Holiday Party Dresses

The holiday season is upon us, and that means Christmas parties will be just around the corner. Bellissima has a wide variety of party dresses for all your holiday needs. Whether it's a night out for the company party or at home with friends and family, Bellissima has you covered. Here are just a few of the dresses that are available this season. 

Stampede 100 Outfit #3

It's the final weekend of the centennial Stampede, and Bellissima has all the essential pieces to complete your western outfit! This hat is the perfect protection from the sun with build in SPF and silver and turquoise are also a must for accessorizing your Stampede outfit. Check out Bellissima for your Stampede Style. 

Stampede 100 Outfit #2

Tomorrow is the first official day of the centennial Calgary Stampede. We are so excited to try out the new food (red velvet funnel cake and cotton candy cupcakes! yum!), midway rides, free bands at the Coca-Cola Stage, and all of the fun events happening around Calgary for the next 10 days! Here is our second western themed outfit, perfect for a day of Stampeding. 

Stampede 100 Outfit #1

This year is the 100th year of the Calgary Stampede, and the city is promising a celebration to remember. If you have been to the Calgary Stampede before, you will know that a big part of the 10 day celebration is dressing up in western inspired outfits whether you are down at the Stampede grounds, attending a community event, stopping by a pancake breakfast, or getting into the Stampede spirit with your colleges at work. This year Bellissima has your Stampede style covered with fun cowboy prints, stylish hats, and turquoise and silver jewellery. 

Here is the first outfit of our Stampede series.  Watch out for two more outfits coming up next week! 

Purple Denim

Is everyone else as crazy for coloured denim as I am? I'm loving these purple jeans by J Brand! Check out the rest of the J Brand selection in select Alberta Bellissima stores and at Bellissima's sister store Estil. 

Outfit Details
J Brand Jeans via Bellissima
cardigan via Bellissima

Blue and Green

Spring is here and that means so is colour! Spring means the arrival of green grass, blooming flowers in all colours, and longer day in the sun. Injecting a little colour into your wardrobe is a great way to get into the mood of spring. This dress by Vivian Wong mixes two popular colours this season along with a floral pattern, which is also a spring time favourite. 

Vivian Wong dress worn by Ashley of lionslacelattes.blogspot.ca

Trend Spotting: Lace

One of our favourite trends for spring is lace. Lace is popping up everywhere from dresses and skirts, too lace details on tops and shoes. Here are a couple beautiful lace pieces that caught our eye on the runway from Louis Vuitton and Dolce & Gabbana. 

Louis Vuitton | Dolce & Gabbana | Louis Vuitton

Photos via Vogue.com

Here are some ideas for wearing this spring trend with some of our lace pieces in Bellissima stores now. Dress down the little black lace dress for spring by adding a jean jacket and wedges or try pairing the white lace blazer with coloured denim and pumps.

Bellissima and Bloggers

Ashley of Lions Lace Lattes is wearing a lace blazer from Bellissima over on her blog today! You can check out the rest of her post here.

Bellissima Lace Blazer

We also spotted our February Blogger of the month Cee of Coco And Vera wearing Bellissima on more than one occasion over on her blog. Check out Cee's posts here and here. 

Joseph Ribkoff dress via Bellissima

dress via Bellissima

Bellissima Spotlight: Casar

Casar Jacobson is the new face behind the Bellissima Spring/Summer campaign. She is passionate about community and philanthropy, and currently holds the title for Miss Calgary. Check out our interview with Casar below to find out more about her modelling career, the charities she supports, and her favourite items from Bellissima! 

How long have you been modeling?

I first got into modeling approximately 3.5 years ago. My desire to model started with my involvement in pageantry - I have my friend Lisa to thank for the first opportunity. Furthermore, Patti Falconer, and many friends along the way have opened doors enabling me to pursue a modelling career

What is your favourite part about modeling?

 I enjoy many aspects of modeling; however, my favorite parts are the opportunity to be involved in philanthropic endeavors, and the excitement of the entertainment industry.

Besides modeling, what types of activities do you enjoy? What are your interests/hobbies outside of modelling?

My friends recently introduced me to kite boarding, which I can foresee being an all-time favorite.  I enjoy cliff jumping – new experiences that challenge my comfort zone - dancing, singing, pageantry, travelling, and most of all philanthropy

You do a lot of charity work in your community. Tell us a little about that. What charities do you support?

