Parking Lot Parties

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The festivities associated with the world’s largest rodeo aren’t limited to the Stampede grounds. Everywhere you turn in Calgary, someone’s throwing a party. And chances are it will be in a parking lot.Throw down a hay bale and some cowboy tchotchkes and you’re ready for a roundup.The Calgary Home + Design Show isn’t until September 19th, but that’s no reason not to have a Stampede party. The way Show Manager Jill Kivett and Amanda Haines of Reformation PR rock their daisy dukes and boots, it makes you think this is not their first rodeo.Before Stampede I had lofty plans of wearing a different cowboy hat for every blog post, but as the days on the dusty road start to blur together, I’m leaning on the ol’ wild rose lid a lot. At this point, I’m more concerned with pacing myself. Early in the day, with those cowprint balloons above my head, I’m exuding a respectable healthiness. Kinda like that yogurt commercial.The smartest strategy to maintain a semblance of sobriety is to eat a big meal. With Gaucho Brazillian BBQ providing the best grub of the week, it wasn’t hard to do.It’s hard to leave when the western wear is this good, but another parking lot was calling my name. My Stampede name. Which I haven’t thought of yet, but I’m sure I’ll come up with a great one next week, once the chucks champs have packed up their wagons. Ran into this purple pardner on the way to Jim Pattison’s party. A brief bicep battle was the only appropriate reaction.Inside, more cowboy accoutrements than I could sling a gun at. Stampede is kind of like Halloween, except everyone is wearing the same costume. Except for that dude in the red plaid shirt who photobombed with aplomb.This cowgirl kindly allowed me to take a picture of her booty.And, in the Wearing a Ten Gallon Hat Doesn’t Mean You Can’t Play Bagpipes category, Calgary’s finest showed up for a little pipe and drums. Highland dancing officers proved there’s more ways to bust a move than the two-step.Bye bye, Amber Big Plume, from Tsuu T’ina Nation, the 2013 Calgary Stampede Indian Princess. Gotta git to the next!This sake glass is where it started to get sloppy. Maybe it was because I took a break from the parking lots to get some sushi at Zen8. But more likely it was because the sushi corralled me toward the VIP suites at the biggest parking lot party of them all. Giddyup!Happy Stampede indeed. During this marathon 10-day event that turns all Calgarians into cattle drivers, rodeo champions or barrel-racing princesses, all chutes seem to lead to the Cowboys Tent. Which led me to Outrider Steve Sirianni, who, being from Vegas, moonlights as Executive Director of Slots at the Monte Carlo Casino. I’m feeling lucky!

Stampede Style

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Time flies when you’re evacuated! The Calgary Stampede is well underway, in keeping with their “Come Hell or High Water” pledge, and continues til Sunday. It had to happen. It’s like the New Orleans Saints winning the Superbowl after Katrina, although the timing was on hyper fast forward. Even though some of us in the dark, damp and powerless neighborhoods may be wondering if city inspectors have forsaken us for deep-fried butter on the midway, all we can do is trade our rubber boots for cowboy boots — mud be damned!Stampede starts with a good set of boots. Hopefully this cowgirl got back to the farm before the downpour that set off more flash floods. It’s been a rainy start to the rowdy roundup.Okay, okay, I’ll lighten up. Just because bartenders like this make it easy. The pose was his idea, btw. Meanwhile, can you spot the two clues that this photo was taken in Canada? Hint: look at the money, honey. And the sign for bladder relief.The famed Cowboys Tent, on the edge of the Stampede Grounds, was a veritable style corral.Check out the cowgirl cannister clutch.The devil is in the details. Or at Stampede, is it the corporate presence? Because this buckaroo didn’t win his buckle at the rodeo.Bumped into Conservative Cowboy Lindsay Blackett, who has made the leap from culture to construction. Somewhere along the way he must have stopped at a politically correct dude ranch. I predict a public service comeback.Then the music got louder and leather-encased toes started tapping.Tulle and tall boots are a license to twirl.Ten gallon hats as far as the eye could see. Totally depending on how far your eyes could focus.Boot scootin’ through crushed Corona cans.It’s official. It’s a party! Lace shirt, Guess. Little black dress, Bebe. Belt, strategic cowboy-meets-Indian combo. Happy Stampede!

Flood Relief Fashion

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As the flood cleanup continues in Calgary, the heartwarming stories of volunteerism are enough to make you cry. From the strangers who show up at flooded homes, armed with shovels, offering to help, to the dude dragging a cooler down sludgy streets, asking if anyone wants a cold one. The bare necessities — strong backs and beer — are still desperately needed, but Calgary has taken flood relief to a new level: art + fashion. This is a “bad portrait” of Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi, who has been a true leader in this time of tumult. For $20, you can order the limited edition shirt with this image until Sunday at midnight, with proceeds going to the Red Cross.

