Vancouver Fashion

Canada Day: wear the colours with Native shoes

July 1st, 2011 - Happy birthday, Canada! Now here are some shoes to match your colours. And by a Canadian company, of course. Read More...

Canada’s Rap Prince: Shad

June 9th, 2011 - Fresh off his Juno win for Rap Recording of the Year, Shad tells us more during an on-camera interview at a Vancouver performance. Read More...

DEAL ALERT: String Magazine readers receive 20% off at the Hach

To our dear String Magazine readers: have we got a deal for you!

In preparation for this month’s feature on the Hach, we struck a deal with the local boutique and for the remainder of April, String readers will receive 20% off in-store and online.

Just mention this post when you come in to shop or enter promo code StringMag20 online to take advantage of this offer.

The Hach is a sweet little shop tucked just off Main Street on 17th Avenue (197 East 17th Avenue). Wander in and you’ll be rewarded with minimalist fashions from local as well as Korean designers, handmade soaps and gifts, and a wide assortment of sickeningly adorable stationary from Asia.

Happy shopping y’all!

Naked & Famous Denim: finally get the jeans of your dreams

Naked & Famous Denim and Holt Renfrew invite you to get naked. Ok, not literally naked, but naked in the Naked & Famous kind of way. The famous Canadian denim company, known for its high quality raw denim (none of that distressed denim nonsense–you distress them yourself by wearing ‘em raw!), is making a special appearance at Holt Renfrew this coming 15th and 16th of April. Come in and get yourself fitted for a pair and meet the founder of the brand himself, Brandon Svarc, who will be on hand to help you choose the jeans of your dreams. You can have your pick from a myriad of different options to cutomize your own pair, from the thread to the fabric, which includes rare blends such as silk denim (using 30% silk yarn) and cashmere denim (8% cashmere). Once all is done and done, your pair will be made and on your booty in the span of approximately four weeks.

Do be forewarned, though, this event is for those true denim geeks out there and those individuals that appreciate quality and understand the value of good craftsmanship–these babies don’t come cheap–costing anywhere between $300 and $1,750. But when does one ever get that kind of treatment with jeans anymore? The things are the staple in many people’s wardrobes, so might as well get a damn good pair.

Where: Holt Renfrew Downtown Vancouver, Menswear on concourse
When: Friday, April 15th (2:00pm – 5:00pm) and Saturday, April 16th (2:00pm – 6:00pm)

Do RSVP, friends, you don’t want to miss out on this one. RSVP info:

Angeline Abinoja
604.681.3121 ext 71827
angeline.abinoja@holtrenfrew.com

Jennyfleur Loves… Grand Opening

Words by Janice Liu. Photos provided by Jennyfleur Loves…

Some of the hottest and most fashion forward brands have landed in Vancouver. Jennyfleur Loves…, the newest boutique to grace Yaletown has stepped up the game for the rest of Vancouver. The store boasts brands from Brazil to Australia, LA to Amsterdam, Jeffrey Cambell to Tokyolux. Even reality TV star, Whitney Port’s line, Whitney Eve, is going to be carried at Jennyfleur Loves. The mother/daughter duo, Jennifer Gray and seventeen-year-old Shaughnessy Chow-Domos, decided to join forces and open up the boutique when they realized that everything they wore was consistently being coveted by everyone around them. The well-traveled ladies bring an extra notch of personality with high-end handbags and purses they have acquired from all over the world for the store to sell. As many seem to feel in Vancouver, the uniformity and homogeneous selection of fashion prevails in Vancouver, but no doubt has been improving over the past few years. Gray and Chow-Domos simply want to help the process along a little and provide more competition for the bigger players out there, even if it is one step at a time. So next time you want to wear something no one else has–that’s not vintage and not over the top expensive–drop on by and check out what Jennyfleur Loves… at #110 1058 Mainland Street, Vancouver, BC.

Converse + Marimekko = one lively collaboration

Words by Janice Liu. Photos by Bernard Patacsil.

We saw nothing less than a colourful and print-filled celebration this past Thursday night, when the concept store, Marimekko Vancouver (1233 Hamilton Street), celebrated its design collaboration with Converse. The Finnish design house based in Helsinki has established a presence in fashion since the 1960s. Known for their beautiful prints and colourful patterns it’s no wonder that Converse has sought out these iconic graphic designs to use for their printed canvas shoes. As everyone gathered in the hub of stylish Yaletown, 4 Marimekko printed shoes were introduced for Spring 2011. If you want something that catches the eye this season, I’d hurry on over to Hamilton Street and pick up these Chuck Taylors before they’re gone!

 

TONIGHT: Sucker Punch Ball

There is something about ladies in corsets kicking ass that everyone seems to find very appealing. And I mean everyone–not just the boys.

