A hot spot for global style | Hollywood yohana

Dress $68. Photography by Riley Stewart


A modern twist on global style has taken the fashion world by storm, making strong statements on the fall runways of big players like John Galliano and Diane von Furstenberg. And, thanks to local designer Jessica Redditt, Calgarians can also dabble in some exotic looks this summer. 
Eleven: Eleven (233 10th St. N.W., 403-452-5285), has found a comfortable home in the buzzing Kensington community, introducing Redditt’s line, Middle of Nowhere, to welcoming Calgarians.  The collection is made from recycled or surplus materials, like exquisite saris and assorted silks, purchased at fair trade prices from India, where the garments are also manufactured.
Just a handful of months after opening their shop, Redditt and partner Sal Awad couldn’t ignore the desire to continue on their designing journey.  They sold the boutique to Lana Selbee and Andrea Walker, two young, eco-minded entrepreneurs, and the couple set off to India once again, leaving their store in trusted hands.
“We are very lucky in the sense that we are a part of a bigger picture with helping to promote fair trade and eco-friendly clothing,” says Walker.  Prices range from $20 to $125–a small price to pay for a taste of exotic luxury.  Redditt’s fresh take on romanticism has an ethnic twist, giving both the label and Calgarians a splash of colorful culture.

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Edmonton: James Kershaw—makeup artist, writer and all-round fabulous guy | Hollywood yohana

James Kershaw's work in action. Photography by Tracy Grabowski



When you think of James Kershaw, you think makeup artist, stylist, entrepreneur and even writer. You probably don’t think Kim Campbell.  Well, as it turns out, they have more in common than you think. 
Both are trailblazers in their own way: Campbell was our first female prime minister and in the late ’70s, Kershaw fought (well hounded is more like it) for a job as one of the first men in Canada (and the first in Edmonton) to stand behind a cosmetics counter at the Bay.  “I was an experiment,” he recalls. “They stuck me behind the wigs. I was the Max Factor guy.” The evolution of James Kershaw can be traced back to his youth, when he would superimpose makeup on black and white images in his sister’s magazines. 
Fast forward to 2009 and Kershaw is at the helm of Edmonton’s makeup and fashion scene. Still, he’s modest to the point of self-deprecation—he once told a fan who asked for his autograph at Edmonton Fashion Week to “get a life.” (He later apologized.) “It embarrasses me when people tell me I’m fabulous,” he says. You’d never guess that this is a man with a beauty and fashion column in the Edmonton Journal, his own business doing weddings and home consultations, not to mention a spot on the board of Edmonton Fashion Week. He’s also a consultant for Jane Iredale Mineral Cosmetics. 
Kershaw was once known for the “two distinct personalities” in his work—extreme in the fashion world, but with a roster of private clients who rely on him for their “no makeup makeup look”—but he’s developed his range over the course of his beauty career. Although he describes himself as a “weird bald guy,” his adoring public prefers to think of him as incroyable.  


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Atlantic Fashion Week(end) part one | Hollywood yohana

Danica Olders' bottle cap dress


No need for asterisks or apologetic preambles: my city finally nailed down Fashion Week this season—or at least an abbreviated one—hitting a level of success that’s way off the small-town scale.

Although last fall’s Atlantic Fashion Week (part one, part two) left many a gaped mouth in its wake, the event was not without its flaws. But what first run isn’t? Ironing out the kinks, this season’s AFW (atlanticfashionweek.) ditched the complicated runway for a cleaner approach, the model list was narrowed to the city’s finest catwalkers and the schedule was fine-tuned. And hanging from this strengthened structure was a series of designs that filled my notebook with exclamation marks and ignited my Maritime pride.
Following a schmoozy soirée at the Mercedes-Benz dealership on Thursday, the weekend affair took off on Friday evening with the first of two designer showcases. Work from a clutch of Nova Scotia College of Art and Design University students was the first to hit the runway, with second-year textiles and fashion student Danica Olders stealing much of the spotlight. Her third and final piece, a stunning gold flapper dress made up of hundreds of flattened bottle caps, set off the weekend’s only audience-wide applause. Juxtaposing the lavish ’20s with a more resourceful present, this dress did more than just convey a message: its backless silhouette, subtle pattern and elegant fit hinted at solid, to-be-watched talent.
Maxwell-John marked the night’s first designer label, a straightforward line of figure-hugging pieces that lean a little more night than day. Straying successfully from the pencil silhouette that ran throughout her collection, designer Monica Nauss sent an adorable ivory bubble skirt with tie detail at the hip down the runway, a delicious little piece that I can’t quite forget.
Embracing her signature cut of airy tunics, A-line skirts, flowing trousers and accented waists, eco-conscious designer Laura Chenoweth (laurachenoweth.com) showed an elegant collection on Friday, tossing in pops of rich colour and intricate prints amidst her classic, natural hues. Also keeping true to form, Orphanage Clothing (orphanageclothing) wrapped and strapped the models into a new round of designer Kim Munson’s edgy bits that I still can’t get my head around.
Lycheelime grabbed my attention with a houndstooth sheath that scooped to a daring open back, foreshadowing the peek-a-boo backs tucked into Sunsets on the Eastside’s (sunsetsontheeastside3.blogspot) collection—next up on the runway. The Islander trio has kept the designs as fresh and young as ever, but the line has matured with the girls. The collection has surpassed the dress-up musings of three teens and tumbled into true designer territory—but not without the funky details that give Sunsets its punch. Case in point: a blush-hued flowy frock with a tie collar and gathered waist dripped with romance and whimsy, but a back slit to reveal canary yellow sequins exposed a little more than a flash of colour.
Next up, Katrina Tuttle, Veronica MacIsaac, Turbine and Deux Fm in the second AFW designer showcase. Stay tuned!

