Remode

Fashion Consultant/Closet Organizer

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The picture says it all. 

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Beautiful winter dress!

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Maui Style Packing

Maui is a laid backed surfer’s paradise where really the main thing is sitting on a beach, listening to the roar of the waves and contemplating the amazing beauty all around. It is a very easy packing destination because really you don't need to bring much. My essentials are a couple bikinis, my favourite sundresses, a couple pair of shorts,a couple t-shirts, flip flops, birkenstocks, dressy sandals and a sun hat..

This trip, I packed my mom’s handmade long halter sundress which she wore on a trip to Maui with my dad in 1977. It feels so nostalgic to wear it but the funny thing is how relevant it is to today’s styles!

My trip would not be complete without a trip to the Crazy Shirts store where I hope to find Hawaii 76,77 etc printed t-shirts that everyone had back in the seventies. My kids will appreciate those!

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Maui Style

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Saks Off Fifth

Yesterday I visited the new Saks Off Fifth store on the north side Of Park Royal in West Vancouver. The first time I had been in one of their discount stores was this past spring break in Palm Springs. 

If you love designer duds, this is the place to go! They have a great selection of clothing, sunglasses, jewellery and purses. I was not impressed with their shoe selection because it seemed to be too much of the same type of shoe style. Their denim selection was not very good. Again, too much of the same style of pant. I would have loved to have seen anything other than the skinny jean look.

I left with a beautiful pair of Burberry sunglasses that were a great price at 129.00 originally over 200.00. I will post a picture on my instagram account. Happy shopping!

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Mixing Prints

How do you mix prints without looking like a clown? Try to match the base colours. For example, white background the same on both items and the print is different. Stripes are always treated as a neutral colour. Try contrasting stripe sizes. For example, a thin stripe paired with a wide stripe. Try these ideas at home in front of the mirror to see how they look.

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Please Come Back!

When my brothers and I were growing up in Vancouver, Marks & Spencer was the preferred store of my mother to buy our underwear and undershirts. They came in packages of six and were made of a very soft cotton at affordable prices.

I remember they were located on Granville Street downtown and later in West Vancouver at Park Royal. At some point in the late eighties or early nineties, they disappeared from Canada. I am not sure why, but I miss them. Whenever I ended up in the UK, I would stock up on underwear for myself and my own children. Not kidding, this underwear seemed to last forever!

Recently, I went online to see what was happening with the store. Out popped modern fashion images complete with blogs. M & S, you have come a long way! I was happy to discover that they in fact have a Canadian website complete with matching prices. Oh joy! Maybe I can still buy that beautiful underwear once again. By the way, their clothes are not bad either!

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Thrift Girl!

Recently, a friend inspired me to go in another direction with my business Remode. As many of you know, I love thrifting. I love the thrill of finding a very unique piece that is one of a kind and even better if it is a designer label. 

I am going to list some items on my Facebook page to sell. Some of them are my own, but some will be things I have found and fixed up to resale. I would love it if you could share my posts so your friends may see it too. I promise they will be affordable because the best part will be finding a new home for these special items! Be patient as this may take me a week or two to get going. Stay tuned!

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Why I like High Waisted Jeans

I posted an article recently on the skinny jean’s demise. We are all still wearing them, but there are so many more choices out there at the moment which are more comfortable and sometimes more flattering. Many are wider in the leg with no stretch. Very old school.

Take the high waisted options for example. My personal favourite at the moment. I am so tired of the low rise jeans. First of all, they hit you at a terrible place on your body unless of course you are sixteen. How about trying a high waisted jean? I love the idea of tucking a blouse or a t-shirt into a pair of pants. it just feels good. No muffin top in sight, I might add! I recently took a trip to one of my favourite stores, Anthropologie. I tried on a few tops and realized that they were shorter tops that were meant to be tucked into. Maybe retailers are encouraging us to try this different look.  Last night, I wore a plaid shirt that I bought at Joe Fresh which I paired with a thrifted high waisted skirt. Added a belt and voila! Sort of looked like a dress, but I was so comfortable. I have also bought culotte jeans which have proven to be super comfortable. Dress them up with a heel or down with a flat sandal for the summer.

