Mating Season – For Colours

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Is it true that opposites attract? They do this spring.

As a young girl, my favourite colours were pink and purple. I was always putting them together, despite the slight colour clash, because it was too difficult to choose just one when both were so…me! Light pink was my quiet, introverted self, who was oft found reading in a sunlit corner somewhere. Purple was my creative and independent self, who went away with my best friend each summer for a month, and wrote short stories and plays.

This spring, like the fall, pretty well anything goes. This is the season to be daring with your style choices. Try mating – erm…pairing – colours, for instance. White and black is classic, and very popular this season. Why not branch out though, and try pairing pink and tangerine – or emerald with royal blue?

Ricki's Contrast - Pink & Tangerine

Ricki's Contrast - Royal Blue & Emerald Green

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ricki’s is a great place to find options for this trend. Wandering the store, I came across this blue/green pairing and was too happy to include it in this blog post.

I am a fairly indecisive person and tend to change “either or’s” to “both…,and’s,” contrasting colours in my spring/summer wardrobe gives me the opportunity for “both…and,” leaving me more content than ever. Showcase different aspects of your own personality with your deliberate style choices this spring, tell people they cannot put you in a box by wearing contrast colours.

You can be subtle about it, if contrast scares you – try working with accessories that contrast your clothes. Cleo has some great patterned scarves that could act as the dark to your light blazer or visa versa.

Or, better yet, Ricki’s has a great selection of striped tops – which incorporate the contrast trend in a subtler manner than bold blocks of colour. Tell your story with great styles from Kingsway Mall.

Emerald Green

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“Nature’s first green is gold, the hardest hue to hold…Nothing Gold can stay.” -Robert Frost
I might just have to admit to being a tiny bit fickle. I have for years been known for a great aversion to Emerald Green. When buying a car, I would say color didn’t matter except if it was green. And for many years St. Patricks Day would be a painful day for me as my closet lacked the safe hue’s needed for the day. But something has come over me… gone are the days of fearing my Jr High School team colors of green and gold, now I’m embracing the Pantone Color of the Year and the gorgeous combination of pairing it with shiny gold accessories! I set out to see what I could find at Kingsway Mall to add to my ever growing garden of green in my closet.
I was on the hunt to find pieces for every member of my family and right off the mark I found so many things that I liked for myself…from the fringed top at Ricki’s that draws up memories of laying in the tall grass looking up at the clouds as a kid… to the tremendously gorgeous L. Credi structured bag at Town Shoes. Top Handle bags are all the rage this spring, and this one is so perfect for me to carry around my Ipad, fashion magazines, and all my various mom stuff! So not the regular old “mom purse”… What’s the craziest thing you’ve had in your purse?
Green blouse, layered with grey jacket from Ricki’s (Kingsway Mall)

Handbag from Town Shoes (Kingsway Mall)

For my daughter I polished off her Easter look with an adorable green pea coat from The Gap and now she’ll be able to keep wearing it all through the summer and fall. I really think that green is such a crisp and charming color for little girls and looks so sweet with anything black and white striped or polka-dotted (stay tuned for a blog on this hot trend!)

Green Peacoat from The Gap Kids (Kingsway Mall)

Now men have always had a lot of green in their wardrobes for the most part, but I can’t say I’ve seen a lot of this brighter color up until this year. Albertan men (my husband included) are often a bit hesitant to step outside of their well-defined fashion zones. For that reason, I fell in love with these bold/earthy linen loafers that I found at Spring that will add tons of energy to my husband’s spring style, without pushing him too far out of his comfort zone!
Again, green has always been a go-to color for my son, but I was really excited to find its being used to create much sought after vibrant pieces for boys like the shorts I found at The Children’s Place. I find a lot of basics for boys come in black, grey or army green, so I really get excited when I find things for him in brighter shades… it makes him easier to spot on the playground!

Green Chino Shorts from The Children's Place (Kingsway Mall)

So although I spent many years avoiding Emerald Green…it seems to have forgiven me and has eagerly become my truest friend.

- Nicole Mackoway, Kingsway Mall Style Council

Yippee Skippy Splashes

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With each precious mild day Edmonton gets, my heart flutters a bit more. Spring? Could that be you around the corner? Picture walking down Jasper Avenue on a sunny -1°C day, ear buds singing “raindrops keep fallin’ on my head…but that doesn’t mean my eyes will soon be turning red…” (BJ Thomas), each step turning into more of a skip to the music and the urge to smile and wink at every person you pass grows as the song
carries on. Without warning, your peppy step trods into a wet mess of slush and road salt and you remember that you’re an Edmontonian who has to deal with wild fluctuations in temperature, producing this shoe-wrecking muckiness.

Recent trips to Vancouver contribute to the way in which I have embraced rain boots,
which are perhaps becoming more of a staple item for Edmontonians than winter  boots. The scenario you pictured before is quite common, and rain boots may be
a solution to maintaining your yippee skippy spring attitude over the next few
teasing months before the snow makes its exit.

Hunter Boots from Sterling Shoes at Kingsway Mall

They do not have to be the boring “gum boots” you remember from childhood – and can
actually work to enhance the rest of your sharp spring outfit. Sterling has some classic Hunter boots in both teal and maroon, as well as the basic black that keep your feet dry whilst contributing to an overall peppy and fresh spring look. The other store to check out is Soft Mocs, which has some playful neon green and orange boots to match the teasing weather. Soft Mocs also has a great selection for kids, so they will be able to avoid the boring gum boots we wore in our own adolescence.

Add a splash of color from Addition-Elle

I found myself wandering into Addition-Elle due to the “splash” of colour they have in
their new spring/summer fashions. The bright boots might go well with some of the blues, pinks, and oranges we are seeing this season. Keep that “pep to your step” from head to toe, and Reveal your style at Kingsway Mall!

- Melanie Bye, Kingsway Style Council Intern

Meeting the Mountains

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By: Melanie Bye, Style Council Student Intern

Hard to believe that 2013 is here and that the world didn’t end. Here we are though, ready for another stretch of either school or work. My break did not seem long enough at all! In fact, right now all I can think about is getting out to the mountains to either enjoy the sights or avoid boredom by boarding. As I plan another adventure road trip to Canmore or Lake Louise, I start to think about my “car bag” and the fact that it is my school bag. Not ideal.

 In the fall, we saw a lot of prints – animal prints, floral prints, geometric shape prints. It was a fun season for fashion.

Floral print handbag from SPRING at Kingsway Mall

I think my favourite part was bringing back the baroque – and the fantastic event hosted by the Art Gallery of Alberta to launch their new exhibit, the costumes were pretty amazing. Print though, is going to carry us through spring as well. Very exciting! How is this at all relevant to road trip bags? Well, I’ve seen printed accessories galore – floral and tribal prints, which are fun; and of course geometric shapes everywhere. The nice thing about buying a printed road trip bag (small backpack or large purse) is that you can pair it with just about anything and it still looks rad.

backpack from SPRING at Kingsway Mall

West 49 had a couple of fun options and Spring had a MOST beautiful large purse that could be used for road trips or for a splash to your monochromatic shopping outfit.

Tribal prints that make it a fun road trip bag, from West49.

Kingsway makes variety in your wardrobe so easy, with the wide selection of stores and kiosks – you can definitely find the perfect printed road trip bag for yourself (whoever you are or want to be) at Kingsway Mall!

Denim After Dark: Taking Your Jeans From Day to Night

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By: Kelsey Larsen, Style Council

I think we’ve all experienced some form of this challenge at one point in our lives: It’s the eleventh hour. You’ve been running around all day and have only ten minutes to change from your going-out-doing-errands clothes to going-out-for-a-fun-night-with-friends clothes, and managing to look effortless and put-together at the same time.

The key is a great pair of well-fitting jeans. A wardrobe staple that nobody should be without, they can be taken from a day look to a night look with minimal effort and are appropriate for most venues.

Try not to go too casual. Light-wash and distressed jeans are more suited for day-wear. Jeans with a darker wash — indigo or black — are more versatile and give you more options to personalize your look. Cut is also very important. Boot-cut, straight-leg, and skinny jeans are more flattering and look dressier than relaxed-fit styles.

Trade your tee-shirts for a classic button-down or something with sheen or texture. Lace and sequins have been very popular for ladies this year both in accents and accessories as well as in full garments. Throw on a sparkling shrug or grab that sequined hobo bag to add a bit of shimmer to your look, or go girly with a lacy blouse. Or top it off with that great leather jacket you just bought to keep you warm on those Autumn nights.

And never forget to accessorize! Pick a slightly smaller bag than you would usually use for daytime use. Choose bolder jewellery and have fun with patterns and details like buckles and bows that compliment your look. Or add a fun patterned scarf for a more laid-back look.

Finish off your ensemble with a great pair of shoes. Ballet flats and sneakers are great for daywear, but at night you have the excuse to jazz it up a little. Sparkle up those flats or throw on a great pair of heels or a funky pair of boots!

You can take your jeans from day to night without missing a beat. Reveal your style at Kingsway Mall.

Aspen’s Blog on Back to School Trends

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Back to school trends can be hard to predict, you have to know what’s rockin, and what’s not. Male trends this year are relaxed yet handsomely sporty! In the photo, the model is wearing a ‘football’ style jacket from H&M, which is IMMENSLY popular this year among both genders.

Fashions from H&M at Kingsway Mall. Photo courtesy of Ian Kucerak.

Football jackets can be very versatile. They give that cute but simple ‘boy next door’ look. You’ll also notice the layers. Sporting a plaid un-buttoned shirt over a hot T-shirt
is a very popular look this year. You look effortlessly stylish! Plaid is an exceptionally trendy style this year, and you can never go wrong with a little plaid in your closet! Find plaid at stores like American Eagle, Bootlegger, and Restricted Elite! Also as popular as ever this fall is the denim. Denim continues to dominate the shelves this year, as it is probably the safest item of clothing you can own. It’s hot, and you can wear it with just about anything. Denim can be dressed up, or dressed down depending on the occasion. It’s whatever you want it to be! Plus, in this look it ads that feeling of
sporty yet effortless. Be sure to rock the denim this fall!