Imran Amed and Alexandra Suhner Isenberg during their live conversation at OPUS Bar.

The digital revolution has had an incredible impact on the fashion industry in the past few years, dramatically changing the way that brands communicate. This was the theme of the evening last night at OPUS Bar, The Business of Fashion and the Digital Revolution, with my guest of honour, Imran Amed. Most of you would have heard about how Imran’s blog, Business of Fashion, is my fashion bible, so it was an great coup to have him join us last night here in Vancouver.

Our on-stage conversation, amongst an intimate group of Vancouver’s fashion elite, touched on some of the key issues affecting the fashion industry at the moment. Imran talked about how Burberry was one of the leading luxury brands in the digital revolution, using the example of their website, the Art of the Trench, which featured user-contributed photos of people wearing their trench coats as well as pictures taken by Scott Schuman, who is best known for his street style blog The Sartorialist. We also discussed Arcade Fire’s recent video release, which allows viewers to view the music video on the street they grew up on, using technology from Google Maps. This concept of individualizing an experience for the customers is one of the great benefits of using social media.

Imran also talked the rise and impact of the bloggers, which he feels has not yet reached its peak. His suggestions for brands new to social media was to consider it part of their business strategy, and to research everything properly before jumping on to the “social media bandwagon.” The digital revolution is here to stay, and brands need to consider their long term online initiatives as important business strategies, not just something to be handed down to “the youngest member of the team.”

Thanks to everyone who made last night’s event such a success, and a special thanks to our sponsors, OPUS Bar, Vancouver College of Art and Design, and Skyy Vodka.

Lisa Tant (Flare Magazine), Jason Matlo, Jill Killeen (Killeen Communications), and Imran Amed.

Rebecca Tay (Fashion Magazine), Imran Amed, and May Globus (Sweet Spot.)

Stephen Bailey (John Fluevog) and Michael Belgue (Hobo Magazine.)

Jody Kirk (Gravity Pope) and Heather Martin (Mono Clothing.)

Leila Bani, Rebecca Tay (Fashion Magazine) and Alexandra Suhner Isenberg.

Photos by Bronte Robertson.

All images are complexgeometries Fall Winter 2010

I just don’t understand how certain Canadian fashion brands manage to stay out of my radar. I feel like I have a pretty good idea of what is going on in the fashion world, and I always pay extra attention to Canadian brands, but sometimes I just miss some completely. Complexgeometries is one those brands, and I’m guessing I didn’t catch on to it because they don’t exactly advertise the fact that they are Canadian. Which brings me to an interesting point, what does being “Canadian” do to a fashion brand? I imagine in Canada, it is a good thing, as people like to buy locally. But on the other hand, there are a lot of people here who prefer to buy European brands (in fact, there seems to be a major issue in Vancouver when it comes to the arts, people only seem to support Canadians that have made it big somewhere else first. Not very nice at all.) What about internationally? How does “Canadian” resonate amongst other countries when it comes to fashion.

When I think French fashion brand, I think luxury and classic. Italian means sexy. British means edgy. American means luxury sportswear. Japanese and Korean mean intellectual and angular. So does Belgian fashion. Spanish means colours. Brazilian means brighter colours and bikinis. Australian means summery and effortless. So where does Canadian fashion fit in? And please don’t say activewear, because Canadians and especially the West Coast needs to get away from this image of fashion=activewear.

Anyway, back to complexgeometries. This brand has been founded by a self-taught fashion designer, Glayton Evans, who was born in Northern Canada (Fairview, Alberta to be exact.) The brand is based in Montreal, and the clothes are sold in some pretty amazing boutiques around the world, including B Store in London and Revolve Clothing (of course, no stockists in Vancouver.) Here are some pictures from the Fall Winter 2010 collection, entitled “in search of truth.” The collection was inspired by “the shrouded garb of religious ceremony” and keeps with the brand’s “continued fascination with the dissembling that is intrinsic to fashion.” I call it gorgeous draped jerseys and if this is the kind of thing we can call representative of “Canadian fashion,” then I am satisfied.

All images and quotes courtesy of complexgeometries.

The Michael Kors camel coat: a key piece of the season.

Last night I attended the Holt Renfrew fall 2010 preview hosted by Vice President of fashion direction, Barbara Atkin. I was genuinely impressed by her intelligent, insightful articulation of the upcoming fall season and the current fashion zeitgeist. Yes, there were the predictable trends: knitwear, military, and red (what winter don’t we wear knits, a military-inspired winter coat, or a touch of red?) The weirdest one was shoes, yup folks, they are in. Just in case you were planning to walk around barefoot this winter.

But seriously, what I found fascinating was Barbara’s ability to sum up some of the key trends of the moment. Not only the trends of fall 2010, but rather the mood we are living in right now, whether it is spring, summer, fall or winter.

One of the “signposts of the season” was “comfort, ease, intelligence.” I love these three words to describe how we feel about fashion today. This goes back to my fashion favourite word ever, effortlessness, which is a great way to dress, all the time. I agree that women are looking for more comfort in their dress, without sacrificing style. And there’s no doubt there is more thought and consideration in fashion these days, combined with a more reflective consumer, hence the “intelligence.”

The Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress: one of the season's "great" pieces.

Barbara described the key items as “pieces that will be worthy of something in the future.” This is a great way to describe how men and women are shopping today, in a day and age that consumers are much more careful about how and what they buy.

One of her main women’s fashion trends was “The Greats” referring to the “iconic heritage of the designer’s DNA.” The Diane Von Furstenberg wrap dress, Michael Kors camel coat, and Roger Vivier leather buckle pumps were included here. Barbara described the women who wear Roger Vivier as “a woman of means, confident, a woman who dresses well.” That’s exactly why Roger Vivier was my chosen brand for my wedding shoes!

The Roger Vivier buckle pump.

Finally, the Holt Renfrew private label fur pieces were amazing! Yay to beautiful fur! The leopard print fox vest and the knitted fur scarf in the images below were beautiful.

The fox vest (left) and knit fur scarf (right) were both from Holt Renfrew's Private Label collection.

Now, I am going to try and avoid talking about fall anymore this week, the weather is gorgeous and the last thing I want to do is think about cold weather.

I love a great retro swimsuit, they are perfect for summer social events, like pool parties or hanging out on a boat, because they offer a bit more coverage while you are “socializing.” But they aren’t great for tanning… which is why I think you only need one great retro swimsuit (while you can own at least 20 great Brazilian style bikinis!)

These Scout Boutique suits are very cute, and I’d love one to wear this summer. But I won’t go one about this for too long, since they are only available in the store in Vancouver, and that doesn’t help the 90% of my readers that don’t live in or around Vancouver.

These images also remind me of when I did a lingerie photoshoot with a burlesque model or dancer, rather than a typical lingerie model. There is such a difference, the burlesque girl is SO much better at cute, cheeky poses than a normal model, and the one we used didn’t need any instruction at all. The perfect lingerie poses came naturally to her. Her name was Delilah, she now lives in San Francisco (and she is Canadian!)

If anyone knows some other great retro bikini brands, let us know!

This is a photo of a highly unattractive man on the bus today. He was wearing terrible shorts, barefoot, and holding one of those ridiculous kick scooters.

Of course I was torn here about what to be disgusted about. The fact that he was barefoot (on public transport!) or the fact that he was carrying one of those horrible kick scooters. You can tell by the size of his calves that he wasn’t particularly thin, and he was definitely over the age of 20. What was he doing, “riding” along on that disgusting excuse for a bike, barefoot???? (And what was I doing, riding the bus, and exposing myself to this…)

The kick scooter. I'd rather crawl down the street than ride one of these.

Summer can be a very scary time of year, especially in England when pale (yet sunburned), overweight people tend to show off much more skin than necessary. (The worst is a music festival. Fat lobster city.) In Vancouver, it’s not so bad, because people are very fit, and there’s less scary rolls of white fat tumbling out of revealing “summer” clothing. (Remember Emma’s theory of tanned fat = muscle. But note that this does not mean that sunburnt fat = muscle) However, this doesn’t mean that Vancouverites have got it right in the summer fashion department.

Here’s a few of my summer fashion tips. Or no, let’s call them rules. And this list is certainly not exhaustive, I am sure there is a lot more to add. I’ll let you know next time I am on public transport.

When its hot and you work in an office

• Sleeveless is fine, but be weary of spaghetti straps if you don’t have toned arms.
• Don’t wear a beach-y summer dress to the office.
• Flip flops are not acceptable, unless they are ones made out of leather or have a heel.

When its hot on the street

• Teeny, tiny hot pants cause car accidents. Whether you look super hot in them, or whether you are overflowing out of them. Save it for the beach.
• Toplessness. Never allowed unless on the beach or at pool or park. (This is intended for men, but it goes without saying this applies to women, the only exception being on the beach in Spain.)
• Crop tops. In fact, crop tops are forbidden at any time, unless you 1- have an amazingly flat stomach and you’re on holiday or in a sexy night club, or 2- its layered over a long top.
• Barefoot. Gross, this is the street we are talking about! I won’t even go barefoot in a public shower!
• Kick scooters or roller blades (however, roller skates are perfectly ok.)