KIA, Epilepsy, Charity, Tourism Calgary, Brenda Stratford Association, Mustard Seed, Brown Bagging for Children, Run for a Cure, Law Enforcement Run, Special Olympics, SOS Children's Villages, United Way, Mustard Seed Society, WSPCA Animal Rescue, Vancouver Performing Arts, EPCOR Centre for Performing Arts, UNICEF, Alzheimer Society of Canada, Habitat for Humanity Canada, Save the Children Canada, Science Alberta Foundation, West Coast Legal Education & Action Fund.

Each event has helped me understand other cultures, lifestyles, and has made a major impact on my life in regards to how I treat others and wish to be treated.

I’ve likely missed a few, but my involvement with these great organizations is thanks too many individuals that have helped introduce me along the way.  

This month (March) I’ll be going to Nicaragua to lend a helping hand – not many people know that 1 in 2 Nicaraguans live in Poverty.  It’s tough so see children, especially, in dire need of the basic essentials. I’ll be writing a journal on my endeavor…soon to come

You are Miss Calgary, what types of responsibilities come with that title?

You're to be an ambassador for the city. This means a high level of professionalism, encouragement to others, and committing yourself to philanthropic endeavours.

 How would you describe your own personal style?

My style varies drastically depending on the function or event. I love to wear formal cocktail dresses and evening gowns accented by jewelry. If I’m just hanging out I would like to say cool casual, lighter materials – it’s easy to enjoy leisure time and still be fashionable.

Do you have a favorite Bellissima item

The thing about Bellissima is it's not just one particular style. It is suitable for many age groups and genres. I've dressed funky, classy and business all from the same store, so it's difficult to pick just one. I always add flare to the outfit with their complimentary jewelry collection.

What one item do you think everyone should have in their closet
Little black dress

In an Instant

Here is a little sneak peek look into the Bellissima S/S campaign shoot. This is only a small compilation of the teams Instagram photos. More behind the scenes shots coming soon!

Model Ania B. | The team looking over some great photos with Vivianna | Ania B modelling a spring look | 

Ania and makeup artist Alicja Wilkosz | Ania B. | Anne B. Accessories and Bellissima Jewellery | Shea standing in as a test Model | 

Ania getting ready for the next outfit | Shea standing in again

Instagram photos by Ashley, Ania and Shea

Find Ashley on Instagram @ lionslacelattes

Find Ania on Instagram @ Aniab

Find Shea on Instagram @ sdscreative

Archetype

Check out the amazing photos taken by the talented Calgary photography team Wilkosz and Way for Fashion Gone Rogue. View the full article HERE

Photos via Fashion Gone Rogue

Photography: Wilkosz & Way
Styling: Leah Van Loon
Makeup & Hair: Alicja Wilkosz
Model: Sam Ypma @ Mode Models/Trump NY

Dressed In Red

It's a new year and the holiday season is over, but don't pack away your red holiday attire just yet! Valentine's Day is less than a month away, and what better way to get into the Valentine's spirit then by dressing in red! 

Here is a little Valentine's Day inspiration from some of my favourite personal style bloggers.

Rachel-Marie of Jag Lever | Jen of Jen Love Kev | Tieka of Selective Potential

Get the looks with Bellissima! Whether you are dressing up for a romantic dinner or laughing over romantic comedies with good friends, Bellissima has a great selection of red garments to suit anyone's Valentine's Day style. 

Bellissima Spotlight: Serena

Original Bellissima Store, formally called Serena 

Interview With Store Owner And Buyer: Serena

Bellissima is a family run company. Tell me a bit more about that. How and why did you decide to build the company and what was the experience of starting a  family run company like?

 I had a vision to own a chain of ladies wear stores in my early teens. I felt such joy and confidence when I was well presented. I wanted to share this feeling with more women. Growing up in my family, I felt women are considered insignificant. Too many times I was told girls are useless. When I told my family about my dream they just laughed at me. I graduated from University of British Columbia in 1971. I worked in the Ladies wear department at Robert Simpson's in Toronto. The interviewer asked me at the time why a university graduate would want to be a salesgirl. I told her "I'm going to own a chain of ladies wear stores one day. I have to start some place to gain experience". She also laughed at me all the time. I guess this was not the first time she had heard this. I finally had the opportunity to venture into my own business in 1973. I had a failed attempt as an importer. Collecting money was a major problem. My husband and I decided to venture into retail. Our first store was opened in May of 1975. I have been living my dream ever since. 

