auction. Proceeds in support Firefly Theatre’s circus school.

After they got engaged in New York City, Adam Hussynec was happy to let Katie Hussynec call the shots with regards to their wedding. Except for one aspect.

“The only thing we really decided upon from the get-go was that we wanted to do it in Fort McMurray,” he says.

Adam, 29, was born in Fort Mac, while Katie, 30, moved there from New Brunswick when she was four. Both of their families and most of their 240 guests also live there. The two have known each other since high school but became a couple five years ago. After seeing the Jersey Boys on Broadway (they’d eventually have their first dance to a Frankie Valli tune), Adam proposed on top of the Empire State Building in September 2014, a year before they were wed. “If she said no, I could jump,” he jokes.

Although Adam has been working at Syncrude for much of the past month, the two are only now beginning to settle back into regular life in Fort McMurray, nearly six weeks after the wildfire destroyed much of their home community. Katie, who works in retail, has recently returned to the city.

Their autumn wedding photos captured the city’s panoramic beauty, a side of Fort McMurray that wasn’t often shown to the rest of Alberta and Canada.

“I knew I wanted to get married outside,” says Katie. “I was really set on it.”

A little rain in the morning meant that the couple had a gorgeous rainbow over Golf Course Road during their photo session. But for the majority of the photo locations and for the wedding itself, the sun was out, dappling the massive swaths of yellow-gold forest, and the trees and gardens of Helen Pacholko Park, where they were wed.

That park, located a five-minute walk from where they were living at the time, was untouched by the wildfire, but many of the breathtaking landscapes that served as backdrop for their wedding portraits are damaged or destroyed.

Adam has personally checked on one location, along Golf Course Road, which burned to the ground. They also took several group and couple shots on top of a cliff in Abasand, a part of town that was hard hit. The bride and groom have had their first look around Tower Road, where portions of the surrounding forest either burned or was destroyed to make a fire break to protect the Timberlea area, where the couple lives now.

Adam considers themselves luckier than most, as their main residence survived. They did, however, lose their rental house in the part of Timberlea that was levelled.

When the wildfires became serious, Katie thought back to their wedding day. “It makes me much more grateful to have those photos now.”

They hosted their reception at the Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre. “It’s been a hotel in McMurray since before I was born,” says Adam.

The Sawridge was spared — but the nearby Super 8 wasn’t so lucky.

Katie wanted a natural, soft and pretty colour scheme, choosing light pink and neutrals for flowers and decor. The five bridesmaids and five groomsmen wore a mixed palette — the women wore metallic and shiny shades of pink, beige and champagne, while the men donned a mix of blue and grey suits. 

During the evacuation, Katie packed while Adam remained working at Syncrude. Among the few items she brought in the car were her wedding dress, from Delica Bridal in Edmonton, and Adam’s tux.

The reception had a music theme and the 25 tables were marked by custom-made records from their favourite bands, from Bruce Springsteen to Guns N’ Roses to Wu-Tang Clan to the Beatles. To determine which table ate first, they hit shuffle on a playlist, which had a song from each artist.

Neither Katie nor Adam has any regrets about their day. “If you would have asked me a month ago,” says Adam, “I would have said ‘Take less pictures’.” Not anymore.

Their photographer, Kelly Redinger, was key to capturing McMurray at its peak. “Kelly is the one who researched all of those spots,” says Katie. “I knew I wanted to go to Golf Course Road, but he came up and put a lot of work into that. I never would have thought of the Abasand area — I didn’t know it existed. I’m just so thankful that we have the photos.” 

Making Choices

Wedding date: Sept. 19, 2015

Wedding location: Helen Pacholko Park, Fort McMurray

Reception location: Sawridge Inn and Conference Centre

Guests: 240

Budget: about $80,000

First dance: Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Frankie Valli

Dress: Delica Bridal

Flowers: The Personal Florist

Two years ago, Ottewell Junior High brought in a new dress code. Among many other things, it bans skirts or shorts above mid-thigh. It bans tank tops, halter tops and spaghetti straps. It bans anything that exposes underwear. The code is supposed to apply to both genders. But some students — and mothers — say the code shames girls for wearing ordinary summer clothes. 

