One of the advantages of visiting a city with a population of over a million people is the variety of shopping opportunities. Calgary is big enough to be home to all of the major retailers that fashion fans look for, as well as plenty of independent retailers and artisans selling unique clothing and other goods. Here is one of the very best shopping spots to hit on a visit to Calgary.
With a growing array of scented candles, incense sticks and diffusers available, Caitlin Agnew sniffs out what's behind a desire for a fragrant space
We talked to four Calgarians for whom air travel is a way of life to find out their best advice for what to bring, how to bring it, and how to make the whole flying experience a whole lot better.
Fashion designer Lauren Bagliore travels frequently between her native New York City, where she has a studio in the garment district of Manhattan, and her adopted hometown of Calgary, where she has a second studio and concept shop in Inglewood. In addition to all her work-related travel, Bagliore and her husband love to holiday in Italy.
“I’ve had to become a more savvy packer. When I was first dating my husband, because I’m from New York and he’s from Calgary, going back and forth I would bring everything but the kitchen sink. But now that I have a business and homes in two countries, I have to be smart with what I bring. I can’t say I’m a total minimalist yet – I aspire to get there – but as a woman I think that’s kind of idealistic, especially dealing with two different weather systems in two different countries.”
“I’ve tried so many different brands, but, believe it or not, I use a Samsonite four-wheel that’s easy to move around. I usually have some of my sample pieces in there as well as my personal pieces. Back when I’d be bringing my collection to different showrooms all over the city, I would use a hockey bag, this big Easton goalie bag. I’d always get these looks at the airport and I’d be like, ‘I’m not a hockey player!'”
“I try to work between New York and Calgary. It’s a four- to five-hour flight so I’m trying to maximize my time. If I’m going to Europe I try to be more relaxed. I do love to read an old-fashioned book. I’m not a Kindle user – I love the smell of a book and the weight of it in my hands.”
“I’ve missed flights in the past and that’s just the most horrible feeling, you’re so stressed. Sometimes it’s out of your control, but it’s just the worst feeling in the world, so I’ve learned to give myself more than enough time. Leaving earlier is always better. I used to make fun of my dad for that, but he’s so right! I learned the hard way. With age comes wisdom.” – S.A.
“I design what I wear, I design what I love, and I design what I need. I knew, with my lifestyle, I needed pieces that were functional, easy to pack, not too heavy but also versatile.”
“I’ve been gluten-free forever, before it was a big thing. The airlines are just starting to get a little better with options but I think they have a long way to go.”
“I love my espresso a certain way. Whatever hotel I’m at, there’s always a way to get hot water, so I always make my own.”
Bagliore makes her own using essential oils such as bergamot, lavender and grapefruit.
“This coat is made from a fabric I developed, a high-tech Japanese nylon that’s wind and water-resistant and breathable. You could wear it for anything from 12 degrees to minus-30.” Bagliore also packs her Desiree “Endless” Dress, which can be worn 10 different ways, and Palermo pleated wrap. “The wrap is a piece that’s elegant for Italy and edgy for New York – you can crumple it, hand-wash it, and it doesn’t wrinkle.”
https://www.avenuecalgary.com/Shopping-Style/Fashion/Heather-Marks-Fall-Fashion-Coats/
Photography by Gerard Yunker; makeup by Caitlin Callahan (MAC Cosmetics); hair by Sue Thompson (Sue Thompson Hair Studio)When Heather Marks walks onto set for Avenue‘s October fashion shoot, all the creative team can do is take a step back and watch her go. She moves with every click of the camera, expertly-yet-effortlessly showing off the best features of the clothing, while, of course, also giving us what we really want – that face!
It’s a far cry from the preteen who, while strolling through the Calgary Woman’s Show on a girls’ day outing with her mom, was approached by Mode Models International founder Kelly Streit who asked her to take part in a modelling competition his agency was holding. Marks at first declined the invitation, but, with the encouragement of her mother, she eventually relented. “At this point, I’m 12 years old, mushroom-cut, tomboy, a size 10 shoe, just gangly and awkward,” she recalls. “[My mom] might as well have pushed me on the stage.”
She won the competition.
The day her braces came off at age 14, Marks flew to Toronto for her first big job, and, from there, her career took off, too. That same year, she was photographed for Italian Vogue. Shortly after, she travelled to Paris to work with Chanel on their couture collection. Countless magazine covers, fashion shows and campaigns followed by the who’s who of the fashion world, including Harper’s Bazaar, ELLE, Givenchy, Marc Jacobs and MAC. But, through it all, Marks, who now maintains homes in both New York City and Mara Lake, B.C., and has family in Calgary, still manages to reconnect with her Western Canadian roots as often as she can.
“I like to be outside. I live in the city, where it’s, like, constant craziness and pavement and buildings and you get trapped. I love the energy of that, but I like to come back home and just get out to the mountains,” she says. Marks’s Instagram account is witness to her love of nature. Interspersed with behind-the-scene glimpses of her jet-set life are action shots wake-surfing on Mara Lake, snowboarding in Revelstoke and taking in the views at Lake Louise.
With a career few models have surpassed, Marks is now, at age 28, taking it all in and enjoying life in front of the lens. “I think I’m comfortable with what I do now. I think I appreciate it more. When you’re younger, you’re just kind of go through the motions. I don’t think I understood what was going on. It all happened so fast,” she says. “Now I look back, and I’m like, ‘Gosh, that was crazy.'”
Marni coat, $3,460, Stella McCartney sweater, $1,855 Saint Laurent bag, $3,760, all from Holt Renfrew. 3.1 Phillip Lim dress (worn under sweater), $655, from Nordstrom; over-the-knee boots, $998, from Stuart Weitzman.
New York fashion comes to Calgary, and Jill heads to the new Lauren Bagliore Concept Shop in Inglewood to see it firsthand!
Fashion in Inglewood 1 – Video: https://www.btcalgary.ca/videos/4020461441001/
Fashion in Inglewood 2 - Video: https://www.btcalgary.ca/videos/4020480319001/
It was a chilly evening in mid-November and Lauren Bagliore’s soon-to-open shop was buzzing with activity. Literally, buzzing. A loud drilling sound pierced the air, but the fashion designer, who was preparing to open her first bricks and mortar store in Calgary’s Inglewood neighbourhood on November 20, didn’t flinch.
She’d been working on the space since September, after all, and her team was tackling the final touches on what is sure to be a beautiful new addition to Calgary’s fashion scene. The elegant French-inspired mirror was up, the industrial chandeliers were casting a warm glow and, most importantly, the designer’s clothes were hanging on the racks. So when it came time to open the doors to the first Lauren Bagliore Concept Shop on Thursday night, she was more than ready.
“I’ve been in Inglewood for four years,” said the New York City-raised designer of her previous appointment-only atelier, located only a few blocks away from her latest venture. Bagliore (pronounced Bal-YOUR-Ray) is excited to greet her loyal Calgary clientele, who range in age from 23 to 75, at the shop. She’s eager to see new faces, too.
“We are growing and want more people to have access to these beautiful clothes,” she said. “People in Calgary are hungry for something new and something fresh. They want something that’s not the typical box store.”
Bagliore’s designs are anything but typical. She is known for her Italian matte jersey dresses, structured jackets and form-flattering leggings, among other pieces (prices begin at $395). All of her designs have a distinct Bagliore look: edgy and feminine. Working at the shop a week before its opening, Bagliore was her own best advertising, dressed head to toe in her luxurious clothing – a black lamb-leather jacket, a black jersey dress and black leggings. Everything was layered to perfection, and that was no mistake.
“Draping is definitely my strength. I call myself a ‘sculptor of fabric,’” she said.
When she’s designing her collections, Bagliore has her clients in mind.
“The women I design for are well-travelled, business women, they’re artsy and they want something different.”
The New York native knows a thing or two about travelling. Six years ago, she married a Calgarian and has split her time between the two cities ever since. She also called London home for a while, when she worked with famed designer Vivienne Westwood.
With homes and design studios in both New York and Calgary, Bagliore decided earlier this summer that it was time to open her first store. Calgary seemed like the natural choice.
“These amazing Calgary women have supported us for four-and-a-half years,” she said. “They are dynamic, world travellers, so I figured, ‘Why not start here?’”
Bagliore said her own travels inspire her designs, especially people-watching around the world. One thing she never pays attention to, however, is what other designers are creating.
“I don’t look at what other people are doing. I don’t even watch television!” When she’s on the road, Bagliore always packs her Desiree “Endless” Dress in jersey ($595). “I throw it in the suitcase and it doesn’t wrinkle. It’s also very forgiving,” she said. “You can hand wash it and lay flat to dry.”
Lauren Bagliore design. the New York raised designer has opened her first Calgary store.While she is thrilled to open her first shop in Calgary – which is, incidentally, next to Calgary chef Michael Noble’s new restaurant, The Nash and Off Cut Bar – Bagliore’s aspirations include opening stores in Manhattan, Tokyo and Paris someday. She’s also planning to design and sell her own handbags, shoes and perfume, which may happen in the not-too-distant future.
Her ultimate goal? To create a more affordable clothing line called Made With Love by Lauren Bagliore that will raise money for Ratanak International, a Canadian organization that fights human trafficking in Cambodia. Bagliore is passionate about supporting the cause and is donating 15 per cent of all sales from Thursday night’s grand opening to the organization.
For now, though, Bagliore is completely focused on making her new business thrive – and to having some fun while she’s at it. “I think we’ll bring a fresh and vibrant element to Inglewood,” she said. “I love my clients here.”