What has been Bellissima’s greatest success?

Bellissima's greatest success is the team of great women and men working in the company. We have such passion for fashion and to make our customers look great. We are proud of our products. We also have many local customers. 

I know you do the buying for your own stores. Tell me a bit about this experience. How do you decide what to buy? How do you find brands that fit the Bellissima aesthetic?

Over the years I have worked with numerous suppliers, I tried to find lines with good workmanship and fit, and also suppliers that will stand behind their products. Every line depends on their designer, merchandiser, pattern maker and quality control. Any slip in any of these departments will effect the selling of the line. This is why I change my lines constantly, but my focus is the same. I have to find beautifully made clothes with great fit that make a fashion statement. I am always looking for elements of what is interesting at the moment in fashion. The clothes must be accessible to my customers. 

What labels do you carry?

Joseph Ribkoff, Frank Lyman, Conrad C Dolcezza. I am constantly trying out new lines and dropping lines that no longer work for our customers.

Bellissima has it’s own, in house label - Who designs for the label and how do you come up with the inspirations for the designs?

We develop our private label by travelling to major cities like Paris, Milan, Rome, London and New York. We spot colour trends and new looks. We like to have merchandise that is exclusive to Bellissima only. Now, we also have our in house designer Vivian Wong, who does her own research to come up with new looks. She was trained in Paris and has been a designer for a lot of boutiques in Vancouver. Her designs are doing very well in our stores, and they are all made in Vancouver.

What trends can we expect to see at Bellissima for S/S?

Bellissima means Beautiful in Italian. We want to emphasize the femininity of the female body. We are proud of our assets and our look no matter what our size and age. Colours bring in different energy and vibration to our body. There are lots of vibrant colours and prints this spring. 

Why is keeping things local important to Bellissima? How do you keep it local?

My focus is to bring beautiful clothes to our customers. By keeping productions local we can turn around new designs in 1/3 of the time. We are providing local employment and helping the overall economy. We have been doing this for over 20 years.

What are you doing to keep your company current?

I am open to view new lines all the time. We take trips to Europe, New York and Los Angeles a few times a year.

What is your favourite piece in stores right now?

There are too many favourite items in the stores. I am bringing in new looks and new ideas all the time. Different silhouettes suit different body types. Our staff are experts in this area. I love the skinny pant or legging with tunic tops. We are dressing more relaxed these days. Comfort is a major factor. Knit jackets and cardigans are more comfortable than woven jackets. We have knitted co-ordinate looks that are professional looking. 

What do you love about working in the fashion industry? 

I love working in the fashion industry. I am a visual person and I have a very good visual memory. I am good with forms and shapes; this is the area that I am good at. Fashion is always stimulating and changing, there is never a dull moment. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to assist with women's wardrobes over the years. I hope Bellissima played a small part in their success and happiness.

What inspires your own style?

My own style is from my selections for Bellissima. It is the culmination of my work and passion.

Estil

Introducing Estil. 

We are excited to bring you a boutique style shopping experience with our newest endeavour, Estil. Relax and browse a carefully curated collection of fashion forward items without the hustle and bustle of a large outlet or shopping mall. Estil carries several unique pieces, exclusive labels, and designer brands from across Canada and Europe. Don't wait a second longer to drop into our new location. 

Glenmore Landing

14th St and 90th Ave. SW

Calgary, Alberta

J Brand Jeans

Have you heard? Bellissima is now carrying J Brand Jeans! 

Keep your eyes peeled for these celebrity favourites in select Alberta stores. 

New to the colourful collection of J Brand Jeans are leather and velvet fabrics in hues of burnt orange, cherry, and burgundy. Carrying forward from the popular spring and summer trend, adding pops of colour into your outfits are a must this fall and winter seasons. 

Falling Leaves

Turtlenecks are a big hit this fall and winter, so of course I had to wear this mod mini dress/tunic! I love that it balances out the high neckline with a shorter skirt. For the coolers months ahead, turtlenecks look great under layers, so pile on the vests, cardigans, sweaters, dresses, and mini skirts over top this tunic! While out and about, I felt like I was wearing two outfits because this jacket looks almost like a dress when it’s buttoned up. I absolutely adore the shape!

Joseph Ribkoff jacket via Bellissima

Frank Lyman Mini dress/tunic via Bellissima