Sunsets on the East Side

If I was an eighteen year designer bursting at the seams(no pun intended) with talent I can’t promise I would be anywhere near as modest as the three girls who make up the design company “Sunsets on the East Side”. Katryna Crabbe, Kirsten Sweet and Jackie Skinner of Queens County Prince Edward Island first debuted their clothing line at PEI fashion week in 2006 when they were barely sixteen years old. Now two years later, the girls have formed a small company and sell their cute wares both online and at the local vintage hipster haven.
As if is this isn’t reason enough to be impressed with the self possessed and ambitious eighteen year old girls-the clothing they design also tends to leave local fashion lovers breathless. The pieces in their most recent collection vary widely as each girl’s
sense of style lends something a little different to the clothes. Jackie’s designs are the most artful and involve bold colors, big funky buttons and crazy prints. Kirstin cites American designer Christopher Wang and street fashion blogs like Hel-Looks as influences and her clothes reflect that by being both way feminine and punky(think Sonic Youth‘s Kim Gordon). Finally Katrina’s designs are classic and offer up an old time movie star glamour that isn’t seen often on the streets of Charlottetown.
So what’s up next for the talented teens? The girls are plotting their next line, working on updating the company web-site, and are psyched to be launching a fashion blog. To contact Sunsets on the East Side, add them to facebook or e-mail the girls at sunsetsontheeastside@gmail.com

Fall! For the right Trends

The fashion mags are advertising plaid like mad and the boutiques have begun to stock up on jackets and tweed. Fall fashion hunting has officially begun. As a avid fashion magazine buyer and a notorious shopper I've begun to figure out which fall purchases will last several season and which trends are a bit more flash in the pan(I.E a waste of my hard-earned bar tended tips). Here's what I'm buying for Fall
1. Boot cut jeans in a dark rinse(according to Marie Clare the oh so flattering boot cut is back in). My short legs are so grateful.
2) A long striped cardigan by B.B Dakota(Just us Girls on PEI carries tons of BB and the line is amazing and affordable). Mary-Kate Olsen does the prison stipes with ray bans, rock and roll boyfriends, and coffee. Me too.
3) Something in vintage lace...Dolce and Gabbana and Valentino rocked lace hardcore on the runways and sheer delicate lace really is more than romantic enough for fall. I'm thinking a baby doll lace dress with some boots.
4)Plaid...I heart plaid. I'm on the lookout for a light weight plaid trench, it's perfect for jumping in leaves and lifting thick texts books across the quad. Winners might be the place for scooping up a plaid trench or Ebay.
5. Some serious Boots. I'm thinking of hitting up Kick Ass Shoes on Spring Garden and scooping up some studded motorcycle boots, I love the versatility.

Trends I'm skipping for Fall
1. Chunky Necklaces. Not being a big costume Jewelery fan, this one is an easy skip and I'm not a big Lanvin fan anyway, so I won't feel like I'm being disloyal to a house I like. I'm more of a less is more girl on the necklace front.
2.Fur. Oh Alexender McQueen I will usually follow you anywhere anytime. You have ushered in countless trends that I almost live for, you're a visionairy, cutting edge..so what's with all the fox fur this season? Let this flash in the pan die out quickly.
3. Floral. I, like most, like floral for spring..it makes more sense to wear blossoms when flowers are, well, blossoming. And most of the houses are mixing their florals with fur which just isn't working for me at all. Roberto Cavalli is just too quirky sometimes.

Happy fall shopping.

Fashion Magazine Contest, Hip Halifax Hangouts and a few photos

So,
Yours truly has been selected as a potential fashion reporter for Fashion magazine. The public votes so get out there and vote for me like mad. Each voter can vote once per day. Just go online and vote for me. It's simple.

In other news I've been on a hunt for hip Halifax hang-outs and I have found a few faves.

Paperchase cafe, is haunted by about a gazillion cartoonists/writers/artists who also happen to be coffee fiends. Slouchy chairs, free wi fi, and tons of fresh organic goodies also makes this the hangout to beat Check it out on Blowers Street.

The Black Market, is a truly great place to shop. Hard to miss too with it's outdoor murals and huddles of Amnesty international workers waiting outside. The store sells kites, shirts, bracelets, anklets, saris, bangles. Everything you could ever want.

Dio Mio. Next to the world's most fantastic vintage store this ice cream/gelato cafe also makes one mean veggie burger. I suggest checking it out Pronto.

Blame it on the Rain

Most of the articles I have written so far for my fashion blog(the one you're currently reading) have revolved around Vintage finds, local designers, and bargains all found on the East Coast. This is because I do truly believe that fashionable people on the East Coast are for the most part very interested in the intersection of community/environmental sustainability and looking damn good. The city of Halifax is so concerned with sustainability that the most rad mag in town(The Coast) prints an annual guide to sustainable consumerism that goes beyond the usual common sense such as "shop at the farmers market" and, "buy local sweaters woven in rural farm communities". But, fashion on the East Coast isn't just driven by a sense of community activism and a concern for the environment. The weather(sadly) also plays a big part in deciding what to wear. It's hard to dress hip when the wind is gusting at 110 kms an hour. The following is a list of East Coast staples(the kind of staples that might make us a constant joke in other parts of Canada) that are weather driven, fashionable, and for the most part sustainable.

1. Wellies/Rubber Boots. Stop light red, taxi-cab yellow, deep hunter green or, funky patterns. You choose. Paired with a organic skinny jean a la Kate Moss and a sexy short coat these fun rubber boots keep your feet dry in the rainy Island or Halifax weather. The cutest Rubber Boots I've spotted in Halifax can be found at Mills Lady's Wear on Spring Garden Road. These boots are Burburry (yum plaid) which is so so very English Rose.

