Magic Carpet Fashions with Ivan Sayers in Support of the Vancouver Unitarian Refugee Fund (van.ca/refugee-give) Saturday May 24, 2025

Magic Carpet Fashions is about the fashion inspired by African and Middle Eastern cultures here, in the USA and in Europe, as evidenced in the clothing and accessories Ivan Sayers brought from his collection of historical clothing 1700 to the present. He showed 15 or more outfits in a two hour presentation, and discussed where he acquired his finds, the fabrics construction/production, geography, cultural and political events, trends and how the outfits would have been accessorized and who would have worn them and for which occasion. Additionally, Designer Somaya Ahmadi showed a selection of her designs, which you can find on her Instagram, The Vancouver Unitarian Refugee team, hosted the show in the VanU Sanctuary and Catherine Stewart opened the event by telling us about the refugees they sponsor and support. Last year they sponsored more than 80 refugees from all over the world. This very well attended event raised funds from the fashion show tickets, and sales of donated clothing, jewellery art cards and refreshments. You can learn more here. Here are my photos and notes from the presentation. Everyone always asks for more. For more Ivan Sayers events: https://www.ivansayersevents.com

Looking at African Motifs on the dress, beneath the jacket. Ivan knows the details!

Black and gold with African camel motif, dress, jack and scarf (Africa) and Caftan - a very popular African inspired trend, world wide.

1960's dress worn to dance at a Diplomatic Event, with King Hussain of Jordan. White fox fur from Nairobi.

Leopard prints, hat and coat are real leopard, image of power. Brown cocktail dress, lion fur bag. (Exotic animals)

1948 Wedding dress, damask, classic white, lustrous, elegant, inspired by Dior, emphasis on skirt, lots of fabric after the war, platform shoes.

Turban hat matches colour with dress pattern. 1940's. Skirt and top - war time so pieces are interchangeable. Monkey fur jacket from Gold Coast. She carries a large plastic purse, practical for carrying essentials in case she has to go to an air raid shelter.

Turban and scarf again, with black and gorgeous African embellishments. 

Emphasis on beads, some of which became the gorgeous buttons on this outfit. 

1930's gold closures on red cape Ivan got from local group: Jericho Players, over a black and red dinner dress embellished with gazelles, bias cut dress gives a long and lean figure

Brown is the colour of desert sand/Africa/Egypt, Turban/scarf (Lawrence of Arabia) furs and beads, travel to far off lands

1920's machine embroidered, now, gold = riches, exotic furs, long and slim, stockings match dress, note gold work closure on bag

Long slim body, long necklace,  stockings match dress, Mummy brown colour to match King Tut's Tomb.

Bring on the ostrich feathers (Egypt) and diamonds and gold and glass! 1920's!

A 'basic' black dress, perfect for accessorizing with as many necklaces and scarves as you want. 1924 was the opening of King Tut's tomb and the beads and symbols reflect inspiration from Egypt and ancient cultures. Beads made in Czechoslovakia. Cloche hat frames face! Stockings show colour but not skin. Red gloves distinctive as most were white or brown.

Outfit is 1968-69 but inspired by harem pants (1917) Harem was a popular 'exotic' fantasy, Persian inspired. Her baton is a powder puff. Hand-made outfit, embroidery from a pattern.

Sarah wearing a Bernuse cloak, with hood, inspired by Berbers in North Africa. Her turban covers a bob haircut, 1920's, breaking away from Edwardian era. Figure is natural, no corsets, now. Long beads for tall and slim effect.  

Catherine Stewart (@catherinemstewart2425)  Vancouver Unitarians bringing Refugees here, through the Canadian Refugee Sponsorship Program

West Side Story, An Impressive Production by CTORA Theatre - MAY 8-24, 2025 - Granville Island Stage

I thought the original film production of West Side Story was outstanding and didn't think other versions would be able to compete. But live theatre brings its own interpretation and, I think this story continues today. I am, once again, captivated by the music, the songs, the choreography and the dances, the characters and the drama of it all! But in live theatre, there can be silence, a pause for reflection and a few seconds to consider what will happen next. And that whistle that breaks the silence, ...who is being called and who is calling? Same for the snapping of the fingers, "we're cool" "we're dancing", "come here", "join up or join in" or "something's coming". There was also the silence of sneakers and soft shoes, for grace as well as stealth. The power comes from skillful dancers, light on their feet, moving quickly, purposefully, and efficiently. And then there is more silence as characters take stock of each other, lots of thinking before they break into song and dance. 

CTORA Productions has done an excellent job of bringing in the best for all 6 teams: Creative Team, Designers (Set,Costumes, Lighting and Sound), Musicians, Stage Management, Production, and Marketing Team. The marketing for West Side Story is excellent and begins with the CTORA website, which has such fantastic photos and videography by Canna Zhou (Instagram), who has been with the company since 2017. 

