On the 30th,  I was lucky to attend the Holiday Get Gorgeous @ Home roaming fashion show and lunch at Home Tasting Room. Hosted by Karen Judge of Studio Gorgeous, the noon hour soiree featured fashions from Karen’s up-to-the-minute favourite boutiques in the city. Crabapple Clothing Company, Eye On Design, and Something 2 Wear were all featured over the season-inspired lunch with beautiful outfits to wear for any sort of holiday occasion from your fancy office Christmas Party to an evening of baking sugar cookies with your girlfriends.

Sequins are always in during the season of mistletoe and tinsel, so it is no surprise there was lots of sparkle in several of the outfits throughout the roaming fashion show. An adorable sequined tunic top can be layered with a skirt or worn over leggings for a fun comfortable party look. Long skirts have seen a comeback throughout the fall; for Christmas try one with a layered tulle crinoline underneath for a dramatic entrance to any party.  Infinity scarves and fur collars are a perfectly cozy way to accessorize for those extra chilly evenings out on the town and they transition well from the office to the party. Many big Christmas parties have lost their love of black tie, so pull on a pair of beautiful black leather boots with your party dress to keep it from looking too fancy. Ikat prints are stunning in gem tones – try one in a flowy slip dress or a classic 60s sheath style. A lady who lunches is never without the perfect handbag – pick up a sparkley clutch this holiday and stash it in your daytime purse for after-work fun.

Watch for more fabulous Get Gorgeous @ Home coming soon in the New Year – be a lady who lunches!

 WOW-It was impressive, Calgary’s “Twas the Night” attracts 7,500 shoppers and fashion followers to the CORE (TD Square/Holt Renfrew) for a very successful holiday event. With the lighting of the CORE’s new one of a kind 45 ft Christmas tree on the evening of November 30, 2011 and performances  including Chantal Kreviazuk and the Calgary Girl’s Choir, it was a special  kick-off to the holiday season. The evenings hosts didn’t miss a step with a special pyrotechnics display  and a red carpet entrance hosted by Lainey Lui from Lainey Gossip.com and  Canada’s etalk. I met with Lainey the day before the event in Calgary for a special interview, featured soon on my own website LawlessandLace.com.

 Just as New York’s “Fashion’s Night Out” the shoppers were treated with great entertainment and great food. A variety of cocktails and assorted culinary samples were set in the mall’s concourse. Tables looked like beautiful pieces of art, with offerings of mini Yorkshire puddings filled with Christmas favorites of turkey and stuffing followed by candy treats and beautiful desserts for everyone.

The CORE’s completed multi-million dollar renovation was the perfect back  drop for Calgary’s biggest private shopping event. Hats off to everyone in attendance as approximately $40,000 was raised in support of the United Way’s “Because” initiative and the CANTOS National Music Centre.

 The evenings event was attended by many decked out in this season’s latest  trends. Thank you to the people below willing to share their style with us. Fashion and fun was the evenings theme.

She’s no Tiffany, but Chantal Kreviazuk does know her way around a shopping mall performance. Of course this was no ordinary mall. Unlike the 80′s teen idol, Kreviazuk only plays malls when there is a good cause involved, like the CORE’s T’was the Night Shopping Benefit held last week.The private after-hours shopping event was both an unveiling of the CORE’s striking new look and fundraiser for the National Music Centre and the United Way’s Because initiative. 7,500 fashion, food, and music lovers traversed the shops from Holt Renfrew to Harry Rosen perusing exclusive one-night-only offers, sampling hors d’oeuvres and a celebratory libation or two, and bopping their heads during the free concerts.

The newly unveiled CORE shopping centre is definitely high end and has a top-notch A/V club who pulled out all the stops to bring concert hall aesthetics to a venue not normally given to live performance. The acoustics were surprisingly clear. Megatrons suspended from third level catwalks offered front row centre views of the action onstage. The droves of fashionistas who paused in their Jimmy Choos to catch Chantal Kreviazuk’s performance had only to look up for an unobstructed view of the stage, if they found themselves standing behind that eight-foot tall guy who shows up at every concert.

It was a brief performance, affable but low-key. Kreviazuk, who remained seated at a baby grand piano for the duration, bantered genially between songs – a few hits and a Christmas tune or two. Elsewhere in the mall, the Simon Frisk Trio laid down some cool jazz, the Bel Canto Trio made their strings gently weep, and the rousing Calgary Girls’ Choir sparked the lighting of the giant Christmas tree.

And then, of course, there was the National Music Centre’s chill lounge. Definitely a crowd pleaser, the festive groove rocking out from the Hammond B3 organ got even the most jaded shopoholic back into the spirit of the night. An eclectic night of music, it definitely t’was.

Calgary might not have a Santa Claus Parade, but it does have a large number fantastic family-friendly holiday events to help get even the Grinchiest hearts into the spirit of the season.

There are a number of things to look forward to this December and many of them are free!  Here are my top 10:

1.) Skating at Olympic Plaza
Growing up in Vancouver’s balmy climate made it hard to experience what seems to be a winter rite of passage for most Canadians – skating on an outdoor rink.  I am very excited to try this for the first time EVER!  And to make it an even more memorable experience, on Dec. 5-9, 12 & 13 there will be choirs singing at Olympic Plaza over the lunch hour.

2.) Window Shopping
Strolling along Stephen Avenue amidst the twinkle of Christmas lights and festively decorated storefronts with a warm drink in hand is one of the nicest things to do in the winter.  There are several companies in downtown Calgary like Holt Renfrew and Twigs & Co that do a fantastic job of decorating their stores.  Many of the hotels also get in the spirit and decorate to the nines.

This gorgeous gingerbread replica of the Fairmont Palliser is currently on display in their lobby.

The CORE Shopping Centre is also home to a spectacular 45-foot Christmas tree, which is said to be the tallest of its kind in Western Canada.  It has over 2,670 ornaments and 45,000 individual lights in total.

If you’re lucky you might even run into our Present Patrol who will be handing out free Visa gift cards to downtown passersby between December 8-18th.

3.) Giving Back to the Community
Christmas is a time to think of others and give with your whole heart.  Since there are many families that do not enjoy the same blessings that we do, my Mom always taught us to be thoughtful of others, especially during the holidays.  There are a number of different charities that help those in need with various things like gift hampers, meals and necessities.

Even if you are unable to make a monetary donation, many organizations are always looking for volunteers to help with various tasks.  For example, Bankers Hall is currently looking for volunteer holiday gift-wrappers during the month of December. Proceeds will benefit the Nurture Yourself Program, which provides empowerment seminars for women, men and youth in several languages. The YWCA hopes you will Give the Gift of Safety.  Looking to connect with different opportunities in your community?  Try Volunteer Calgary.

4.) Choirs Singing Christmas Carols
Listen to the many choirs singing seasonal favourites at various locations all over the downtown.  Knox United Church will play host to the Calgary Carol Festival from December 3-5th where a variety of Calgary choirs will get together to perform for a worthy cause, The Calgary Inter-Faith Food Bank. Admission is a donation to the Food Bank.

5.) Breakfast with Santa
If you missed Santa “dropping in” Downtown on December 1st you can still take the little ones to meet the big guy himself at the Bay Downtown.  He will be back again on Saturday, December 17th for breakfast at the Bay!  It’s best to reserve your spot early as space is limited.  More details can be found here.

6.) Ice Sculptures
Watch huge blocks of ice get carved into intricate masterpieces with chainsaws right before your eyes! One large interactive sculpture will be added daily between Dec 5-9th on Stephen Avenue Walk right in front of the Sport Chek (120 8th Ave SW).

7.) Cocktails with Friends
The weather outside is frightful, but the drinks are so delightful!  There’s something so cozy and fun about hitting up a restaurant or pub with friends for a couple of pre-Christmas cocktails.  Can’t decide where to go?  We’ve got a few ideas for you with “The Twelve Drinks of Christmas.”

8.) Discounts & Sales at Your Favourite Stores
For those that love to shop, there are many sales and customer rewards this time of year.  Check the websites of your favorite stores and malls, like The CORE/TD Square/Holt Renfew, before heading there and you might manage to save yourself a few dollars or win one of their special giveaways.

9.)  Warming Up With A Cozy Cup
There is no shortage of coffee shops around these parts.  Whether you get takeaway or decide to stay, we are lucky to have many choices.  deville Luxury Coffee & Pastries boasts that their specialty, the Nutella latte, is “the best latte ever” and I’d be hard pressed to disagree. They also offer hot chocolate and a chocolate latte, both made with Bernard Callebaut chocolate shavings.  Caffe Artigiano, Insomnia Coffee Co, Good Earth Café, Urban Bean Coffee Co and Caffe Rosso also offer up a number of hot drinks, and, of course, we can’t forget the world famous Starbucks’ holiday-themed beverages!

10.) Searching for the Ultimate Comfort Food
When the weather dips below zero it’s time to seek out different ways to warm up your cockles.  Some of my personal favourite comfort foods are the wonton soup at Sukiyaki in the Lancaster Building, the mac n’ cheese at Blink, and the chocolate lava cake at Saltlik. Mmmmm!

The Fiasco Gelato Food Truck has noted the change of season and is now offering up some fresh and hearty soups along with their regular fare.  Their “Souped Up” truck can be found at various locations across the City featuring gourmet artisan soups with delicious flavours like curried zucchini, Thai carrot, lentil lime and chipotle coffee chili. Each bowl is garnished with fresh toppings like basil, olive oil, and honey lime cream and comes complete with a whole wheat mini loaf. The perfect street-side offering from YYCFoodTrucks on a frosty winter day.  I tried the roasted red pepper and it was delicious!

While Downtown, if you happen to capture any of your fun holiday moments please don’t hesitate to enter them in the Downtown Calgary Facebook Holiday photo competition, where you will have a chance to win a Luxury Downtown Getaway prize package, which includes hotel, dining, theatre and a $750 shopping spree.

If you’ve got any other ideas on what to do downtown this holiday season we’d love to hear from you!

LAWLESS&LACE: Following Fashion in Calgary, Nationally and Internationally is now blogging on getdown.ca.  Bringing her experiences from fashion around the globe to Calgary.  Check out her suggestions for what to wear at “T’was the night” shopping celebration!

Join myself and the participating downtown retailers for the biggest private after-hours christmas shopping event of the year, “T’was the night”. The celebration starts at 6:30 pm, Nov. 30,2011. See you all in your fashion finery at CORE TD Square Holt Renfrew.

Spark your festive state of mind with these party favours and look stunning while you celebrate all that the holiday season has to offer.

LOOK 1
Pumps. Nikki High-Heel Peep-toe Lace. $325.  BCBG
Skirt. Elizabeth and James. Pratte taffeta and silk-organza skirt. $365. Holt Renfrew
Top . Christopher Kane. Neon Jersey Tank. $145. Holt Renfrew
Necklace. Speas. White Nubuk. $30.  ALDO Shoes
Clutch. Portia Feather Clutch. $148.   BCBG

LOOK 2
Pumps. Durling. $100. ALDO Shoes
Dress. Mariana Tiered A-Line Dress. $398. BCBG
Clutch. Lady. $50. ALDO Shoes
Earrings. Rhinestone- Embellished Earring. $48.  BCBG 

LOOK 3
Pumps. Enzo Angiolini. $150.  Town Shoes
Blazer. Tuxedo-Style Jacket. $69.95.  H&M
Pant. Trouser. $39.95. H&M
Earrings. Gold Snake Linear Earrings. $37.50.  Betsey Johnson
Clutch. Red Carpet Collection. $69.95.  Town Shoes

What are you planning to wear?

Downtown Calgary is great for picnicking.  We’ve been blessed with several beautiful public parks interspersed throughout our city and there is nothing better than collapsing on a picnic blanket after a long week.  However, since we spend nearly half the year hibernating and avoiding the outdoors we have to figure out creative ways to motivate ourselves to leave the house.

Winter picnicking is the perfect way to beat the early-winter blues and ramp up that cheerful, spirited feeling as we move into the Christmas season.  Fill up your vintage thermos at deVille coffee with some nutella hot chocolate.  Stop by Bankers Hall Sunterra Market for a baguette, a wedge of brie, and some spiced preserves to fill your picnic basket.

Must-haves for a winter picnic include an extra-warm wool blanket, try out this gorgeous Hudson Bay blanket for negative temperature cuddles.  You will need to stay cozy in layers and the sock monkey-esque cardigan from Roots is the perfect solution to the unpredictable Chinooks we often get.  Toasty shearling mitts from H&M compliment the Canadiana-inspired toque from Aritzia, while your feet never freeze in these fantastic Sorels. A pair of skinny cuffed jeans from the Gap keep everything comfy for your outdoor picnic but throw on a pair of slim long johns underneath for more warmth.

Olympic Plaza is the perfect winter spot for picnicking. You have it all: music, ice skating, nearby cafes, and the twinkle lights will certainly get you in the mood for the holiday time of year.  Now we just have to wait for it to get cold enough for the ice rink to freeze….

Every Saturday and Sunday this September our Back to Style team will be at the CORE TD Square/Holt Renfrew to give one lucky shopper each day an instant shopping spree with $200 in Couture Cash. How can you spot them? By their pink shirts of course! Today was Carlee’s lucky day, she got two new looks for Fall at the Gap.

Carlee just moved to Calgary from the Okanagan and was looking in the CORE for some warm clothes for her first Calgary fall. Most of her wardrobe is from Aritzia, H&M and the Gap. Her tip for a long day of shopping in Calgary? Comfortable shoes!

Today Carlee got two new outfits from the GAP with her $200 in Couture Cash. She was our last winner for this year’s Back to Style Instant Shopping Sprees, but maybe we’ll be back for September 2012.

Tell us : What do you like to wear when you’re out shopping?

Remember the CORE has free parking (plus valet service) for the first three hours on the weekend and there’s a train station right outside their door.

Photo Credit: Tasha Komery 

Every Saturday and Sunday this September our Back to Style team will be at the CORE TD Square/Holt Renfrew to give one lucky shopper each day an instant shopping spree with $200 in Couture Cash. How can you spot them? By their pink shirts of course! Today was Raymond’s lucky day, he got a new look for Fall at Banana Republic.

Raymond was at the CORE TD Square/Holt Renfrew booking a honeymoon and met our Back to Style team. He’d really like a new jacket for fall.

Raymond chose an entire new outfit, but no jacket, maybe we’ll see him back downtown for the last piece in his new fall look.

Our Pink Shirt will be at it again tomorrow, so keep your eyes peeled and you could be experiencing your own Couture Cash spending spree!

Tell us : What’s your favourite jacket length: short, medium or long?

Remember the CORE has free parking (plus valet service) for the first three hours on the weekend and there’s a train station right outside their door.

Photo Credit: Tasha Komery 

What’s new at Brooks Brothers? Nothing. And that’s exactly the point.

While this bon mot isn’t strictly true, it captures the ethos of Brooks Brothers style. Call it preppie, Ivy league, or trad, this style is about tradition. Any Brooks store today, carries the same button down shirts and khakis JFK wore on weekends at Hyannis Port and the same blue blazers and striped ties that generations of prep-schoolers wore before they moved onto Brooks Brothers suits and striped ties.

Is there anything new at Brooks? Well, there have been a few innovations of late: slimmer cut dress shirts, polos with the Brooks Golden Fleece logo (unheard of until just a few years ago), and even polo shirts with button down collars. These are what pass for cutting edge at Brooks.

Of course, having opened shop here just over a year ago, Brooks is new to most Calgarians.  The store is spread over three floors in the former Holt Renfrew space in the CORE. There are men’s, women’s and children’s sections, and there’s the Black Fleece boutique offering pricey versions of Brooks styles that are at once more modern and more retro.

Why shop at Brooks? See if any of these reasons suit you:

You don’t want to make a statement: Or a mistake. Since Brooks style is never of the moment it never goes out of style.

You do want to make a statement:  In between the white shirts and grey suits at you’ll find shocking madras sports coats and pants and lurid pink chinos with ducks embroidered on them. These are avatars of the prep subgenre: “Go To Hell Style.”

You hate to iron: Brooks no-iron shirts are miraculous. The creases on a shirt straight from the dryer are sharp enough to slice cheese.

You are looking for a style that is the exact, 100%, polar opposite of the Ed Hardy/Douchebag style: It is at Brooks. And good for you, btw.

You like pool: Yes, they have a pool table on the third floor.

Brooks Brothers is at 751 3rd Street, SW.

Guest post contributed by Dave McKean.

It’s Back to Style time downtown this month and it’s a good time to think about your personal style. What inspires you? I asked Alderman Druh Farrell where she gets her style inspiration.

I inherited my sense of style from my mother, who owned a boutique on 17th Ave in the 1980s.  I worked at a tailor shop on the weekends when I was 15, and then made accessories for my mother’s store.  I went on to design school and eventually designed and exported a line of children’s clothing for 17 years. My mum advised investing in fewer quality pieces and I still wear some treasures from her store and ones that I’ve made.

I like to mix vintage couture pieces that I collect when I travel with basics from stores like Femme Carriere, Club Monaco, Banana Republic, or Holt’s, then add something unexpected such as a fun piece of jewellery from a local designer.  Although I don’t have a lot of time to shop, when I have the opportunity, my first stop is downtown. I asked my colleague, Gian Carlo Carra, if he could define my style and he came up with “Urban Pixie Librarian”.

You might also be interested in Alderman John Mar’s style staples.