In a Toronto minute, last week Calgary Fashion came, saw and conquered Canada’s largest and highly praised LG Fashion Week . The Calgary Fashion team shared the runway not only with the best in Canadian fashion but with Canadian fashion icons such as celebrated model Stacey McKenzie, vice president of fashion direction at Holt Renfrew, Barbara Atkin, fashion blogging queen Anita Clarke of I Want I Got, and a selection of bloggers, photographers and writers from fashion publications found across the country.

We’re not going to pretend we knew who everyone was but if there is one thing we do know, it is that “style and swagger” are hard to ignore! Best of all for us was to see a little bit of Calgary sprinkled around the tents with influential rising stars such as Sarah Shell of 442 McAdam, Caitlin Power, Michi New York and Lauren Bagliore. We’ve put together photo albums of the people and outfits that caught our eyes as we waited for shows to begin. Do you recognize anyone from The Row?

View photos from LG FASHION WEEK – THE ROW – DAY 1

View photos from LG FASHION WEEK – THE ROW – DAY 2

View photos from LG FASHION WEEK – THE ROW – DAY 3

View photos from LG FASHION WEEK – THE ROW – DAY 4

View photos from LG FASHION WEEK – THE ROW – DAY 5

Stay tuned for more Calgary Fashion coverage from LG Fashion Week.

Paul Spenard, Linda Sui Lem, Ivanka Tanafranca, Miranda Botto & myself. 

On August 26 – after what seemed like a fairly long summer hiatus for the Calgary Fashion team – it was with great pleasure to be among the fashion crowd once again at PARK‘s PARKLUXE – a fundraising initiative featuring local fashion designers.

The fashion event was everything anyone could ask for: the venue of choice – Winter Garden at Jamieson Place – was a ravishingly beautiful open space perfect for a runway show, the fashion show which featured Anne B. Accessories, Lara Presber, Bridget Bergman and Caitlin Power was to die for, and the overall ambiance felt just right – thanks to Kara Chomistek’s great professional and organized PARK team.

PARKLUXE’s official promo shoot. Photography by Jason Eng

Fashion bloggers KD Faustino (The Girl with the Messy Hair), Ashley Pettigrew (Lions Lace Lattes), Miranda Botto & Corinne McKetiak (Twenty Something Online), Vincent Law (Binzento Vincente), Rupi Sood (The Diva Lounge) & creative director at Bano & eeMee, Aleem Arif, – among many more – were spotted in VIP seats thoroughly enjoying the runway show and made for a fun group of people to mingle at Jamieson Place and  at the official closing reception at Ki Modern Japanese + Bar.  It was also nice seeing familiar faces: shout out to D.W designer Daryl White, Jacqueline Tyler & Domingo Lumanog of Eveline Charles Academy and Ania B‘s Ania Boniecka (technically, Ania and I have never formally met, but she’s just everywhere and is hard to miss!). 

Corinne McKetiak, Karolina Ciupinska, Ashley Pettigrew, KD Faustino & Miranda Botto

Ania Boniecka & Vincent Law

PARKLUXE  introduced me to new faces and, surprisingly, old ones too. The most interesting encounter was running into a former junior high classmate of mine who is a recent new hire at Live Cosmo (shout out to Live Cosmo!). 

For someone like me who tends to be on the timid side, PARKLUXE was a great success, not only in terms of its great fashion show, but also in terms of finally feeling a little bit more at ease within the Calgary fashion scene. 

Stay tuned for individual PARKLUXE designer reviews to come within the week! In the meantime, check out our photo gallery on our  Facebook page!

PARK  is a non-profit organization that stands for “Promoting Artists, Redefining Kulture”. It is an organized group of young Calgarian artists who promote and support emerging artists in the city. Check out ourparkonline.com for upcoming events. 

Words by Claire Miglionico

Photography by Claire Miglionico & Linda Sui Lem 

Main photo courtesy of Miranda Botto

Ladies & Gents!

