Wings & Horns (formerly Spruce), a relatively cryptic brand of upscale streetwear and casual workwear for men, designed and manufactured in our very own Vancouver, B.C. is having a sample sale at 188 West 6th Ave. I’d be inclined to say it’s one of the best sample sales ever displayed by the label, with stock that includes some of their famous tiger fleece hoodies alongside thermals, buffalo check jackets, raw denim and tees for ridiculously low prices. Sizes are available from XS – XL, and if you go early enough in the day there’s usually enough stock to give you a great selection.
Collections of Wings and Horns can be found locally at Holt Renfrew, Roden Gray,Gravity Pope (footwear) and Dutil Denim (denim). However, it’s a fairly certain guarantee that the deals at this sample sale will outshine anything those stores can offer. While their designs are usually not out of the ordinary enough to jutsify the regular retail price they command, the sheer quality of the material and details in the construction (No YKK zippers!) are definitely worth the prices you will be finding at this sale. Note it is cash only.
Billabong is having a sample sale on Wednesday October 1 & 2, 2008. Location is #226-1868 Glen Drive (GX Building), which is across from the Home Depot on Terminal Avenue. Drop by between 11am to 7pm. Don’t forget to bring cash!
On Thursday evening, I was lucky enough to attend the Changes (4454 W 10th) fashion show held at their Point Grey boutique. The store itself was delightfully cozy, jam-packed with patrons and Kwantlen Fashion Design Program students, not to mention the racks of conspicuously organized original clothing. Doors opened at 6:30pm, and refreshments served while we perused the one-of a kind store.
Changes offers shoppers “lightly used” designer clothing, for “real women”. The clothing is both from consignment and store buy-outs, ranging from $20- $160, and accessories from local and Canadian hand craft designers, ranging from $3 -$60. Changes strives to provide for the modern women who is not constrained by sizes or media influences because, “size means absolutely squat!”
The show started after a tearful speech by Rhonda, who stated the store 11 years ago in Vancouver, after her mother’s store in Calgary. Soon after the show began, showing various looks for fall, notably showcased on models of various shapes and sizes who are all loyal customers of the shop. Notable pieces were, a sea-foam green tunic blouse with silver sequins ($24), paired with a pencil skirt($89), and sling back Guess shoes ($39), as well as a black Kenzie blouse ($29), paired with a coral tank ($23) and a very characteristic 1950’s inspired poodle skirt ($39). The crowd favorite by far a navy and black bandeau satin dress with a bow at the waist ($89) paired with a black faux fur vest ($119-French Spy), with black heels by Feet First ( a steal at $29), crowned by a Kazumi necklace, made of Czech Crystal.
The night was finished with a round of cake, and much shopping ensued. 100% of money raised this evening goes towards the Central Asia Institute, which includes the building of schools in Afganistan. If you’re looking for a one of a kind piece in a store in which employees treat you like family, this is the place for you!
Their next show is on Oct 29th , for more info please see their website , or drop by the shop during opening hours:
Monday to Wednesday: 10am – 6pm
Thursday to Friday: 10am – 8pm
Saturday: 10am – 6pm
Sunday: 11am – 5:30pm
Changes Clothing (4454 West 10th Avenue), a trendy consignment store and jewelry bar in Vancouver, is having their 11th birthday celebration Thursday September 25. There will be an in-store fashion show and an after-hours sale for all attendees.
The event will be from 6:30 – 9:30 and will feature fall fashions created with unique styling using new and like-new trends. WE will show you how to get the runway looks for less and how to turn up the excitement in your wardrobe with accessories, tips, and tricks.
Tickets are a suggested donation of $10 each with 100% of the ticket price going to The Central Asia Institute, a charity that builds schools in Afghanistan and Pakistan to help educate women.
For tickets, phone the store directly at 604-222-1505.
Shortly after 8pm, Susie Wall from CTV’s “eTalk Daily” gave a brief introduction of the runway show and praised the charitable efforts of Oakridge Centre – with refreshments and raffle ticket prizes in support of Canuck Place Children’s Hospice. And great prizes they were, as the Oakridge retail community collaborated in the name of charity: from a “priceless” Trevor Linden Signed Canuck Jersey to gift cards from Marciano, Hugo Boss and Aritzia (to name a few).