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Winnipeg: Pop-up Chip & Pepper | Hollywood yohana

Right: Pieces from the Chip & Pepper fall collection; Left: The Kenora pop-up store


Every woman has that go-to pair of jeans that makes her feel sexy. Mine are called (hilariously enough) “the walk of shame.” The only problem is, I’ve loved them so much that both knees have worn out and there are other glaring signs of: “WARNING! These jeans may give way at the most inopportune moment.”
As bad that sounds, I still love them and I’m having a hard time sending them to denim heaven. Thankfully, Chip & Pepper have opened up a temporary home (137 Main St. S., Kenora, Ontario, 807-467-2734) in a beautiful summer spot—Lake of the Woods.  If you live in Winnipeg, you’ve probably spent many a sunny days lounging on this lake, and if you haven’t, this is the perfect excuse.
The company, once famous for two cartoon bulldogs and fluorescent tie-dye, opened their first pop-up shop, also in Kenora, in late 2008, followed by others in Winnipeg and Los Angeles. The latest edition is open from June to September at Lake of the Woods, with a special collection of vintage inspired tees and sweats just for the shop. (If you don’t summer in Kenora, the line is also at chipandpepper.). And yes, they’ll also have jeans.

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Musicians take the stage at Off the Cuff, Week 4 | Hollywood yohana

Kolston Gogan of Stereo Penguin in Louanna Murphy's winning design. Photography by Shaun Simpson


Challenged to dress a local musician for the stage, the four remaining Off the Cuff competitors were back with new work on on August 2. Heather Rappard dressed her musician, a harpist, in a floor-length midnight blue gown–but was again warned by judges to step up her technical game.  Bree Mackin, paired with Mary Stewart, dressed the guitar-strummin’ songbird in a bubbly party dress trimmed in black lace that unfortunately won’t take her to the final round.
Neck-and-neck competitors Akshay Tyagi and Louanna Murphy were given the daunting task of outfitting male musicians, a challenge they both took in stride. Tyagi, dressing John Mullane of In Flight Safety, created an indie rock blazer seasoned with the Victorian charm of contrasting tweeds, a floral applique and pops of velvet inside. The witty designer also made good on his musician’s request for a long blue cape— “The cape was for fun,” Mullane explained to the judges. “It’s one of those rock and roll things.”
Murphy didn’t stop at outerwear. For Kolston Gogan of Stereo Penguin, she created a beautiful blue blazer lined in a punchy print, a Henley shirt with raglan sleeves and leather detail at the cuff and collar, and, ahem, dark-wash jeans (she made jeans!). Drumming up a hefty dose of applause from the audience and an “I just love you!” from one of the judges, Murphy bagged a well-deserved first-place—her third win of the competition.
Next up: The grand finale on September 13, when, after taking the next month to fashion four more designs, the remaining three will present their looks and a winner will be determined. Check out the Off the Cuff Facebook group for more details and photos from the events.

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Local threads at recession prices | Hollywood yohana

Courtesy of Adhesif Clothing


Frugalistas everywhere will agree that $50 is the perfect number. Whether it’s a pair of shoes, jeans, a jacket, a sweater, a dress, if you can get it for $50, you know you are paying a very reasonable price. Any more you’ll probably think twice about it, but $50—now that is a nice round number. That can easily be justified.
Buying locally designed clothes from boutiques is something we all probably wish we could do more of, but in reality small labels can often only produce small quantities and boutiques pay high rents—both of which drive up prices.
So what if you could get the best of both worlds—locally designed and boutique items for under $50? Melissa Ferreira, known for her label Adhesif Clothing (adhesifclothing.), believes you can have your cake and eat it to. She has gathered some of her best buds in the industry and is putting together a shopping event that offers exactly that – fabulous fashions for less than that magic number.
Adhesif, along with Erin Templeton, Devil May Wear, Chulo Pony, Kulus Designs, Allison Wonderland, Julie Hebb and Carny Love are getting together for the Nifty for Fifty Sale at the Art & Soul Gallery (Pacific Palisades Hotel, 1277 Robson St.) on April 18 and 19 (12 to 7 p.m.) to show and sell some of their best creations, as well as some vintage items and one-of-a-kind gems from their personal collections.
“I’m so excited to be putting this sale on for the second year in a row,” says Ferreira. “It’s just such a great chance to offer local designs to people who may not have the pocketbook to purchase them regularly.” Or to those who just can’t resist a good deal.

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Fashion Week, Round One | Hollywood yohana

 
September has arrived and so has the dawn of the fashion weeks. For Haligonians, this typically means logging on and tuning in to top style sources for runway rundowns from this continent’s fast and fashionable cities.
But now, Halifax is adding to the mix with it’s own incarnation of fashion week—times two. It’s the war of the weeks here on the East Coast and two separate organizers have taken on the task of raising our fashion profile.

First on the calendar is the inaugural Atlantic Canada Fashion Week (acfw.ca), brought to us by director of events Linda Buchanan of Strut International. The event flooded the city last week, coming to a glitzy, though retail-heavy, finale at the Holiday Inn Halifax Harbourview in Dartmouth on Friday night. During the week there were shows at bustling bars: the South Shore’s Deux Fm (www.deuxfm.) took over Mosaic on Wednesday, and a sexy soiree featuring Jen Graham’s lingerie fired up The Argyle on Thursday—ACFW round one hit Halifax with a surprising bang.
But this city still has a little work to do before we can stand up to the rest. Organizers hope to divide the designer and retailer events by next September (this season’s fashion week had the two sharing the runway), arguably a necessary first step that unfortunately hindered the polish and success of the main event.
Amidst the runway retail, someone did ceaselessly grab my attention: model Nadine Bona (Strut International). Hailing from small-town Grand River, Nova Scotia, this 16-year-old brought an intoxicating confidence to the runway all week. With barely a toe print in this industry, she’s one to look out for.

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Back to school | Hollywood yohana

 
 
 
This chilly breeze, the urgent emails coming in madly, the end of half-day Fridays: Like it or not, it’s time to stop the partying and lingering and to get the schedule back on (crazy) track.
But before I can make an appearance at all the events (the Browns fashion show, Ogilvy’s shoe department launch, lunches, cocktail parties, there’s so much to do!) I seriously need to get rid of the summer’s laisser-aller beauty regimen.

First step: a microdermabrasion at the new Institut L’IMAA (shown, 645 Wellington St., 514-868-1117, institutlimaa.) institute in old Montreal. The skilled staff assesses your skin thoroughly before buffing away dead skin cells (and, sigh, your summer glow) and soothing your visage with a vitamin C serum. I love the spa’s huge, industrial space, decorated with just a few touches of bright color.
Next, a state-of-the-art mani-pedi at Ora Spa’s brand new St. Laurent spot (3801 St. Laurent Blvd., 514-451-4991). After an exfoliation, massage and all the pampering your toes and fingers need after your summer adventures, you’ll emerge all soft and polished. And the Miami-style spray-tan they offer is pretty neat, too.

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From the faux bobs at Dior to Christophe Josse’s glitter eyebrows, we present 4 of our favourite beauty trends from couture week | Hollywood yohana




Couture week has come to a close and we have a few brief moments to absorb this last showing of Spring trends before moving on to a new season. Next week, Fall 2012 presentations begin in New York (and we’ll be there!) so until then, let’s look back at the beauty from Paris.
While we’ve already fallen in love with the blue nails and eyes at Chanel and wondered if Jean Paul Gaultier’s homage to Amy Winehouse was apropos, there’s much more beauty to obsess over. Indeed, couture week is known for celebrating the avant-garde—what, the faces fully painted in pastel brights at Alexis Mabille didn’t convince you? We scoured the shows and uncovered a handful of new beauty trends you’ll actually want to try at home.