Summer is swiftly approaching and what better than celebrate its arrival with jolly good times?

The coming up weeks are jam-packed with all sorts of events that will tickle your fancy – and in some cases – your wallets, as certain events will be free of charge! Now, how about that?

See you all around!

June 17-19

• The one, the only William Shatner – best known as Captain James T. Kirk from the original Star Trek series – will be in town for the Calgary Comic & Entertainment Expo as the Expo’s Sci-Fi guest of honor!

• Espy – our favourite Inglewood clothing boutique – is having a “bye-bye black sale” this weekend only. Anything black in the store will be 25 % off.

Saturday June 18

• There will be a Designer Sample Sale at the Gerry Thomas Gallery,  11-5. Score pretty new things from designers Paul Hardy, Caitlin Power, Jalu Clothing, Anne B. Accessories and Lara Presber.

• Can’t afford designer? Cat’s Eye Vintage is having a clearance sale 1o to 6. Retro, vintage, jeans from Rock and Republic and 7 For All Mankind will  be up for grabs. Great stampede wear can be found at this sale too. Do not miss out!

• CJSW Summer Concert Series #2 is bringing us some rockin’ tunes at the Olympic Plaza 7 to 10 and it is completely free. Check out the cool line up here and come down for a bit or stay awhile.

• The Gallery on First Street is launching TOTO RICO – a new line of casual cool summer tanks by Teddy Celebration. Join in the festivities 8 to midnight and tag along to SPACE BABES as kind of a post-launch celebration.

• Soma Advanced Skin & Body Therapy is opening up downtown and you are all invited to its opening soiree 7 to 10! Free massages and skin advice from experts plus up to $1,000 in product giveaways. Enter to win a Soma gift basket here.

Sunday June 19

• Father’s Day: Yes, celebrating Father’s Day is on our list! Add it to yours! Check out Fashion Dad for inspiration.

June 22-25

• Sled Island is next week already! There’s a great line-up of independent artists this year (as per usual),  and collabs with Market Collective and ACAD are keeping things fresh & awesome.

Saturday June 25

• MaNoKin Design presents Cirque du Manique at Social Bar & Grille. Fashion creator, Marsina King, will present her fall collection in a circus-like fashion show. A portion of ticket sales will benefit the Red Cross in their Japanese Tsunami relief efforts. Check out Calgary Fashion’s Behind the Seams with King.

Words by Claire Miglionico

Photo Courtesy of Creative Commons, The Gallery, and Songkick.com

• AZUL COUTURE (914 – 15th Avenue S.W.)
  The Last Big Sale Of The Season
  Take advantage and stock up now on Spring/Summer styles that you can still wear for the next 3 months. The Azul Couture sale has been extended until Saturday, June 11.

• SWAP TILL YOU DROP @ TAKE OFF YOUR CLOTHES – CALGARY’S BIGGEST CLOTHING SWAP

• PARK DESIGNER SAMPLE SALE (THOMAS GERRY GALLERY - 602 11 Ave SW)
  Receive discounts on sample clothing from  designers Paul Hardy, Caitlin Power, JALU Clothing, Anne B Accessories and Lara Presber.

Fashion stops for nothing, even pouring rain. Opening night also showcased clothing from Mealan. Stocked with one-of-a-kind pieces all hand-picked by owner Mealan Mezzaroba.

Feminine and flirty with vibrant hues, models strut down the runway in a kaleidoscope of delicious summer colours: hot pink, lemon-lime green, aqua, and orange, which are all simply begging for great weather. You might even need a pair of sunglasses to watch this bright show. The outfits are clear to Mezzaroba vision and personal style: it’s all about colour, and it is sure to say that the boutique will be fully stocked for the perfect injection of colour into the wardrobe of any woman.

Pieces shown like a festive printed top with floating butterflies can be paired with dress pants for work. The variety of dresses? Ideal for that weekend getaway or evening date. Matched with equally unique jewelry, each outfit is easily shopable and can be bought in store.

