FASHION Magazine

If you’ve been counting your fashionable pennies these days, you’re not alone.  I too have been weighing purchases before taking the plunge, neatly stowing away my impulsive self until this ghastly recession comes to a screeching halt. Ummm…when is that going to happen again? For me, going low budget doesn’t mean shunning designer wear altogether.  In fact, I’ve decided to take a long-term view and avoid the bargain that never gets worn and invest in some workhorse pieces.

So, no better time for Calgary’s latest fashion duo, Leon Kang and Aly Velji to transform their cutting-edge boutique Smyth & Kang (610 1st St. S.W., 403-617-2406, smythandkang.com). And we’re not talking a simple facelift.

As the Calgary fashion scene gains momentum, there’s one local designer who’s taking her success one sketch at a time. “I honestly have to pinch myself daily,” Lara Presber‘s (larapresber.com) exclaims as we pore over the pages of her 2009 Spring collection, influenced by early 1900 aerial views of Kenyan landscapes.

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: