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Viva Magenta


2023 Pantone Colour of the Year Since the pandemic, the Pantone Color Institute has struggled with elevating the notion of vibrancy to ward off the doldrums of isolation and lockdowns. …Read More
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2023 Pantone Colour of the Year

Since the pandemic, the Pantone Color Institute has struggled with elevating the notion of vibrancy to ward off the doldrums of isolation and lockdowns. Last year, they created the blue-ish Veri Peri. In 2020, they rolled out two colors – variations of yellow and grey – to inject positive feelings among the masses.

This year, Pantone continues its hop, skip and jump across the colour spectrum to unveil Viva Magenta, a deep red to nudge the restlessness that’s been wallowing in stasis the past couple of years. “In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real,” said Leatricer Eiseman, Pantone’s executive director. “Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.”

And as these items in this spread demonstrate, there’s no time like the summer to make the most of this hot new colour.

Art: Brenda Lakeman

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Recycled Fashion


Designers breathe new life into previously worn outfits These days, hand-me-downs are enjoying brand-me-up status, adding more mileage to the fabrics, but with new identities all their own.  In part, …Read More
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Designers breathe new life into previously worn outfits

These days, hand-me-downs are enjoying brand-me-up status, adding more mileage to the fabrics, but with new identities all their own.  In part, you can credit the environmentally-inspired recycle movement for hinting that even clothing can be repurposed into creative fashion designs. Maybe give kudos to an unpredictable economy for triggering ideas to revitalize outdated outfits or other items that no longer fit the youngsters. Or tip your hat to the notion that some of the stuff folks used to wear is simply too good to throw out.

Local crafty designers have already been going the upcycle route by taking vintage and other previously-worn wares and with a stitch here and there have come up with new looks for old items. The result is an array of wardrobe pieces from jackets and tote bags reconstructed from vintage quilts to denims paired with upcycled fabric inserts. Round it out with second-hand jewelry and accessories and you’re good to go.

To further press the point, this photo essay was shot in the art gallery of the Multicultural Heritage Centre in Stony Plain, located in a repurposed institution that was previously the Old Red Brick School House built in 1925. 

Photography and Styling:  Brenda Lakeman

Model: Nikki Bosh

Location: Multicultural Heritage Centre Public Art Gallery, featuring the Fiber Arts Network “Chromatopia” exhibit curated by Alexis Marie Chute

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Five recommended flowers to brighten your surroundings


Flower pots add beauty to any home exterior. They are also easy to maintain. Anita Kuhlmann, one of the owners of Kuhlmann’s Greenhouse Garden Market, recommends using a good quality, …Read More
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Flower pots add beauty to any home exterior. They are also easy to maintain. Anita Kuhlmann, one of the owners of Kuhlmann’s Greenhouse Garden Market, recommends using a good quality, all-purpose potting soil mix, along with a water-soluble fertilizer as often as once a week. 

Kuhlmann also says that it is better to use larger containers rather than ones that are too small. “Especially in the hot sun, smaller containers dry out quickly, plants get root-bound in the summer, and it’s harder to water them well,” she explains. 

This is especially important for hanging baskets, where there is both wind and sun to consider, as well as placement around the edge of the house so rain is not hitting them.

Finding the right plants to add that super splash of colour is also easy. Kuhlmann recommends the following popular annuals:

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Pandemic Fashion Portraits


A viral challenge creates this unique fashion photo essay opportunity Crazy times call for crazy solutions. And with the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year playing havoc with social lives, photographers …Read More
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A viral challenge creates this unique fashion photo essay opportunity

Crazy times call for crazy solutions. And with the coronavirus outbreak earlier this year playing havoc with social lives, photographers are coming up with creative ways to capture live images, while practising the required physical distance of two metres to curtail the epidemic.

After seeing a news story of a photographer taking portraits of subjects through their windows, our equally creative Brenda Lakeman wanted to use that method for a photo shoot. She found the ideal storefront at Who Cares Wear in St. Albert and went right to work.

