Preparation process for the Clothing Show

Since winning tickets to The Clothing Show last spring, Jean Yee and I have been having a lot of email conversations. Well what do you know, she won them again this fall. Rather than ask her for a recap of the show, I asked if she’d share her preparation process with you. As you’ll see, it’s quite intricate.

Planning and preparation for events can at times, take a life of their own, depending on the importance of the event. And the Fall Clothing Show is no different. Autumn is a time when I can take inventory of my fall and winter wardrobe and decide what items can be revived, recycled or retired.

I pondered what is the most efficient and effective way to transition my wardrobe from one season to the next. By strategically organizing, planning and preparing – it became my project to move in my fall wardrobe and move out my summer wardrobe. Nice in theory, but our weather can fluctuate 10ºC to 13ºC in a day. That means we can have 14ºC in the morning and 27ºC by noon. What this means is my wardrobe at this time of year has to accommodate some summer/fall and fall/winter items.

It’s an opportunity for me to ease my transition from my Indian cottons to my cashmere sweaters.

My preparation process to revamp my clothes closet and maximize my Clothing Show shopping experience is as follows:

1. Take a good hard look at my clothes and accessories and throw away what isn’t wearable, give away – to charity, family, friends – and keep what is still useful

2. Look through magazines, in hard copy or online to suss out what to consider as purchases for body type and style

3. Check flyers and newspapers for any sales

4. Window shop at my favourite clothing stores to see what is out there and take note of prices
5. Check my email for those Clothing Show coupons

6. Check the Clothing show vendor section and look at the vendors’ websites

7. On the Clothing Show shopping weekend with list in hand:

• Bring cash and bring a credit card
• Dress minimally to be able to slip on clothes easily
• Take a walk about at the show and check out the booths and take note of which vendors are a must to shop
• Take in the fashion shows! The stylists put together some fabulous outfits
• When trying on clothes or accessories, I chat with the vendors and get their opinion; sometimes in the course of conversation, they've helped me find an alternative item or exactly something I've been looking for!
• It’s a weekend of playing dress up and seeking new items to match my old, find something new or gently used, so I approach it with anticipation to enjoy the experience and shop ’til I drop!

Did you go to The Clothing Show? What did you think? Do you have a preparation process when you go shopping? Share your tips.

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Jean Yee visits The Clothing Show

Since winning tickets to The Clothing Show, Jean Yee and I have been having a lot of email conversations. She was nice enough to share her experience. Hope you’ll enjoy her guest post as much as I did.

What a wonderful weekend of shopping we had at The Clothing Show! Thank you again for holding the free tickets to the show contest. My niece and I attended Saturday and Sunday. We felt a special going up to the guest counter to pick up our tickets and have them look up our names on the guest list.

Our shopping agenda was to find accessories for my niece’s prom dress. This included shoes, jewellery and purse. After that, whatever money was left over was a “free for all, buy what you want.” This was the first time my niece attended The Clothing Show. She is has talent for art illustration, so this was the perfect event for her to be this weekend.

We watched one of the runway shows to get an idea of what some of the vendors were selling and how some pieces can be worn. Yes, some of the ensembles were strictly for the runway (a bit risque for streetwear by certain standards!), but they did provide inspiration for adapting it to ones own style. And some of the other ensembles were perfect for an event or day wear.

There were ample bargain boxes at vendors' booths to rummage through – we found a lined vest in the $5.00 box, a hooded mohair sweater for $10.00 and some frilly dresses for $15.00. All from vendors selling new stock. In the vintage section, we found a patent black leather clutch for $9.00 and a pink/black bustier for $18.00. Some vendors were selling all their wares, every piece for a flat price of $10.00; everything in their booth! We wondered if we should go beyond budget and buy as much as we could. Experience told us, to stay within budget and stick to the shopping plan. Breathe. Plan the shopping, shop the plan.

Sunday afternoon, we found deeper discounts as vendors wanted to move their stock and I couldn't pass up two Indian 100% silk shawls for $5.00 each. The DIY nail art booth was really different – they were 'rubber stamping' various designs on our fingernails (from lace patterns, to flower designs) that mimics the designs of salon nail art.

One of the advantages of shopping local and small business, is sharing one on one conversations with the owners and designers. I find that part of the shopping experience at this event is getting to know the vendors; what inspires and motivates them. Some showed me their favourite pieces and why/how they made them, found them etc. We had a most inspiring conversation with Glen Anthony, one of the artists creating a Marvel comic mural that was to be auctioned off when he completed it.

At the end of the weekend, we found all the items my niece needed for her prom (and a couple of things myself!), under budget,so we were able to splurge on a couple of extras! Did we enjoy it? Absolutely! We were impressed and inspired by the artistic talent we saw and got our dose of nostalgia browsing and buying in the vintage section. Would be go again? In a heartbeat! Once we save up our money...

Thanks again for the tickets and for making our weekend a memorable one (I can't wait to see the prom photos!)

Did you go to The Clothing Show? What did you think?

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• Winners announced for The Clothing Show!
  
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