Never acceptable in the summer

• Sunburns

I wrote about the fur industry a few months ago in this blog post, but I’ve recently done some more in-depth research into the Canadian fur industry. Thanks to the Fur Council of Canada, I have learnt a lot about how the fur trade works in Canada, and the impact it has on Canadian business.

Now, I am sure some of my readers don’t like fur. In fact, many people find the idea of wearing fur clothing repulsive. I understand that there are many people who choose not to consume animal products, and if that is your choice, I respect it. But I also feel that the fur industry has a very bad rep, much worse than it deserves. I think organizations like PETA, who have a lot of money and celebrities on side, have disproportionally victimized the fur industry.

Workers in the fur industry. Photo by Claire Beaugrand-Champagne.

I’ve compiled a few statistics about the fur industry in Canada, to help you all understand a bit more about what it is about. Remember that the fur industry in Canada is just that, in Canada, so I’m not telling you about what happens in the fur farming industry in China, or any other country. I think the fur industry in Canada is important, our country was founded on it, and I think it needs to have a stronger voice. So here are a few reasons why we should support, or at least respect, the fur industry in Canada.

1. (Ok, I’m starting with one global statistic, to set the tone…) The fur industry represents less than one quarter of 1 percent of animals killed for human consumption. That’s very little. The meat and leather industries represent many, many more animals: some 200 million cows and several BILLION chickens plus millions of pigs, sheep, goats, etc., in North America alone — compared with about 6 million farmed and wild fur animals.) So it is strange that the fur industry seems to get so much criticism, when it is such a small business.
2. Even though it is small, the fur industry is a business that accounts for some $800 million dollars a year in Canada (including more than $350 million in exports) . That is money earned by thousands of aboriginal and other trappers living in some of the most remote regions of the country, by fur farming families, living in rural areas where employment opportunities are limited, and by processors and artisans working in small companies and family businesses, almost all of them in companies employing less than 20 people. These are not mega-corporations like meat and dairy, they are individuals who would be out of a job if we were to stop buying fur. Everyone seems to want to buy locally these days, and what is more local than buying a fur coat made from a wild animal caught in Canada, whose fur was prepared in Canada, and that was crafted, by hand, by a Canadian in Canada?
3. One third of fur in Canada comes from wild animals. The trapping skills used are regulated from the government, and are as humane as possible. That means that a good percentage of Canadian furs come from animals who have lived happy and free in the wild. (The ultimate in “free-range” and “organic” clothing!)
   

   Beavers are one of the most common animals used for fur in Canada. Photo by Luc Farrell.

4. The fur industry helps regulate the populations of wild animals. Beavers and muskrat are the main wild animals caught for fur in Canada, accounting for more than one-half the total. Beavers are animals that can cause a lot of destruction in the wild; due to the way they build their dams and forage for food. Beavers also reproduce very quickly, and when populations become too big, the beavers can seriously damage the environment, putting other wildlife at risk. If it weren’t for the fur industry, that provides an financial incentive for trappers to take a regulated number of beavers every year, the Canadian and provincial governments would have to have the animals culled in order to protect roads, fields, private property and vital wildlife habitat. (By the way, there are just as many beavers in the wild as there were 400 years ago. And no endangered or at risk animals may be killed for fur.)
5. The business generated by the fur industry in Canada helps to ensure that the natural habitats where the animals are caught are protected. A lot of the land where the trapping takes place would be more vulnerable to “development” (shopping centres, housing tracts, etc), were it not that the land produces revenue from hunters, trappers and others. If we didn’t have a profitable fur industry, a lot of this natural habitat could be lost to agriculture or other industries.
6. Animals farmed for fur are not treated any worse than animals farmed for meat. In fact, in some ways they are better off. Farmed mink need excellent nutrition and care or their fur will not be good enough for the very competitive international market. (Anyone with a dog or cat knows that a sick or unhappy animal has dull, unhealthy fur.) Another advantage is that, because they are not raised to feed humans, they can be euthanized quickly, in the same barn where they are raised. Food animals must be herded into trucks and transported long distances – which is even more stressful that the actual slaughtering. Hopefully I’ll have more to say on this subject when I get the chance to visit a local mink farm, sometime in the next few months.
   

