Retail
As you wander the malls and retail streets of B.C. this month – seeking that killer January sale or white sale or Boxing Day-cum-Boxing Month-cum- we-need-to-clear-this-crap-out-and-hit-our-numbers sale – consider the lowly mannequin. She (it’s often a she) stands guard at shops across the...
They are idols of style, icons of consumption, easily aggrandized, and just as easily thrown away. This is a photographer's look at the consummate retail hero: the mannequin. 1) Along with the traditional retailers and specialty markets who purcha Modern retailers are striving to use mannequins creatively, in contrast to the ranks...
From running through a meadow to draped over your shoulders – we look at the involved process of making fur coats. Despite the fashion industry's fluctuating interest in furs, the unwavering opposition of "antis" and the crippling effects of a recession, fur is back and sexy once again. According to Rokie Bernstein, CEO of Snowflake Trading Co., the industry is making its exultant comeback – to the joy of some and dismay of others.
Canada’s fur trade – arguably the country’s oldest industry – has suffered through recessions, protests and changing consumer tastes. But after two decades of decline, things are finally looking up. Thank the Chinese. In the world of high-end fashion – and certainly in the wake of a recession – the presence of brash signage heralding fire-sale prices at a posh boutique is generally interpreted as a very bad sign.
There was a telling scene at an auction I attended recently. It was the Modern Woman show at Maynards, where the 108-year-old auction house had assembled a group of 35 contemporary fine-art works from 24 emerging artists. Unlike the typical...
The Las Vegas Cut diamond contains 111 facets in a modified round brilliant cut – that's enough sparkle to get the attention of the luxury goods market. You’re at a craps table in Sin City and just about to implore those dice to bring you luck. Forget “Mama needs a new pair of shoes.” What Mama really wants is a big ol’ rock. A Las Vegas Cut diamond, to be precise.
It’s a sunny Saturday afternoon in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood, and a horde is stampeding through the Latest Scoop, hauling clothes and housewares to the till with the frenzy of a going-out-of-business blowout. Indeed, the West Fourth Avenue boutique will have...
B.C.’s VQA program is a much-lauded effort to create standards for B.C.’s wine industry. But does VQA spell trouble for retailers? This month, as B.C. entertains the thousands of international visitors who have come to watch and celebrate athletic achievement, many...
For better viewing, click the "full screen" button at bottom right. Coinciding with the release of the 2009 BCBusiness Style Issue, and our inaugural Online Style Guide, some 300 stylish businesswomen attended the fashion event of the season. The runway show displayed the spicy fall fashions of the Vancouver clothier Wear Else. Over cocktails and canapes at the Century Plaza, attendees listened to style advice from local image consultant Giovanni Amenta.
With its new clothing line, Vancouver brand giant Lululemon Athletica is getting in the face of the VANOC's fashion gestapo. Will the risk pay off? This week, Vancouver brand giant Lululemon Athletica got media-spanked by VANOC for creating and selling a...