Susie Wall
As the models posed in trios before disappearing backstage at the end of their catwalk strut, the crowd truly had an opportunity to digest the trends of the upcoming season. According to my observations, from trench coats and jackets to winter dresses and dress shirts, solid hues of dark colors dominated the runway – in both men’s and women’s wear. It was the subtle details which set the pieces apart from each other – the speckles on a formal jacket from Aritzia or the thin stripes on a Jacob dress shirt.
Hugo Boss
These darks colors are a sign of summer truly being over…until a trio of models wearing Swimco Swimwear appeared on the runway! If you are intending to take a tropical vacation this season, you can take your pick of two-piece swimwear, in red or yellow and splashed with tasteful polka dots or a plain white bikini paired with a wide-brim straw hat. Another colorful surprise came from Tru Drama with silky handkerchief inspired tops and dresses.
Tru Drama
Accessories were also duly noted in the fashion show. I spotted Matt and Nat bags from the Japanese Paper collection, showcasing the selection available from Valise at Oakridge Centre. From Tie Rack, brightly colored pashminas were used to contrast the dominating dark clothing colors. Similarly, pastel patterned leggings by Aritzia added a splash of feminine colors. In terms of jewelry, Blue Ruby displayed gold filigree earrings with a matching pendant necklace.
Aritzia
In light of all these classic clothing pieces and fashion accessories for the working-age crowd, don’t worry – the kids weren’t left out or left behind. As three children, representing Gymboree and Please Mum and clothed in colorful stripes, scampered onto the runway, waving with childlike innocence, cheers of encouragement were heard from the crowd.
All in all, I felt that the pieces chosen for the runway were extremely representative of the featured store’s collection. Several times throughout the fashion show, I could point out exactly which retail outlet the clothing was from: “That’s so classic – it must be from Banana Republic“ or “The casual skater look is very Quiksilver“.
Now I have a sudden urge to go shopping – and for good reason! For those of you who attended the show, don’t forget to redeem your $10 Oakridge voucher, found in your giftbag. Other discounts and goodies included a lipstick from MAC Cosmetics (and a complimentary booking for a makeover), redeemable product samples from H2O, $25 to RK, and more!
Print off the below coupon to use in-store at any RW&CO. location to recieve 20% off the last ticketed price (before taxes). Offer only valid on Sunday September 14, 2008.
The fall season is almost upon us and what better way to kick it off than SPENDing your time at SPEND ON TREND at the Scotiabank Dance Centre (677 Davie Street). This is a great opportunity to see the autumn lines of Canadian designers and support the local economy. As an added bonus, the first 25 people through the door every morning will receive a $50 gift bag. Be sure to line up early: with over 3500 shoppers every year the loot bags go fast. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased at the door. $1 from every ticket benefits the St. Elizabeth Home Emergency Shelter for Women and Children.
Spend on Trend will be a fantastically Canadian event with a fresh mix of new and returning participants. What are some of the expectations for Spend on Trend? For returning vetrans like Trudy Wynans of Toodlebunny Designs:
I like the mix of designers, from clothing, to home decor, jewellery, bags & accessories, etc, as well as the smaller scale of the show. I also like the fact that it showcases only 20 to 30 designers with only a select few to represent the different categories. I’m looking forward to SOT 2008 in the new location, can’t wait!
As for first-time participant Amrita Sondhi of Movement Global:
I am excited. It seems like there will be a great “mix” of “modern” products for the customer. Movement will be in good company.
What’s the Modern Mix Pick? How about this trench coat from Elroy Apparel? Everyone needs a trench coat in their closet and Elroy Apparel puts an edgy twist on the Burberry classic with its asymmetrical neckline and collar.
In addition, be sure to read previous MMV interviews and articles on designers who will be participating in Spend on Trend: Toodlebunny and Movement Global.
I will definitely be visiting Spend on Trend so stay tuned for updates, event reviews, great buys, and photos by Modern Mix Vancouver!
A ton of people have been googling “Aritzia Warehouse Sale” and stumbling on to my other Aritizia sale-related posts. So I’m going to put the warehouse sale information up on Modern Mix Vancouver so people can find what they are actually looking for!
(Join the Modern Mix Vancouver Facebook Group HERE)
ARITZIA WAREHOUSE SALE: August 28th to September 1st
151 West Cordova Street (the old Storyeum location in Gastown) between Cambie Street and Abbott Street.
Thursday August 28th: 8am to 8pm
Friday August 29th: 8am to 8pm
Saturday August 30th: 10am to 6pm
Sunday August 31st: 11am to 5pm
Monday September 1st: 11am to 5pm
50 to 90% off all Spring and Summer Merchandise
There’s no 5% discount on cash purchases anymore – that offer ended in 2006.
