Posts Tagged ‘Wear a Gown to Work Day’
The photos are flooding in . . .
Okay, that’s not really Adrienne Butikofer, nor is the girl in the photo wearing an Adrienne Butikofer design. But it is the dress that Adrienne wore to celebrate Wear a Gown to Work Day. It’s no wonder that they call this girl “The Pride of Winnipeg.”
Adrienne also has posted some great photos of her new baby, Loenne, on her blog. Of course, the little glamourpuss is wearing a gown, too. Like mother, like daughter . . .
I did receive a very disheartening message from FASHION Magazine’s Jennifer Campbell. It seems as if Jennifer doesn’t even own a gown. That gives me an idea for a new layout in FASHION starring Jennifer and the upcoming couture collections. I’m going to pitch it to Ceri Marsh. Who needs Liisa Winkler, anyway?
Wear a Gown to Work Day is Tomorrow!
First, the bad news. WWD is reporting that Christian Lacroix is on the verge of filing for bankruptcy.
And now the good news. A couple of days ago, I mentioned that I would be wearing Christian Lacroix Couture to celebrate the first-ever Wear a Gown to Work Day on May 29. Hopefully, my glowing endorsement of the label will be enough to pull it back from the brink. Yes, my influence in the world of fashion is that powerful.
Speaking of powerful women, I suppose that the girls in the office at FASHION Magazine will be working it out tomorrow in their fabulous frocks. It’s customary for the FASHION staff to raid the sample closet every Friday afternoon. The girls dress up in designer duds to share a box of wine, a bucket of chicken and make a few prank phone calls to the Elle Canada office. You could say that every Friday is Wear a Gown to Work Day at FASHION.
But don’t fret if your world isn’t that fabulous. Tomorrow is the day to reclaim your glamour. Show the world that you care. Wear a gown to work!
Are you ready?
The first-ever Wear a Gown to Work Day is less than a week away. I was considering wearing a Jessica Biffi design, but she freaked-out at the thought of having to create another garment at the last minute. It obviously brought up some bad memories of Project Runway Canada, and I didn’t want to put my home girl through that again.
For that reason, I’ve decided to wear Christian Lacroix Couture. I don’t actually have to work on Friday, May 29, so I’m thinking about picking up a spin class at the YMCA. I normally lead two spin classes a week, one on Wednesday and one on Sunday, and a third won’t kill me. Moreover, it will give me the opportunity to bring a little glamour to the Y, and bringing more glamour into everyday life is the point of Wear a Gown to Work Day. Plus, there are half-a-dozen fans in the spin studio at the Y. That floaty chiffon is going to look fabulous blowing around!
I suppose that I might be the only one celebrating this year (besides the event’s Celebrity Spokesperson RuPaul, that is), but most major holidays take a while to catch on. I remember a time not too long ago when Arbor Day didn’t even exist, and nowadays you can’t even mention the final Friday in April to children without sending them into a pants-peeing frenzy of excitement. Kids love trees!
Anyway, I’m sure Wear a Gown to Work Day will catch on soon enough. If you’re wise, you’ll be one of the first people to celebrate. Imagine a future where your grandchildren click onto Wikipedia while researching the first-ever Wear a Gown to Work Day in order to write a report for their fifth-grade English class, and there on the website is a photo of you in a glamorous gown with a caption reading something like ”Glamour pioneer Nathalie Atkinson.” It could happen! Anyone can edit Wikipedia.
So listen to your Auntie! This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Don’t blow it by underestimating the cultural relevance of the event.
The Jessica Biffi Interview
It’s no secret that I wanted Jessica Biffi to win Project Runway Canada Season 2. Like a lot of her fans, I saw the type of creativity in her work that made me want to see more! I was thrilled to see her earn a place in the finals and — even though she didn’t win — I was happy that she was beaten by someone as talented as Sunny Fong.
I decided to catch up with Jessica this week to ask her a few questions. We met at the Metro Toronto YMCA where Jessica was busting out her best moves in a hip hop class. Girlfriend is so, so def. It was almost embarrassing dancing beside her in the class because she made the rest of us look like rank amateurs, or — as they call us in the hood — white girls.
Anyway, in between a little crunk and some poppin’ and lockin’, Jessica graciously took the time to answer a few of the hard-hitting questions this crack journalist is always ready to ask.
Auntie Fashion: I hate to do this to you, but I was so eager to promote the first-ever Wear a Gown to Work Day on May 29 that I forget to find something to wear. Can you whip me up a gown? Or better yet, can you make us matching outfits? I think I can safely say that we’d both look lovely in slippery, lime-green taffeta.
Jessica Biffi: What is this? An off air challenge? Have you been talking to Kim? Slippery, lime-green . . . taffeta? Things I make out of taffeta do not look like puke! Although a lime-green with a little chain might be hot!
Auntie Fashion: I agree! And I adore taffeta — it’s my signature fabric. I like anything that can make a really puffy leg-o-mutton sleeve. Anyhow, there’s a rumor going around town that you’re trying to parlay your success on Project Runway Canada into another reality TV gig. So how did your audition for So You Think You Can Dance Canada go, anyway?
Jessica Biffi: Well I shouldn’t say, but they totally loved my victory dance moves on PRC and asked me to go right on to Toronto Week without even having to audition. I know its not fair, but excited kicks and dancing on the spot get you far in life, and I’m gonna ride that dance train. Don’t hate the player, hate the game. But seriously, I love So You Think You Can Dance!
Auntie Fashion: I was also thrilled to discover that you’ve connected with the lovely Vicki BlackNasty from the casting site for RuPaul’s Drag Race. She tells me that you’re soul sisters now. If Vicki gets cast on the show, is there any advice that you could give her as someone who has made it to the finals of a reality show?
Jessica Biffi: Girl! I love that show! And I watched Miss BlackNasty’s auditions and I think she is A-Mazing! A fly girl can go a long way! You gotta do you, that’s my advice. Keep your head on right (and in Vicki’s case, head, wig and face) and you can “Chante, you stay” all the way! Bring you to the table on every challenge, and you will be all sprite!
Auntie Fashion: I know that you’re contractually obliged to shut your trap about PRC, but what can you tell me about Rita Silvan? Every other fashion magazine editor in Canada adores me, but Rita won’t even return my calls. I guess that I shouldn’t have compared the staff at Elle Canada to the girls on the Rock of Love Bus, but I meant it in the nicest possible way. Do you think Rita will ever forgive me?
Jessica Biffi: You know, Rita is a very classic type of woman. She likes her fashion but she is definitely more on the conservative side, and I think that might be why she didn’t like the Love Bus comment. I don’t really know Rita on a personal level, but if we ever get there, I’ll put in a good word for you.
Auntie Fashion: Thanks! As my favorite contestant on your season of PRC, I was thrilled to see you show at LG Toronto Fashion Week. I could tell it was the highlight of your career so far. Do you believe that you’ll be just as excited to show at Moose Jaw Fashion Week 2012?
Jessica Biffi: Awww . . . thanks for the love! I was super excited, and the biggest thrill for me as a designer are the shows! I’m thinking LG for 2012, but I’m really really excited for the Nunavut Spring/Summer shows!
Is it just me . . .
. . . or do drag queens always look like they’re having more fun than the rest of us?
Whatever the case, there’s only twenty days left until Wear a Gown to Work Day. I don’t know what Raya Light has chosen for the event, and I’m not even sure if she has job that earns her a paycheque (I can’t remember what she told me she does. Trophy wife? Glamour model? Hooker?). Nevertheless, I’m sure she’s got some couture concoction in her closet that she’s ready to don on May 29.
Have you got something to wear? Those fashion pundits love a laughingstock, so don’t be caught without a gown!
Raya Light: Trendsetter
I discovered this photo on the front page of WWD this morning. Sure, it’s cool, but it’s also a little familiar. One of my favorite girls on the casting site for RuPaul’s Drag Race posted a similar profile photo earlier this week.
The similarities are uncanny! I guess that Raya is a more powerful presence in the fashion world than she realizes, setting trends in the editorials of major fashion magazines worldwide. I’d better get her working to promote Wear a Gown to Work Day on May 29! She owes me a favor . . .