Gerry Morita, artistic director of Mile Zero dance company, made her complaint public on Facebook this week, after girls were disciplined for wearing shorts to school. Morita, whose son and daughter have both attended Ottewell, says girls are singled out: “It’s like the 1950s.”

“It’s embarrassing when it happens in front of the whole class,” says her daughter, Echo, 14. “I think it makes girls unnecessarily body conscious at a very young age. It glorifies rape culture. It says: ‘Boys will be boys and if anything happens to you it’s your fault for dressing wrong.’ Meanwhile, boys wear muscle shirts and nothing happens to them.”  

Cheryl Smith, whose daughter Eva-Marie, 14, also attends Ottewell, agrees.

“I have no issue with a dress code. I’m a dental assistant. I have a dress code. Dress codes are a part of life. And my daughter in no way goes to school in dress that is inappropriate. No crop-tops. No short-shorts. But every morning when she goes in, she gets the once-over. The teachers run their eyes up and down her. She’s humiliated. She’s been called out for wearing fingerless fashion gloves. She’s been coded for wearing a mid-thigh skirt. And it’s not like boys are called out on what they wear. They can wear whatever they want.” 

“The girls who got in trouble, they weren’t trying to show off. They wanted to wear shorts because it was 30 degrees inside and we don’t have air conditioning,” says Eva-Marie. “Meanwhile, a guy will be low-riding, with his pants below his butt, and the school won’t do anything. ” 

From left: Echo Morita, Trina McGuire and Eva-Marie Smith, all 14, are not happy about the dress code imposed on girls at Ottewell Junior High School.

Trina McGuire, 14, says she’s frequently called out of class or made to serve detentions for code violations.

“They say it’s because they want to ‘keep me safe’ and to keep the learning environment respectful. Maybe instead of shaming girls for their bodies, we need to teach boys that we’re not sex objects.”

“Finding things that conform to the dress code is nearly impossible, unless you dress them in cargo shorts from Cabela,” says her mother, Pauline. “Back in my day, we wore tube tops and strapless sun dresses to school, and we were not concerned with distracting boys with our shoulders.” 

Why, she wonders, are things more conservative now, a generation later?

It doesn’t make sense, they say, for a public school in 2016 to have a dress code so strict, teachers literally use a ruler to measure shirt-straps to the last centimetre.

I’d love to explain the reasoning behind Ottewell’s rules. I’d love to give you principal Ron Thompson’s side of the story. But all my questions were directed to Brad Stromberg, who speaks for the Edmonton Public school district. Stromberg says all Ottewell parents agree to the code, in writing, at the beginning of the year. 

Students who break it are sent to the office and not allowed to leave until they cover themselves, whether that means putting on school-issued sweats or borrowing clothes from a friend.

“The principal did tell me no one would be denied an education based on what they were wearing,” says Stromberg. 

This week, he says, four girls and one boy were disciplined for violating it.

“The school dress codes are applied equally to all students, regardless of gender or gender expression,” Stromberg insists. “If a boy were to wear a skirt, it would be judged the same way.”

But of course, most boys don’t wear skirts or spaghetti straps — those items are very gendered. And when a boy is told to put something on over a tank top, the message he’s hearing is to be more neat or formal. A girl gets the message that her thighs or shoulders are dangerous to the public order.

Echo, Eva-Marie and Trina are all honours students in Ottewell’s program for the gifted. They’re serious about their studies. It took courage to speak out — but seeing a humiliated classmate in tears this week inspired them. They’re worried about backlash. But they want to make Ottewell better for those who come next.

“Ottewell is a pretty fantastic school,” says Eva-Marie.

“We’re proud to be there,” says Echo. “This is just pretty annoying. 

“But do you know what else is annoying?” asks Trina. “Going shopping with a ruler.” 

twitter.com/Paulatics

www.facebook.com/PaulaSimons

Just a few years ago, Sophie Gray was hitting the gym at her Bellerose Composite High School in St. Albert, working out for all the wrong reasons.

Now, equipped with a much healthier attitude, she’s a bonafide lifestyle brand (wayofgray.com and @wayofgray on Instagram and Twitter), selling workout programs, meal plans and her own personal approach to self-love to people around the world. 