As tradition goes, I lined up at 6am this morning and was one of the first batches of people into the warehouse sale. And YES I bought a ton of stuff:
Grey tweed Wilfred dress for $30 (orig. $110)
Grey Talula Babaton short-sleeved dress shirt for $30 (orig. $70)
Blue Talula Babaton camisole for $15 (orig. $40)
Blue TNA ribbed tank for $15 (orig. $25)
Blue Talula leggings for $10 (orig. $20)
Comment below and let me know if you got any great finds from the sale!
Fans of “sophisticated” men’s high-fashion, expensive goods and the obscure in general may take interest in dropping by the Komakino. Currently located in 111 East Pender St. in Chinatown Vancouver, this “Guerrilla Shop” has covered various downtown locations, frequently moving around with little attempt at raising its awareness to the general public.
Not the most glamourous of its locations compared to some previous ones...
Flatly stated, Komakino carries men’s items that virtually “no one has heard of”. This is not your D&G or Moschino store and this is not where you go to get your tailoring done or where to find $500 Ferragamo loafers to match your belt. This is strictly fancy yet artistically casual clothing from designers such as Ann Demeulemeester, Raf Simons, Rick Owens, Julius and The Viridi-Anne; brands which eschew premium quality along with a premium price. You’d certainly have to be someone who pays scrutinizing attention to detail and the subtleties of labour that went into these pieces to appreciate the amount of money you’d be paying for them. The items may seem too flashy, gaudy and, more than likely, universally overpriced, but there will certainly be buyers who can see these as a worthwhile investment. Myself? I could understand the beauty and aesthetics of many of these but would have trouble coughing out the money.
Certainly the rarity of the items are also part of the appeal as there are virtually no other retailers in Vancouver that carry these brands – Julius, notably, is probably only carried by Komakino within North America. The closest thing to here would probably be Blackbird in Seattle, and even that caters to a slightly different crowd, as the other “high fashion, low-profile” store around, Richard Kidd, has closed in the last year – not to mention it was subject to notorious overpricing that even Komakino-shoppers would scoff at. Although a recent Komakino warehouse sale just ended on August 3rd, there are still plenty of discounts to take advantage of and you can browse around at their online shop. While Komakino items are “rare”, there definitely exists ways to buy them for cheaper online, if you’re willing to purchase secondhand. Regardless, the store staff is very friendly and certainly do not mind people browsing around. There’s none of the uppity attitude you’d get at Hermes or Louis Vuitton for being “underdressed” at the place.
Example of a more glamourous Komakino location
Guerrilla stores, or retail locations that intentionally come and go, are nothing groundbreakingly new – Comme des Garçons has been doing it for years. From an economic standpoint, this stealth-like practice seems nothing short of bizarre. Komakino’s intended audience is already a narrow niche to market to but more creatively minded professionals may note its cult appeal to the underground; positioning itself as chic and artsy should only help to improve its underground credibility amongst the Komakino clientel: affluent, street-savvy hipsters.
It’s difficult to say with certainty whether this practice will continue to have lasting appeal for Komakino, or whether it will eventually become tired as people get over the initial awe and surprise at the quirky idea as really, it’s not as if the store’s disappearing out of Vancouver or even the local area. Then again, given how few people know about the place, there are still plenty of potential shoppers to surprise and amuse.
One of my favorite stores, Plen+y, is having an online sale on their spring and summer merchandise with free shipping on orders over $150. Your discount will automatically appear in the cart. My favorite is their in-house brand Propaganda with stylish but not too flashy and not overly expensive clothing items. It’s a really good store to get clothing basics at – yet there’s always something different/special/unique about their items. For example, I received a brown Propaganda tank top for Christmas one year – but it had lacy straps and pearl buttons on the front. And this other time, I bought a very plain dark blue Propaganda winter coat (strangely, they gave me a 10% discount off it because I liked it so much…) but what made it special was the gorgeous mint green lining on the inside. Anyway, check out the online sale – maybe you’ll find a good deal.
For other Plen+y store locations, check out Robson Street, Richmond Centre or the corner of Broadway and Mcdonald.
