Jason Matlo Sample Sale: Big Savings on Stylish, Quality Pieces

In a trendy little studio in the heart of Gastown is where you will find Jason Matlo’s studio. When I first arrived, I heard the sound of a sewing machine and shortly after, I saw the two designers hard at work. I thought maybe I was in the wrong suite or interrupting the designers but they were very welcoming and I quickly got straight to shopping. As I scrolled through every article of clothing on the three full racks, I was surprised at the great prices. Everything from fun patterned skirts to elegant sequenced gowns filled the racks; Each garment discounted at 60%-80% off!

Jason Matlo & Wen-Chee Liu

I found lots of treasures (unfortunately, not all in my size). A beautiful black silk skirt priced regularly at $400 and now on sale for only $20 was my favourite. The gowns were also unbelievably priced, a violet sequenced mermaid gown was down to $580 from $1597. The selection was directed towards work wear and evening wear with a variety of sizing. There is a mixture of elaborate patterned pieces, neutral pieces, and solid bold coloured pieces. I even spotted a one-shouldered dress in Pantone’s 2014 colour of the year, Radiant Orchid. While going through the racks, I noticed the great quality and soft feeling of the fabric that Jason Matlo uses. After trying on a few items, I ended up purchasing a $152 black cotton/nylon tee for only $15! I had a lovely experience, got a nice addition for my closet, and even got a chance to meet the two designers, Wen-Chee Liu and Jason Matlo. Be sure to check out the Jason Matlo sale next time!

Words + Photos by DesireeAnne Holder

Upcoming Events & Sales: Nicole Bridger, Jason Matlo, LYNNsteven

Nicole Bridger ‘Love Local’ Launch

Nicole Bridger will be hosting a variety of local brands from childrens wear to odor-nixing undergarments at her Kitsilano shop. The official launch happens tonight and the brands will be at the shop at least until Valentine’s Day for your shopping needs.

STYLE SHEET

• WHAT | Nicole Bridger’s Love Local Launch Party
• WHERE | 2151 West 4th Ave
• WHEN | Feb 6th @ 7:00 – 10:00pm
• WHY | Get great gifts in time for Valentine’s Day!

Jason Matlo Sample Sale

One of our favourite designers, Jason Matlo,  is holding a sample sale this Friday and Saturday. Up to 80% off? Hell yeah!

STYLE SHEET

• WHAT | Jason Matlo sample sale
• WHERE | 511 – 55 Water St
• WHEN | Feb7th – 8th @ 10:00am – 6:00pm
• WHY | Amazing designs at 80% off

Jason Matlo info via Nicolette’s blog

LYNNsteven Fall/Winter Sale

After heading over to the Jason Matlo sale, be sure to pop by LYNNsteven‘s fall/winter sale also in the Gastown neighborhood.

STYLE SHEET

• WHAT | LYNNsteven Fall/Winter 2013 Sale
• WHERE | 225 Carrall St
• WHEN | Feb 7th – 9th
• WHY | Get a $5 gift card to The Coffee Bar to keep warm while you shop!

C. by Chelsea

STYLE SHEET

• WHAT | C. by Chelsea sale
• WHERE | 1834 West 4th Ave
• WHY | Sale merchandise already 10 – 50% off – and you get an EXTRA 20% on top of that!

Woo To See You x Nerea Lurgain Pop-Up Shop

One of our favourite new stores, Woo To See You,  is hosting a pop-up with one of the designers they carry! Nerea Lurgain, which can only be found at Woo, will be present at the store this Saturday for one day only. I immediately fell in love with her designs, and I bet you will too. Meet her in person this weekend!

STYLE SHEET

• DATE | Saturday, February 1st, 2014
• TIME | 11am – 7pm
• LOCATION | Woo To See You Boutique @ 129-1208 Homer St

Dakota Group Fall/Winter Clearance Warehouse Sale

STYLE SHEET

• What | Dakota Group Sampe Sale
• Date | TODAY!
• Time | 10am – 6pm
• Location | 102 – 256 West 7th Ave

Sale Report: Fashionistas for Philippines’ Shop For Hope

In the wake of the devastating typhoon Haiyan that hit the Philippines last month, Maria Kritikos, CEO/Founder of Ladies Who Lunch and realtor with Rennie & Associates Realty, took action to assist that combined both her passion for philanthropy and fashion.  Along with Jason Sarai, image consultant at Style by Sarai, she launched Fashionistas for Philippines, a fundraising initiative that held a Shop For Hope on December 22nd in downtown Vancouver.  This special sale comprised of gently used clothing, shoes, handbags, and accessories which were all generously donated to the cause.  There was also a silent auction for designer items such as a Michael Kors diamond watch, Louis Vuitton boots, and Chanel ballet flats.

Kathy Harms, Vice-Chair of CMAT

All proceeds of Shop For Hope were given to the Canadian Medical Assistance Teams (“CMAT”), a registered Canadian Charity and grassroots humanitarian relief organization.  It is entirely volunteer-run and donor driven.  With the help of 1200 healthcare professionals on call, CMAT provides first response aid to victims of natural and man-made disasters around the world.  Kathy Harms, Vice-Chair of CMAT, was on hand at the Shop For Hope and even did a little shopping of her own!

Shop for Hope organizer Maria Kritikos and the ACue Consulting Team: Carrice Wong, Kaare Long, and Kelsey Van Lissum

Speaking of shopping, both Miranda and I scored some finds of our own.  Miranda bought a cute sparkly purple tank dress, perfect for New Year’s.  I found a pair of light burgundy Nine West booties and black Ete! fringe boots, as well as a few costume jewelry pieces including a beautiful BCBG cuff and flower brooch.  A fruitful haul as far as I’m concerned, and all for a much needed cause.  Retail therapy without any guilt, thank you for that Maria!

Words + Photos by Aurora Chan

Style SEEN: Jennyfleur Loves x Holly Boutique Pop-Up Opening

Jennifer Gray is holding her beloved Jennyfleur Loves boutique as a pop-up shop at Holly Boutique from Dec 17th – 31st. We were at the grand opening and got the chance to browse the racks ourselves, which included lots of goodies, some of my favourite items were by WILDFOX. You can see me try on an awesome pair of diva sunnies!

I asked Jennifer how the idea for a pop-up shop came about; turns out that Holly had the idea and emailed Jenny. They had actually never previously met but had heard of one another, but Holly knew about Jennifer’s boutique moving out of Yaletown. This was experimental on Holly’s part too, having owned Holly Boutique for 4 years, it was the first time her store hosted a pop-up shop.

But it works out for the two self-described easygoing shop owners. In the past they had carried a few of the same things and some of their loyal clientele shop at both boutiques. What a great match!

Check out both the Jennyfleur Loves pop-up shop and Holly’s own line of brands at Holly Boutique. Jennyfleur Loves will be there for your shopping convenience until December 31st.

Love these!

An array of platform shoes

WILDFOX sunnies

Jennifer Gray & Sylvia

Miranda with fashion marketing maven Adele Tetangco

A few sweet holiday frocks from Holly Boutique

Candy Paint Nail Service

Style by Dona, Ashleigh Fasken, stylist Nicolette Lang-Andersen, and stylist Jihan Amer

Photos by Aurora Chan & Miranda Sam

Words by Miranda Sam

Fashionistas for Philippines: Shop for Hope this Holiday Season

Our friend Maria Kritikos is doing good this season, as she does all year long with Ladies Who Lunch. She’s been getting donations for a sale this upcoming Sunday, and proceeds benefit a global relief effort for the Philippines. Items collected thus far include sz 7 Gucci flats, sz 8 Chanel flats, a Prada coat, Louis Vuitton purse, and more! So please stop by Fashionistas for Philippines and shop to help out Typhoon Haiyan relief efforts.

STYLE SHEET

• Event | Fashionistas for Philippines
• Date | Sunday, December 22nd
• Time | 10am – 5pm
• Location | 1320 Richards St
• Payment Options | Cash only!

Jennyfleur Loves Pop Up Shop at Holly Boutique

In late October, Jennyfleur Loves boutique left Yaletown to pursue other locations in Vancouver. Today Jennyfleur will be popping up in Gastown at Holly Boutique until December 31st. This will serve for a great testing ground to see how longtime fans and pedestrian traffic respond to the boutique’s stylings.

Come by on December 19th for the pop-up’s grand opening. There will be drinks, nail art, tasty treats, goodies and of course shopping discounts!

STYLE SHEET

• What | Jennyfleur Loves x Holly Boutique Pop-Up
• When | December 17th – 31st (Grand Opening Dec 19th)
• Where | Holly Boutique @ 215-332 Water St
• Payment | Jennyfleur Loves will be taking credit cards and cash (no debit) and Holly Boutique will be taking both credit and debit

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy 2013

The Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Collective formed in 2003 to collaborate in bringing their art to the people. The driving force and vision behind this artist-run, annual event comes from the group’s five core members, Laura McKibbon, Janna Hurtzig, Kari Woo, Arleigh Wood and Frances Dickinson. Initially drawn to each other’s aesthetic sensibilities, they found great support and inspiration in their collaboration and so a decade later, the event lives happily on.

Shiny Fuzzy Muddy celebrates its 14th event and 10th year of operation, every year inviting new guest artists to exhibit and sell their work as part of the curated collection of talent. With new, innovative, and Canadian-made products, Shiny Fuzzy Muddy patrons can expect a number of different materials from its 27 vendors this year.

So what does Shiny Fuzzy Muddy mean? Shiny: Precious objects of adornment. Fuzzy: Warm garments to wrap your home and body in. Muddy: Clay moulded into contemporary forms for the kitchen and tabletop. Created as an antidote to large-scale craft fairs and an alternative to big-box-store, mass produced goods, the thoughtfully conceived Shiny Fuzzy Muddy Show aims to support and promote the brightest creative talents where art, craft and design intersect.

STYLE SHEET

• What | Shiny Fuzzy Muddy
• When | Saturday December 14, 11am – 9pm and Sunday December 15, 10am – 7pm
• Where | Heritage Hall, 3102 Main Street, Vancouver
• Admission| FREE!

Romiélle and Olya Shishkina Private Sale

Anastacia Shorohov invited Style by Fire to attend a private sample sale featuring both Drama Queen’s boutique style selection of designer dresses and new Romiélle clothing line, as well as luxury leather outerwear line Olya Shishkina.  This was no ordinary sample sale; we were ushered into a fabulous $10 million house in West Vancouver overlooking the water.  Talk about a haute shopping experience!

Drama Queen is a local company owned by Anastacia and specializes in importing select designer dresses by top names in the industry, including Louis Vuitton, Cavalli, Kenzo, and Dolce&Gabbana.  This is the place to find one-of-a-kind garments at attractive prices.

Romielle Designs is a newly launched Canadian-based clothing line that specializes in boutique-styled couture pieces which combine both vintage and contemporary elements.  The team behind the brand is mother-daughter duo Irina and Anastacia Shorohov; the former relies upon her thirty years of tailoring experience while the latter does the designing.  They are excited to debut their new line at the next Vancouver Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2014 season.  The name Romiélle is a combination of Anastacia’s two daughters’ names and symbolizes the line’s dedication to the highest quality garments that are both classic and sophisticated.

Olya Shishkina is a line of luxury outerwear that uses a variety of fabrics such as leather, sheepskin, and metallics to create innovative shapes with intricate detailing.  Olya herself was at the sale and modeled a couple of her jackets for me, showing the many fine zipper detailing on the sleeves and back which allow for many variations as to how one could wear the jacket.  Her pieces can be found at the high end retailer Vetrina in downtown Vancouver.

We had a lovely afternoon admiring the beautiful clothes and chatting with the other guests, including the faces behind the well respected Canadian retail news blog, Retail Insider.  Thanks for the invite Anastacia and we’re excited to see the unveiling of Romielle!

Words + Photos by Aurora Chan