Blushing Designs

I'm relieved to say that entry into my third BC Fashion Week show went a little smoother than the first two. I'm sure having a media pass had a lot to do with my warm reception...I didn't have to wait outside or give my name at the door. This was the way I had originally envisioned the whole experience! Friday's final show was by Blushing Designs. As luck would have it, I ended up sitting next to Sh'ely Mullin, (I hope she will forgive the spelling if I got that one wrong!). Mullin is a personal friend of Blushing designer Shelley Klassen, who not only knew A LOT about the line, but had her own ideas on what would make it more marketable.

Mullin explained that the cute, girlish designs customers see in stores such as Liquid, are the ones people will buy, yet there is another side that is usually only witnessed at the shows. This side is more of an urban, New York, classic look with rich velvety fabrics and tailored suits. Unfortunately this line doesn't sell as well, so Mullin says she has suggested that Klassen branch into two separate lines, Blushing, and 'Klassen' a higher end line focusing more on the modern, sexy careeer woman, that would be available at stores such as Holt Renfrew.
After the unexpected preview, I was excited to see the clothes for myself. I managed to catch a glimpse of the business side of Klassen, but mostly saw her signature feminine, breezy dresses. Many of the dresses were accented by colourful lace trim and lace up backs to add an edge to the girly style. The great thing about the clothes is that they would work with any figure. Some of the designs actually looked too loose on the thin models, and would have been more flattering on a shapelier woman. As with fall styles, red, white and black appeared heavily throughout the line. The clothes appeared to cater to women in their 30s or 40s who embrace their age while still looking youthful and sexy. Most of the clothes weren't really for me, unless I had more springtime garden parties to attend, but I loved many of the dresses that could easily go from day to evening wear with a simple change of jacket or accessories. Blushing Designs can be found all over Vancouver, namely Barefoot Countessa, Cattiva, and even the Bay.