Joseph Ribkoff was the perfect kick off to Vancouver Fashion Week. Having launched his line of women’s wear in 1957, Joseph Ribkoff has since remained one of the world’s pre-eminent designers. All clothing in his collections is designed, sewn, and produced in Canada, a significant accomplishment in today’s global economy. 

Oh yeah, and did we mention that Miss America attended his show? Not bad Joseph, not bad at all.

The Spring/Summer 2012 line is classy and sophisticated, while flirty and feminine. He showed jersey knit tops and dresses in jewel tones of sapphire and ruby, with attention to small details such as unexpected peeps of gold zippers that run up the length of the back, giving a nice contrast to the rich colours. Prints were in full force, seen throughout the collection in unconventional mish-mashes of bold, colourful florals and wild animal prints. The tops were shown with beautifully tailored cigarette pants and slim capris with slits in the front. To-die-for leggings with panels of stretch leather were my most coveted item, and they were paired with fitted tops and vests in leather and leopard print. 

There were light sweaters in various shades of grey, which made me think of a breezy spring day in the Hamptons. The dresses also had the same feel, both the casual ones as well as the more formal ones, with nice elegant pleats, grown up ruffles, and three-quarter length sleeves with silver embellished cufflinks. The separates in the evening collection would use the same bold prints, all covered in sequins, making for some absolutely alluring stand-out pieces. One particularly dazzling piece was a fabulous creation of a trench coat dress with a flirty bubble hem and a pleated ruffle down one side of the collar, and a sash tied around the waist.

By: Zack Grimmer

Photo Credit: Kim Akrigg

Zack Grimmer of Hush Magazine sat down with Data Romance’s Jay Bhattacharyya and Amy Kirkpatrick to discuss their journey so far. Having completed a tour with the premier of IDentity Festival, their unique mix of new-school audio with thoughtful, evocative vocals is sending ripples through the digital music scene. As home-grown Vancouver band they are quickly climbing the musical ladder. Keep your eyes on this talented duo.

Z: So my first question for you guys is it seems like there’s a philosophy behind the name. I’m interested to hear what inspired Data Romance?

JAY: The name was chosen at first more out of necessity than anything else. We were originally called Names; that’s just too hard to Google or tell people in conversation. People would be like: “You say your name’s Names?” Everyone was kind of like: “Huh?” So we changed the name for that reason more than anything. We chose Data Romance. At first it just sounded good, but we started finding more meaning in it after we picked it. I do the sound design so I’d be data and Amy does vocals so she’s the romance. We’re pretty opposite in a lot of ways. We thrive on dichotomies and ying-yang bullshit.

Z: Nice. So for you [Amy], how does it feel to be playing at a venue that you used to work for, if I’m not mistaken?

AMY: Ahhhh! You’re very correct. It’s fucking weird! It’s really cool to see everyone I used to work with but it’s really surreal while I’m playing. I feel like I’ve come full circle. It’s always good playing at home. My old boss just did our lighting, so it’s very weird but it’s cool.

Z: Poetic justice?

AMY: Totally, but he was an awesome boss. It would’ve been better if he was an asshole.

Z: How about touring with Identity Festival, did that feel like it was a benchmark of success?

JAY: Yeah! It was almost premature for us in some ways because hadn’t played that many shows before we got to do that. It’s some of the first stuff we’ve done. We’d only played about a handful of smaller shows before that. It’s not like we were playing for 50,000 people, but we made a lot of cool friends and got to learn a lot about how things work behind the scenes at bigger festivals and with bigger artists. Just get cool insight. And artistically we met some of our heroes there and got to pick their brains.

Z: Who were some of your favourites?

JAY: We got to share a bus with Modeselektor and they were our top choice to watch during the festival. We love them, they’re fucking amazing, and super nice guys. Very likeminded people and their style of music has a little more thought to it. I don’t want to dump any other DJs, but you can tell from our set that we’re not just some dub-steppy people that are trying to make a crowd freak out. We want people to pay attention. 

Z: What are your plans for moving forward?

JAY: We’re touring in a couple weeks. We’ll be opening up for Digitalism throughout North America. The shows will mostly be in the U.S. We’ll also be doing a show in Montreal but unfortunately nothing here at home in Vancouver. After that we’re going to be writing like mother fuckers because we’re trying to get out a full album, which is something me and Amy have been meaning to do for a while.

Hush: I notice your brother is also in the band, how did the band form?

Greg Cockerill: My brother is a great musician and songwriter who has his own career and is 7 years younger than me.  He's played in my band on and off since 2008 and I was very excited to have him intrinsically involved in the production of the new album. It’s kind of like as if I have 4 arms and two mouths in some ways, but we process and approach things very differently. That came out a lot, especially in the arrangements, and he does some beautiful guitar work throughout the record as well. As far as the rhythm section, Ari on keyboards lives in Calgary and I’ve played with him since about 2007 whenever we can arrange it, and he flew down to do the record. Dan Neill on drums was an old acquaintance from my college days that I ran into in 2010 when we shared a bill with our respective bands in Sault-Saint Marie.  It took about a year from that point, and he joined the team. Scotty on bass was a recommendation from my previous drummer. He lays pipe all night and is integral to the feel of the band.

Where does the country influence come from?

The country influence probably comes from 2 main sources. The first being that when I moved back to Calgary from Toronto, I started playing in a lot of country bands, and the second being that when I started writing vocals about that time, the artists that were re-inspiring me to fall in love with music were Neil Young and Bob Dylan, and also Springsteen's ``Devils and Dust`` had just come out. With those 2 factors and the influence of doing lots of driving through rural Canada, that’s just the sound that came out. It wasn't deliberate; it was a return to simplicity and an attempt towards honesty. Hopefully my next record is a dance record.

Who is your fan base? What type of audience do you connect with?

My fan base is fairly diverse. I don't think I have a tangible following as much as a pretty eclectic one, and I'm proud of that. In a way, it’s like I wasn't the cool kid in high school and never will be, but there's enough people out there that like me that all in all it’s a greater thing that’s beyond me and it’s very encouraging. I guess tangibly though, it’s a pretty fair mix of dudes and gals and teens and baby boomers and rural and city folk. I have about .0001% percent of all those demographics evenly covered I reckon.

What are the biggest obstacles you face as a band?

Logistics. We get along great as a band and being on the road is very non-stressful as it turns out. Planning, organizing, and of course, money are the issues...  We all work several jobs to be able to afford being musicians. I’m not complaining, being able to share your art is a gift that we're all grateful for, not a right. It`s hard work though and there's never much instant gratification for the work we put in. I guess the most satisfying thing as the flipside to this question is the friendship we have as a band and among our friends and fans across the country that you really become quite family with.

How have you grown as a band?

We're getting to trust each other better musically. Meaning that I know I’m growing in that I can trust myself more musically on stage. There is an improvisatory nature to the performances, partially in the jazz sense, but more so in a Zen sense if you will. You know the guys are there with you and you can go certain places live that would not be possible with people you weren't as close with.

Tell us a story about a day in the life of you and the band.

We get up from the attic of someone’s renovated barn 20 km west of a city; have a cold shower and some organic bacon, have a cup of joe and drive 12 hours to a damp basement, open up our bags to discover them booby trapped by someone else in the band; Off to a gig, no time for soundcheck because my brother`s tube amp doesn't work and we have to pull an audible in a hurry. Play a show to a half empty room and make friends and fans of the staff, pack up and drive a couple of hours to your buddies house in the next town where you have a campfire and tell ridiculous stories until you can't stay awake anymore.. but you pull a prank on the bass player before you go to sleep (it’s always the bass player). Sleep for 5 hours and do the same thing the next day.

It's the best.

Hey, cats! So Halloween is just around the corner and you feel how the city is coming alive with the buzzing excitement before a great party (where it may be for you) but what if work, life, etc got in the way and, oh no, you still don't have a costume... 

The Boo La La Team is all set to style you for Halloween from head to toe, so that you're set for any costume party this season. With their strong fashion background Boo La La has key costume trends and also the proper fit and style. You can book a complimentary appointment with Dani Barnes, Boo La La's professional stylist!

Boo La La (previously 'Carol's Costume Corner'), located in North Vancouver, is one of Canada's most reputable and successful costume stores. The store offers thousands of costumes for rent (many of which being gorgeous vintage threads), hundreds for sale and a large assortment of costume accessories and wigs. Plus, Boo La La now also offers online shopping!

Since 1985, Boo La La has been supplying Canada with the most sought after costumes and high quality vintage assortments. With personalized costume styling, Boo La La is known for their complete head-to-toe shopping experience. 

If you are looking for what to wear, here are the top 10 trends we love for Halloween:

Classic Horror - Vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, and thank you True Blood for giving us 'WerePanthers' this year!

Morph Suits - It's all about the green men! GO Canucks GO!

Group Uniforms - Show up dressed to impress with you and your friends in full flight crew or cruise ship attire.

Multiples - Take any look and have three or more friends dress the same! This one's a ton of fun.

Circus - From ringmasters to evil clowns, disfigured carnies and bearded ladies, this is a strong look for individuals, duos or groups!

Burlesque - Definitely one of the hottest looks this season.

Lady Gaga & Katy Perry - Hot female icons with so many looks to choose from and even better with your personal twist!

Steam Punk - Think Victorian industrial with a Sci-Fi twist...

Nightmare Hospital - Evil patients, staff, horror hallways, and lots of blood and body parts.

SCI-FI Cyber, Alien Fashionista - Think 'Paul' (recent movie with Simon Pegg) and add a little flare...have fun with your alien look.

Professionally styled costume for Halloween? I think that sounds exciting! For more info visit www.boolalacostumes.com

Photo credit: Jun Ying - Kuniophotography.com

Why does it have to be over? Why oh why?  How can I even sum up the 3 days that were Vancouver’s Eco-Fashion Week? Well let me try…

3 days, 21 designers, seminars, a trade show and boutique, cocktail parties… *sigh*

This was my first year attending EFW, and it certainly did not disappoint. A big shout-out to Myriam Laroche and the entire EFW team who made this an unforgettable event. It was a thrill for the extremely visual right-brained person that I am! Besides the obvious (the magnificent fashion), there were a few other pretty cool things that went on over the course of the 3 days. 

The location, the old “Storeyum” building at 142 Water Street in trendy Gastown, was a perfect venue. Every evening, in the wide open space that housed the trade show and boutique, there was a fabulous DJ spinning music and setting an ambience for everyone to enjoy, as they shopped, sipped on a cocktail, mingled with beautiful people, or had a little break between shows.  Orangina made sure everyone stayed hydrated during the tough job of being on the frontlines of fashion, and Pop Chips made sure nobody went hungry. I don’t even want to think about all the delicious pop chips I ate. Everywhere you turned, there were more… And of course, there was the cocktail bar, for when you needed a little something other than Orangina (wink).

Bottom line that I will bring from EFW is that… there are many amazing eco-friendly options to fashion, there are far too many clothes that I want, and also, I went out and got myself a new hairstyle. Long live Vancouver fashion! 

I didn’t know what to expect from my scheduled interview with the actress Cindy Busby. Going by the information I had of her, especially the article in "Maxim", I thought I’d meet another b-grade actress with a bit of an attitude. Luckily, I was wrong and the person I met was genuine and open, as open as one can be being an actor, I guess.

Talking to Cindy, I felt comfortable but I couldn’t escape the thought that she had to say certain things. As Cindy herself admitted later in our conversation, actors do need to keep a “wall” and constantly watch themselves, making sure no personal or potentially controversial information is shared. There’re always reporters (and not without an audience) looking for a sensation to be concocted; we all have heard about the ease, with which they spin around any available piece of information.

Cindy, the star of Canadian TV series “Heartland” and I met on a rainy day at café Artigiano -- in my opinion they have some of the best coffee in town -- to discuss her latest feature, “The Big Year”. The film stars some of Hollywood’s “familiar” names: Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson. This film, which comes out on Friday, October 14, seems to promise Cindy her break through onto the big screen.

I, obviously, asked about her experience working on set with these celebrities. And as the old saying goes “When it rains, it pours”, so it seems it was for her. A few seconds into their first scene on the first day, she did a long scene with Steve Martin on a chairlift, just the two of them. Intimidating, at least. But Steve turned out to be a nice individual and also just another human being, like the rest of us.

Soon our conversation started drifting towards life philosophy and perspectives on life. Cindy shared her view, which is largely based around giving back and appreciating what you have. Cindy has taken a lot up-and-coming actors under her wing. She says, “if I can give what I learned to the people that I encounter, that I think have what I had, in a sense of that drive and that passion for it, then it’s a pleasure for me to help them because I know it’s not easy [to make it]”.

Another thing that I felt touched by is Cindy’s respect for her mother. It was her mom who taught Cindy that “no matter what rejection or loss you have, you’re still a beautiful person and you’re not defined by your “work”.

I’m glad to have met Cindy and I wish her a successful career in acting. If you want to find out more information about the movie, please visit http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1053810/fullcredits#cast or http://www.cindybusby.com/ for the actresses’ personal website. 

Photography: Tom Hawkins

The 11th annual Whistler Film Festival takes place November 30 to December 4, 2011. The 2011 Festival features up to 80 films from Canada and around the world comprised of about 45 features and 30 shorts, selected from over 1,000 submissions, and will award $50,000 in cash prizes. Renowned for its intimate nature, the Festival is complete with world premieres, distinguished guests and an innovative industry conference that includes 500+ key industry insiders.

Whistler’s International Feature Film Competition will showcase up to eight innovative and unique narrative films from around the globe by directors with their first or second feature at the Festival. The Award recognizes the imaginative perspective and cinematic integrity found in these fresh new voices. All films must be Western Canadian Premieres. An international jury of three will award a $10,000CDN prize.

