Miss Universe Canada

All of us at Bellissima want to take a moment to send a very warm Congratulations to Riza Santos.

On May 25, 2013, together with several other ladies from across Canada, Riza participated in the Miss Universe Canada pageant...and won!!  This December she will go on to compete as the Canadian representative in the Miss Universe pageant.

Riza is also a model with Sophia Models and has modeled for Bellissima in the Spring 2013 ad campaign.  Also, check out my blogpost from May 19, 2013 for more details about Riza.

You truly deserve the success, and with your efforts, you are sure to make it far.

Congratulations!

The Great Gatsby

With the release of Baz Luhrman's "The Great Gatsby" has come a title wave of "Gatsby Fever".  The joie de vivre of the roaring twenties can be felt around the globe.  And the fashion? No further away then the pages of Vogue or your local Bellissima store.  Yours truly couldn't help jumping on the bandwagon and having a little photo shoot fun of her own.   You can't go wrong with one of the most iconic of all 1920′s jewelry pieces: the long multi strand of glass beads.  Have a look at the beautiful Gatsby inspired styles below and let your inner flapper out to play this spring. 

 

 

Riza Santos

I have been lucky to work with and spend some time getting to know Riza Santos, the 2013 Miss Universe Canada Contestant, and one of the faces of Bellissima Fashion. Not only is she a rare beauty but she is also incredibly intelligent and opened my eyes to what really goes on behind the scenes in terms of pageant life.

Riza is a unique combination of talents and attributes. To name a few, she spent two years enrolled in the Canadian Forces Army Reserve with 15 Field Ambulance and completed her Basic Military and Soldier Qualification; she studied Mechanical Engineering at the Schulich School of Engineering where she received numerous scholarships and while residing in the Philippines, Riza became a popular TV actress which led to a film career. Her leading lady role in the movie “Dobol Trobol” earned her a best actress award nomination from the Philippines Film Academy.

 

She has succeeded in ways far beyond those of the average mid-20's city girl. Having already accomplished so much, she made it clear to me that her family and friends are still a strong priority in her life as is her volunteer work. While living in the Philippines Riza was introduced the charity Bantay Bata 163 which focuses on the welfare and protection of children, specifically those victims of child abuse, offering extensive medical assistance to sick and indigent children throughout the Philippines region. While competing on the television show Big Brother Pinoy Celeb Edition 2 she won runner up where she was awarded one million pesos for Bantay Bata 163.

 

Riza has competed in several beauty pageants since her first at age 14. She proudly holds the titles Miss Earth, Miss World Canada and coming May 25th, fingers crossed, Miss Universe Canada. Bellissima Fashions is proud to sponsor Riza with a beautiful gown for the upcoming Miss Universe Canada Pageant. We wish her every success and luck. Sadly the pageant is not televised however you can keep up with all the details at www.beautiesofcanada.com.

 

 

 

While we were wrapping things up and starting to goof off, I got the nerve to ask her if the final question at a beauty pageant really is the stereotypical "How will you solve world peace?" Being good natured Riza laughed. “Not at all” she says. After a few pensive moments she looks up and says "How would you describe the world to a blind person?" I'm still mulling that one over.

 

 

Periphery

Periphery is a private fashion label designed and fabricated in Canada.  Established in 2000, the line consists of dresses, blouses, and coordinates in elegant fabrics with a heavy focus on meticulous construction and quality.

Principle designer and developer, Samuel Bardon, is the son of the design team behind Suttles & Seawinds retail chain.  He says he "grew up in the business" and "sort of picked it up".  However, he's no fan of formal education, he dropped out of design school after 1 week.  "You could say that I attended the fashion school of hard knocks."

The focus of Periphery is to create garments that are "straightforward and uncluttered, clothing that is quietly fashionable.  Clothing that talks without talking and speaks chic without the force of full blast fashion."

Periphery is now available at your local Bellissima store.  Here are a few of my new favorites for spring.