Good Vibes: Light and Soul Party

On Wednesday March 23rd, our good friends Light & Soul threw a killer event at the Ant Hill Building in Kensington to release their new Animalistic collection.  The PARK team and I attended this event, and it was honestly something you had to see to believe because my description of what happened that night does not do it justice whatsoever. 

From the second we walked we were surrounded by creativity, friends, love, and good vibes.  It was definitely an original night and I wouldn't expect anything less from the L&S crew.  Being the fashion obsessed people we are, the first thing we did was check out their new collection which we previewed at PARKSHOW 2011.  It was a collection of art printed t-shirts and tank tops, and our favourite pieces were the hand dyed ponchos and scarves that I am just dying to get for this summer.

       

**photos by Eric Epie at PARKSHOW 2011

 The rest of our night consisted of:

An inspiring art show with work by 16 local artists, our favourite piece being a cross stitched picture of Tupac by Davey Gravy. 

Delicious organic snacks that included my childhood favourite, ants on a log. (Celery, peanut butter, raisins)

A mini skateboard ramp where everyone could show off their craziest tricks. 

Dressing up in cardboard costumes and moustaches in the photo booth. 

A fierce dance presentation/ fashion show by Dangerkat. 

Hula hooping, and a limbo contest.

The L&S van was in the building for us to paint on.  Some people painted some amazing stuff on there... I was not one of them.  If you ever get a chance to see it, look for the worst painting you can find on the back of the van and I can guarantee you that it's mine. (I tried my best.)

And we busted out our best moves and danced the night away to a 12 piece funk band.

To be honest that is only the beginning of the list of crazy stuff that happened that night, and if you weren’t there you truly missed out on a memorable event.  It was a night of building community and culture here in Calgary, while promoting local art and fashion.  The Light & Soul crew is a group of wickedly talented, passionate, and inspiring artists and designers, and it's always fun to see what they have up their sleeves.

I'm still feeling the love from the Animalistic launch party , and the PARK team cannot wait for the next one!

  

- Maeghan

PARK loves: MaNoKin Design

 

Marsina King, the creative director of MaNoKin Design, started sewing at the young age of 6 and hasn’t stopped since.  


Born and raised in Calgary, Marsina’s passion for fashion design took her out of Cowtown and across the country to Ryerson University in Toronto, where she received a Bachelor of Design in Fashion Design.  After completing her degree Marsina moved back to Calgary to launch her line in 2010 and showcased her Spring/ Summer 2011 collection in her first independent fashion show last October.  I had been hearing about MaNoKin for a while, and had the pleasure of attending this show; I was extremely impressed by Marsina’s unique design aesthetic and keen attention to detail. 

I recently asked Marsina to speak a little bit about the inspiration behind her lovely label.

  "Design is Everywhere" encompasses the philosophy which inspires the MaNoKin label. Minute details which can easily be overlooked are translated into a focal point on a garment. MaNoKin embodies a balance between practicality and creativity, work and play, sex appeal and modesty. The MaNoKin woman has an eye for quality craftsmanship and unique details while appreciating a wearability that translates off the runway.”

Lately Marsina’s inspiration has been drawn from past eras and her collections have a feminine, groovy vintage undertone to them. I love that a certain sort of disco-ready west coast brightness makes her last collection pop, playing draping with structure and bandage in a fascinating way.


I was lucky enough to get a preview of the MaNoKin Fall/Winter 2011 collection, which will be launched at PARKSHOW 2011, and I can guarantee you it will not disappoint!  You'll have to come to the show to see for yourself, but I can say this much: her Fall / Winter 2011 collection is very different from her previous one, showing us just how versatile and creative Marsina King really is.  She may be new to the scene but she is oozing with talent and a fresh new perspective and is definitely one to keep an eye on! 

Contact: manokindesign.com

marsina@manokindesign.com

**Photos by Samantha Murdock Photography

- Maeghan    

Red Carpet Moment- The Academy Awards

Every year, award show season comes around, but the only one that I get genuinely excited for is the Academy Awards and it's all for one reason: the fashion. Even though other award shows are far more entertaining and recognize people I actually know exist, the other shows just never seem to have the magic and prestige that is the Oscars. There's a special sort of pageant and fairytale that comes to life on that Hollywood red carpet.


Once upon a time, when I was a little girl, I would get the TV guide with all the nominees in it and pick which ones I thought would win ( even though I had no idea what they were) and I would beg my mom to let me stay up until 11 to watch the entire show. Not because I cared who won best score in a short foreign film, but because to my childish eyes the Oscars were the royal ball and all of the presenters, hosts, and nominees were like Cinderella and Belle. And for one night, I could pretend my pumpkin (Big Wheels bike) was a crystal carriage (limo with a driver and a ticket to the after party).