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Nailed it!: Spring’s best polishes | Hollywood yohana




Nail polish is big beauty news, with runway shades morphing into a season’s cult beauty must-have. This spring, pastel shades, cement hues and a few juicy colours are on our shopping list

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Kate Middleton is expected to have 5 wardrobe changes during her first Christmas as a Royal | Hollywood yohana

 


As if spending Christmas with your in-laws for the first time isn’t stressful enough (especially when your mother-in-law is the Queen!) Kate Middleton is expected to have multiple wardrobe changes throughout the day-long festivities at Sandringham Estate. It’s being reported that the Duchess will need an outfit for each event that will take place during the day, including a casual outfit for breakfast, a “smart” outfit with matching hat for church service, a dress for lunch, a cocktail dress for evening drinks, and a formal look for dinner. If you include afternoon tea, that brings the outfit total up to six.
Also, it’s incorrect etiquette for a princess to repeat outfits on the holiday, something that Kate has been criticized for by fashion critics. Apparently Kate is on top of her game (and loyal to designers) and has already ordered two Alexander McQueen dresses, so we’re not too worried for her.  We’re crossing our fingers that pictures surface of all her festive looks.

THEY SAID…
Jean Broke-Smith, royal etiquette expert: She won’t be able to wear the same outfit twice… The golden rule is nothing too short, too revealing, or too gaudy.”
Daily Mail UK: “If the heavy sartorial pace isn’t enough pressure, imagine having to pick a Christmas gift for the Queen…”
The Examiner: “This is an exciting holiday for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, being their first as a married couple. If fans get their way, next year’s holiday will be monumental as well as many hope for a Kate Middleton pregnancy between now and then.”
WE SAID…
Jordan Porter, fashion market editor: “Let’s just hope the royal family isn’t celebrating the twelve days of Christmas!”


Edmonton shop notes: Sailor tee | Hollywood yohana

Sailor tee



The striped nautical top is a versatile classic. Teamed with trousers and a pair of chunky-heeled peep toes, this striped stretchy-cotton sailor tee by Joe Fresh style ($16, at Real Canadian Superstore, joe.) is ideal for achieving a weekend-cool or workday-chic look.

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Buck the travel-like a-shlep trend with these 12 stylish suitcases | Hollywood yohana





Ever since such revolutionary inventions like the Snuggie, the Skyrest travel pillow, and the branded head-to-toe sweatsuit, the face have travel has been looking a lot more stylish. (That was a joke.) Buck the shlep trend in style with Where‘s list of 12 stylish suitcases that won’t get swallowed in a sea of neutral on the conveyor belt.

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Quirky illustrations star in our Spring trend photo shoot | Hollywood yohana

Art class: Lewis Mirrett’s quirky illustrations star in our Spring trend photo shoot


Photorealism, watercolours, freehand sketches, and computer-engineered florals bring originality and emotion to spring’s most eye-catching designs.

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From the pages to the big screen to Banana Republic: Anna Karenina gets the sartorial treatment | Hollywood yohana




The upcoming release of Anna Karenina has generated some major buzz, particularly with the release of the film’s trailer, which showcases stunning costumes from the silver screen adaptation of Leo Tolstoy’s famed romantic tragedy. As if that weren’t amazing enough, Banana Republic has announced their upcoming Anna Karenina-inspired holiday capsule collection, which will stores and online at the end of October.

The collection—which was style by the film’s Academy Award-nominated costume designer, Jaqueline Durran—features military details, sleek leather accessories and to our delight, lots and lots of faux fur. We love the au courant burgundy that runs throughout both the men’s and women’s collections, and the heavy knits will be perfect for the cool Canadian temperatures that are sure to hit around the same time as the collection. For those of you who aren’t daring enough to wear a massive faux-fur hat, simple yet elegant cocktail dresses and classic costume jewellery will also be available for all your holiday soiree needs.

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10 stunning lacy picks à la Stella McCartney that will take you from summer to fall for under $150 | Hollywood yohana




It’s that time of year again—fall fashion has started to hit store shelves, but 30-degree days are way too hot for flannel and faux fur. To all you style mavens who have found yourself in fashion purgatory, fear not, the lace trend takes you from summer to fall with style to spare. This weekend, Jaime King and Emmy Rossum rocked the lacy trend at the 2012 Television Critics Association’s Summer Party. King paired her Stella McCartney Fall 2012 ensemble with Kate Spade accessories, and Rossum went sophisticate in a Zuhair Murad sheath. Both actresses showed lots of summer-appropriate bronzed skin, but the embellished frocks hit all the right fall style notes. We’d throw a blazer on top of Rossum’s ladylike dress, and pair King’s above-the-knee number with opaque tights and killer ankle boots to accommodate those cooler Canadian temperatures.

