FASHION Magazine

Bookmark this new online store: A.D.F.M. (theadfmstore.com). Based in Vancouver, the name stands for Art Design Fashion Music, and it sells a slick selection of exactly that. Curated by style-loving dj Michelle Wong, it stocks art prints, design tomes and music downloads (creative V-Day gifts, anyone?) alongside fashion lines such as Funktional, Mackage, Eryn Brinié and Dolce Vita. The website also offers 24-hour personalized advice from stylists for those wanting a little wardrobe 411.

This is the time of year to revamp your lingerie collection. Treat yourself this Valentine’s Day with a trip to one of Alberta’s two new Victoria’s Secret locations (Kingsway Mall, 109 St. and Princess Elizabeth Ave., Edmonton, 780-479-4221; Southcentre Mall, 100 Anderson Rd. SE, Calgary, 403-278-4881; victoriassecret.com), both fully stocked with all the fine lingerie and satiny goodness you’ve been fantasizing about since the brand’s Canadian launch nearly two years ago.

Artsy underground designer Angie Johnson of Norwegian Wood (norwegianwoodonline.com) recently added lingerie to her clothing and accessories mix. This limited-edition collection maximizes glamour while keeping prices under $100.

I will start with an admission: I am a terrific failure at online dating. It’s not that I’m a Luddite when it comes to cyber-communication; I grew up on the cusp of the generation that came of (dating) age during the digital era. Yet somehow, meeting someone online reduces me to the level of awkward small talk at a wedding with an elderly uncle: “Where do you live?” “Is it nice there?” (Uncomfortable pause.) “What do you like to eat?” And the perils of online communication don’t disappear after the first few dates: A guy I was seeing ignored my Facebook friend request until I retracted it, embarrassed; an ex-boyfriend abruptly untagged himself from every photo we appeared in together. The internet, for all its Google Pluses, has created plenty of minuses in my love life.

Brassieres, briefs and other mid-century-style unmentionables help turn a chore-filled afternoon into a retro fashion affair.

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When it comes to accessories, Isabelle Fish, owner of Rue Pigalle (ruepigalle.ca), swims against the current. Her charming Yorkville boutique is stocked with avant-garde international labels, many of which are exclusive to her store, including Noritamy (jewellery), Martine Boissy (scarves) and Lena Erziak (bags). Here, this lawyer–turned–fashion entrepreneur talks bright colour, the art of buying, and bold evening bags.

When did your love of accessories begin?
“I grew up in a family that revered craftsmen and craftsmanship, so I knew I wanted to be in the business of beautiful objets. My mother was extremely elegant and taught me about managing a small wardrobe of simple garments, and giving it flair with beautifully crafted accessories.”

What is the significance behind your boutique’s name?
“Rue Pigalle used to be the main street in Paris’s red-light district. I liked the contrast between the elegance of the collections I carry and the naughtiness [of this] forbidden place.”

This spring, power pigment bags continue to light up the scene: Akris did crimson, Alexander Wang showcased blue and Alexander McQueen crushed on orange. Grab a hand-held hue with hometown Herschel Supply Co. (herschelsupply.com). In addition to neutral tones, the bags come in a range of kicky colours, such as burnt orange, moss green, navy, and a red and khaki combo (shown, from $70). With an interior pocket for discreetly hauling around a laptop, the bags carry off function too.

Like Helen of Troy and those ships, model-turned-designer Brian Atwood’s (brianatwood.com) handsomeness alone could move shoe units at The Room. Yet his super-stylish stilettos sell themselves. Thankfully, there’s now more Atwood than ever to go around, with last year’s launch of a second line, B Brian Atwood, and a haute handbag collection.

Who is the Brian Atwood woman?
“Always the most beautiful, sexy woman in the room. I’m not tooting my own horn. That’s just how it happens to go. [The heels] make you feel that—the power of the shoe.”

Is your B Brian Atwood woman any different?
“The B girl is jetset, but she’s funkier, more urban, and there’s ease to it. She doesn’t have $800 for a pump, but why shouldn’t she have a sexy pump?”

The aptly named So Pretty Jewelry (sopretty.ca), by Edmonton gem Cara Cotter, delivers precious stones in Caribbean hues–just in time for your mid-winter tropical getaway. Her Gum Drop Seafoam Chyrsoprase & Gold Vermeil Locket ($165, shown) stole my heart. Available at the new So Pretty pop-up shop in Coup Garment Boutique (101-10137 104 St., Edmonton, 780-756-3032, coupboutique.com).

Fresh off her Spring 2012 exclusive for Givenchy in Paris, jetsetting New York–based supermodel Heather Marks (a Calgary native) took a few moments to chat with us backstage at Edmonton’s Fashion with Compassion breast cancer fundraiser and fashion show. Despite insider access to fashion for nearly a decade, this 23-year-old beauty with rockstar style still has an appreciation for the simpler things in life.

Where do you shop when you’re back in Alberta?
“I always stop by Aritzia and I like going to Gravitypope on 17th Avenue [in Calgary] for shoes. Holt Renfrew is also a favourite.”

What’s your favourite accessory at the moment?
“I got a new Chanel bag that I’m currently obsessing over. It’s not your classic shape. It’s a little bit more round, a little bit more funky.”

Skaters–turned–design aficionados Oli and Mer Van Roost, who are also twin brothers, bring their laid-back street sensibility to their store, Magasin Général Bruxe (5662 Sherbrooke St. W., 514-932-9802, bruxedesign.com). The boutique, in Notre-Dame-de-Grâce (a quiet ’hood slowly rising in its hip factor), features a mix of urban clothes, their popular Bruxe bags and their new line of handmade pendants, Tiny Little Chairs (from $90). The mini collection pays homage to mid-century modern designs, such as the silver Zig Zag chair (shown, $95) by Dutch architect Gerrit T. Rietveld, the Nelson bench and the Eames lounger-plus-ottoman.

Before completing a Master of Arts in womenswear at the prestigious Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design, this Canadian-born U.K. expat cut his design chops at Montreal’s LaSalle College. Now Thomas Tait (thomastait.com) is a ready-to-wear whiz kid on the international fashion scene, churning out strong, tailored pieces in mostly soft silhouettes.

What was the most valuable thing you learned at LaSalle?
“How to make clothes. I had no idea how technical the course would be. I was literally scared of the sewing machine for quite a while.”
 
Your graduate project was a beautiful exploration of human angles: collarbones, hip bones, shoulders.
“There was definitely an elaboration on silhouette in my Fall 2011 collection. It was insanely hard to do, but I loved it in the end.”