Spring/Summer 2013: Plenty to Choose From

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

I recently checked out Plenty’s Favourites Spring 2013 event. Hosted by FASHION Magazine’s Joy Pecknold, and featuring outfits selected by the ladies from The Style Common, the event makes me wish more than ever that spring would actually arrive.

Established in Vancouver in 1989 (just like me!), Plenty stocks a wide variety of international and in-house brands. I’ve always liked Plenty’s mix of brands because they’re great at achieving a balance of on-trend, and classic pieces. This spring’s collection is no exception, and with that, here are my favourite picks:

For the ladies:

I absolutely love this Maison Scotch vest, and need it in my wardrobe ASAP (nickels currently being saved). The photo really doesn’t do all of the details justice. As someone who lives in jean jackets three-quarters of the year, this vest is a much-needed alternative.

I love a good print, and this GREYLIN top with bird motif is nice and bright without being too busy. Using this blog as personal therapy side note: I’m slightly terrified of birds, but love all bird clothing and jewelry. Is this normal?

Every summer I make a huge list of things I’m going to DIY, and after about 3 botched projects, I finally give up. These Free People cutoffs embrace my uselessness, and add the lace trim for me. Well worth the investment.

This OBEY hat is a great way for girls to dip their toes into the sportswear trend, with the floral pattern keeping things feminine. As a matter of fact, I’m not even sure this is a women’s hat, not that I’ve been stopped from shopping in the men’s section before.

Spring colours even sneak their way into jewelry!

DV Dolce Vita sandals with the slightest of a wedge, so you can sneak an extra inch without your feet feeling it.

For the fellas:

OBEY is one of my favourite menswear lines. This tank is great for summer festivals, or for Americans who want to celebrate the Fourth of July without slapping a giant American flag on their clothes.

RVCA shorts are a good mix of tailored and casual. A nice alternative to the Vancouver habit of guys wearing board shorts everywhere.

Original Penguin makes great button up shirts, and this check has some nice spring colours.

Men take note: women like guys who read. That being said, I won’t tell if you wait to wear this Out of Print Clothing Great Gatsby shirt until after the Baz Luhrmann movie comes out.

With that I am done. Thanks for reading, and for being my bird-issues therapist. Perhaps you’ll see one of the few additional items I picked up at the event on the blog soon (I think I may have a shopping problem, but that’s a whole other therapy session).

Model Menswear: London Alexander

Follow Emily on Twitter: @em_rossco

"You mean this is a MALE fashion show?" asked the guy in line behind us. 

Though his disappointment at the lack of female models was apparent, Sarah and I, who often gravitate to the menswear section ourselves, were ready to see which pieces from the collection we could splice into our wardrobes.

London Alexander, a Vancouver-based designer who started his craft in Squamish, showcased his new collections at Fortune Sound Club on Saturday night. 

Packed with people anticipating another collection boasting his signature clean and basic menswear style, London Alexander's showcase featured his Spring/Summer 2013 and Fall/Winter 2013 collections. 

Incorporating classic cuts updated with fun prints, small details and bold accents, Alexander's collections delivered. These pieces would provide any guy a perfect wardrobe foundation with its basic shorts, pants, t's and shirts, with a few jackets and sweatsuit inspired pieces. I know I'd steal some of the super soft looking t-shirts and sweat shorts from an unexpecting guy, or maybe even buy some for myself. Though some of the colours and patterns seemed half a season behind, overall, what Alexander's collection lacked in innovation was made up for in tailoring. 

Images via Berkley Vopnfjord

Post-show, I don't know our friend from the line felt any less exasperated that he didn't get to see ladies on the runway, but I'm sure he was inspired to update his wardrobe with some new basics. 

Find out more about London Alexander's collection, including stockists, here. 

(Erin: London Alexander used to go under LRMA. You can read more and see more here.)

The Parker Project: From Winter into Summer 2013

Cities have industrial parks, technology parks, but did you know that Vancouver has a fashion park? Located on Parker Street in East Vancouver, The Parker Project houses the offices of some of your favourite fashion brands.

This past Friday we took a tour of The Parker Project to get a sneak peak of the clothes that will be hitting stores soon. With all of our friends talking about Sasquatch and Coachella lately, we had music festivals on the brain. So with that in mind, as we took our tour, it seemed like all of our favourite finds were also festival picks. Even the food was festival ready, with the Tacofino truck parked right outside (nom).

