All posts filed under: Fashion

What does Barbara think? Spring Summer 2011 Edition

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I love it when the WWD asks the buyers their opinions of the collections. I’m always interested in what the buyers/retailers think of the collections. For the last few seasons I’ve been posting about Barbara Atkin’s feelings on the show. Spring Summer 2011 is no exception. New York “The consumer is still celebrity-obsessed. The designer is becoming that celebrity as well. We’ve got to move away from turning [fashion week] into a circus.” – Barbara Atkin, vice president and fashion director, Holt Renfrew Trendspotting: “The big story was American sportswear and the whole idea of the timeless classics, easy toppers, trenches and beautiful, easy pants. In a way, another trend is New York producing a whole new wave of young designers with more democratic price points, such as Alexander Wang, Phillip Lim and Theyskens’ Theory.” Sound off: “Everyone’s taking pictures of everyone else. Everybody has a blog and some site they wanted to drive you to. We’re being swallowed up by social media. People are adapting a look and seeing how to wear it immediately …

Sequins & Stilettos – October 15, 2010

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Put on a little black dress and a fierce pair of stilettos and join us on Friday, Oct. 15 at Nyood (1096 Queen St. West, Queen W/Dovercourt) for Sequins & Stilettos: Designers vs DJs,  the launch of the Fashion Collective! Celebrate designers Flor Serrano, Ildiko Rostas and Erin Summer of Coco Boudoir (winner of FFW’s Cheap Is The New Chic design contest). Each designer has teamed with a DJ to create a stylish, musical collaboration based on their collections! The FC: Fashion Collective – in partnership with Frugal Fashion Week (FFW) - celebrates local, emerging designers and works with designers to present runway events, installations and FFW’s new Trunk & Eat series. The Fashion Collective plays an active role in supporting and promoting Canada’s design talent! Doors open at 7pm for a Cupcake & Cocktail reception. The show begins at 8pm. A Designer Reception will follow. Guests receive a gift upon arrival!

Dr. Martens on Queen

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There is a new Dr. Martens store on Queen Street. It’s taken over the old Neon Clothing space. The store’s décor is based around the furniture and fixtures you could expect to find in the raw and industrial Northamptonshire, England factory. Reflecting the sense of craft involved in Dr. Martens boots and shoes, all fittings used in the store are authentic and durable. In addition to Dr. Martens Originals that have become known around the globe, seasonal merchandising will support the contemporary expansion of the brand. As Dr. Martens continues to identify creative individuals around the world, limited edition collaborations will be released and featured in the new Queen Street location. This location has so many styles of Dr. Martens to choose from, it should satisfy most people’s needs. All the abstract colours are available like purple, yellow and the metallics. I love that there is a Dr. Martens store in Toronto now. I could see a major addiction for 20 hole boots developing if this store was open during my high school and university …

Danier Design Challenge 2011

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Danier Design Challenge DANIER, Canada’s premier leather retailer, is teaming up with Ryerson School of Fashion to reach out to young fashion influencers in the second year of this exciting design initiative. The DANIER Design Challenge will give 3rd year design students the opportunity to showcase their fashion chops by creating an original women’s leather garment design. That’s where YOU come in. The Canadian public along with a panel of expert judges will choose the winners. Last year, John Hillifer was the winning designer – his jacket is in select Danier stores NOW! YOU will get to vote on danier.com from October 5th to December 22th . Your votes along with those of an industry expert panel — including Robert Ott, Chair of Ryerson School of Fashion, Olga Koel, DANIER’s Chief Merchandising Officer, fashion icon and television host Jeanne Beker, fashion stylist George Antonopoulos and Tiyana Grulovic, a fashion style reporter and stylist — will decide who becomes the winner of the DANIER Design Challenge. Three winners will be awarded a cash prize and the …

Balenciaga Paris Flagship Store

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Balenciaga recently changed up the Paris flagship store’s design. I like it. Ghesquière and Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster, the contemporary artist with whom he collaborates on store design managed to marry original, classical elements such as black-and-white French chateau floors — and an ornate banister retrieved from the Balenciaga archives — with Starship Enterprise-worthy lighting and fractal fixtures reminiscent of the Fortress of Solitude in “Superman.” The 1,940-square-foot boutique, slated to open Saturday, was also slightly refigured to claim additional ground-level space for selling, allowing Guichot to increase ready-to-wear stockkeeping units by 50 percent, and to better showcase a range of product categories, from footwear and sunglasses to fragrances. There’s even trolley-style luggage, tucked between two gold chairs and next to an interplanetary mural. images: WWD.com

Gap Inc Canadian Online Shopping Launch

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A couple weeks back I attended an event by Gap Inc for the launch of Canadian online shopping at GapCanada.ca, OldNavy.ca and BananaRepublic.ca.   That’s right they finally fulfill orders and ship out of a Canadian warehouse.  No brokerage, no duties.  It was held at the Andrew Richard Design Loft. Each attendee was given a $100 Visa cash card to shop at any of the three sites during the event. It was a great way to get everyone to try out the new system and experience Gap Inc’s online shopping experience. All three websites offer irritation free browsing which is very easy to use. It took me a long time to figure out what would give me the best bang for my buck so I ended up choosing the Haircalf mini chain bag from Banana Republic. It fits into my new hungry for animal print accessories and it would utilize most of the money on the card in one shot. Some attendees also got a lesson in Gap Inc fraud control when some orders were canceled …

Raquel Zimmerman Dances to Lady Gaga in Gareth Pugh

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I’m amazed at how much I enjoy watching Raquel Zimmerman dance around in Gareth Pugh. On 20, 23 and 24 November 2009, world-renowned fashion designer Gareth Pugh took up residence in the LiveStudio to handcraft a one-off garment for SHOWstudio SHOP. The entire process of creation was recorded and broadcast live to a global audience, while Pugh’s final dress was modelled by Raquel Zimmermann in a unique and truly unprecedented one-off performance.