Model Chloe Haughian

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2020 Pantone – Classic Blue


Pantone’s latest shade revisits a colourful classic With all the craziness dominating current events, most folks responsible for shaping modern culture are clamoring for more calm. That’s probably why the …Read More
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Pantone’s latest shade revisits a colourful classic

With all the craziness dominating current events, most folks responsible for shaping modern culture are clamoring for more calm. That’s probably why the Pantone Color Institute decided on this year’s shade labeled 19-4052, better known as Classic Blue. It’s a peace and tranquil shade, claim the style gurus, a useful hue reliable enough to blend in with other colours. Classic Blue is also versatile enough to be used on any materials from fabric to metal and really makes a harmonic statement in the items shown here. 

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LIVING CORAL


2019’s Pantone colour of the year Your colour inspiration has arrived! With spring well under way, we are all excited to have said goodbye to winter’s white and hello to …Read More
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2019's Pantone colour of the year

Your colour inspiration has arrived!

With spring well under way, we are all excited to have said goodbye to winter’s white and hello to the many colours that the new season brings blossoming with it. Hue gurus Pantone chose “Living Coral” as the colour for 2019, which emits these desired, familiar, and energizing aspects of colour found in nature. And surely it will inspire a variety of visually pleasing art, décor, food, and fashion this summer. From bridal bouquets to bow ties and cotton candy to key chains, here’s a glance at what’s “living” this year.

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Fashion & Art


A melding of two creative disciplines inspires a tapestry of wonder. For decades, visual art has triggered the creative impulses of top designers around the world, but its melding has …Read More
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A melding of two creative disciplines inspires a tapestry of wonder.

For decades, visual art has triggered the creative impulses of top designers around the world, but its melding has never been more vivid than in recent years. Which is why we put the works of abstract landscape painter Samantha Williams-Chapelsky, a two-time recipient of the Mayor’s Celebration of the Arts to the test. The result? A contrast of art and fashion that passes with flying colours.

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Summer Style in the Bag


With a fun selection like this, it’s easy to get carried away You’ve got big plans this summer. Whether you’re relaxing at the beach, having drinks on a patio, or …Read More

Ultra Violet


It’s not a pot of gold, but we did find these dazzling gems at the end of the rainbow — Having hidden in plain sight at the end of the …Read More
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It’s not a pot of gold, but we did find these dazzling gems at the end of the rainbow

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Having hidden in plain sight at the end of the light spectrum all this time, the vibrant and confident shade of violet is now getting its due. The experts at the Pantone Color Institute have crowned it the 2018 Color of the Year (Pantone 18-3838 Ultra Violet to be exact), praising its “originality, ingenuity, and visionary thinking.” Okay. With that in mind, here are some ideas to light up your summer with this year’s trendiest colour. [metaslider id=9012] [gallery ids="9011,9008,9007"] [post_title] => Ultra Violet [post_excerpt] => [post_status] => publish [comment_status] => open [ping_status] => closed [post_password] => [post_name] => ultra-violet [to_ping] => [pinged] => [post_modified] => 2021-05-31 18:57:05 [post_modified_gmt] => 2021-06-01 00:57:05 [post_content_filtered] => [post_parent] => 0 [guid] => http://www.summercity.ca/?p=9003 [menu_order] => 0 [post_type] => post [post_mime_type] => [comment_count] => 0 [filter] => raw ) [_excerpt] => It’s not a pot of gold, but we did find these dazzling gems at the end of the rainbow — Having hidden in plain sight at the end of the … ) 1

Shoes


Don’t Mind If I Shoe! Everything’s coming up stylish Oh, summer. How we wait for you and your effortless style. Your boho tops, your swingy skirts, your cut-off jeans. But …Read More
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Don’t Mind If I Shoe!

Everything’s coming up stylish

Oh, summer. How we wait for you and your effortless style. Your boho tops, your swingy skirts, your cut-off jeans. But bare shoulders and flowy silhouettes won’t be getting all the attention this year. They’ve got shoes to contend with! And thanks to this year’s epic selection, there’s a perfect style for everyone. From denim and embroidery to zippers and block heels, the shoe gods have left no trend unturned.
The only minor hiccup? Getting them before they’re gone. Summer’s waiting. Walk tal

[gallery ids="5790,5789,5788,5787,5786,5785,5784,5783,5782"]

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