The West Side Story Production Brochure, is a beauty, too. Red, with the shadows of Maria and Tony, reaching up to their story title, it contains the profiles and photos of the entire team! You know them even before you see the show. I really like the preface: From Director, Chris Adams, and his comments about the heart of the show: "At the heart of this piece is a rare alchemy: Leonard Bernstein's sweeping, complex score, Stephen Sondheim's sharp and emotionally rich lyrics and Jerome Robbins' iconic choreography." Music Director, Kevin Woo and an orchestra of 14, managed to play from a separate room and used monitors to see the stage. I knew about the orchestra and its location because Canna gave me a quick tour before the show. Seeing the musicians at work, is another wonderful benefit of attending live theatre. All of the musical numbers are listed and were performed so well. 

Favourites were: "Something's Coming" and "Maria" by Sayer Roberts (Tony) "I Feel Pretty" Cassandra Consiglio (Maria and Shark Girls) and "Somewhere" by Holly Collis Handford, (Anybodys, Tony, Maria and Company).  It takes an entire Creative Team of dance and movement experts to make the action real, safe and in sync with the music. WOWS to Chris Adams, Director, Suzanne Ouellette, Choreographer, Kevin Woo, Music Director, Julie Murphy, Intimacy Director, Violence Design, Mike Kovac Fight Director, Celene Harder, Assistant FD, Jennifer Lynch Assistant Choreographer/Dance Captain and Monica Sumulong Dumas, Assistant Music Director. Kudos, too to Brian Ball, Set and Costume Design for not only dressing up the set as an iconic backdrop but also for envisioning clothing that moves with the dancers and reflects past and present trends. A nod to Andy Sandberg for a preshow chat about her lengthy Stage Management experience and her love for West Side Story. I saluted the Set Design and Building and Lighting in my instagram reel of my West Side Story Evening. A big thank you and bows to all! Dear Canna, I send roses for sharing your perfect photos! It is so rare that I attend events for pure enjoyment minus the dreaded photo editing. There is a place for us in this visionary, creative community! Go TEAM!!!

Photos by Canna Zhou

PATCHWORK: VSB Climate Fashion Show - Students from 11 Vancouver High Schools Present Fashion That Is High On Style and Low On Environmental Harm

Whenever I see the word Patchwork, I think of quilts! Quilts can be made individually or by a group. They can be a bed cover, a wall hanging, or can accessorize clothing. They provide warmth and comfort and inspiration, in terms of their stories, patterns, fabrics and the variety of techniques used to make them. Quilts were originally made as wedding gifts or for the hope chest of bedding made for the first home together. They could be made from the finest materials or from whatever was at hand, an early form of recycling,reducing waste and upcycling. I once attended a day of workshops at Quilt Canada, this time in Vancouver, and met so many makers of all kinds of quilts. Quilting is a way of meeting to share ideas, to create art, make memories and design something useful, long lasting, able too be upcycled, recycled and reused forever. Patches are pieced together for family and friends, for fundraising, and for powerful ways to make strong statements. In this case, PATCHWORK,a Climate Fashion Show, held Friday April 25, 2025 at Kitsilano Secondary, involved more than 160 volunteers, a community from 11 Vancouver Schools, who have spent many months learning together how to patch together all the pieces required to produce a show to teach about the detrimental effects of fast fashion on the environment and to show us more ways to dress with statement and style with what we already have, what we can make that is sustainable/eco friendly and long lasting, and how we can buy less and toss less into the landfill.  Maeve Downing, Head Organizer got a great committee together, some from her school, Windermere and others from across the Vancouver School District. With extensive experience at Vancouver Fashion Week and Vancouver Kids Fashion Week, Maeve asked people from the Fashion Industry and Fashion Programs, to give training workshops and this list was posted at the event! WOW! Thanks!  Brilliant to show the audience (Parents, Students, Teachers, Sponsors...everyone, that this production happened because of commitment to the cause, ongoing training and using every resource they knew, through their own active involvement in school and community. When I met this committee, late in the afternoon, after a long day of school and activities, I was impressed with their energy, enthusiasm and readiness to get going. We interviewed each other as a way of learning how to get started and as a way to think about content for writing. PATCHWORK is a major academic project for them and I know they will record this experience as a memory of their accomplishments and hopefully as a template, a blueprint for educating and gaining community support for vital causes.