**Enter MMV’s first contest SHEAR GENIUS. Application deadline August 3rd.
If you’ve been reading Modern Mix Vancouver, you’d know that Mintage Vintage (1714 Commercial Drive) had their $5/bag back alley vintage sale last Saturday (July 5th). I arrived promptly at 10am and saw the madness unfold.
The general crowd there consisted of younger looking guys and girls – lots of thick framed glasses, more stripes than I could count, jeans tighter than mine, Converse shoes and unisex American Apparel hoodies. You get the idea? At precisely 10am, the first rack of clothes rolled on top of the waterproof blue plastic tarp into the masses. It was madness! There were literally clothes flying in the air and people with pink plastic bags hastily grabbing at whatever they could reach. Anyway, here are some photos I took with my phone from the event. I was standing on the outskirts of the crowd and watching with my arms crossed, camera phone held up, and if you can imagine, an amused smile on my face.
Buy a bag for $5 and fill ‘er up with all the vintage clothing you can fit inside at Mintage! This would be a good, cheap way to experiment around with vintage clothing as costumes or to bring out your inner fashion designer and alter clothes without having to pay a lot $$ if you screw up!
Where: 1714 Commercial Drive
When: 10am to 4pm
The sale is at our Commercial Drive location, around back in the alley, there won’t be any access through the store (which will be business as usual, so feel free to stop in and check it out). It will be all vintage clothing – mens, womens, dresses, pants, shirts, skirts, and accessories.
I wouldn’t write an entry about clothing sales if I didn’t think it was a good deal: Off The Wall is having their summer clothing sale. Despite Vancouver’s crappy June weather, this would be a good time to stock up for summer. I went and checked out the downtown location during my lunch break yesterday and the deals are pretty good if you’re looking for casual brand wear. From Adidas to Zoo York, Off The Wall carries a wide array of stylish brands…for girls. (It used to have guys’ clothing too but then the male section faded away…) There’s graphic t-shirts (some printed on organic material), a huge wall of denim selection (with brands including Mavi, Silver, Song, etc.), cloth and cotton dresses (beach wear?) and lots of what I would call “surf and skate brands” like Billabong and Roxy. Anyhoo, I wouldn’t go out of my way to go to Off the Wall, but if you’re in the neighbourhood of downtown, Metrotown, Coquitlam Centre or Richmond Centre (to name a few), stop by a take a look.
I personally don’t own anything from Diesel but I remember when I was in Europe all the fashionable European hotties wore Diesel. Here’s the Diesel Website to get an idea of their brand. Even though Diesel operates a women’s line, I usually see guys wearing their premium denim line. I suppose it’s because women have so many more denim options. Anyway, if you end up checking this out, tell me how it goes.
Thurs. June 12th: 10am to 9pm
Fri. June 13th: 10am to 9pm
Sat. June 14th: 12pm to 9pm
@ 708 Powell Street.
55DSL clothing, the “experimental”-Diesel-line-turned-independent will also be available at the sample sale.
Changes offers shoppers “lightly used” designer clothing, for “real women”. The clothing is both from consignment and store buy-outs, ranging from $20- $160, and accessories from local and Canadian hand craft designers, ranging from $3 -$60. Changes strives to provide for the modern women who is not constrained by sizes or media influences because, “size means absolutely squat!”
The show started after a tearful speech by Rhonda, who stated the store 11 years ago in Vancouver, after her mother’s store in Calgary. Soon after the show began, showing various looks for fall, notably showcased on models of various shapes and sizes who are all loyal customers of the shop. Notable pieces were, a sea-foam green tunic blouse with silver sequins ($24), paired with a pencil skirt($89), and sling back Guess shoes ($39), as well as a black Kenzie blouse ($29), paired with a coral tank ($23) and a very characteristic 1950’s inspired poodle skirt ($39). The crowd favorite by far a navy and black bandeau satin dress with a bow at the waist ($89) paired with a black faux fur vest ($119-French Spy), with black heels by Feet First ( a steal at $29), crowned by a Kazumi necklace, made of Czech Crystal.
What’s the Modern Mix Pick? How about this trench coat from 
Fans of “sophisticated” men’s high-fashion, expensive goods and the obscure in general may take interest in dropping by the 
One of my favorite stores, 
Buy a bag for $5 and fill ‘er up with all the vintage clothing you can fit inside at 
I wouldn’t write an entry about clothing sales if I didn’t think it was a good deal: 
I personally don’t own anything from Diesel but I remember when I was in Europe all the fashionable European hotties wore Diesel. Here’s the 