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Style Snaps Trend: Get into the Olympic swing with 36 shots of Toronto’s most stylish donning their best gold, silver and bronze! | Hollywood yohana



For those who aren’t quite ready to break out the red and white, we found another way to sartorially celebrate the Olympics. Toronto’s most stylish have been donning medal shades of gold, silver and bronze all summer long, and whether they know it or not, we’re taking that as a major vote of confidence for Team Canada’s podium standings. Our team scored a bronze this weekend in diving, and here’s hoping there are 36 more where that came from. 

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Miuccia Prada warns of Italy’s fashion industry becoming second rate. Could it happen? | Hollywood yohana




Miuccia Prada isn’t exactly known for being all that press-friendly, and a rare interview with Italian newspaper La Repubblica may shed some light on why the legendary designer hasn’t warmed to the media in the same way chatterboxes Karl Lagerfeld and Roberto Cavalli have.
In a translation by WWD, Prada’s feature in La Repubblica details all her concerns about the flagging Italian fashion industry. More than any other nation, Italy has the most family-owned luxury fashion houses: Prada, Gucci, Missoni and Fendi are just a few brands that still have an active voice from the founding designers’ families. But with more and more Italian fashion houses looking to sell (Valentino sold to Qatar’s royal family for over $850 million) or to expand by going public with IPOs, Prada is worried Italian fashion may become “second league.”
“[…] If our brands cross our borders, the credit, glamour, fame and decision making is in the hands of others, and we are abandoned, downgraded,” she cautioned.
Prada doesn’t fault the designers themselves; after all, she shows Miu Miu in Paris because of the city’s “attraction that is called glamour,” and Raf Simons’ move from Jil Sander (which shows in Milan) to Parisian fashion house Dior will mean “his value will further be emphasized.”
According to Prada, the real culprits are the Italian media and left-leaning intellectuals. Journalists’ treatment of their nation’s fashion industry as “frivolous” instead of a relevant industry contributes to the view that Italy is seen as a place with “less resources, culture, protagonists, ideas, vitality and money,” meaning that like Simons, “fashion goes elsewhere, looking for the best.”

It’s hard to argue with the fact that journalists do function as a filtration device for the general public, and if Italian media is indeed painting fashion as a superficial, unimportant industry, then Prada’s concerns that Italian fashion labels could be degraded to mere manufacturing houses aren’t that farfetched.
This isn’t the first time media or information curators have been accused of downplaying fashion’s significance either: take the Kate Middleton wedding dress Wikipedia article for example, which we reported on earlier this month. The posting was immediately flagged for deletion, with Wikipedia contributors calling the article trivial (which of course the dress was anything but).
Do you think media coverage of the Italian fashion industry could really affect the way it’s viewed?
THEY SAID…
Matthew Zorpas, PR consultant: “‘Made In Italy’ reputation is no longer enough to sustain the industry […]”
Melissa Hoyer, entertainment editor: “Is Italian fashion dead?”
WE SAID…
Randi Bergman, online editor: “This problem exists in some form or another around the first world, but I can understand it being more than just an irritation and cause for actual concern in Italy given how important fashion is there. Last I heard, the fashion industry made up over a quarter of the country’s entire economy, which is no small feat, and given that this industry is steeped in quality, the barometer for it should remain at the highest level.”

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What’s in your bag, Naya Rivera? | Hollywood yohana




You better get excited, because today’s bag snoop subject is major! Majorly major. Presenting the Alexander Wang box bag (and its contents) belonging to Naya Rivera, one of the über talented stars of Glee! As the queen bee of the cheerleaders, Rivera’s character Santana Lopez doesn’t always display the…kindest tendencies, but judging by the reason she visited Toronto yesterday, Rivera IRL couldn’t be more different if she tried. In town to support the Sunshine Foundation, which in partnership with Winners and Homesense makes dreams come true for children with severe physical disabilities and life-threatening illnesses, the actress was meeting with a little girl who’s dream it was to meet her. “She loves the show and I thought what better way than to just come over and say hello,” said Rivera.

While we were photographing Rivera’s bag, she pulled a switch on us, confiding in the celeb who’s bag she’d most like to examine: “I think I’d go through Gwyneth Paltrow’s bag, just because I’m friends with her and I would like to see what she keeps and then copy it.” You and us both, girl!

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