The Oscars is an event known for ultimate Hollywood glamour and guests dressed in over the top princess gowns that make my heart melt, but this year it seemed like the stars' fairy godmothers didn't show up with their magical pairs of glass slippers. While there were a few dresses that made my jaw drop, for the most part everyone played it safe and looked like each other: I swear I just saw the same pretty but plain, straight, floor length, short sleeved dress over and over again. 


Plus side: every one wearing the same thing made my job of picking out trends a lot easier- the red carpet was littered with white, red, silver, bold solid jewel tones, short sleeves, column dresses, intricate details, less is more jewellery and simple hairdos.  The outfits at the Academy Awards, and the award show itself (sorry, James and Anne!) could have really used the wave of a magic wand, because I just sat there waiting for the clock to strike midnight so that the curse of boredom the show cast me into would finally be over. So instead, I'll make up my own fairytale about the characters I saw on the red carpet:

 Natalie Portman not only won the Oscar for best actress but also won the Oscar for best dressed in my books in a plum Rodarte off the shoulder gown. Mirror mirror on the wall who's the fairest of them all? Definitely Mila Kunis in lavender Elie Saab. And newly single Scarlet Johansson didn't leave with Oscar but she will have no problem finding a prince charming in that stunning lace covered Dolce & Gabbana column dress.



Florence Welch from Florence and the Machine looks like a medieval princess in an ivory, ruffled Valentino, a colour reminiscent of her Grammy's dress but somehow working better here.  And all Halle Berry in Marchesa and Hilary Swank in Gucci Premiere need to make these gowns royal ball ready is a tiara because their dresses are the perfect combination of classic glamour and modern day detailing.  



Didn't the evil stepmother always wear black? Well obviously not because all three of these nice ladies look like royalty in their black ball gowns.  Left to right- Elizabeth Chambers in Armani with some Social Network actor arm candy, Camila Alvez in Kaufman Franco that made me not even look at the gorgeous Matthew McConaughey next to her.  And Oprah commanding the stage in Zac Posen.

It was a bright red apple that poisoned Snow White, but Anne Hathaway in Valentino (with the designer, whose skin colour matches the carpet), Jennifer Lawrence in Calvin Klein, and Sandra Bullock in Vera Wang look delicious enough for me to want to risk it and take a bite.



Finally a princess-worthy poofy gown on Marisa Tomei! Thank you Charles James! And no tiaras necessary for Penelope Cruz and Amy Adams, both in L'Wren Scott (and both new moms!), because their dresses already have the perfect amount of sparkle.



Future princess Kate Middleton still looking for a white wedding dress? She should talk to these ladies! Cate Blanchette was a lot of critics' choice for best dressed in art deco inspired Givenchy Haute Couture. Melissa Leo caused a little controversy by dropping an F-bomb during her acceptance speech, but we forgive her because she looks elegant in a lace scalloped Marc Bouwer.  And Michelle Williams lets her natural beauty shine in this plain beaded Chanel Haute Couture.

Celine Dion (left) in Armani Prive and Gwenyth Paltrow (right) in Calvin Klein show that silver can sometimes be better then gold. Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman (center) is forcing me look into my magic mirror for an opinion- I am undecided about her white Dior Haute Couture dress and orange shoe combination.

Sharon Stone must have been riding with the top down in her carriage because it looks like a bird flew into the top of her dress. I wouldn't want Tim Burton and Helena Bonham Carter in Colleen Atwood to be my wicked step siblings; who knows what kind of crazy pranks they would come up with. And Virginia Madsen obviously is against the killing of cute little forest animals so she went with a nice fun fur Romona Keveza dress instead.

I'm confused if Jennifer Hudson in Atelier Versace is going to a royal ball or her high school graduation? Kathryn Bigelow must have gotten a ride to the Academy Awards in the Starship Enterprise because her Yves Saint Laurent dress is screaming Captain Kirk (or someone attacking a sweater with a pair of scissors). And when Mandy Moore showed up in  Monique Lhuillier who did they call? Ghost Busters! She's definitely the phantom lady in the castle- but the dress is a work of art.

**All images from style.com

-Maeghan

Red Carpet Moment- The Grammys

Wait The Grammys are in February? I could have sworn they were on Halloween?

The red carpet pre-show for the Grammys was the most ridiculous and outrageous red carpet I have seen yet.  From angel wings, to plastic eggs, to feathers, to see-through dresses; there were some serious fashion risks being taken by characters I saw many people actually dress up as last Halloween. 

