Wednesday, 18 July 2012

Avah Taylor Relaunch Party!

Hey guys,
So since I was not able to attend the Avah Taylor relaunch party (I'm headed to fashion school in Montreal!) the lovely Sienna from Fave has written a wonderful post on it!
Check it out and all credit goes to her! xox Gen

Avah Taylor’s Launch Party

Last Thursday evening, an intimate little soiree was thrown at Kania Boutique in the market to celebrate the launch (or, to be precise, the re-launch) of avahtaylor.com -  the fashion, celebrity, and lifestyle blog of Ottawa’s very own Kerry-Ann Thompson. Browsers will be thrilled to find that the energetic website has been fully revamped, in appearance and in content.
Guests were offered lovely sparkling wine from Southbrook Vineyards and tasty  bite-size cupcakes with avahtaylor.com written in the icing. Upbeat music set the tone as fashion enthusiasts mingled and enjoyed the pleasant atmosphere.
Kania’s Stacey was a lovely host, and her colourful and sparkling boutique was the ideal location for this event. The cheerful golden-yellow walls, the glittering lights and glass fixtures, and the mannequins placed around the store donning Kania Couture offered a delightful setting. In addition to this, an exquisite array of jewellery was set up in a glass display, courtesy of Logan Antiques on Bank St.
The atmosphere was engaging, and the crowd amiable. The charming Sid Cratzbarg enchanted guests with samples of the newest scents from Dolce and Gabanna and Gucci, Rosina from Capital Fashion Consulting shared news of her upcoming event on August 9th (http://www.capitalfashionconsulting.ca/modern-chic.php), and I had the pleasure of meeting Jewne Johnson of CKCU Radio and the lovely and talented Paidemoyo Chideya of DeMOYO Designs.
I managed to steal away the belle of the ball, the founder of the Avah Taylor website herself, to answer a few questions:
Sienna Vittoria: Where did the name Avah Taylor originate?
Avah Taylor: When I was deciding what to call my brand, I thought of the two woman who inspire me the most - my childhood friend Avah, and Elizabeth Taylor. Elizabeth Taylor has been such an inspiration to me - she really embodies the strong, fashionable, and classy woman. Since then, the name has stuck for my brand, and now even my family and friends call me Avah!
SV: Why did you decide to relaunch and rebrand?
AT: Well, the growth has been tremendous, especially considering we’re here in Ottawa, which is predominantly government, and predominantly conservative. Because of this, for a blog to be doing so well, I feel extremely lucky. So I wanted to celebrate it with a new look. I redesigned the website, and the launch party is to celebrate that.
SV: What can we expect the difference to be?
AT: There will be a lot more local content: businesses, fashion designers, and just spotlighting the talent that’s in this city. I mean I do celebrity news, and stuff like that, but I realize that there’s a lot of talent here in Ottawa, and I want to showcase that. And being here in Ottawa myself, I can’t ignore that.
SV: Would you say your focus is on fashion? Or lifestyle in general?
AT: Yes, the tagline for this website is “Fashion Lives Here”, so it’s definitely fashion. Fashion first, everything else after.
SV: How long have you been blogging?
AT: I’ve been blogging for about two years, but avahtaylor.com is a year old. Before that I was using a WordPress, and I decided to do the “.com” when it went from 100 hits a day to 2000 hits a day. So I’m basically growing my brand.
SV: What made you start blogging in the first place?
AT: Initially my company started out making tshirts, then I started selling shoes online as well, then a PR Rep that I used to work with told me, “You know, you’re really fashionable, you’re really stylish, you should get with this!” I said, “No, I don’t want to blog…” But I tried it, I got my WordPress, then because the feedback was so good I got the “.com”, and it just kept growing. It started out as a hobby, but now I can say it’s my career. It’s my passion. It’s my life. I would classify my 9-5 as my hobby.
SV: Why did you choose to host this event here?
AT: Because Stacey is fabulous; she always supports talent, and you know, being a woman in business I find that it can be very catty, but she’s not like that. It’s as if she wants people to share her success, and I just felt that what better way to relaunch than with someone with such great spirit? I’m just happy that we could do it here. I really wouldn’t want to have it anywhere else.
SV: If you could design the ultimate future for where your blog can take you, what do you see?
AT: I see myself front row in Milan with Anna Dello Russo, Christine Centenara, Ulyana Sergeenko. Front row at Versace Couture shows. That’s where I want my blog to take me.
SV: I’ll meet you there!
AT: Cheers!
Visit avahtaylor.com for fashion, beauty, celebrity news, and interviews.
Follow her on twitter at @AVAHTAYLOR
- Sienna Vittoria

Tuesday, 12 June 2012

Peter Pan Dreams

Hey everyone!
One of my favorite trends lately has got to be the peter pan collar trend. I got introduced to this trend when stylist Stephanie showed me a peter pan collar necklace at the latest Fave shoot and have been in love with the trend ever since. I even went out and bought the necklace after the shoot because I was so in love with it! It is from Vero Moda and is my new favorite summer piece:

I am seriously in love with the necklace and it was only about 40$ at Vero Moda which is great for a staple piece like this one that I will be able to pair with multiple outfits. 
I have been seeing this trend everywhere and I just had to post about it since it is deffinitely still going strong.
You can find tops with peter pan collars everywhere right now as well as fun accesories incorporating the trend (my favorite is of course the necklaces!).
I love how put together the collar can make your outfit look. It can really turn a summery ordinary outfit into something that looks more sophisticated and put together. That is why I love this trend so much! It can easily transform an outfit from lazy looking to chic and office-ready.
I have found some really cute and affordable pieces with this trend incorporated in the Pink Champagne collection by Charlotte Russe. Check it out here:
http://www.charlotterusse.com/search/index.jsp?kwCatId=&kw=pink%20champagne&origkw=pink+champagne&sr=1
Vero Moda also has some great ones and so does ASOS (two of my favorite stores).


If you've been reading this blog for a while now and know about my guilty pleasure when it comes to fashion then you just had to have known that I would include a glitter version of the peter pan collar. Yep, I think I'm in love.


So what do you guys think about this trend?
Are you dying to try it out or would you rather leave it?
Tweet me @canadianbeautyg and let me know!
xox

Tuesday, 5 June 2012

AMTI Showcase 2012

Hey everyone!
So on the night of May 26th I attended the 2012 AMTI Showcase. Angie's Models and Talent International is a highly sucessful and known agency here in Ottawa and I am proud to be able to say that I am an actress and plus size model with their agency. Every year they hold their annual "Showcase" which is an event to, literally, showcase their models and actors to the people of the entertainment and fashion industries. VIPs from big agencies like Ford, Women, and Elite were present in the front row at the fashion show and your favorite blogger (me! =P) was there right behind them to witness all the action! It was quite a different experience for me seeing as I walked in the showcase last year as an actress and I am usually the one who tends to be helping out backstage at fashion events like this that I am not walking in. This time I had a media pass and was sitting in the second row with one of my favorite Fave contributors: Sienna Vittoria! First, the actors took the stage to showcase various Bayshore merchants and then the models walked the runway for various famous designers, including many local ones from here in Ottawa! Read on to see what went down at this fabulous event! Congratulations to Angie and to all of my wonderful fellow actors and models! You really ripped that runway. 
[By the way, I apologize that some of the photos are quite blurry! It was a very high energy show and I tried to keep up with all the models but it was hard!] 

My outfit of the night! Pretty laidback but fun. Bright pink Aldo clutch with a sparkly Vero Moda top and a fun Forever 21 necklace. Got so many compliments on the shoes...they are from New York City! For some reason I look very short in this photo which is usually not the case...


The always fabulous Angie Sakla-Seymour, the host of the night, introducing the merchants and designers wearing a gorgeous David Mccaffrey number designed exclusively for her. Such an inspiring woman!

Kania:
Loved this fierce all-black collection!




Amber Watkins Swim:
Her designs are always amazing. Love the bright colors and the unique shapes in this collection. All of her swimsuits are so flattering and I love that many of them are high-waisted (loving that right now). Deffinitely want one of my own!











Lida Boutique:
Featuring Micheal Kors, Nicole Miller, and more! This looks like a fabulous boutique and I can't wait to check it out now. Unfortunetly I did not get many good pictures but the clothing was beautiful I promise :)



FrAsh:
Deffinitely my favorite jewelry line! Check out the latest issue of Fave for spreads featuring their funky jewelry. Much of this collection included plastic pieces with large studs. I loved the clear bib necklace with studs all around it. Love it!



 


Demu:
Love the edginess of this label. Fun pouches were featured at the showcase and I loved all the stud detailing on them. Shop Demu at http://shop.demulabel.com/






Demoyo:
Beautiful summery outfits were shown by this designer. I love the cut of the dresses and how flattering they are.




EBA:
The crazy t-shirts and high-waisted shorts were alot of fun. Had never heard of this brand before and I always love to be introduced to local labels.




Sukhoo Sukhoo:
This reknowned Ottawa label deffinitelly rocked it with this collection. I loved their beautiful evening wear. So many glittery pieces and we all know that's my favorite!










Khala Morgan:
Cute dresses with emphasis on the bust and fun high-waisted skirts!



Jana & Emilia Fashion Design:
I loved the big headpieces by this design duo!








Golden Fish Swimwear:
Fun colors and patterns were shown in this brand's swimwear; making me excited for summer!







David Mccaffrey:
I cannot say enough good things about this fabulous Ottawa designer. He is so talented and his collection shown at this event was proof of that. It was the first time he had shown his new collection and it was deffinitely a success. He makes such beautiful wedding gowns and evening wear. I was especially in love with a sparkly pink number that model Enry (featured in the latest issue of Fave!) wore.


Sienna, a fellow Fave contributor, and I with the fabulous David Mccaffrey backstage after the show.

The fabulous Helena-Alexis showing off her gorgeous sequin Mccaffrey number! She is such a sweetheart :)

Herieth Paul working it on the runway!













Here's a little video peak into what his collection looked like (loved the music by the way!):

I had so much fun as a media member at this event!
Such talented models and actors!
Fave often uses Angie's Models in the magazine so make sure you check out our latest issue!

xox
- Gen