The Anthology

And if you’re in Vancouver, might I suggest you stop by Barefoot Contessa on Main Street? And might I also suggest you put a little window shopping in your shopping?

I styled the windows of Vancouver’s favourite independent boutique. The theme I chose? Le weekend. (I’m Saturday and Sunday’s biggest fan.)

Packed one window with pretty party dresses, chunky jewelry and disco balls perfect for a Saturday night dance party.

And the other with frilly floral dresses perfect for Sunday afternoon high tea. (Is there a better excuse to get dressed up and get together with your girlfriends? Nope.)

Already one of the dresses sold right out of the window. (They’re ridiculously pretty. I can’t take credit.)

Thank you, Barefoot Contessa, for the invitation. I had a blast! And I can’t wait to see how the other Vancouver bloggers decorate the windows.

P.S. If you’re tweeting this weekend, might I suggest you follow The Anthology?

And normally the story would end there. Except this time I wasn’t buying socks.

I was perusing See by Chloe, McQ and ADAM at the launch party of the Vancouver flagship store’s new White Space, hosted by FASHION Canada.

Seriously. The Canadian institution best known for their blankets is now a force to be reckoned with. That second floor feels Holts-esque, Nordstrom-like.

In other words, if you need new socks, you’ll have to go elsewhere.

P.S. There are no socks on The Anthology’s Facebook page either, but you should add it anyway.

There’s something fun about discovering the up-and-comers — whether they’re artists, musicians or, in the case of Vancouver Community College’s Fiat Mode XXIII Fashion Show, designers.

The grads of 2010 blew me away. And the fun thing about seeing 21 designers at one time (aside from the fashion overload) is the variety. Some, like Ana Jost, looked to the future with architectural pieces.

Others, like Blake Hyland, drew inspiration from the past. (Sketches found here.)

Blake crafted his rugged, textured menswear out of up-cycled fabrics sourced from vintage clothes (he’s a buyer for one of Vancouver’s favourite vintage shops Mintage). And the result was quite a spectacular show opener.

Some, like Karen Niven (pictured in her own design), crafted pieces I would wear all day every day. Her brocade dress was part of a collection inspired by 1950s Manhattan.

Some of the students kept it conservative. Leah Mosoff wasn’t one of them. Her modern, asymmetrical dress is draped with a nude-coloured cape that you wear in front. It’s gutsy. And I love that. (She was one of two VCC students to be finalists in Montreal Fashion Week’s Telio Design Competition.)

And speaking of capes, I fell in love with  Fay Zhao’s graphic butterfly-printed beauty. Also a piece I would wear all the time.

All the work that went into these collections made me think of one thing: late nights spent at a sewing machine. Maybe that was also because the students’ sketchbooks were on display (Quito Quinn’s is pictured) to give the audience a glimpse of how these collections all began.

ConGRADulations, class of 2010! You guys killed it.

P.S. Let’s hear it for following The Anthology on Twitter!

It’s Eco Fashion Week in Vancouver. And I couldn’t go to the opening party at AVEDA without wearing something earth-friendly, could I?

So I chose vintage (surprise, surprise) and rocked it from head to mid-calf (my boots are new).

What does the week hold? A celebration of green (not granola) designers like Vancouver’s own Nicole Bridger (the above photo is from her Fall 09 collection).

And parties with some of my favourite Vancouver blogettes (like the blurry and beautiful Melissa, Chloe, Alicia, Nicole and Carolina above).

P.S. You know what goes well with green? Gold.