   Muskrat, also frequently used in the fur industry in Canada. Photo by Luc Farrell.

7. Fur is biodegradable, long lasting, and handmade. You can’t make a fur coat in a giant production line. Each fur coat is individually handcrafted, using special skills and techniques that have been handed down from generation to generation. A fur coat lasts much longer than a synthetic coat (or most other clothing) and can be recycled to make a new fur coat. After many years of service, fur will eventually biodegrade, unlike petroleum-based synthetic fabrics. (Have you seen the mounds of textile waste we have in landfills? Some synthetic fabrics will take thousands of years to decompose.) And a fur coat lasts a long time. It is rare that a consumer will buy a new fur coat every season. They buy one, which will last a very long time, and it will often get handed down.
8. Nothing is wasted. Some people think that it is ok to kill a cow because we eat the meat and use the leather, but the fur industry is no different. In the fur industry, once the fur is taken, the meat of wild fur animals (like beaver and muskrat) is eaten by humans (in fact, they provide food in remote aboriginal communities where store bought food is extremely expensive to import), or returned to the wild to feed other wild animals during the cold months of winter. There are also other by-products, such as mink oil used for skin care products and professional leather care, organic fertilizers, beaver “castors” (scent glands) for use in perfumes, etc…
9. It’s a business with a lot of tradition. Canada was founded on the fur industry. The skills are generally passed down from generation to generation, and many communities still depend on the fur industry for food and income. Eliminating this would not only end this important part of our heritage, but also destroy a large number of jobs. And why, since fur is a natural product that is produced sustainably and responsibly?

Fur homewares. I'd love these in front of my fireplace. Photo by Bill Abercrombie.

I’ve always been a big fan of fur, it is warm, beautiful to the touch, and natural. And it is a great relief to learn that the fur industry is far from evil and exploitative. I explained all of the above to my friend Maria, who dislikes fur and rarely eats meat, and she agreed that the above arguments have certainly swayed her perception of the fur industry. But her argument was “I don’t want this to mean that suddenly everyone thinks it is ok to cage animals in horrible conditions and kill them for their pelts.” I agree with her completely, and I believe that the approach consumers take to the fur industry needs to be the same as the approach they take to buying meat, chocolate, coffee, etc… I won’t buy a battery chicken, I’ll only buy fairtrade coffee, and I won’t buy fur farmed in countries where there is no regulation or standards for the treatment of animals. But that doesn’t mean I won’t buy any more chicken, coffee or fur; I am simply learning to be smarter about my decisions. I hope some of the above facts will help you to make smarter decisions too.

All images, unless otherwise noted, are courtesy of the Fur Council of Canada.

One of my baby skunks.

My husband went fishing this weekend and he saw seven bears. This was his first bear sighting in Canada, and he also got to see loads of baby bears, so that made up for the fact that he didn’t catch any fish.

I feel like I am really starting to get used to having wildlife around me, all the time. It started off with our frequent trips to Brackendale, up in the mountains, to visit friends. We’ve spotted huge bald eagles, seals, Canada geese, and giant salmon, not to mention the frequent bear visits in their backyard. Then I realized my backyard seems to be home to a lot of wildlife. We have several raccoons who pass through, two beehives on the back porch (which have now been removed), and a family of skunks. My Mom asked me why I hadn’t posted anything about the skunks yet, so I decided to post this little video of me talking to one of the baby skunks. There are three of them, and a Mom, living somewhere in or near my backyard. The only downside to this video is you can’t see how small they are. They are tiny, the size of a small rabbit. Adorable. And they love me. They hiss at my husband, but they love me.

I am obsessed with this Jason Matlo jacket, in fact, I am obsessed with the sleeve. I saw someone wearing it a a few weeks ago, and it looked stunning. Nothing beats a great sleeve.

A model knitting while she gets her hair done.

I should have posted this sooner, but it is not too late if you are reading this on Friday!

Sugar Studios is hosting their first seminar on Saturday June 12th, which is the opportunity to be a ‘Fly on the Wall’ during a fashion shoot.

“…watch fashion photographer DEXTER QUINTO and stylist LEILA BANI as they shoot the feature spread for TLC magazine’s September 2010 issue. Dexter, Leila, and TLC have teamed up with one of Vancouver’s premier boutiques, BACCI’S, in celebration of their 25-year history of fashion. The shoot will feature pieces from BACCI’S 25-year archive, which include the likes of JEAN PAUL GAULTIER, ALEXANDER MCQUEEN, CHLOE, MOSCHINO, DRIES VAN NOTEN, and JUNYA WATANABE, to name a few.”

