Elite Image Fashion Blog

To be quite honest with you, we’re not surprised that Vancouver has been
rated the third worst dressed city!

One of the reasons that Vancouver has garnered this rating is the
prevalence of active/yoga wear as everyday attire. We have always
maintained (and advised our clients) that it is not appropriate to wear
active wear in the workplace, casual Fridays or socially. Active wear is
for the gym, sports and yoga.
In Vancouver's defence, we are considered one of the most healthy cities
around - enjoying easy access to skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking,
hiking and golfing. In our experience, however, many Vancouverites have a
hard time separating their active lifestyle with their everyday life. We’ve
found that many individuals haven’t necessarily created a separate work /
social wardrobe and a working out wardrobe, and this is a contributing
factor in landing us on the worst dressed list.

We do not expect Vancouver to follow in the footsteps of Montreal's high
fashion or Toronto’s business-focused style, as these don’t represent our
relaxed west coast lifestyle. But, Vancouver can certainly be a fashionable
city in its own right. In our opinion, moving us off of the “worst-dressed”
cities list is easy to do. Ladies: switch out your yoga pants, runners and
hoodies for a great fitting pair of jeans, heels or flats, a blazer and
scarf. Men: ditch your running shorts, windbreakers and running shoes for
some nice denim, fashionable sneakers, a nice fitting tee and a casual sport
coat! If you need help in being more fashion forward or just switching
things up, call Elite Image. We’re happy to help, and that’s why we’re
here. Visit us online at eliteimage.org or email info@eliteimage.org.

This weekend we began the fall season with a bang.  A couple of closet clean outs and one major men’s shop at Holt’s. Gavin the go to guy at Holt’s and elite image put together some amazing pieces for fall. From a Tom Ford check shirt layered under a charcoal slim cut Burberry suit to a warm Mackage wool coat. See attached pics!

H&M top, Jbrand Jeggings, Allsaints wedges.

Halston top, Aritzia shorts, Tory Burch flats.

DVF dress, Michael Kors handbag, Simard shoes. NationLTD t, Robins Jeans, Tory Burch handbag, Allsaints wedges.

I was on my way to Turks&Caico’s with a quick stop over in NYC to meet a friend.The trip was cancelled because of hurricane Irene, so with the airport closed I was stranded in NYC.We took advantage of the downtime by shopping, cooking, and going to the movies:) We managed to find our way out to Short Hills Mall before the city shut down and the tolls closed ,great mall with some great shops. We both purchased some electric blue Current Elliot jeans and made a mandatory stop at Tory Burch before venturing back home….side note: coloured denim is a must for fall.

I also had the pleasure of meeting my friends sister who happened to be a designer. Melissa Luning is a graduate from Parson’s in NY. I thought that it was important to blog about her after seeing what she and her team at Crystal Jin bring to the swimsuit world. See attached photo’s and click the link below. These lines should be coming to Canada soon!

http://www.crystaljin.com

Sorry Elite Image followers… we have been travelling for the last month and have lacked fashion updates!!!

Over the last month I ventured thru London, Paris, and Rome. Shopping  at Saville Row and King St in London, Gallerie Layfette and Spanish Step shops made me realize that we lack options  in North America. Free standing Paul Smiths, Duchamps, YSL’s,  etc.. that you may only find in New York or Las Vegas if your lucky.The Free standing stores carry everything from Runway to Full Shoe and handbag collections to choose from. This made for enjoyable viewing, but the best part was how locals created a mixed bag look with the high end options. H&M, Zara, and a million knock off stores  that take Runway Fashion and knock it off for affordable prices, where packed at all times. Combining the low cost high fashion look with designer heels and handbags seemed to be the trend.Lets be realistic what normal person can afford to dress in High End Designer head to toe?? Maybe 10% of the population!!! Could have something to do with the huge Financial issues in the US and Europe!

One of my favorite activities was touring the exibit of Kate Middleton’s dress at Buckingham Palace.There was a movie about how Sarah Burton for Alexander Mcqueen created the wedding dress… and a full room showcasing the dress, shoes, earrings and tiara she wore for her special day. It took hours to get in and see but was well worth the wait.Check out a few Vacation pics below.

While I was in Europe Alicia was in Las Vegas for a girls only weekend. With the tempture averaging about 41 c it was hard to leave the pool, but in true Elite Image style she still managed to find some awesome finds. One of her favorite places to visit is designerfashionclearance.com check out the pics below to see what she found for a grand Total of $287 american for both pairs.

We will have lots updates coming soon as we begin the busy fall shop season!!

Last weekend I was cruising the streets of Victoria checking out the local boutiques. One of my fave things to do when I go back home. I came across a store that just opened two weeks ago called Public Boutique on Oak Bay Ave. I wanted to share it with the frequent peeps that check the blog.. The store was very fresh and clean and the product had a simplicity to it that I really enjoyed. Check it out next time your in Vic!  www.publicboutique.ca

http://www.nicholasrandall.com

http://www.dogeared.com (shop the sideways cross necklace)

Alicia spent the last ten days soaking up the sun in LA and
picking up some stellar deals  at Tory Burch and Bloomingdales… Jealous!
Below is a shot of a cute LA outfit Alicia chose while on vacation.
 I on the other hand, had a girls dinner at Italian Kitchen. Check out my Lauren Conrad
look for a very affordable price!!

Forever21 dress $16.50, Pour la Victoire shoes SALE $80, Theory blazer SALE $99, Aldo clutch $20

Wednesday we accomplished another successful ‘never met you before’ shop. This
is becoming a very popular service for Elite Image.New
clients who live in remote areas, fly into Vancouver to have us put together a
wardrobe for them in a one shot deal.In order to prepare for these shops we get to know the client
 and create their Shopping List via email.
This last shop was a little challenging , the budget was a firm
$1100 to build the wardrobe from scratch…. Here’s how we did it!!
 
Shopping List
- 2 Jeans
-2 Dress Pants
-2 Cardigans
-1 Blazer
-6 Tops
-1 Skirt
-1 Dress
-2 Scarves
-2 Shoes ( one wedge one flat)
 
Total $ 788.62 We came in way under thanks to some great deals at Gap and HM.
Check out some of the cute finds from HM below.

$49.95

$19.95

Elite Image has updated the facebook group by creating a Elite Image Consulting page. We will keep you up to date on new trends and personal looks when we work with clients.  Below is the link for you to ‘like’ us:)

Thank you for all the support over the last 4.5 years!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Elite-Image-Consulting/209075679126960

Elite Image recommends the Maxi dress. Stylish and comfortable for warm days. 

Rachel by Rachel Roy @ The Bay

Milly @ www.shopbop.com

DVF @ www.shopbop.com