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

My general rule of thumb for festivals is that at least one piece of denim must be worn at all times. Have a maxi dress? Add a denim jacket. Wearing a cute blouse? Obviously pair it with cutoffs. Or, just go all out and rock a summer version of the Canadian tuxedo.

I know most people think cutoffs and tank tops for festivals, but when the sun goes down you gotta bundle up (we learned that the hard way at Outside Lands last year). The mix of knit and leather on this Line Knitwear piece looks great and will keep you warm.

Lightweight pants are a must have item. When you’re lying on a blanket waiting for the next act to hit the stage, you’ll be glad you’re in pants and not a short skirt. Gypsy05 had lots of pants in awesome colourful prints. If you’re feeling a little less adventurous, Lifetime Collective had black pants that would make a great wardrobe staple.

Blee Inara had some great accessories with lots of influences from around the world. I was especially digging the evil eyes.

Quiksilver Women had a ton of good finds. My favourite was this tall ship dress.

Follow Emily on Twitter: @em_rossco

Festival dressing can be a bit tricky. You’ve really got to consider where the festival is taking place and other factors like how long you’ll actually have to be outside and what sort of surfaces you’ll be perching on while mowing your food truck treats. You’ve also got to mix practical with on trend, which can be agonizing if you’re not an effortless festival goddess.

My go to pieces always involve layering (even if it’s excessive at times) of both clothing and jewelry. I’d start with these bangles from the YBrands showroom. They’d provide a good hint of colour to any festival getup.

A maxi dress is a perfect piece as it’s both flowly but keeps your legs protected from scratchy grass. The stripe pattern of this Gypsy05 maxi would be perfect to layer with your key denim piece of the day.

If you’re going to a festival where you know it’s going to be hot, these Seychelle's sandals incorporate just enough of the stud trend to be cute without being a hindrance at airport security.

Keeping warm, especially at festivals in a desert like Sasquatch, mean a big knit is essential. This Left on Houston open cardigan could be thrown over any piece to stave off the nighttime chills.

BB Dakota’s lightweight patterned shorts would be perfect for a hot day. Throw on some thigh high socks to carry them into a cool night.

After browsing through the showrooms, we were both ready to ditch our winter knits for some festival pieces. Besides the basics of denim and patterns, incorporate practical layers with unexpected accessories to create a unique festival look while ensuring you won’t freeze while listening to Metallica in a cloud of fog. We coped with the longing for our next festival by stuffing our face with mini cupcakes – we’re definitely on our way to that summer bod.

[Insert Adjective Here] Dressed: The Grammys

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

There really is no 'Best Dressed' at the Grammys, only ridiculous and slightly less ridiculous. So with that, here are my awards for the best and the rest:

Best Dressed Award: Rihanna. Yeah it’s see through, but if I looked like her, all my outfits would be too. Plus, no one has looked that good in a red Alaia since Cher Horowitz.

We Get It, You’re in Good Shape Award: J.Lo and her leg. This woman will be 80 and still dressing like a 20 year old.

Jessica Simpson Never-Ending Pregnancy Award: Amber Rose. How has she not had that baby yet? I’m surprised she didn’t go into labour mid-show.

Accessory of the Night: Frank Ocean’s finger bandage. On a side note, was Chris Brown’s all white ensemble some sort of PR move? Does he think people will see him as innocent?

Glinda the Good Witch Award: Kimbra. Also, I’m pretty sure Kimbra’s head weighs more than her entire body, because I think she could topple over at any second.

Jurassic Park Award: Florence-asaurus Welch in custom Givenchy.

*Sigh* is it the Oscars yet?

Images via The Hollywood Reporter

Sarah: Drop Your Anchors at Portside

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

This past Sunday I somehow lucked out and was tasked with going to the media preview of Portside, the latest venture by Mark Brand.

Located in Gastown, Portside hopes to bring East coast pub culture to Vancouver. Right off the bat they had my interest, as Vancouver isn't exactly known as the most friendly place.

With a name like Portside, it's quite obvious that they're going for a nautical vibe, and there are all sorts of cool artifacts to check out in the space. On top of being a bar, Portside also has a stage for live music acts, filling a void of medium-sized venues in the city.

Some highlights of the night, including me stuffing my face (as per usual)

The menu sticks to the basics, but is definitely a step up from your average drunk food. Highlights include the pulled pork, and hot dogs. Drinks are definitely the main attraction though, as Porside features an impressive 24 beers on tap, with 6 selections each from: local, Canadian, American, and international. Needless to say,  I didn't get a chance to try them all, but that will certainly be a goal of mine in the coming weeks.

Overall, Portside has an awesome vibe, and great food and drinks to back it up. I'm looking forward to checking out a live show and getting closer to my beer goal.

KnowShow - Proof Style and Function Aren't Mutually Exclusive

Follow Sarah on Twitter: @sarallin

Hey Vancouver, dare yourself to dress better, why don't ya?

Vancouver has a couple of reputations (aside from the overpriced housing, but that’s a whole other story): active lifestyle, and terrible fashion. Sadly these two things seem to have a direct correlation, and often you can’t tell if someone has just come from yoga or if they always look like that.

Last week we attended KNOWSHOW to check out the Fall/Winter 2013 collections from various lifestyle brands. There were a lot of great finds, and believe it or not, a lot of well-dressed people at the show. In a way, Vancouver is the perfect city for KNOWSHOW, because it acts as proof that lifestyle and fashion don’t have to be at odds with each other.

Here are some of my key takeaways from KNOWSHOW:

Unexpected materials: Whether it was sunglass frames made from skateboard decks at Proof Eyewear, or mesh looking surprisingly awesome when paired with denim for the Mavi/Chalayan Denim Capsule Collection, there was usually something interesting to learn about each item of clothing or accessory the more you looked into it.

Bold prints: Lifetime Collective showed sweaters with woven patterns that would make even Bill Cosby jealous. Quiksilver Women put out some great print pants that looked ready to be lived in. More specifically, blanket prints were a popular showing. I’ve always been a sucker for a good plaid item, and blanket prints seem to be a natural progression from there.

General awesomeness: I’ve been to my fair share of tradeshows, and I think KNOWSHOW has to be the most fun. Exhibitors are genuinely excited about the brands they’re representing, and want to share it with people. The only downside is that you have to wait for all these clothes to hit retailers.

So listen up Vancouverites, now that you’ve learned what the KNOWSHOW exhibitors have to offer, you really have no excuse for wearing leggings as pants.

Golden Globes Best/Worst

Follow Sarah on Twitter @sarallin

Here’s my Golden Globe fashion recap, and first Haus of Hybrid contribution (!!!). Because I’m totally qualified to write these things while sitting at home in sweatpants, baggy sweater, and a topbun.

Best Dressed

Rosario Dawson

The look on her face sums up how I feel about this dress.

Lucy Liu

Love it or hate it, at least Lucy Liu takes risks. Her Emmys skanky disco ball dress didn’t quite hit the mark, but this dress sure did.

Kerry Washington

Kerry Washington looks so good, I may have to start watching Scandal.

Jessica Alba

Is it just me, or does she just get better and better looking?

Amy Poehler

 I don’t know if it was her dress, or just how funny they were, but Amy and Tina looked great, with Amy’s red dress being the best of the bunch. Side note, I want Tina Fey’s hair.

The So Close Award

Jessica Chastain

Could someone please get Jessica Chastain a tailor? Someone’s boobs should never be best described as “baggy”.

Worst Dressed

Giuliana Rancic

This dress looks like a low-rent Beyonce at the 2011 Met Gala.

Julianne Hough

 Miley Cyrus goes to prom. Also, why are you even invited to this award show?

Halle Berry

 This dress reminds me of that terrible early 2000s trend of faux newspaper print clothes.

Debra Messing

 Speaking of things that were popular in the early 2000s… here’s Debra Messing.

Lena Dunham

 Is this dress made out of neoprene?

Odds and ends:

To Sarah Hyland, do your boobs hurt in that dress?

To Christoph Waltz, when did you get so attractive? Please keep wearing those glasses.

And finally to Bill Murray, your facial hair confuses and amazes me. Never stop being you.

Images via THR, The Cut, Vulture