UFV Absolute Style 2013 Fashion Show

Yes it's true, I've come out of my post-VFW hibernation! With my final exams of undergrad right after, and moving after that, I needed some serious downtime (well, if you can call full-time work downtime!). Seeing the University of the Fraser Valley put on their annual grad fashion show got me right back into the blogging zone, though, and I'm excited to share with you the talent I witnessed on the runway. Our very own Vancouver Vogue dress designer, Rebecca of Rebecca Elizabeth designs was even showing her collection! I had goosebumps seeing her collection on the runway; her portion of the show was set to Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Ray (from the Great Gatsby soundtrack), which was fitting, since her bridal collection featured vintage glamour of the 20's. You'll hear more about her collection in my interview with her in the coming weeks! Another one to watch is Kassandra of Kassinka Designs, whose collection featured stunning designs with a nod to her Russian heritage. I'm so glad she is bringing muffs back! What a perfect addition to a stunning and feminine collection of bright, primary colours and lace. You can expect an interview with her as well coming soon!

The show itself had many different featured program elements, including shows dedicated to bustiers, swimsuits, surface design, weaving, as well as the individual grad collections. I wish I could share them all with you, but I've narrowed it down to my favourites (and those without people's heads in the way!).

Myself, I opted for a very bright combination of colours for the event, because it's officially nice enough out to to wear them and not feel the least bit out of place! I am loving adding my yellow neon accessories to my outfits right now, and as you can see here, this look was no exception. Don't be afraid to add a strong dose of colour to your look!

Kassinka Designs

Ninghao Designs

Rebecca Elizabeth Designs

Bits Designs

MRaines Fashions

Kassinka Designs

Low Lai Designs

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

BC Children's Hospital Foundation Charity Fashion Show

As soon as the whirlwind that was Vancouver Fashion Week was over, it was on to the next event! Myself and my Marketing Strategy classmates organized and hosted a charity fundraiser for BC Children's Hospital foundation the week after VFW. We held it at Stefano's Mediterranean restaurant in New West, and it featured a pop-up fashion show, photobooth, raffle, food and drinks! The highlight of the evening was the fashion show, featuring the designs of Guylaine Designs and Rebecca Elizabeth Designs: both local talent with truly unique and stunning collections.

One of Rebecca Elizabeth's designs you have already seen here on my blog last year, and she designed another dress especially just for this show! When I first interviewed Rebecca, she described her love of detailed and dramatic backs, and you can see from the sexy super low back on the sequin and velvet dress below that this is still the case. I'm very excited to her her bridal collection, which she will be featuring at UFV's Absolute Style 2013 fashion show on April 25th! You can still buy tickets for that event.

I was so excited to finally have a chance to view Guylaine's couture collection, after meeting her at Vancouver Fashion Week one year ago. I've never seen anything like her designs, and they definitely have the quality of high fashion about them, but the beautiful thing is, I feel as though I can actually wear them (which is rare for couture)! My favourite design, hands down, is the black and turquoise dress. It's design is made up of many unique elements brought together, and the whole look exudes a seductiveness, thanks to it's peek-a-boo top and high cut hemline. All the models, and Guylaine were decked out in the glamorous accessories of Shine Jewels, a local brand with some seriously covetable statement pieces. The girls all looked fabulous, as did Guylaine herself (in one of her own designs, of course!); I positively loved her her feather-lined top!

It was great to expose a whole new audience to these designers' talent, and raise money for a great cause at the same time. We ended up raising over $1300 for the children of BC Children's Hospital!






The lovely Laura Baird in one of Rebecca Elizabeth's designs.







Guylaine's couture collection: a peacock-inspired dress with removable skirt!















Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Thrifty Thursday

With fashion week over, it's time to play catch-up, and I have loads of new thrifted finds to share with you! There are a few things I wore during VFW which you haven't seen on Thrifty Thursday yet, but I will have those up for next week. As for this week, I have a few of my finds from the trip I made to my favourite thrift shop earlier this month.


I am always on the look-out for special detailing, and this Zara shirt with faux-leather padded shoulders caught my eye. There is a very small rip to fix under the arm, but once I've sewed it up (and given it a good iron), it'll be good as new!





Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Zara W&B Collection
Section: Shirts
What I Paid: $9.99
What it's Worth: ~ $50



This is one of my more proud finds, and you'll understand why when you see the original price tag. I've never actually owned a bandage dress, and I must agree they are quite flattering; the pricier brands like this one tend to be made of a thicker material than the others you'll find in the mall, so they hug your body in a way that is still forgiving.



Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Armani Exchange
Section: Featured Items
What I Paid: $138
What it's Worth: $14.99



A mustard cardigan may seem like an odd colour choice, but I have seen them in many bloggers' outfits, and I find that they always add a nice tinge of colour to the look. You can see how I wore it in my Look of the Week from earlier this month.



Store: Salvation Army
Brand: Joe
Section: Sweaters
What I Paid: $5.99
What it's Worth: ?


Happy Styling! xo

~Britta

Vancouver Fashion Week F/W 2013 Day 5

It was a bittersweet day Sunday, as it marked the last day of shows at Vancouver Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2013. My feet are definitely glad to get a break now, but at the same time I'm already yearning for a new reason to dress up.

Unfortunately, life doesn't stop for fashion week, so we were late to the shows because of work. but we made it in time to see some absolutely stunning designs. My favourite from what we saw was Well Groomed. The designs were variations of Indian lehengas (traditional dresses), all in flattering bright hues and adorned in glamorous jewels and sparkles. The photos just can't do the level of sparkle justice. The heavily weighted hemlines created a graceful sweeping motion as the models walked the runway. I now need to go to an Indian wedding. I already know exactly what I will be wearing! Eva Chen's collection was equally stunning in a completely different way: the designs incorporated many trends like peplum and sheer bottoms in a way that was unique to her style (you'll see what I mean when you see the photos below!). Her dresses were very feminine but had sassy details: feathers along the bustline, mini shorts under a sheer skirt, bright colour-blocked peplum.

As far as my outfit goes, while Day 3 seemed to be all about leather, Day 5 was all about the fur! Other fashionistas in fur included blogger Nina of Nina on the Moon and stylist Sonia if iStyle By Sonia. It's interesting how the trend looked entirely different on each of us! This is one trend that is fairly gutsy to wear, but it'll give your outfit that touch of instant glam!









Vest-Bebe(thrifted), Shirt-Bebe(thrifted), Skirt-Topshop, Shoes-BCBGeneration(via Vince Camuto), Purse-from my neighbour, Bracelet-gift from Germany, ring-H&M


(From left to right): Simone, myself, Nina of Nina on the Moon, Alison of Styling My Life



Laend Phuengkit:






A dance performance by the extremely energetic Shiamak




Well Groomed:













Eva Chen:













Jaya Misra:






With blogger Nina of Nina on the Moon


See you on the runway next season, Vancouver!

Happy Styling! xo

~Britta