High leg revealing slits here, dresses that were short in the front and long in the back there, and all over glitter, sparkle, wow factor accessories. If the recession hit people hard in the flash department last year, this year is making up for it. As for the men, there were a lot of grey suits, and mixing formal pieces with casual pieces, and while a few fellows missed (Bieber, I'm talking to you) the gents were overall, rather debonair. Nary a gold chain overdose was to be had, and for that, I am grateful. 


It's to be expected that the bigger personalities often found in the music industry tend to bring out the wilder fashion at these ego-pumped events, but bless my young fashion loving heart, it inspires me to see celebrities taking risks and not just playing it safe to make the best dressed list. there were a ton of amazing dresses and overall (for once!) I was impressed; I wish I could be snarkier about who wore what this year (everyone's favourite part, no?) but I this year I've got to hand it to the academy of music members by giving out more "way to goes" than WTFs.

A full leg revealing slit is the perfect way for a diva to wear a long formal gown and still show off- a cue taken by all three of these drama queens. What is red carpet fashion about but getting people's attention? Plus, a well-placed slit gives you an excuse to showcase- my weakness- a killer pair of shoes (Louboutin, on all these ladies!). True, slits have backfired in the past, but all three here look super hot, which is an effective ploy to distract us from their superfluous appearance at the music awards (Emilio Pucci-clad Lea Michele is excluded, who as part of Glee apparently now holds more number one hits than Elvis). 

It pains me to admit this, but... Kim  K.'s combination of a Kaufman Franco dress with Louboutin shoes and Lorraine Schwartz jewellery is one of my favourite looks of the night. And Heidi Klum in Julian McDonald- way to be Seal's real life embodiment of trophy wife, because I don't think he's been a contender since he was getting kisses from a rose and I was in kindergarten.

I don't really know who the first two of these people are (okay, I'm pretending), but I like their dresses! (L-R: Roberto Cavalli, J. Mendel and Edition by George Chakra on five-time nominated Miranda Lambert) Here is proof that it doesn't always matter who deserves to be on that red carpet: all you have to do is look like you belong. Also, it doesn't hurt if you try as hard as you can to resemble the colour of the award- wishful thinking, right? 

And, well, personally at the end of the day, I'm like a bird- I'm drawn to anything shiny. Throwing some eye-catching sparkle on top of the neutral colours of these dresses makes me want to pluck these ladies up and put them in my fashion nest, whoever they are (did I just go there? Sure.)

(more  stars in all their glory + commentary after the jump)

Happy 1st, Fashion Central

 

Fashion Central's First Birthday

Where: Fashion Central, Corner of Stephen Ave. & 1st Streen S.W.

When: Thursday February 3rd 2011

It seems like it was just yesterday that the windows of Fashion Central were covered up with paper and posters with sketches heralding what it was going to look like, while Calgary's fashionistos buzzed about what exactly might be found inside the space.  Well, fast forward a year: these same windows now stand out because they are filled with luscious designer names bedecking gorgeously dressed mannequins that show off the latest in style with a creative urban flair. There's a lot to love inside.

Fashion lover that I am, I'm always excited to make a trip to Fashion Central, but it was a special sort of bliss that enveloped me to head down there and attend their Valentines Day themed first birthday party. We arrived fashionably late to a red carpet laid out front, a DJ spinning, and a dashing crowd already in the midst of mingling while enjoying chocolate and the cutest little cupcake tasters.  Everyone- from photographers, stylists, models, makeup artists, bloggers, magazine editors, and people who just plain love fashion- was in attendance, and everyone took time to wander from store to store admiring the lovable current styles (while looking amazingly fashionable themselves!).  

Girls working at Betsey Johnson in the designers newest party dresses

 The fabulous vintage finders from Words Are Camera running the photobooth

My favourite part of the night was the adorable Valentine's Day photobooth that was  upstairs.  There were lacy snowflakes, paper hearts, and confetti everywhere- the perfect set up to take pictures with or for that special someone. I definitely got caught up throwing around the confetti and fell fast in love with the Valentine's Day theme of the whole event.

 

*photos from wordsarecamera.com

So, Fashion Central: consider your 1 year anniversary a fashionable and fun success. Wanna be one of my Valentines?

Fashion Central is a great space that really promotes the Calgary Fashion scene, and a special event like this, where we got to mingle with the fashion elite of Calgary and meet some new passionate and talented individuals makes me excited for whatever event they put on next. You've got my heart, Fashion Central- I can't wait until the 2nd birthday party!

- Maeghan