 The PATCHWORK Climate Fashion Show is a remarkable Student Led Achievement! First, there was a high level of Student participation from all areas of the city. Each Student brought skills and experience and a commitment to action. I look at them as the top of the quilt, individual pieces featuring the faces, the stories, the cultures, the fashion designs, the photographs, the music, and the invitation to become part of a wrap around for closer attention to and better care of the environment. The batting or filling for the quilt is the sustainably sourced fabric, the closets mined for upcycling and recycling outfits, the 'found' and thrifted materials, the equipment and spaces for the planning, practising and staging of the show, the favourite pairs of shoes and boots worn thin by the travel and running around, the vast amounts of food to sustain the high energy of these teens, and a lot of hopes, dreams and vision of the final performance! The backing and binding are the foundation of this PATCHWORK Quilt! The Families, Friends, Education, the Programs, the Clubs, the Vancouver School Board and its many Green and Sustainability Initiatives and support for projects like PATCHWORK, the Teachers, Administrators, Maintenance and Facilities Staff, VCCFASHION and many additional Mentors, Workshop Resources and quiet voices of encouragement, along the way, are all the enhancements, the quilting technique on the back of every quilt. As for the dedication, how many names do you think would be added? Embroidered, stencilled, appliquéd? And now that this PATCHWORK is completed, when will the next one be? Congratulations all, for an Inspiring and Impactful Slow Fashion Event!!!

 Please go to Patchwork VSB and PATCHWORK:VSB Climate Fashion Show for the details of Committee Members, Designers, and the process of the whole project and the final fashion show. We have been watching Maeve Downing shine behind the scenes and on the stage at Vancouver Fashion Week and Vancouver Kids Fashion Week, for a long time. I have written about her here: https://www.clotheslinefinds.com/2024/04/maeve-downing-volunteering-learning-art.html. Marilyn Wilson, who writes extensively about Designers and their collections, locally and internationally, interviewed Maeve, here. Both Marilyn and I made reels about PATCHWORK here and here. We thank Maeve for the invitation and the whole cast for a wonderful show. Students are our future. We look forward thanks to them!

Maeve Downing receives flowers for her exceptional leadership. Delara, her Co-Organizer is also such an accomplished, leading light!

This is Evelyn Huang (Windermere) and my very first welcome to the PATCHWORK Climate Fashion Event

Maeve Downing and friends who welcomed PATCHWORK attendees to the event. 

Designed by Delara Reporter (Kits) who sourced her material from @oursocialfabric, a non-profit fabric recycling initiative/store in Vancouver

Designed by Delara Reporter who made her jewelry from scraps from her school's metal shop

Linnea and her recycled architectural drawings as clothing/wearable art

More of Linnea's architectural drawings/outfits

Vancouver Fashion Week Is Coming Right Up Tuesday April 8 - Sunday April 13. Dare to Wear Red!

To me, red is the colour of energy, drama and excitement, all that Vancouver Fashion Week provides, each season. I wear red accessories: jewelry, berets, bags, scarves and even coats. Last time, October 2024, I wore and saw a lot of red. I wonder what Designers see first? Is it the garment or the colour? Some new ways to wear red, this April, might include: red sheer tops or dresses like Alexs Yu creates, or plaids and knits by Allison Dunne or a dynamic faux fur, maybe cuffs or punk leather jacket sleeves, that might show up in a Fashion School Collection, perhaps by VCC Fashion or Lasalle College Vancouver, both of which you will see, Wed. April 9th! Red could make a Fedora hat band statement or an elegant heel for a chunky Fluevog heel. A scarlet camera strap or a tomato red tie, a tux with a satin red lining,...the possibilities are infinite ...to the moon and back. So much Fashion to see and so soon. Be there to see the drama unfold. Wear a touch of red. Dare you! Here are some of the reds I saw, on the Vancouver Fashion Week runway, last time.

My jewelry is by Carolyn Bruce. Her spectacular pieces call people over to talk. 

Dress is by Ted Baker and jacket by Katherine Barclay, both treasure hunted and changed up for many seasons. Hair by Ryoko Tsuchida. 

Afsaneh Reihanifard, who will show her collection: REIHANI DESIGN, at 7:30, April 8 at Van Fashion Week! With her is Willow Del Rose Digital Content Creator. 

Emma Ireland Designs

Alexs Yu

Bahar Kianpour and wearing red is Afsaneh Reihanifard, both of these designers are showing at Van Fashion Week, this season.

Poppy Wang

Bahar Kianpour and Afsaneh Reihanifard, again, standout red in the audience 

Wearing a red wristband is Designer Lexi Chang of Hazihaus 

Doggie in purse of Designer The Cut Design Academy 

Designer Alexs Yu presents his 10th Anniversary Collection at Van Fashion Week 

Jamal Abdourahman, Founder and Producer of Van Fashion Week and Designer Alexs Yu are interviewed on Global TV

Alexs Yu

More vibrant red from Designer Emma Emma Ireland Designs

Continued 10th Anniversary party for Alexs Yu

Happy Fashion Week, everyone. "May your days (April 8-13) be as bright and joyful as the colour red."