New for 2011 Summit, 2 additional expert TV panel discussions: ‘Television Frontiers: Canada/US Co-Productions’, and ‘Television Drama: Broadcasting Perspectives’. Other panel discussions and classes include The Interactive Narrative Framework Master Class; China Canada Gateway: Meet the Players Panel; CFC Writers Workshop and The Filmmaker Lounge and ideal for business connections and introductions. 

For more information see www.whistlerfilmfestival.com and stay tuned for the festival lineup and schedule will be available by November 10th, 2011.

Individual film and special event tickets go on sale on November 10th (until December 4th). The Festival Box Office opens November 10th for phone sales and on November 25th for walk-in sales. 

About the Whistler Film Festival Society

The Whistler Film Festival Society is not-for-profit cultural organization dedicated to furthering the art of film by providing programs that focus on the discovery, development and promotion of new talent culminating with a must attend festival for artists, the industry and audiences in Whistler.

Within eleven years, its vision is to establish Whistler as a pre-eminent destination that connects the art and business of film. The Whistler Film Festival will be one of the top film festivals in the world and a must-attend for filmmakers and audiences. Whistler will be home to one of Canada's most digitally advanced theatres, and will be an epicentre for advanced training in screen-based entertainment. Critical to the success of this plan is the development of a world class state-of-the-art screening facility. The Society's Future in Focus campaign to renovate the Rainbow Theatre and create the Festival Theatre meets this critical need.

Walking the drizzly, cobble stone streets along Gastown’s main drag; I strode into the old “Storeyum” building, now home to Vancouver’s “Eco Fashion Week”.  Here it is Vancouver fashionistas!  The fashion show which has finally given Vancouver some much deserved street cred on the international fashion scene. 

This rainy, autumn afternoon has a bright and shiny side! The energy was unmistakable; the hustle-and-bustle, the getting ready for the fabulous-ness that will own this space for the remainder of the week. It marks the third instalment of Eco Fashion Week in Vancouver, and the anniversary of Myriam Laroche‘s brilliant vision. 

Myriam started Eco Fashion Week as a way to showcase that fashion can be beautiful AND sustainable at the same time. Myriam is, herself, a beautiful, bubbly girl who embodies the credo she calls upon the industry. As she took the podium to give her welcome address, she stated her three words that are the credo for this year’s event: raw, re-invent, and passion.

Before we moved along to our designer’s panel, we were fortunate enough to listen to City Councillor Andrea Reimer, who is, literally, the coolest person you could ever have on your city council. Her mandate is “Change does not roll in on the wheels of inevitability”. Yeah, Hi! Bring on Eco-Fashion Week Vancouver! 

On to our wonderful designer panel, we had four amazing designers taking part. The press panel quickly escalated into a whirling dervish of like-minded, passionate people commenting on all things eco-friendly. Mary, a representative from Social Alterations, posed several poignant questions to Nicole Bridger, Jason Matlo, Misty Greer, and Melissa Ferreira about their philosophy and ethical reasons as to why they choose to be “Eco-Friendly.”  

The evening soiree to end the kick off was full of amazing booths showcasing clothes like Adhesif, to the hilarious FormaliTee, MICA-Bella cosmetics, and EOS, who’s yummy line of lip balms, shaving crème, and lotions will make your senses go… crazy. Cannot WAIT to let you know what’s going on tomorrow!

Dr. Zein Obagi of Beverly Hills, California, brought his newest skincare line, ZO® Skin Health, to Vancouver on Thursday night, holding an exclusive event complete with champagne, hors d’oeuvres, and live music. Dr. Obagi is a rebel, an innovator, a world-renowned dermatologist and formulator who pioneered the concept of skin health over 20 years ago.

Dr. Obaji gave an engaging presentation, explaining how, after age 30, skin cells go to sleep, so to say, and regenerate at a much slower rate causing wrinkles, sagging and other unsightly signs of aging.

His products contain high concentration levels of active ingredients, much higher than those found in traditional anti-aging skincare products. The products are formulated to "wake up" the dormant cells and stimulate the production of collagen and elastin in the skin, just like when it was young.

Some of the active ingredients found in ZO® Skin Health include retinol, Vitamin C, antioxidants, and lactic acid.  Retinol is the only topical ingredient scientifically proven to provide anti-aging benefits.

The Ossential® Radical Night Repair Plus product in the ZO® Skin Health line contains 1% retinol (5 times the industry average); this is the maximum amount that the skin can tolerate with minimal irritation. This is, probably, the star of the show, it'd be exciting to try it!

 Dr. Obagi says: “Instead of simply treating diseased and damaged skin, my circle of skin health philosophy focuses on creating and maintaining healthy skin continuously with a complete portfolio of skincare products and solutions”. This seems like a wholesome approach to beauty and skincare and it's exciting to have ZO line available in Vancouver.