So I am going to try this look this summer and would like to encourage you to at least try it. I have tucked away my skinny low rise jeans in favour of a high waisted version because really, I just want to feel comfortable at this point in my life.

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High waisted style

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Throwback from the 70′s

Culottes are back! Those of us who grew up in the seventies either remember these or actually owned a pair. I decides to try some on at  Anthropologie, to see what they really looked like on. To be perfectly honest, what really drove me to give them a try was the fact that I am sick of skinny jeans.  But back to the culottes! The high waisted beauties i tried on were actually quite comfortable and flattering. They could be worn with a flat summer sandal or a heel to dress them up. A bit of a change from the skinnies but well worth a try!

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Throwback from the 70′s

Culottes are back! Those of us who grew up in the seventies either remember these or actually owned a pair. I decides to try some on at  Anthropologie, to see what they really looked like on. To be perfectly honest, what really drove me to give them a try was the fact that I am sick of skinny jeans.  But back to the culottes! The high waisted beauties i tried on were actually quite comfortable and flattering. They could be worn with a flat summer sandal or a heel to dress them up. A bit of a change from the skinnies but well worth a try!

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Fashion Diversity

“Diversity in fashion imagery increases sales”

(British Vogue documentary)

What does this mean? As women, we come in all shapes and sizes. So why does the fashion industry only have one type of woman walking down their runways or being photographed for their ad campaigns? When we see an item of clothing on a model, there is this thought that pops into our heads. What will this look like on my body? I think that the industry is finally realizing that by using models of different sizes will increase overall sales.

So my job as a stylist is to help women choose the right clothing for their body type that makes them feel good when they wear it. The right cut, colour and the length of the item in proportion to your body are all important to take into consideration when choosing a particular style. In the end, feeling confident in how you look is the ultimate goal.

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Fashion Diversity

“Diversity in fashion imagery increases sales”

(British Vogue documentary)

What does this mean? As women, we come in all shapes and sizes. So why does the fashion industry only have one type of woman walking down their runways or being photographed for their ad campaigns? When we see an item of clothing on a model, there is this thought that pops into our heads. What will this look like on my body? I think that the industry is finally realizing that by using models of different sizes will increase overall sales.

So my job as a stylist is to help women choose the right clothing for their body type that makes them feel good when they wear it. The right cut, colour and the length of the item in proportion to your body are all important to take into consideration when choosing a particular style. In the end, feeling confident in how you look is the ultimate goal.

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Linda Rodin is one of my favourite style icons. She is 67 years old and looks fabulous.  I especially appreciate her stories about her childhood and her memories of her stylish mom. It reminds me of my own mother Antonette, who has always been my style icon all throughout my life. I only hope that I can age this naturally and love every stage of it!

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Love It or Lose it!

The other day, I decided to wear a blouse that I had not worn in awhile. It was a shirt that I had bought at Urban Outfitters on sale, and at the time I thought it was quite cute. 

Halfway through the day, I decided that I really did not love this shirt that much. This experiment reminded me of a great book I read recently on how to part with things that You don’t really love. So on returning home from work, I washed it and put it in the discard bag. That felt good! 

This is really a great way to help get rid of things that you are not sure of. Yes, its a pain to put them on, but the only way to convince yourself that it should not be part of your wardrobe is to see if it is an item of clothing that feels good to be wearing. Yes, sometimes, I make mistakes with things I buy too!

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Outlets vs retail, and Winners prices: Sale fail? (CBC Marketplace)

Originally broadcast January 8, 2016 Get our newsletter http://cbc.ca/marketplace/watchdog Facebook: http://facebook.com/cbcmarketplace Twitter: http://twitt...

Outlet stores seemed to be popping up everywhere in Canada. We now have two large ones in the greater Vancouver area, one of which I wrote of in an earlier blog. Something to consider. Are we really getting a good deal and consistent quality that matches the regular retail stores?

I came across this CBC Marketplace broadcast recently which took a better look into the quality and value of the items being sold at some of the more popular outlet stores.