FLAUNT.

Nov 21 11 under Around Town | Leave a comment

There are many words that could describe Flaunt Ottawa, but really, you had to be there. The event, which took place last Friday in the Trillium Ballroom at the Ottawa Convention Centre, was truly the hottest shopping event of the year. I mean, it was hot. Really. The debit/credit machines were overheating due to their frequent use. Okay, that last part may have been made up…but it could have easily happened. I mean women, and men alike, were snatching up the wares that the local vendors had to offer. The atmosphere was très chic and très intimate. People were mixing and mingling, connecting and communicating — the music was simply background noise at one point, all you could hear was chatter. About what? How amazing it all was.

A frenzy of well heeled women flocked the clothing rack and table of jewellery and accessories found Milk. The hand-made-from-recycled-materials-each-piece-is-unique jewellery from Karine Eyamie of Miz Dragonfly, had a hoard of young girls buzzing around its lace decorated table. Canadian made Dylan Ribkoff undies were, to no one’s irritation and to everyone’s pleasure, modeled around the floor by two young men who’s abs were sculpted from marble. I’m sure of it. Young women were trying on Rachel Sin‘s and Flaunt creator, Stacey Bafi-Yeboa’s Kania designs in droves. There were several types of vendors ranging from apparel, to the Prada-inspired accessories of Demu Label, to jewellery from FrAsh and MAFIA. All guests were invited to be pampered with a full manicure, a blow bar from the LOFT, a beauty touch up from the girls at Murale and a hand massage from THANN skincare. Not to mention the stripper pole…and the dance floor…and the candy bar…and the Flauntinis…and…did I already mention the marble abs?

At the end of the night, models adorned in Kania’s SS 2012 collection walked amongst the crowd, feathered head dresses and all, to auction of the looks. Get this: 100% of the money raised from the auction went to support Ovarian Cancer Canada. Supporting made-in-Canada vendors — clothing, accessories, beauty and the like — while mixing and mingling with Ottawa’s finest AND supporting a great cause? Not too bad for a night of shopping. Not too bad at all.

Swing by our Facebook Page for more pictures of the event. Trust – you’ll want to see. And while you’re at it, might as well visit our tumblr page and tumble with us!

 

photo credit: Amoi Murphy

 

^AM

Read More

Adrian Wu’s Holiday Collection

Nov 17 11 under Around Town | Leave a comment

The crowd clustered in the maze of chairs placed near the entrance to the Signatures Show Ottawa, a large urban shopping event in the Ottawa Convention Centre, to see Adrian Wu‘s holiday collection this past Tuesday. Wu could be seen occasionally popping out from back stage to check on the crowd. After Wu’s cue, the show began to a melodic voice and a piano. The models confidently walked the maze-like runway in 10″ heels, that may be an exaggeration…but not really, their heads adorned with contorted Styrofoam tubes. The dresses were adorned with peplum waistlines and ruffled hemlines and down to there lengths; subtly reminiscent of Jil Sander Spring 2012. The colours were cool metallic, if not rich, and blocked. This writer’s favourite? Not that you asked, but an asymmetrical floor length in silver with white panels on the bodice. A cool choice for any holiday party. Wu’s holiday collection only contained 10 pieces, but was concise and to the point. And that’s the way it should be.

Check out our Facebook Page for more photos. And don’t forget, we’re on tumblr now, so tumble with us!

photo credit: Amoi Murphy

^AM

Read More

Sparkle. Sparkle.

Nov 17 11 under Around Town | Leave a comment

Last night Alison Hughes, owner of the oh-so-trendy AMH Style, hosted a Sparkling Soirée right inside the store. Guests were privy to bubbly, traditional tasty delights and of course the sparkle. What was the sparkle? Jewellery from Ottawa’s top jewellery designers; Love, Montreal (but we love Ottawa more), Pish Posh Jewellery, MAFIA, and Nana. The far from traditional, high fashion trinkets of Mafia were off set by the delicateness of Pish Posh’s gemstones and intricate feathers of gold. Love, Montreal’s creations were artisan and unique in their own right, while Nana’s rings truly sparkled with their Swarvoski crystals in varying hues. While guests perused the sparkling wares and the discount high style, Alison toted around the store with a tray of fried plantain and guacamole. Guests included fashion phenom Erica Wark; OFW Designer Coordinator Vanessa Figueroa; and star of Beauty on a Budget NYC, Joanna Hughes.

I could keep talking about it…or you can just see it yourself. Check out our Facebook Page for more photos. At the same time, take a sneak peek at this little surprise.

Read More

Bizarro World: when online goes print

Nov 13 11 under Around the world | Leave a comment

As we’re all well aware, this so called game of fashion is ever changing – what’s old is new, what’s hot is cold and what’s up is down. Over the last few years, the world of fashion’s presence crept to the far reaches of the Internet: expanding its reach and potentially diluting its exclusivity.  But at the end of October, as the fashion weeks had finally concluded, Style.com –fashion Mecca to most, exclusively online (hence the name) – announced the premier of its first physical magazine, Style.com/Print. Yes, print. What a twist! Print is not dead, as many have come to believe with media’s current emphasis on all things virtual (e.g. web, blogging, Twitter, Facebook etc.).

Print has now become an extension of online and vice versa. Business of Fashion (you’ve heard of them right?) sat down with Style.com’s editor-in-chief, Dirk Standen who mentioned “there are possibilities for cross-selling across print and the web”. Media outlets are further extending their reach to the masses, and in the world of fashion, why not? Why not open its previously barred doors and let everyone have a peek, a taste of what goes on in a world that some can only dream of? Style.com/Print does exactly that: takes its reader deep behind the scenes of the Spring 2012 collections in a way that online could never achieve. The mag dives into the intricacies of fashion month; everything that the four jam-packed weeks of euphoria-inducing fashion entails, with the potential of becoming a bi-annual or quarterly publication.

What does such a shift mean? Even more exposure, more reach and more inclusive of the fashion world. Does that dilute it’s exclusivity? In this writer’s opinion: no, not necessarily. I still can’t walk into the tents and plop myself down in front row at NYFW. I still can’t shake Marc’s hand or air kiss Phoebe, commending them on their fabulous shows. I still can’t afford or even touch a Galliano gown or try on a Rodarte, Lanvin, or Vionnet creation. Sure, we all have been granted “access” to this world, but it’s still not accessible: we are all outsiders looking in. And I’m okay with it staying that way.

photo credit: hyperlinked
source: www.style.com, Business of Fashion

^AM

Read More