A Modeling Agency with NO height or weight restrictions. Finally!

Jennifer Koning of JK Model Staffing tells us about her new modeling and talent agency that has NO height or weight restrictions! Congratulations Jennifer!

Toronto Fashion Incubator visits Vancouver

Carolyn Rohaly visited with Vancouver's fashion industry tonight. She writes the blog for the Toronto Fashion Incubator and Ragsandmags.com Carolyn has the insider information if you would like to start a fashion business.

Bring in the New Year with Indigo Star

Vancouver actor/jewelry designer, Susie Wickstead, made her mark in the jewelry world in the winter of 1999 when she launched Indigo Star – a truly delightful and sought-after line of wearable art. Susie’s love of things that sparkle and shine is reflected in her work. Each Indigo Star piece is designed and handmade in her North Vancouver studio, using either sterling silver or 14 karat gold-fill, which she cuts, shapes, and solders to her design specifications. Genuine Swarovski Crystals of various shapes and sizes are then incorporated, to give her creations that colorful sparkle that makes Indigo Star so unique and loved by people of all ages! The result: dazzling and timeless jewelry for all occasions in life... especially New Year's Eve!

Happy Holidays from NextDoorStyle.com

Save 25% on Red Jade

Save 25% off on Red Jade pre-season merchandise for you and your friends when booking a pre-production party. Not sure what a re-production party is? It is where you and your friends, business colleagues and any other person you invite, gets to pre-order clothing at a discount, yes that is right, you get the cloths before everyone else and you even get a discount. Want more? She or one of her staff will even come to your home free of charge and help you pick out the styles that best show the world the strong, confident sophisticated and sexy woman you are. As the party host you get a 10% credit of all sales to use towards Red Jade Merchandise.

Why would Margarita do this? She gets to help style you and prepare you for the coming seasons and help you look your best. All that Margarita asks of you in return is that when people ask you where you bought those amazing cloths you tell them the stores that her clothes are available in. What a great win-win situation.

Offer Expires: April 2009

Sustainable Gift Wrap

This holiday season say you care about your friends and family because you care about the environment. Some eco-concious gift wrapping ideas are:

Re-usable piece of fabric tied with sewing trims or fabric ribbons.
Tea towel to wrap food themed gifts like cook books.
Re-use gift bags from last year.
Cut up the front of last year's Christmas cards to use as gift tags this year.

Urban Source on Main Street diverts safes usable off-cuts, discards, misprints and over-stock from the land fill. If you need more ideas, they are the best place to go. See their ideas in the pictures below. Happy Wrapping!
(Looking for something to wrap? Why not a locally designed gift?)

New and Coveted

Just uploading the latest items from Olie Designs and Ginger Pottin.
Olie's new scarves and toques are hand knit of super soft merino wool with reclaimed leather details. Ginger's designs are beautifully enameled and most are reversible for 2 looks in one!

Up to 30% off on the fabulous "Izzy and Buds"

If you want to sparkle and shine like the fresh snow that fell last night, you will want to check out "Izzy and Buds" line of chandelier earrings and Swarovski sets. Perfect for every holiday party.

To get fast free shipping, use "secrect code" pr3s5

Next Door Designers at Portobello West this weekend

The last Portobello West fashion + art market of the season is this weekend. Dec 13th & 14th. If you love what you see on NextDoorStyle.com, you will be able to touch and try on designs at Portobello West by the following Next Door Designers:

Bronsino

Ginger Pottin

Clutch Jewels

Kulus Designs

Olie Designs

Pre- Christmas Sale AND Free Shipping. Hooray!

There are tons of goodies from NextDoorStyle.com on sale now until Dec. 31st. But the free shipping is only until Dec. 15th!

Thrums Open Studio

Vanessa T. Cunningham is having an Open House. Enjoy refreshments while checking out the amazing Wall O'Wool. 1pm - 6pm Sunday Dec. 14th.  RSVP 

Vanessa T Cunningham Tradition with a Twist at www.thrums.ca

The Best of 604

I'm so excited for friend Terri Potratz whose blog, the Conveyor Belt, has been nominated as one of the best fashion/style blogs on " The Best of 604".
Vote here!
Then check out the FREE Awards ceremony event on Dec. 11th where all proceeds go to benefit The Greater Vancouver Food Bank. A very worth while cause seeing as 40% of people that use the foodbank are children.

Good luck Terri!

Art Jam

Last night 5 of us went to art jam at Raw Canvas. An idea that was inspired by similar art jamming spaces in Hong Kong, Raw Canvas is definitely a fun way to socialize and explore your creative side. For $35 each we stayed as long as we liked, used any and all painting equipment and got to take our painting home with us. I'm totally considering painting gifts for people this x-mas.

Launch Party covered in Vancouver Fashion Ezine

Just a quick thank you to Melody Ma of Vancouver Ezine for her coverage of the Next Door Style launch party on Nov. 6th 2008. Read her entry HERE.

Thank goodness for personal shoppers

Can you feel it? It starts off all benign with party invites and get-togethers being scheduled through- out December. As the days rush by, you find yourself stressed out finding a token to bring for your host, your client list, and your whole family. If only there were a shopping fairies to do it all for you. But there is my friends! Gilma and Samantha of Gone Shopping 4 U will take your shopping list, pick up your gifts and ship them too if you need it.

Don't forget how easy it is to shop online at NextDoorStyle where the free shipping offer is on until December 15th!

Transform your footwear with SPATS

How many pairs of shoes do you have? I counted last season, I had 40. You may or may not think that's a lot. I know women that own over 100 pairs of shoes. Apparently this is normal. But try and tell that to my boyfriend when I explain that I NEED these gold pumps (that only match one dress in my closet).

The latest trend in footwear fashion is spats. Blogs like TheOngoingProject, SallyJaneVintage, and StyleList have covered the topic recently. Sure you can buy the current trend in boots that look like spats. Or get your very own custom made leather spats from Unraveled on Etsy. They're modelled off of a pair of 1945 army spats. Ask for any colour and texture of leather you can imagine, they will find it for you and make them to your exact measurements.
Think about it, one footwear accessory turns your 40 pairs of shoes into 80 pairs instantly!

How to stand out in a crowd.

Don't dress to fit in. That's just boring. Seeking advise on personal style? Always good to check up on what TheOngoingProject says about that.
Also I've included some of my favourite pics from the Next Door Style site that I think will help you stand out in a crowd, in a good way. Click on the image for more info on it.

Ok I feel a bit behind, but I've finally become a Twit. For a quick fix follow NextDoorStyle on Twitter.