Opening tomorrow, Sucker Punch, is delivering said scenario in a movie that promises to be action-packed, sexy, and deliciously ridiculous. But tonight, Melanie Talkington of Lace Embrace Atelier, who acted as the movie’s corsetiere, is throwing a party complete with a fashion show featuring the designs used in the movie (plus Scout Boutique and Misty Greer’s wares), music, and the screening of the movie when the clock strikes midnight. Organizers encourage attendees to dress up in “corsets, fantasy, pin-up, and costume.” Surely not an event to be missed and it’s tonight!

Tickets are $18 in advance $20 at the door and include fashion show and movie premiere. Buy advance tickets at Lace Embrace Atelier (219 East 16th Avenue) and Scout Boutique (152 East 8th Avenue), online at here or here.

Dace is 10 years old, but certainly not just a kid

Words by Alexia Anastasiou. Photos by Maria Hernandez.

An anniversary is a big deal. Especially when it’s a 10-year anniversary. And most especially when it’s for cool Vancouver clothing line, Dace.

Dace–a popular and time-tested clothing line–hosted its 10-year bash and Spring/Summer 2011 preview at Opus Hotel. Commemorating the occasion, guests were given delicious mini cupcakes housed in small boxes and a party whistle. Then came the best part: as you ate your two-bite cupcake and blew your whistle, you could watch the live models wearing the very covetable collection.

What came to mind as I watched the turnover of live models standing in front of the mingling crowds of fans? The catchy unforgettable slogan of a certain cosmetics line: “Easy, breezy, beautiful…” The clothes looked light, feminine, and sexy, made in all of the best nude and earth tones and luxurious, airy fabrics ideal for both spring and summer. This season, Dace will make your clothing choices easy and your summer look good.

 

Hermès taken over by LVMH?

Words by Janice Liu and Alexis Jackson. Above, looks from the Hermès Fall/Winter 2011 RTW collection. Photo courtesy of Style.com

As much as we like to think our personal style is dictated by our own inspirations and desires, it’s inside peeks into the fashion industry that make us see that perhaps what we wear and how we connect to brands is a result of a couple choices by a very few select people, like in The Devil Wears Prada, where Anne Hathaway’s character gets reamed for giggling at a choice of cerulean blue. Behind all the pretty fabrics and glamorous designs, it becomes no more than business, power positions, and essentially pure economics.

The largest fashion houses today have much greater resources at their disposal to push the entire industry in directions that smaller players cannot even imagine. Which leads us to the case of the Hermès. A fashion house founded in 1837, and renowned for its luxury designs, products, and as we all know, its beautiful silk scarves. Back in October, 2010 the Hermès Group discovered that LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) had acquired 14% of their shares and was planning on raising that to 17%. In other words, it seems that a hostile takeover is in the midst, despite Bernard Arnault’s, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, insistence otherwise. The Hermès family, has made substantial efforts to look into the legalities. The rule in the book is that as long as you acquire less than 5% at a time, no public statement is needed. Sneaky, sneaky.

So what? LVMH’s fashion philosophies are dependent on constant innovation and change, in other words, trendiness and boundary-pushing ideas. Hermès, on the other hand, prides itself on tradition, timelessness, and classics. The fear, therefore, is what will happen to Hermès upon a take over? Many brands go through cycles of renaissance in order to re-invent themselves. This aspect of the industry, however, may sometimes be detrimental to the brand itself. Take the House of Valentino, for example. When the designer retired in 1998, and a series of different owners acquired it, and the fundamentals changed. A name that was once known for it’s couture gowns and dresses, entered into other niches to try to make up for lost sales and revenue. We, as fashion lovers, are worried for Hermès.

Will LVMH care about universal approbation? If this take over occurs, will it lead to more? Will what we buy and wear in fact become the decisions of a select few?

Shop Girl of the Month: Paige Hickman from Obakki

Interview by Rachel Chung

Every fashionista in Vancouver knows about Obakki (44 Water Street), and there are even a few of them that work there. Located in the heart of Gastown, Obakki is a true local boutique founded in Vancouver, now known internationally for showcasing simple, elegant pieces, and accessories for both women and men. Here, String Magazine meets down-to-earth Paige Hickman, one of those fashionistas that works at Obakki and our Shop Girl of the Month.

What are you wearing?

Wilfred blazer from Aritzia that I absolutely love and also a Wilfred leopard print sweater. Aldo boots, but I took the buckle off. I just like plain black boots.

Accessories?

I’m wearing two rings from my mom. One of them is her engagement ring. And my earrings are also from my mom for my 16th birthday.

What is the item that you really want right now?

The Pamela Love bird skull ring in gold (below). (Side note: it’s also available at Obakki right now!)

Do you read any blogs?

I do, but I’m not much of a big blog reader. I just keep up with personal friends’ blogs around me.

Style inspiration of the moment?

I like wearing combat boots with a bow in my hair.

So something like contradictory styles?

Yes! Things that contrast each other in a way.

What’s your favourite Vancouver spot?

Ooh, this is tough. The Foundation on Main. It’s just such a good place to go with friends and chill.

Do you have any tattoos?

“Rara avis” on my right forearm.

What does that mean?

It means rare bird in Latin. It’s a family thing from my grandfather.