Anyway, click on the rest of her photos to see what else you girls will be wearing in upcoming seasons. It’s like a window into the future of high fashion!
If Karl isn’t going, I’m not going!
The Cut is reporting that Karl Lagerfeld won’t be attending tonight’s supermodel-themed Met Costume Institute Gala. I guess I’m not going, either. We have a date. I guess I’m going wherever he takes me. I hope it’s Taco Del Mar. I have a craving for chipotle sauce.
Actually, that’s not true. I can’t attend the gala because Marc Jacobs aka the Evil AntiZob is the host. It’s a matter of principle. He probably won’t show up the next time I’m invited to host the event, either.
Despite my absence, I do hope that Wear a Gown to Work Day is on the tip of every tongue at the gala. I’m afraid the party’s organizers may have issued an informal moratorium on the subject. If I was hosting the month of May’s second-most glamorous event, I’d try to ignore the competition, as well.
Anyway, I’m sure the blogosphere will be buzzing with the usual red carpet banter tomorrow. I might chime in, too. It’s not often that all the greatest supermodels in the world show up in one place at the same time, unless you count the spring shows, the fall shows, the couture shows, the resort shows, the pre-fall shows, the CFDA Awards . . .
It’s closer than you think!
Wear a Gown to Work Day is approaching so swiftly that many of you are going to be left gownless if you don’t find something to wear soon.
On the topic of swiftness, I suppose that some of you have jobs where you’re required to move around quickly. Since most gowns look best with high heels (and high heels aren’t the easiest thing to get around in) I have a suggestion.
Why not wear rollerskates under your gown? Not only will they elevate you, allowing your gown to drape attractively, you’ll be able to glide all over town like you’re Snow White’s Fairy Godmother floating on a cloud.
Just imagine how glamorous you’ll look while working your UPS route or gliding through the newsroom of the National Post in a gorgeous hoop dress with rollerskates underneath the skirt. So get shopping before it’s too late! Don’t let this soon-to-be legendary event go by without participating. You’ll never forgive yourself.
If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for your country . . .
For those of you who are still waffling over what to wear for Wear a Gown to Work Day, I have a suggestion. What about your old prom dress?
It’s rather wasteful to purchase a prom dress only to wear it once. I’m sure that the lovely young lady in this photo thought the same thing, and that’s probably why she chose a dress that she could wear again when another special occasion arrived. Obviously, she wanted her prom dress to do double duty on the Fourth of July. If Wear a Gown to Work Day had been invented when this photo was taken, perhaps she would have chosen something appropriate for that event. In any case, she was thinking ahead, just like you need to do before the big day arrives on May 29.
And remember, if you can’t wear a gown for yourself, please try to wear one for your country. There are a lot of places in the world where women won’t be wearing gowns to work because they aren’t allowed to work. Take this opportunity to show the world how proud you are to be living in a country where women like you are free to do their own thing, free to make money doing it, and free to spend that money on gorgeous gowns!
It’s not about you. It’s about freedom!
One Month To Go!
I stumbled upon a great gallery of the “ugliest” bridesmaid dresses on the People magazine website. While I don’t agree that every dress is ugly, I can understand why many of these photos are so laughable in today’s day and age. Still, you never know where fashion is going to go. What’s ugly today could be defined as “classic” tomorrow — it happens! It happens the other way, too. I remember a time in the 80s when I admired Joan Collins because she was so classy. No, I’m not kidding . . .
Anyway, seeing these dresses did give me a great idea. Say you have gown in your closet like one of the lovely Holly Hobby polyester numbers in the photo above. Say you work at Mr. Lube or in the lumber department of Home Depot. Do you really want to be the one girl at your place of employment who isn’t participating in Wear a Gown to Work Day? Of course not!
Don’t let that old bridesmaid dress hang in your closet for one more day. Pull it out and put it on! Remember that it’s not the dress that makes you glamorous. Glamour is a state of mind! So what if you get a big blotch of motor oil on your gown. As Tyra Banks would say, you need to take that blotch and ”make it fashion.”
You’ve got one month to get it together. Don’t be the only girl in the lumberyard who isn’t wearing a gown. Now that would be embarrassing!
