FASHION Magazine

I first met Christie Clayton when her label, Carny Love (carnylove.com), was chosen as a finalist in the Generation Next competition at BC Fashion Week in April 2008. As part of the judging panel, I was lucky enough to meet the quirky designer and hear about the inspiration for her line, which was only one year old at the time.

Frugalistas everywhere will agree that $50 is the perfect number. Whether it’s a pair of shoes, jeans, a jacket, a sweater, a dress, if you can get it for $50, you know you are paying a very reasonable price. Any more you’ll probably think twice about it, but $50—now that is a nice round number. That can easily be justified.

Buying locally designed clothes from boutiques is something we all probably wish we could do more of, but in reality small labels can often only produce small quantities and boutiques pay high rents—both of which drive up prices.

So what if you could get the best of both worlds—locally designed and boutique items for under $50?

By Kate MacLennan

I’m not so silly as to go comparing B.C. Fashion Week to the spectacles that our editors witness in Bryant Park, the Carrousel du Louvre, or any of Milan’s equally stylish venues, but I will enthuse this: we have a fashion week here in Vancouver, and the alluring mix of up-and-comers and established designers set to hit the catwalk next week is well worth checking out. Here’s some highlights: