Tag Archives: Fashion

Evelyne Aikman – Designer, Artist, Seamstress, Entrepreneur, Awesome!

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Who are you?

Eek. I am probably the Eel, in Eel & Ermine. I am a seamstress and designer,  I am also someone who very recently became an entrepreneur in small clothing shop sort of way without quite knowing what that might entail (daily gumboot assignations included). I guess that I am a person or thing that lives and breathes and eats and thinks, I think, and is somehow a grownup now. I am also a person who is lucky enough to have made the acquaintance of John Horn before it was even cool to do so (before it was cool to know it was cool), and am now feeling/suffering from/ benefitting from the aftereffects.

What do you do for fun?

I like to paint pictures and sew things and cook foods, and bake foods with sugar and then decorate those foodstuffs so that they look inedible. I also like to run, a lot. I like to read beautiful prose by amazing authors and then write long stories without plots or endings in a fruitless effort to emulate their talents. I like to go hiking and camping with my lovely husband Adam and mischievous dog Kolya. I would like to go bike riding, but find the steep and uninviting hills of San Francisco more than my antiquated bicycle can bear, so I settle for the flatlands of wine country whenever I/Adam have the chance. I like to think about things too much and wax poetic about them if anyone will listen. I like to travel whenever I have the means to do so.

What is your favourite community and why?

My favourite community is my family. Is that allowed? Anyone who has met anyone in my family can attest to the fact that they are amazing. I grew up on a farm in the wild woods of Cape Breton Island with a super pair of parents and more siblings than I can sometimes recall (or at least recall to call), and all of them are unique and wonderful in so many different ways that I’m not even sure where to start. Let’s just say that the super pair of parents were, and are, adept at making everything we need (ed) and we lived off of the land as best we could, in the rural modern sense of the term. And that the siblings wandered to all corners of the Earth (except Antarctica), where their charms and talents prevailed above all and their deplorable inter-communication skills were overcome by brotherly, or more often, sisterly, affection.  To paraphrase; my parents have always embodied and instilled in us a sense of self sustainability that is an invaluable asset in a world where so many humans have become divorced from the processes that keep them alive. They have also given me a good sense for what is ridiculous and what is not.  I am very grateful for that knowledge and wisdom, as well as the inspiring and surprising things that it has engendered in my lovely sisters and brother, who are always there for me and each other, no matter how sporadically we manage to see each other.

What is your superpower?

My superpower is making things. I am really good at making lots of different things. In my life I have been historically good at making artworks, specifically oil paintings that look like things that I think I feel like. But then I learned, while working in a cake shop of really over-the-top decorated cakes for people who want to think that they are eating artwork, that making all things is related. And that if you are not afraid to attempt making something, you will often succeed. And once you start making a lot of things for yourself your idea of wanting and needing changes quite a bit. For example, I rarely buy anything that I think I can make for myself, but then if it doesn’t seem like a good use of time to make, I won’t, and then I know I didn’t really need it. So much energy is wasted so that people can acquire useless objects; it can be baffling.

How do you use it to build your community?

I have very recently channeled my superpower into the opening of a small shop in San Francisco called Eel & Ermine, where my business partner, Elinor, and I, make all of the clothing that we sell.  We also made or repurposed almost everything in the shop including our work table(recycled door), counter(recycled crate and window), dressing room situation, racks and other display style things (with some assistance from our husbands when any power sawing or model boat assembly was required). We also stock hats by a local friend and milliner, Kitty Andrews, who makes everything from scratch. Our goal is basically to reintroduce our community to handmade goods, to the point of possibly seeing your garment being made (by us) while you wait. The idea is to make a shopping experience as enjoyable as possible, as well as make people aware of where their goods are coming from, and how they are produced. In this way they can also be a part of the process by choosing fabrics or requesting alterations, producing a unique and customized piece. We want our store to be accessible to as many people as possible (well, just women for now) who buy clothing, so our price point is relatively low. We’re hoping to get a few people at least away from the mass-produced, customer eating machine of big time retail stores. And maybe even inspire them to start making clothes themselves. We have already had such good feedback from people stopping by and most are amazed that we make things ourselves, but that’s what everyone used to do!

That's right. It's a duck-shaped zucchini. Do you have a problem with it?

Since we also want to save the world we also have several designs made from recycled materials, and none of our clothes are made from styrofoam, so rest easy John. For example, our boyfriend shirt is a men’s dress shirt, re-tailoured and jazzed up for gals. Our customers can also bring in their guys’ old shirts for us to remake for them, which aside from the obvious goodness of recycling, is also pretty nice sentimentally, provided you have fond feelings for the former occupant of the shirt you have commandeered.