2. A Warm Winter Hat that an East Coast Individual might be Forced to Wear Year Round Due to the Miserable Slushy, Stormy Weather.
Your Best option for a cute-year-round-winter-hat on the East Coast is to buy a slouchy beanie. These hats are the best for several reasons. They can be worn from side to side(like a beret) or front to back,which means you can create entirely different looks with a single item of clothing. The Slouchy Beanie is like a chic toque, meaning that you won't get frostbite by donning one and you won't look like you just spent hours hosing down your back yard hockey rink. The owner of AB Fab on PEI hand knits colorful beanies and they sell for about twenty bucks a pop. Which is quite a steal. Just Us Girls on PEI, a crazy great little fashion cafe also carries a fantastic hat line that uses only organic material. The Bargain Bin at Elsies, or Le Chateau are the best hat places in Halifax.

3. Black Rimmed Glasses-Wide Lenses
My fashion senses are tingling and I'm guessing it's because I have a hunch that big nerdy glasses are becoming a must have(A hunch that is based on the many photos of Sienna Miller and the girls from the Hills rocking this trend), This works for us on the East Coast because a) We are a society of chic nerds who love to read, and b) The crazy wind conditions make contact lense wearing a challenge. American Apparal is currently selling great vintage framed wide lense glasses, but I reccomend hitting up some of the local boutiques and finding a less generic pair.

Scene(spelled wrong on purpose) and Heard in Halifax-Vintage Edition.

Fashionable people(sorry Joel Plaskett) are everywhere in this fair city. Twenty-somethings decked head to toe in studded leather, girls in full on lolita(Lolita?) style, beat up con wearing indie kids, and most common of all urban hippies(note the colorful scarves and Northface gear) can be seen at anytime, and anywhere. I've been in the city for a few days now, and have mostly spent the time scouring the local vintage and thrift stores for deals and killer finds. Most of the used clothing stores are solid gold, but a few fall short. Below is a list of what I believe to be the most fun, and most affordable vintage nooks in the city.

#1. Elsies- This great gem of a store in easily my fave vintage place in the city. The store carries the always fun Orphanage clothing line(also found at The Green Man Vintage and Vinyl), a line that reworks old concert tees. They also sell organic local goat soaps that smell like heaven and might make you clean enough to get in. Easily the greatest thing about Elsies is the two dollar bargain bin. Scarves, shirts, dresses and shoes all float around in this old hope chest until some fashion savy but broke university student scoops them up. Check out Elsies on Queen Street.

#2. Allie's New Boutique- Located on Barrington street, this cool shop's best feature is it's owner. Allie Edgecomb is an aging, super fun, hippie type, whose personality lends a sense of comfortable lightness to the store. The boutique also sometimes features local hand crafted jewelery and textiles-always a good thing.

#3. Dressed in Time- I heart this store. First of all it's located next to Dio Mio just off Spring Garden road. Vintage shopping and tasty ice cream like treats is almost more than I can handle. Second of all, the store's excellent shoe collection is a delight for any chick with a shoe fetish. I saw lace up green booties, red square heeled pinup shoes, and perfectly worked in cowboy boots. Dressed in Time also seems to hire only the nicest and coolest staff who will go above and beyond in order to help out the customer.

Coming up...photos of fun fashionable Halifaxians

Exam Hell

So,
Just writing to let people know that for the next week or two posts will not be happening because I am in the midst of exams. But, expect posts about the evolution of "nerd" to "cool", songs lyrics about fashion, The effect of fashion on graphic novel story lines, fashion faux pas that aren't, and a crazy exciting photo show happening on April 19th at Baba's in the next month. There's also going to be a new roster of writers on this site, so keep an eye out for these new posts.
Wish me luck

On The Catwalk

Yesterday was the first official PEI Catwalk show. Designers from the across the Island had been creating and sewing for months to see who would make the final four, and get to debut their work on the runway. Last night began with a quick runway show from Ab Fab, followed by a showing of the four dresses in competition, and ended on a nearly perfect note with the showing of Kinza Mae's, and Kelly Casely's summer lines.

The Ab Fab dresses shown by the models were typical for spring. Florals, pretty graphic prints and lace, lace, lace. These dresses seemed kind of Rachel Zoe inspired, like something a medium cool celeb would wear to the Ivy. The dresses made for the competition were bold. Prints, cute little capes, and corsets galore.

Kinza Mae's line was very fun. Lots of fringes, and eighties prints. One dress of Kinza's that stuck out in my mind, was a short blue mini dress with a white bird cutouts. You know how some outfits seem perfect for certain hypothetical situations? For example, I have a red lace dress that I bought in case I ever met Feist and a sweater dress that I bought so I could be sexy and comfortable on long bus rides. Well, Kinza's dresses have that same effect, I was constantly thinking, "I could wear that to art gallery", or "I would so be the coolest person at the Buck 65 concert in those crazy tights".

Kelly's line was my favorite. Not that it was more clever, or so different than the other lines I saw last night. It was just more suited to my style. She has some sweater skirt combos that looked like they could be made to fit in at a show or an office. Kelly, also did some elaborate stuff with masks, and her Asian influenced ball gown was just incredible. My favorite article from this line, was the pin striped skinny jeans. Most of the designers featured will be selling their wears at The Green Man and AB Fab in the coming weeks, so keep an eye out.