A former “model” (Gray says she uses the term loosely), the then-teenager struggled to whittle her body down to measurements that would allow her to work in international markets. But meeting a mentor at her high school gym — who taught her the importance of working out for health versus wanting to look a certain way — changed the course of her life.

Gray got her personal training certification from Canfitpro when she was 18 years old. The following June, she released her first fitness ebook. At the time, she was serving at Original Joe’s and had 19,000 Instagram followers. The ebook, which consisted of 10 workouts for $10, did so well (it sold 20,000 copies) that she quit her serving job almost immediately, and didn’t have to work while she attended the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition to become a holistic nutritionist.

Since then, her Way of Gray brand has sold about 100,000 different workout programs and has a massive Instagram following: 406,000 and counting. We sat down with the 21-year-old entrepreneur to find out about her new group fitness classes, why “self-love” is so important, and what exactly is the “Way of Gray.”

Sophie Gray has created a huge lifestyle brand and her Way of Gray Instagram account has more than 400,000 followers.

Q: You recently teamed up with Athletes Nation training facility’s Brad McNamara and introduced women-only group fitness classes to your brand. What makes them different from other workout classes?

A: It’s an Edmonton program called Gray’s Nation, which is a cross between the Way of Gray and Athletes Nation. It’s a lifestyle program taking the Way of Gray workout method and bringing it to in-person classes. We have two locations — Athletes Nation in St. Albert (107, 125 Carleton Dr.) and Blitz Conditioning in Edmonton (204, 10575 115 St.). It runs five days a week: Monday to Thursdays and Saturdays. You come either once a week, twice a week or three times a week. There’s an upfront cost of $40 because you get a physical journal and a tank top to work out in and you also get over 200 recipes, a 90-page nutrition guide and you get our self-love program: every week you journal something and you have a task to do that week. After the initial cost, you pay weekly: so for once a week, it’s $18, twice a week is $29.95 and three times a week is $39.95. We started in April and we have about 60 members.

Q: When you say the “Way of Gray method,” what exactly is that?

A: We do something called “speed core,” which is part of our warm-up. For example, we’ll do a core move followed by pushups followed by donkey kicks (kicking one leg into the air from a pushup position). We’ll do each move for 10 seconds and we’re doing 10 rounds of that — it’s a lot of core development. There’s a lot of arm strength, which as women, we neglect.

Then, we’ll do a mobility circuit — so it might be mountain climbers or more static stretching. And then we go into high-intensity interval training.

Q: Why only women?

A: It’s a safe place. Because even going to the gym can be intimidating — like, I’m intimidated when I go to the gym! Women are my focus, my niche, and I think that the terminology that we use, and the approach we use are specific to women. 

Q: Tell me about the self-love aspect of your program.

A: Obviously, I sell workout programs. I like to exercise, but it’s not my life. I don’t live and breathe it — it’s just a part of my lifestyle. My main focus isn’t fitness; it’s the mental well-being that’s so important to me.

When I was modelling, I’d have a photo shoot and I’d look good one day and then I’d be like “OK, I look good so now I can go eat terribly.” But if you love yourself, you can’t just say, “Oh, I don’t want to love myself today so I can just eat terribly.”

I don’t have to be the fittest or the cleanest eater. I just want to be my version of healthy, and I think that’s what I want people to understand. I definitely still eat cookies and I don’t call them cheat days — I have unhealthy foods probably more than people think. But to me, being balanced in my mind is more important.

Codie McLachlan hits some of our city’s best bashes to snap photos for our weekly Social Seen column. He is an Edmonton photojournalist. Email your event suggestions to arts@edmontonjournal.com or tweet Codie at @fotocodie. Follow Codie on Instagram (@fotocodie) and Facebook (facebook.com/fotocodie)

Event: 2016 Cappies Gala

Where: Citadel Theatre

When: June 12

What: The ninth annual awards gala celebrating excellence in Edmonton-area high school theatre

Featuring: Excerpts from shows, awards bestowed in 41 categories, including performance, makeup, sound, marketing, creativity and review-writing.