Holt Renfrew Vancouver Launches New Chanel Cosmetics Counter

Honey, I’m home! I spent 14 quality days in Beijing and Hong Kong and my lack of blogging was due to the inconvenient ban of BlogSpot, Twitter etc in China. I have yet to sort through the gazillions of photos taken from the trip but new posts will be coming up this week, I promise ;)

Vancouver may not be the fashion capital but the number of events happening every week can rival any other fashionable city. Last week, Holt Renfrew invited media to preview the new Chanel Cosmetics Counter. Since I was an ocean away, my good friend Lisa of Solo Lisa offered to attend on my behalf and guest write about the event. I was more than thrilled as she’s a wonderful writer – yes it’s her day job! Not only do we share the love of Chanel handbags (bag twins!), we’re also avid fans of Chanel cosmetics – visiting the counter together and never leaving empty-handed! Without further ado, enjoy Lisa’s coverage on the event:


By: Lisa (Solo Lisa)

Carolina and I are both huge fans of Chanel. From quilted 2.55 purses to their breathtaking runway shows to the must-have nail colours each season, everything that the infamous couture house does is infused with class, elegance, and luxury. So when she offered me her invite to the Holt Renfrew Vancouver launch of Chanel's newly renovated cosmestics and fragrance space, I immediately said yes. After all, what fashion blogger in her right mind would say no to Chanel? Other bloggers and media personnel evidently thought the same thing because the launch party was quite well-attended. Guests sipped champagne and nibbled on hors d'oeuvres as they admired the space and sampled the cosmetics. I spotted fellow bloggers Christie Lohr, Heidi Hofstad, and Niki Blasina chatting and enjoying themselves.



As beautiful as the entire space is, the crowning centrepiece of it all is the Espace Parfums and Olfactive Bar. Designed as an inviting place in the midst of a large department store, the Olfactive Bar raises the experience of choosing a perfume to another level. Customers seated in Chanel tweed chairs are told the histories behind different fragrances as they sniff ceramic blotters proffered by a fragrance expert. (The blotters are dipped in fragrance once a week and stored in test-tube-like vials embedded in the counter. Unlike spritzing a paper strip, which can create a "wet paper smell" that interferes with the light top notes, the blotter lets you have a more accurate impression of what the fragrance smells like.) To relieve fatigued olfactory senses, customers sniff ceramic blotters suffused with the smell of coffee at regular intervals. I watched as May Globus, a writer for sweetspot.ca and The West Ender, had her fragrance consultation.



Something else that caught my eye? The wall of Chanel No. 5 bottles and the flat-screen TV playing a short Chanel film starring Audrey Tautou.



A big thanks to Holt Renfrew and Chanel for hosting such a wonderful event, and to Carolina for allowing me to cover it in her stead!

Timeless Dior

[Photo courtesy of Holt Renfrew]

Last Thursday, I attended Holt Renfrew's presentation of Dior timepieces with special guest Bernadette Morra from FASHION Magazine. It was an eventful afternoon featuring a speech by Bernadette and a display of exclusive and limited edition Dior fine watches. The timepiece that stole the show was the Dior Christal Passage n° 2 with diamonds and mandarin garnets, a $260,000 couture watch that John Galliano had designed to match an haute couture runway look.

Bernadette Morra is not only a top fashion journalist and the acting editor-in-chief of FASHION Magazine, she is also a fine watch collector and the creator of Firstwaternews.com, an online magazine covering the finest in watches and jewellery. Her busy schedule may include globetrotting for the latest fashion inspiration and visits to Grasse where fresh rose petals are concocted into the famous Chanel No.5, but she always makes time for fine watches. Bernadette’s speech evinced the deep appreciation she has for John Galliano and Christian Dior, while her smile and the sparkle in her eye conveyed a passion for fine timepieces. From our conversation, it seemed that she was not particularly one to chase the dernier cri in watch design but one to truly appreciate the fine craftsmanship and timelessness of exclusive watches. It was a pleasure to speak with her and I hope you’ll enjoy the interview as much as I did.



The Interview...
with Bernadette Morra

Carolina: I understand that you are a watch collector. What is your favorite piece from your collection?

Bernadette: It would have to be my Cartier Panthere, in gold, with a diamond bezel. I’ve had it for 3 to 4 years, and still get a thrill when I see it on my wrist. I think “wow” every time I look at it.


Carolina: Vintage or New?

Bernadette: That’s tough, as I love both. However, you have to be very careful buying a vintage watch. You can’t tell the condition of the internal movements, or if there are any replaced parts. It’s hard to be 100% confident in buying a vintage watch unless you take it in to be checked. But with purchasing new from a reputable brand, such as Dior, you always know what you’re getting.


Carolina: What was your first Dior purchase?

Bernadette: I think it was a J’adore Dior t-shirt. They’re so much fun!


Carolina: On a similar note, what’s your favourite Dior piece?

Bernadette: My favourite piece is a beautifully shaped black jacket with a fox collar and hourglass cut. I purchased this from a resale shop in Monaco called Le Dressing, which must be one of my most loved designer resale shops in the world. Many French women only wear their clothes for one season, so this shop always has a new and amazing selection every time I visit.

xo,

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Coco Struts for a Cure

Elizabeth & James top, La Rok skirt, Zara heels, F21 & FineFinds rings, Balenciaga city bag

While I was in Toronto, I had the pleasure of attending an amazing event for a great cause - Strut For a Cure. The girl behind the event is Erika, a 12 year old girl with a big heart and a supermodel cousin. Coco Rocha needs no introduction. In a short period of 5 years, she has made herself a household name and claimed the title of being one of the most versatile models in the industry.  The busy lady spent most of the night being interviewed while looking very futuristic-chic.  Jeanne Beker, noted fashion journalist, was the Emcee for the night.  She looked classy and exuded confidence as she struck poses in front of the media wall while carrying a lust-worthy Chanel reissue.

During the show, Coco and other models took the stage in Todd Lynn's creations - the collection shown at London Fashion Week Fall 2010 this past February.  The entire collection was cohesive with Fur covered shoulders and full-body leather as the overall theme. After great hors d'œuvres and a fantastic runway show, there was the performance by Dragonette.   What was Coco like? She is exactly what you would imagine her to be: Stunning, Dynamic, and Fun! It's always great to see star power used for important causes. 










xo,

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Celebration Weekend

The XXI Olympic Winter Games officially opened here in Vancouver on Friday. The city is Alive! Streets were filled with enthusiastic locals and visitors. J & I were glued to the TV to see the proud moment of Wayne Gretzky lighting the final torch. All weekend, we watched the fireworks from our balcony and took in the atmosphere. If only they had fireworks display every weekend, I can get used to this! Saturday was Chinese New Year celebration Potluck with J's family. Year of the Tiger, I consumed like one! I'm not too familiar with Chinese astrology, but I know this is going to be a good year :)

Valentine's Day was spent watching the pair short program figure skating event. The feeling of being at an official Olympic venue on our own turf was really something. Cheers for Canada was the loudest and the dearest.  My favorite couple has to be the husband & wife pair from China - Shen/Zhao (first pic). I loved the crisp sound of blades piercing the ice as they perfectly land triple loops. Synchronized by skating together for 18 years, you can feel the love and passion. They came back to compete as the oldest competitors after retiring 2 years ago. Their story is truly amazing and not only did they win GOLD, they claimed a new World Best!  We took more than 1000 photos. Here are a few of my favorites: