Chatter

Designer Rachel Sin - Image Courtesy of World MasterCard Fashion Week

I will admit, it’s hard not to get excited about the styles we’ve been seeing for Spring 2013 on the runways in New York, Paris, and Milan. But here at Plum, we’re more interested in what our fellow Canadian designers are up to. So, we collaborated with a local blogger to have her cover the recent Toronto Fashion Week for us!

Five days of shows later and she assures us it was a “great display of Canadian talent.” One of the standout shows of the week was a presentation by Canadian architect turned designer (/coolest woman ever), Rachel Sin. Raj Thandhi, our eyes and ears on the scene, gave us a rundown on what made her presentation so exceptional.

“These pieces were very wearable by everyday women and she had looks that would take you from the office to date night with just a few accessories. One of the only designers to show clean silhouettes in bold colours, she incorporated coral, blue, beige, and black into her line. In fact, when Rachel’s cobalt dresses were coming down the runway, I kept thinking of this blue sheath designed by our own Claudia Agusti and currently available in store.”

Toronto Fashion Week featured several Vancouver designers as well, including a home-grown North Van woman, Patty Nayal of Pure Magnolia bridal. Her unique and sustainably-made gowns are an absolute must-see. Seeing talent like hers makes us even prouder to be designing in the Vancouver fashion scene!

Raj also attended Toronto’s 2012 Design Start-up Competition. She describes it as an initiative that:

“provides a national platform to discover and support emerging Canadian designers that have been in business for less than five years. Winners of the competition receive mentorship from industry professionals, exposure, and much needed funding. To find these talented designers and to ensure a nationwide effort, searches were held in Edmonton, Halifax, Quebec City, and Ottawa. Each designer had to show a mini-collection, present a business plan, and pitch to a panel of experts before making it to the big tent in Toronto.”

The big winner? Montreal-based DUY. Raj described Duy Nguyen’s line as being “ready to wear, featuring very flowy fabrics like chiffon, crepe, and cotton for Spring 2013.” You can see all of his designs by clicking here.

DUY - Image Courtesy of World MasterCard Fashion Week

While I am completely green with envy of everything that Raj got to see at Toronto Fashion Week, it certainly sounds like a lot of work to cover an event like that. After completing her wrap up for us, she joked “It’s time to put my stilettos away until next season and give my feet a well-deserved break.”

We completely agree!

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Julie, a loyal Plum customer, purchased our beautiful retro style white dress for a wedding she attended in early August. The dress fit her to perfection, and her husband took a picture of a glowing Julie before the ceremony.

I spoke to Julie about what happened next, and it wasn't a happy story. Sitting at the reception, she was served a glass of red wine, full to the brim. She noted that having some water was in order, and with that, she grabbed the pitcher and caught the ledge on the wine glass. Down went the wine, covering Julie's white shift. She was beyond devastated.

Shortly after the big spill, Julie - who had developed a close relationship with our manager - emailed the before and after pictures to Sue, truly showing how upset she was. Sue remembered there was only one dress in Julie's size - at the Kelowna store. After talks with the owners of Plum, it was decided that we would have the dress couriered to White Rock and ultimately gift the dress to Julie. We lured her into the store on the premise that we had a super stain remover for her to try. When she arrived, Julie was given the dress.

[Julie (second from left) with Plum staff: Lydia-Rose, Alyssa & Meredith]

Julie was so thrilled with Plum's generosity, as the gift was so unexpected, and is planning to wear it in October, as her husband is taking her out for dinner on her birthday (she mentioned she would drink only white wine while wearing her new dress). Of course, nothing can take away from the memory of the spilled red wine, but Julie will be able to make new memories with her gorgeous little dress. We now know we have a forever Plum customer in Julie.

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Remember the days before retailers like Zara and H&M came to Western Canada? It was so exciting to shop their stores in the US and Europe because you knew that when you got home, no one else would be sporting your look. And that's exactly the kind of experience Plum gives visitors and locals alike. With about half of our merchandise produced in Vancouver by us, your look is truly unique and truly Canadian.

Here are some of my favourite new arrivals (I guess you could say I'm falling for them, groan). These beauties are in stores now!

Left to right: A sophisticated sheer blouse, $59, and a sexy snakeskin print dress, $135.

A stylishly cozy cardi, $95, over a snakeskin print shell top, $59 (left). 

a gorgeous tailored jacket, $220.

These are my favourite jeans! So comfortable I can do yoga in them. Made in Montreal they are both Highrise skinny's, (left) $110 and the right has leg zips at the cuff $120

And now for something extra exciting! To get you as excited for fall as I am, we're doing a giveaway of some of our most covetable new arrivals. Two of our absolute favourite items at Plum are our Simone dresses (made in Vancouver) and our Yoga Jeans (made in Montreal). So we're giving you a chance to win one of each! Find all the details here.

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