It is all about local and supporting our community of aspiring designers. Mezzaroba has solidified that by carrying the latest from Caitlin Power : a beautiful architectural beige dress that its lack in colour was made up for with design and amazing hip details. As the sophomore show to the evening, Mealan’s picks were a great kick-off to the season.

Words by Linda Sui Lem

Main photo courtesy of Lions Lace Lattes

Photography by Jason Waight

Videography by Paul Spenard

Believe it or not, the couture dress in the picture made by Caitlin Power is made out of bathroom tissue! The 7th annual White Cashmere Fashion with Compassion— which is an awareness-raiser for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – features Canadian designers from coast to coast, like Catlin Power who contributed to this one-of-a-kind event.

The show coincides with the annual return of Pink Cashmere bathroom tissue. For each package of this limited-edition tissue purchased 25 cents goes to the foundation. In addition to this, when you vote for your favorite design, Cashmere will contribute one dollar to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation on your behalf as well as contribute an additional five thousand dollars to the foundation on behalf of the designer who receives the most votes.

The collection as a whole is simply stunning. From an incredible wedding dress by Ines di Santo to a bathing suit by Aqua di Lara, the White Cashmere Collection features some of the most eye popping pieces to be seen in fashion.

Working with bathroom tissue has to be a great challenge; the hours that must go into distressing the material makes the pieces even more praiseworthy.

If you are in Toronto or Montreal, look out for the collection, as it will be displayed in The Bay’s flagship store windows next month.

Cheers to a breast cancer free world!

Adelaide K is a style and beauty expert who is Calgary Fashion’s blog resident

If Caitlin Power‘s goal for Fall 2010 was to surprise her allegiance clients. It definitely did.

As usual Power’s collection paid a big compliment to the woman with laces, sheer fabrics and tight-fitting clothes. The designer showed seventies-influenced high-waist trousers, businesslike style above-the-knee skirts and one below-the-knee velvet skirt as well as bustier dress in the same fabric.

This season the Power woman will don sheer, sweetly laced blouses which showcase a sophisticated female silhouette. The “Power” moment to shine the evening of showing came through the perfectly tailored, chic-casual black pantsuit in tuxedo style.

The accessories included tastefully elegant jewellery. The models wore makeup of a light palette with an accent on a darker shade of lips.

This collection was designed for intelligent and sensual women with just a hint of danger.

Words by Iryna Ugryn

Photos by Faby Martin

Alberta Fashion Week Day 3 – Part 2 from Calgary Fashion on Vimeo.

There is no point beating around the bush when describing Caitlin Power’s design prowess; she has unmistakable talent.  The young designer presented her Spring/Summer 2010 collection on the third day of Alberta Fashion Week. Power would steal the show when her first  ensemble hit the runway.

Caitlin Power is on the right track to become a prominent designer.

The Spring/Summer collection commanded attention. Models blasted onto the runway to a rhythmic beat, working the designs with conviction. Power’s collection began with a plum, pleated trouser with a V-shaped leather inset, paired with a floral bustier.  The outfits continued to emanate strength through the show; leather hot-pants with piping, jumpsuits, colour-blocked jackets, striking dresses in vibrant hues followed suit and kept our undivided attention.

The collection played with strong versus soft elements, leathers and bold chevron stripes were paired with weightless ruched blouses in brilliant limes, purples, blues, and soft floral prints.

Through her detailed oriented collection, the visibility of Power’s thought on each item from the multi-strand headbands to feathered rings, and achieved continuity through her colour palette and chevron stripe motif was clear. Stand-out pieces were the lime, ruched pencil skirt with a draped sleeve, colour-blocked jacket with geometric leather inserts, leather hot pants with piping, and a pleated, black romper with a grey/teal chevron stripe inset.

Power experimented with shapes, textures, and technique to deliver an explosive collection.  In all, the Spring/Summer collection was accessible, avant-garde, and signals more to come from this promising design house.

By Melissa Wusaty

Photos by Faby Martin © 2009