Fall 2011 "MUST HAVE'S" Fashion Show

Women want to look at, read about, shop for and wear great clothes. Fashion shows are events that bring out a women's inner diva.

We just had our 4th semi annual fashion show....held in our Bellissima Lonsdale store last night. Many of the clients that attended expressed to me that they really liked that "real women" modeled the clothes. We used our own staff to show how great everyone can look....regardless of height, body type, age or whatever women feel their area of concern is.

 

REAL WOMEN ROCK...and someone needs to tell them that!!!

Iit's time to head down to a BELLISSIMA in your area to pick up something new and we will make sure you leave looking and feeling great!

 

Wishing everyone the best of health and happiness,

Della Docking

Supervisor

Bellissima

Vancouver

The Black Pant

Not just a pair of black pants. For you ladies who work in the corporate environment you know that dressing to work does not need to be a boring task. These black dress pants are amazing! They can easily be worn dressed up or dressed down. Here I decided to wear them when a striped sweater and wedge heels. My favourite part about these pants is the pleats around the pockets. Such a fun detail!

My other favourite part of this outfit is the Anne B. Accessories wood bracelet. Anne Corpuz-Bacalso was one of the emerging designers from Alberta Fashion Week. She won an exclusive deal with Bellissima and has her amazing jewellrey on sale at the Bellissima store in Chinook Center, Calgary. Make sure to stop by the Chinook Center Bellissima location to check out Anne’s jewelry selection! Her pieces are made from all natural products including wood, bone, horn resin, and shell.

Bellissima black pants

Anne B. Accessories bracelet via Bellissima

Edit: We also want to congratulate Kate of http://o-my-heart.blogspot.com/ for winning a $100 Bellissima Gift Card through Ashley's blog.

FASHION AND PHILANTHROPY

I Love a company that partners the ideals and desire to "give back" with beautiful things such as great fashion.

Philanthropy is the desire to improve the lives of others through monetary or physical donations and other charitable actions.

As most of us know October is Breast Cancer awareness month, and Bellissima has been involved as an organization to try and do our part and "give back".

This year a few of our Vancouver stores worked on raising over $3800.00 through silent auctions and a portion of their sales for the day.

We got our customers involved through a calling campaign to invite them to come down and support this fundraiser.....many thanks to all of you.

I would also like to say thank you to all our managers, staff and local merchants that have so generously donated to this cause as well as to our head office for their support.

Wishing everyone all the best for health and happiness

Della Docking,

Supervisor

Bellissima
Vancouver

My Week With Marilyn-Out November 23, 2011

Oh Coco!

How amazing are these images from Coco Rocha's new jewellery line benefiting human trafficking victims in Cambodia. The Vancouver native enlisted her supermodel friends to help her with the campaign and if we can say so the results are amazing. We love seeing Canadians doing so great and leading by example on the world stage and especially in the fashion industry. Kudos to Coco!

From Style.com: 'Coco Rocha essentially took this season off in terms of the runway, walking exclusively for Zac Posen in New York and Giorgio Armani in Milan. But Rocha was far from out of service during fashion month. She’s been hard at work putting the final touches on her forthcoming documentary Letters to Haiti (making its New York City debut next month at Milk Studios) and crafting a line of jewelry for Senhoa, due out tomorrow on Senhoa.org. The collection ($65 to $995), which benefits victims of human trafficking in Cambodia by giving them job opportunities, is all handcrafted by a survivor of exploitation. “Once I heard the extent of the problem with human trafficking in Cambodia I knew I had to help,” Rocha told Style.com.

To show off her range of gunmetal and Swarovski necklaces, bracelets, and earrings, Rocha enlisted pal Behati Prinsloo to model alongside her in a new cinemagraph campaign by Jamie Beck, debuting exclusively here on Style.com. (For her print campaign, she also brought her friends into the picture—Iman and Caroline Trentini both appear with her in the Nigel Barker-lensed photos.)“I first met Behati at a Louis Vuitton after-party in 2006 and we were instant friends,” Rocha says. “We feel like we went to model high school together so it’s always like a happy reunion when we get together.”

—Brittany Adams'

photos: Jamie Beck

Happy Halloween!