We would also love for our shop to be the kind of place where friends from our neighbourhood can stop in for a chat or a coffee, and since Elinor and I both love to bake, we always have some sort of sugar based item available for consumption as well. For this dropping by and hanging out purpose, as well as for those not actively participating in a shopping trip, we have set up a small seating/relaxing/snacking area. Just nice, you know?

My Three Favourite Things About Evelyne Are…

1. Bottomless Talent. She’s one of those people who is just good at so, so many things. Painting, writing, sewing, building, singing, debating, hugging, drinking, problem solving, and, probably, math, science, and sports – but I mostly know her passionate artistic side. When you hang around Evelyne, sooner or later (usually sooner) you will be inspired to do something creative.

2. The Aikmans. True story, they’re the best sort of folk – local with global minds, organic and delicious. That’s right. I’m talking about people.

3. Randomness. Every now and then I will receive an email or typed (on a typewriter, it looks like) letter from Evelyne Aikman. And it will be a stream of consciouness narrative of some sort. And it will go on for pages/screens. And it is brilliant in its honest simplicity. And such a random, delightful surprise really makes my heart smile. So, Evelyne, thanks for that.

As told by John Horn…

Gumboots: for the love of style, function, history and hilarity

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Gumboots have somehow, over the last few years, sneakily sloshed their way into my life. A mere three years ago, my life was gumbootless … and like text messaging, my electric toothbrush and Facebook … I now wonder how I could have ever lived without them.

There are a lot of great things to say about gumboots, so with no further ado, here are the top five reasons why gumboots may in fact be my favorite type of shoe and community … and should probably be yours too: 

1. I don’t think any other type of shoe has so many hilarious names: Wellingtons, rubbers, wellies, topboots, barnboots, muckboots, rainboots, blucher boots and of course, gumboots. This wide array of names is pretty hilarious on it’s own (muckboots!), but also speaks to the diversity of those who wear these footwear phenoms: those who tread in muck, barns, rain, and, um, uppity English courtyards are all connected by this fabulous boot. 

2. Gumboots have, in some odd, inextricable way, become the theme for my upcoming wedding and thus a symbol for love and happiness! From invitations to optional attire to event signage to table decorations to photographs, these bad boys will be left, right and centre at the big event. The big question is … do you know why? Take this super-secret wedding website quiz and see how well you know your Gumboot (of the Daily variety) correspondents and editors, and how well you remember information from posts past (there may or may not be an extra wedding invitation on the table for the first person who guesses correctly*) 

Why are gumboots featured in John and Michelle’s engagement photos and invitations?

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3. Gumboots defy barriers and bridge generations, classes and worlds! From mischievous three year olds running around jumping in puddles to a worker wearing wellies with reinforced toes in an industrial mine to a farmer in the field to a fashionable city girl wearing shiny red gumboots to complete her outfit, gumboots create a common ground (figuratively and literally) whereby unlike individuals become more like, creating an opportunity for .. you guessed it … community to be fostered and grown. 

Gumboot Dancers in South Africa

 

4. Gumboots are rich in history and have permeated the cultural fabric of communities around the world. Check out this article for a fascinating look at how gumboots have become a part of the cultural landscape worldwide. One of my favorite stories: In South Africa, the sound of people dancing in gumboots is often incorporated into semi-traditional popular music, known as “gumboot zydeco”. This dance began as a form of communication in the late 19th century in the gold mines of South Africa. Because miners were forbidden to speak to one another, they communicated using their work attire (which included gumboots) and native tribal rhythms. This story is just one among many – from Australia to Canada to Russia to Scandinavia, Gumboots have their own unique histories and cultural significance. 

5. Gumboots are the perfect balance of style and function. Whether you need protection from rain, muck, concrete, or dangerous chemicals, gumboots can serve your needs – and keep you looking stylish all the while! 

So there it is. In my humble opinion, individuals should be exposed to gumboots on a daily basis – and since it’s a little silly to be wearing gumboots in the summer (except at a wedding, that is), I suggest you get your dose by tuning it to The Daily Gumboot, where you’ll find the same caliber of hilarity, history, style, functionality, and world-bridging community as you’d find in a regular ol’ Wellie. 

*Sadly, friends, there are not extra wedding invitations to be given out. But hey, that’s not to say you can’t make your way up to Merville and lurk in the nearby bushes (you may need gumboots for this) to take in the festivities!

Anatomy of the Clothing Swap

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The change of seasons is upon us, and while impending beach time is no doubt significant to both sexes, we ladies have an added challenge when dressing for the weather. Though both men and women change the basic nature of their wardrobe come summer, an inevitable (and, some might argue, unnecessary) shift in women’s styles and trends seems to accompany any shift in temperature.

Blame it on our materialistic, consumer-driven culture, but as the days grow longer it’s hard to avoid the pull to purchase the season’s myriad offerings.