If you are a fashion student, or an aspiring photographer or stylist, it could be a great way to see what happens during a photoshoot. (And the clothes will be fantastic, since they come from Bacci’s.) I don’t know Dexter, but I know that Leila is a fantastic stylist, one of Vancouver’s best, and even I’d like to see her in action. However, it is a long and boring day (photoshoots always are) and what I can’t understand is the price of this “seminar.” THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS. So, no, I guess it is not aimed at fashion students, or anyone who has less money than sense.

Model looking bored and getting her hair done. Photo by Tommy Ton from Jak and Jil.

So for those of you wanting to understand a bit about what goes on “behind the scenes” during a photoshoot, I’d like to suggest the following. If you are a student, contact some local stylists and try and get some work assisting. If you are nice, intelligent, and have some basic fashion knowledge, it won’t be hard. Then you get to be PART of the behind the scenes and it won’t cost you a thing. In fact, you’ll probably get a free lunch. For the rest of you, I will kindly give you a detailed run down of a typical photoshoot, at the bargain price of zero dollars (that is 300 dollars cheaper than tomorrow’s seminar, and you can still enjoy a day out in the sun.)

Call time: 8am

8am: Hair stylists, makeup artists, stylist, photographers, assistants arrive at studio

8:15am: Model calls to say she is running late. Photographer starts setting up, discussing shots with stylist. Clothes are ironed. Hair and makeup set up their equipment.

8:30: Still no model. Hair and makeup are sitting there, bored.

9am: Model arrives, panting. Team wants to yell at her for being late, but it is a bad idea to yell at a model, because she might be in a bad mood for the rest of the day, and that means bad photos.

9am-10am: Model gets hair done. Photograph finishes preparing first set up, stylist is ready to go.

10am-11am: Model gets makeup done. Photographer and stylist are sitting around, bored.

11am: First shot. Realize hair is wrong. Hair takes another 30 minutes to sort out it out.

Model being dressed and looking bored.

11:30am: More attempts at getting first shot. Model isn’t getting “into the mood.” The photos look crap. Panic that everyone has been there for almost four hours and nothing has been accomplished yet.

12 noon: First photo looks good. Model changes into second look. Hair and makeup doing minor touch-ups, bit otherwise bored.

1pm: Second look gets shot.

2pm -3pm: Lunch. Model gets new hair and makeup, photographer sets up new lighting for next photos. Atmosphere is tense as the shoot has been going on for 6 hours, and there are only two photos taken so far. Only 3 more hours before models starts charging obscene overtime fee, and studio wants to closes.

3pm-6pm: Miraculously six more shots get taken in the last three hours. For some reason, it takes four hours to get the first shots right at a photoshoot, but the rest come easily. Hair and makeup bored, until they decide to start packing up at 5pm.

Model looking bored. Photo by Tommy Ton of Jak and Jil.

Hours spent sitting around doing nothing: LOTS. Moments where things are exciting, MAYBE 2 hours. The rest is boring. Why do you think we always see photos of models sitting around reading books or knitting? It is because they spend a lot of time being bored. One photoshoot with a team of people, and you tend to know them better than most of your friends, since you’ve managed to tell them your life stories five times over. And that’s just while the model is getting her hair done.

So that’s it folks. If you still feel the urge to see the photoshoot live tomorrow, I am sure there are tickets left. If not, rest assured you aren’t missing out on anything that exciting, it is a long day.

(I have to say, I am quite shocked at the ridiculous price tag involved with this seminar. They have 40 seats, at 300 dollars a head? That means they are expecting to make over $10K in profit, from letting people watch them work? It is ridiculous.)

Contact details for the tickets:

Contact studio manager CHRISTINA CULVER at 604.879.1635 or sugar@sugarstudios.com.

Model knitting.

Images, from top to bottom.

Model knitting.

Model bored by Tommy Ton.

Model bored 1.

Model bored by Tommy Ton.

Model knitting.

As I was planning my move back to Canada last year, the things that got me most excited were the prospects of cars and dogs. Fast forward one year and I have no dog (but will do soon!) and a car that’s not exactly as cool as I had hoped (although much cooler than an SUV.) But the plan is to get a muscle car, very soon. Here are some amazing ones at the Grease n’ Grind show yesterday at Pat’s Pub. I’m more of a Ford Mustang or Pontiac Firebird type of girl, but I have a soft spot for this Chevy Impala as well.