Today is official halloween, even though we have seen numerous Karl Lagerfelds over the weekend the trick or treaters have yet to crowd the streets tonight. We thought we would share some amazing images from a Halloween inspired photo shoot for Harper's Bazaar directed by Tim Burton and photographed by Tim Walker. You really know images make an impression when you can revisit them two years after publication. Image Source: FashionGoneRogue.com

Bellissima gives back

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SILENT AUCTION FUNDRAISER

November 3, 2011 From 9:30 am to 7:00 pm

BELLISSIMA FASHIONS located at 2700 West Broadway

 in Vancouver

Funds raised from the silent auction together with 10% of our store's daily sales will be donated to BWSS (Battered Women Support Services). Come and visit us on November 3rd and place a bid on your favourite item, or items. Also, come and see the latest fall fashions in the latest colours. The Staff of Bellissima Store - 2700 West Broadway look forward to seeing you. See you soon!

Don't Miss...

In case you missed the news on our twitter feed and facebook pages we want to remind you all that on

  November 2nd Miss America will be at the South Granville location from 2-3 PM

 Teresa Scanlan (Miss Nebraska) will be singing autographs and promoting the Joseph Ribkoff collection. Make sure to stop by, say hello and enjoy some amazingly inspiring comapny. We are looking forward to seeing you this Wednesday. 

Autumn Orange

Jackets are one of my favorites parts of my wardrobe.  For me, a great coat is the finishing touch to any outfit. This coat came in a few different neutral colours but the orange caught my eye. When fall hits I can’t get enough of orange, burgundy and army green. I decided to let the coat be the statement piece of this outfit, and kept the rest of the pieces subtle with black and white pattern mixing.

What would you wear with this coat?

Louben coat via Bellissima

Joespeh Ribkoff skirt via Bellissima

**Make sure to enter Ashley's giveaway on her blog for a 

$100 gift card to Bellissima**

To Enter just leave a comment on her giveaway post 

(CLICK HERE)

Bonus Entries:

Like Bellissima on Facebook

Follow Bellissima on Twitter

Follow the Bellissima blog via google friend connect

follow Lions Lace Lattes on google friend connect or bloglovin

Like Lions Lace Lattes on Facebook

Follow Lions Lace Lattes on Twitter

For those fashion obsessed

Even though the mysterioius Conde Nast elevator spy has ceased his undercover operation (by the looks of it anyway) it still makes for a hilarious read. For those of you who have not seen this twitter feed yet check it out.

@CondeElevator

*For those unfamilar with Conde Nast just think Vogue and GQ and you will soon think of the biggest publishing house in the United States. Devil wears Prada anyone? Who wouldn't want to hear what is going on behind those closed doors*

Spaces we love: Rachel Zoe

We love Rachel Zoe and are absolutely inspired by her LA studio space. If you ever watched The Rachel Zoe Project you will recognize these photos, what an amazing opportunity to peek into the life of a stylist to the stars. What wouldn't we do for a shoe collection like that. It's BANANAS!

Read the whole article on the WhoWhatWear website: CLICK HERE

Lions Lace Lattes: Cashmere Leopard

Hello! I’m Ashley, and I write for the blog, Lions Lace Lattes. I am so excited to be guest posting for Bellissima for October and November. Bellissima has always been the go to store for the perfect party dress, but after seeing the edgy, rocker outfits created by Jennie Lyle at Alberta Fashion Week, I realized that Bellissima has a lot more to offer than graduation and Christmas party attire. I was so inspired by the looks from fashion week in March, when I was asked to create outfits for the Bellissima blog, I jumped at the chance.  

Sweaters are an autumn essential, and perfect for those transitional fall days where the afternoons are warmer, but the evenings are cooling off. I noticed this light-weight cashmere sweater at Bellissima right away, and knew I had to wear it. I love the soft, fuzzy texture... and the leopard - need I say more. I decided to pair it with a leather skirt, black pumps, a yellow belt to pull out the colour in the sweater, and a jean jacket to dress the look down. 

How would you wear this sweater?

Outfit Details

Suncoo Paris cashmere sweater via Bellissima

Anne B. Accessories Tiger Wood and Turquoise bracelet via Bellissima

Make sure to enter Ashley's giveaway on her blog for a 

$100 gift card to Bellissima

To Enter just leave a comment on her giveaway post 

(CLICK HERE)

Bonus Entries:

Like Bellissima on Facebook

Follow Bellissima on Twitter

Follow the Bellissima blog via google friend connect

follow Lions Lace Lattes on google friend connect or bloglovin

Like Lions Lace Lattes on Facebook

Follow Lions Lace Lattes on Twitter

Liselotte Watkins: Illustrator

A model I follow featured this illustrator on her blog. Ever since Liselotte Watkins has been one of my top inspirations. Her drawings make great art for inside the house. I have printed numerous illustrations and placed them framed around the house. Easy decor idea and so stylish at the same time. Check out her blog at http://liselottewatkins.blogspot.com/ for more amazing images. She is doing a series where she illustrates the key looks from this show season. She also does some amazing work for magazines and brands around the world, if you are interested to see some of her other work visit http://www.art-dept.com/illustration/watkins/.

via fashiongoenrogue.com

Reading Room: Bringing Home The Birkin

I was at an Hermes event not too long ago and the luxury of it all reminded me and inspired to revisit one of my favourite books. Michael Tonello devised a system to acquire and re-sell one of the most coveted and most expensive bags in the world. He ran a lucrative business selling the bag (and other Hermes goods)  on ebay while everyone else has been waitlisted. The company creates demand for the bag by making it accessible to only a few, 'deserved' clients, decreasing it's mass reach, but ironically also amplifying it's appeal (think limited edition that never ends).The story he goes on to tell, takes you around the world in search of the infamous Birkin bag named after the bautiful Jane Birkin. The best part of the book is that it is entirely non-fictional. Every aspiring fashionista should have this book in her posession.

Blogger of the month: Introducing Ashley of Lions Lace and Lattes

Some exciting news for Bellissima this week. As we are coming into fall we decided to put a little spin on things, give you more perspective and let our blog be the platform for other bloggers around the country to share their Bellissima fashion inspirations. The first blogger we chose to feature on the site is Ashley Pettigrew, her blog, Lions Lace and Lattes has gotten much recognition in Calgary as well as on the International scale. She has just come back from the Independent Fashion Bloggers conference in New York City during Fashion Week (if you remember Bellissima was at that conference last year). Ashley's style is classic but trendy with a little hippie chic twist. We love the way she balances her professional life with her online persona. Look forward to seeing more of Ashley in October & November on the Bellissima Fashions blog along with some exciting online giveaways. Stay tuned.

visit Ashley's blog at http://lionslacelattes.blogspot.com/

F/W 2011 LOOKBOOK

For more amazing fall looks visit out website www.bellissimafashions.com and go to FASHION

Photo: Jason Eng

Model: Jade Davies (Sophia Models)

Hair and Makeup: Teslin Ward

Creative Direction: Shea Kerwood

Coldplay

In the current age of technology, very few artists have the opportunity to create a lasting legacy. Too few and far between are bands and artists like the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and Elvis. Perhaps it’s a matter of the industry being too geared towards what is ‘new’ and ‘in’, or perhaps it can be lent to the fact that bands nowadays put out an album every 2-4 years, when the Beatles released all 12 of their albums within the span of 7. Whatever the reason, it’s no easy task naming a band that has really had a measurable effect on the past decade in the same way other bands affected the 60’s and 70’s. If there was, however, one band which has had consistent, lasting success for the past decade, with every indication that their music could conceivably live on beyond their own existence as a group, it would have to be Coldplay. Now, I dare not compare them to a band like the Beatles, (for comparing anyone to a band such as that is a surefire way to bring the ire of many music fans) but they are very likely the closest thing our generation may ever see in terms of lasting success. For years they have been making an exceedingly grandiose blend of brit rock and pop music, and while they have diligently tweaked the theme between every album, they have developed a distinct sound which carries on and lets you know every time they appear on the radio that ‘hey, this is Coldplay.’ Each of their four albums has gone number one and multi-platinum, and with their latest release coming October 24th, you can surely expect it to do just the same. 

Calgary International Film Festival

The Calgary International Film Festival is well under way. I have spent the last couple of days catching up on all the movies I wanted to see. So far I have crossed off Sleeping Beauty and The Skin I Live In off my list. Both disturbing and beautiful in their own way. There is a myriad of titles and genres to chose from.

Click here for the full schedule at the Calgary Film Fest

This weekend at Bellissima. Before it's too late.

Emmy Winner for best Drama: Mad Men

Congrats to Mad Men for another Emmy win in the Drama category. If you haven’t seen it, now is the perfect time to catch up while we wait for season 5. It’s expertly written, wonderfully acted, and perhaps the best looking show on television. It perfectly captures the elegance and style of the early sixties and is a must-see for anyone seeking some fashion inspiration.

Oscar de la Renta S/S 2012

Big skirts and bold colours can only mean one thing, spring/summer 2012 collections went down the runways, fashion week season is upon us, but Oscar de la Renta never disappoints with his timeless and classic designs, here are some of our favourite pieces from his show. We are excited to show you all the ways Bellissima has to get you closer to your favourite runway looks.