Enter the clothing swap.

For the last 3 years, be it on natural-fibers-centric Vancouver Island or in fast-paced, fashionable Vancouver, my girlfriends and I have assembled to combat the shopping beast (or barely satiate it, as the case may be). We trade up our old goods for new ones in an effort to save money and diminish waste.

Here’s how it works: The week, month, day, or hour before a clothing exchange, we each review what in our closet no longer needs to be. Just as one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, one woman’s ill-fitting sweater may flatter her friend’s figure to a tee.

At the event items are amassed into a heap and then sorted, typically while a considerable amount of wine and baked goods are consumed. Then, we model. The friend-filled environment provides an opportunity to try out styles we might not touch in a store.

Numbers are drawn and top items are selected in succession. This keeps the distribution of goods fair and civilized, so of course we only go a maximum three rounds before things descend into an adrenaline-fueled free-for-all. The elbows come out and the hip checks are vicious as we dive for choice items, but thus is the cost of fashion. Pain, after all, is beauty.

For those of you wondering at this point what fashion has to do with the Gumboot (although gumboots are pretty hot right now), swaps also contribute to incredibly positive female communities.

Think about it: shopping tends to be a social activity for women, but the clothing exchange takes it to the next level. Instead of wandering malls fraught with unrealistic body images, urging women to purchase their way to self-acceptance, swaps happen in cozy living rooms full of all shapes and sizes. We advise, opine, model the goods, and subtly and overtly remind one another that size 2 does not necessarily equal beauty.

And when you’re standing in your living room, in your underwear, balancing a glass of wine and a brownie while trying to squeeze into your best friend’s high-waisted button-front shorts that you’ve secretly coveted since she bought them in March of 2004, only to realize that they never, ever would have fit you anyway, that’s a good thing to be reminded of.

In hosting these semi-regular exchanges, we actively build the kind of community we admire: one that recreates what being a woman’s all about. We are feminine, eco-friendly, supportive, slightly boozy, and, by the end of the night, incredibly well-dressed.

Dedicated to the Estronauts and their impeccable style.

Fashion Hangover a la Vancouver 2010

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For better or for worse the Olympics have come and gone. For some of us their departure has left us with the sense of, “Hey, the party was just getting started!” for others, it’s a case of “Good riddance, no more frenzied crowds, no more line ups,  no more searchlight thingies and no more incessant  helicopter chatter overhead.” Still, lingering nostalgia remains,  and it’s not for the spectacle of Koreans kicking butt at  short track, Heineken at the Holland House  or Robson Square Zipliners. These were great things, but nothing compares to the void that has been left by the departure of thousands of athletes. And their outfits. Their really nifty, nifty outfits. For two weeks the world’s athletes accomplished both amazing sporting feats and  pushed athletic fashion to a whole new level. These Olympics can and should be remembered as a  pageant of funky spandex designs, nifty parkas and everything in between. So, while i’m not sorry to see our speed skaters’ saran-wrapped thighs go, there were plenty of designs which i’ll remember fondly.

Some of my personal faves.

I like to call this number (above) the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle Intimidation Suit”. The Austrailians did everything right here. Their opponents were probably left wondering, “Are these guys really ‘turtles in a half shell’? And if so, ‘do they have turtle power too?!’Pretty neat stuff. All part of the Australian amazing game plan to compensate for their lack of snow at home.

Personally, I don’t find curling very interesting. Probably because I never watch it for long enough to get into a ‘match’ due to my inability to comprehend anything that’s happening. With so many know-nothings like me apt to reach for the channel changer, Team Norway clearly knew what they were up against and came out with these funky attention grabbing harlequin curling clown pants. Hurry Hard Norway, way to build your curling community.

I’m at a loss for words with this one. But “brilliant” is the first one that comes to mind. This body-hugging spectacle of luminous spandex could do nothing but dazzle spectators and judges alike. Sure, the Ukranians made themselves easy targets with this creation, but let’s face it, it was a ballsy, all-or-nothing move which made them stand out from the pack. They flew in the face of figure skating couture convention. And I applaud them for it.

Ah, the Russians. Off the ice they set the bar pretty high with their street couture, which was flamboyant, stylish and boldly told the world that “watch out we’ll be seeing you in Sochi!” You just couldn’t miss them in any crowd, particularly since they often moved in coordinated packs.  They also took Olympic Swag to a whole new level, with caps and fannie packs for added punch.

Lastly, there was us and our mittens. Something like 3.5  million of these things were bought before and during the Olympics. Well done HBC. Well done Vanoc. I have to say, these hand warmers were a master stroke of fashion and functionality, who wouldn’t want to keep their hand warm and wave the maple leaf at the same time?

Goodbye Olympics. You were fash-tastic and you will be remembered fondly.