Art! Vancouver - Opening Night, April 19. 2018 - Surrounded!

Tell me how the Director of Art!Vancouver, Lisa Wolfin, has the time to organize this fabulous exhibit of more than 70 Artists, April 19-22 at Canada Place, write, paint and be such a presence on the runway and everywhere else throughout the event! The theme, this year, is Ignite Your Voice, and that is certainly apparent as the Artists are present, both at their booths and on the stage. Love, love the paintings, photography and carvings, being walked, danced and held high in celebration along the stage, for a dynamic showcase at the Gala. This is the second time I have been at Art!Vancouver, and I thank Dorothy Grant,  for tickets. Her beautiful shoulder dress with matching capelet, "Raven Comes Full Circle" and Raven Eagle Shawl Collar, with embroidered white shirt sporting the Eagle Design,  are fabulous examples of how clothing can be created to illustrate culture, history, geography and life stories. More about Dorothy in an interview with Dianna Drahanchunk and at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week.

Not every piece of Art was on the runway but would love to see them all there, doing different presentations every day of the event. I would walk the line for the stunning photographs of East Vancouver: Meet me at the Lam(p)ost. See them at www.MMATLP.com

Artists from all over the world can be found at Art!Vancouver: Canada, USA, Albania, China, Spain, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Oman, Ghana, Sudan, Qatar, India, UK, Ukraine and more. People of all ages, cultures, languages and love of the Arts, all together, dressed up and made this an interactive, joyful Art Gala. A huge white and grey concrete space, splashed with vibrant colours and brought to life by Artists and those who love Art.

Bow to Lisa Wolfin and her terrific crew for 2018 Art!Vancouver. My first visit is detailed here.

 Lisa Wolfin and The Maestro of Magic, Stephen Kaplan, open the Art Runway Show

 Maureen Coles: Not Forgotten

 Taisha Teal with "Well Behaved Women Rarely Make History" and Skyla Wayrynan

 Dorothy Grant: Raven Comes First Circle Dress 

and Raven Eagle Shawl Collar Jacket and Eagle Shirt

 Dorothy Grant: Raven Comes First Circle Dress

 Wesley Seeley: Soaring Eagle These were sold for
a lodge being built in Wyoming: Two Eagles.

 Nihal Omer: Sudan Photography

 Lisa Wolfin and her work on display

 Colleen: Pavlova Necklace by Carolyn Bruce, Silk by Cassie Dee, Dianna's dress by First Nations Designer, Derek Jagodzinski, Luxx Label from Edmonton

 Dorothy Grant: Summer Raven

Dorothy Grant: Red Raven

Dianna, wearing Derek Jagodzinksi's Luxx label and Colleen wearing Carolyn Bruce Necklace and Cassie Dee silk wrap, dress courtesy of My Sister's Closet

Credit to Nahla Hopfe for the photo

Colleen, Dianna and Nahla Hopfe at the Gala

Credit to Nahla Hopfe for the photo

Guys' Night Out At The Bay Downtown April 12, 2018

Guys' Night Out at The Bay is always a fantastic opportunity to see the latest trends, find great prices and enjoy music and refreshments and a truly social evening! Dress up, casual, lots of color and pattern in men's wear. And hats, the classic fedora, panama and baseball cap, all there! And me, dressed to the nines from MySistersCloset, boutique thrift at Seymour and Helmcken.

Canada Vancouver International Fashion Festival - IPop Canada April 14, 2018

Written by Colleen Tsoukalas
Photos by Dianna Drahanchuk and Colleen Tsoukalas

This is the second IPop Canada (www.nikkopro.com) fashion event that I have enjoyed very much. I wrote the first one up, here.

David Chen, VP of IPop Canada and Founder and Producer of this show here, and Ron Patterson, President of IPop Canada, plan two shows, per year, one in the Spring and one in the Fall. They want to promote international talent in design and performance. Both shows that I have seen, have featured fashion from around the world, dance, magic, music and much more. Designers and performers evidence confidence, poise, enthusiasm and well rehearsed runway modelling and true showcasing of talents. David partnered with The Canadian Cancer Society in fundraising at this event. (Entitled, "The Power of Love", this show was all about connecting with the audience and bringing them in to a place of empowerment, ability, creativity, sharing and the Art of style, ballet, tap and dance in shoes and slippers, on skates (Lana Shahar of Roller Dance Owl) and in wheelchairs. Loved Olesya Kornienko, President of Wheelchair Dance/Sport Association Canada and Ballroom Dance with Cerebral Palsy and her soulful solo performance.

Harman Maddhar's gorgeous song: "If Ever I Fall", further celebrated talent and inclusion.

VCAD grads showed on-trend shorts, beneath, gauzy skirts, long and short, polka dots and pops of orange, silver and gold as well as jewel toned blue and green combinations. Daring and different!

Sara Ceno's coats were leather, fitted and embellished. One of a kind and wearable into Spring.

Elegant wedding party gowns and outfits for all ages, were beautifully made and modelled by ROYVL Imaging Academy.

U-Fashion also showed gauzy and fanciful outfits.

Sweetlegs leggings were a total hit, perfect for sports or streetwear.

It was an outstanding evening, and I thank David Chen, Iryna Getman and Tabassum Chagani for their hard work and organization. Performers, Designers, Production Crew and Volunteers, congratulations all! Kudos to Coordinators: Nahla Hopfe, Gu Lina, Tandle Huang, Chiemi Fuse,Tai Jiang!

David Chen and Vivian Chen, Emcee

A big thanks from Dianna, Keiko, Carolyn, and Nahla

Each Dress Has A Story! Eve's Garden Exhibition At Fashion Week, El Paseo

Fashion Week, El Paseo, not only features a variety of fashion events: runway shows, designer meet and greets, and trunk shows where you can try on and purchase the dresses of your dreams, it also offers onsite exhibits, this year's being Eve's Garden. This extraordinary display of 'narrative' dresses was open, at no charge, for three days, March 18 19, and 20 as well as during ticketed runway shows, from 6:30-8:00 nightly.

This was truly a garden with dresses suspended from branches, surrounded by butterflies, some with birds and flower patterns, others with historical postcards and letters and another, right at the entrance, a dark reminder of the "Me, Too" movement. These are eco creations, fashioned from found objects, recycled and upcycled remnants of our culture and history, a call out to social justice issues, a call to look up from technology to appreciate nature and a strong message for creativity, hope and peace. I met the four artists: Gigi Eckert, who designs jewellery, Melinda Forbes, Julie Frankel, and Meg Johnson. They did a magnificent job of introducing their work and telling us about the ideas behind it. They really set the stage for the many narratives our clothes can tell. And not only that, but the stories that are as reflective of the times and of the people who make and wear them. My fondest wish would be to see them all at ECO Fashion Week, this November, 2018, in Perth and Queensland, Australia, and that the dresses tell their story, worldwide. See more about the dresses here, and another great article here.

Julie Frankel gave a fabulous tour of all of the dresses!