Artist Mandy Stobo is well-known around these parts for her Bad Portrait Project. When she paints someone, she doesn’t stop to think about things for too long — that’s how her Bad Portraits work. So when she needed a facial embodiment of Calgary’s massive flood, Mayor Nenshi was a natural. And her first instinct to symbolize a massive amount of water? Scuba goggles.

“I felt so helpless,” she says. “The only thing I knew how to do is artwork.” But her art is helping — big time. With the sale of her shirts raising $4000 so far, she has decided to create a series. She launches another shirt Monday. Just who will be the subject of the next portrait is a closely guarded secret.

I wanted to stop by Mandy’s studio today, safely up on a hill and not waterlogged. However, she was busy helping family dig out, so she sent me this picture of herself in drier times.

You can order shirts, tanks or an 18” x 24” print of Mayor Nenshi here. They should be mailed to you within two to three weeks. Collect ’em all! A new limited shirt will be up for grabs each week. Buen trabajo, Mandy.

Evac Chic

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If you live in Canada, there’s no way you can’t know this, but for everyone else who might not have heard: the City of Calgary is currently fighting not become the next Atlantis. Like thousands of others who were evacuated last Thursday due to massive, unprecedented flooding, I’m just now braving the devastation to see how the homestead is doing. So blog posts will be sporadic for a while. In the meantime, mud-covered and sludge-spattered, the people of Calgary have more going on than a Jackson Pollock painting. It is the style of the brave, the hard-working and the ever-positive. And rubber boots are the must-have footwear fashion of the moment.

Green Is The New Tan

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The legs are looking a little pale. With my recent introduction to skin cancer, I am all about staying out of the sun. But since I am also all about looking good (or at least the attempt) it’s time for some sunless tanning.Even if there weren’t endless rainstorms in Calgary this month and real tanning was actually an option, St. Tropez promises to give that glitzy glam beach glow the safe way — in a bottle. Looking to boost their brand beyond Brigitte Bardot beauty currency, the company has recently named Kate Moss as the face (and body) for their first-ever global advertising campaign.If it’s good enough for Kate, it’s good enough for me. However, my own application wasn’t as fabulous as this photo, courtesy of St. Tropez. I started with the Bronzing Mousse on my left leg, figuring that it must be for a light or medium tan, even thought the bottle doesn’t specify. Just like Kate probably did until this concerned lady caught up with her, I completely forgot about the applicator mitt. It seemed like I was using way too much. The mousse gooped around in an alarmingly dark brown color. I didn’t try very hard to spread it evenly and was sure I would end up with terrible streaks. Still, the St. Tropez smelled better than any self tanner I’ve used, drying very quickly. Despite my haphazard approach, my tan ended up looking incredibly natural. Except for my ankle. It kind of looks like I threw mud at it. I have only myself to blame. But it was inspiration to use the mitt for the Self Tan Dark bronzing lotion on my right leg. Even though I noticed the lotion was dark green coming out of the bottle (as opposed to brown, or even orange) St. Tropez had just done such a nice job with my left leg, I persevered. The label says, “Our advanced formulation contains innovative melanin technology,” so I thought perhaps my leg was going Green Lantern en route to the Bronze Age. The mitt was certainly doing a nice job of blending it in. Since I’d used the creamy, fast absorbing moisturizer the night before, there were no weird dark spots. However, as the green color intensified, I thought it prudent to stop at the knee. So I can’t tell you how effective the mitt is with blending color around the ankle. Even though the Bronzing Mousse had almost instantly taken effect with a natural sun-burnished hue on my left leg (and my hands, even after washing with soap, which is another reason to use the applicator mitt, unless you enjoy the just-oiled-your-saddle look) I kept thinking that the Dark Lotion on my right leg must be a two-tone process. After all, it has an Allure Breakthrough Award. But an hour later, there was no other option but to declare my leg green! Like, “Don’t make me angry” green! No girl wants to look like the Incredible Hulk, so I’m inclined to think this is just a freak lab accident. Wait! Isn’t that what happened to Bruce Banner? Maybe Angelina Jolie had the same tanning accident on her left leg just before the Oscars last year, leading to her choice of dress and her right leg’s historic debut on Twitter.

What’s in store for my leg tomorrow? Should I wear short shorts? Is this the start of a new skin color trend I’m not aware of? When I offered to test-drive the tanner, was I signing up for more than I realized? It’s not easy being green. Stay tuned to Blue Besos as I investigate.

UPDATE: ONE DAY LATER

Yesterday, eight hours after tanning, my leg was still Jolly Green. This morning, it was starting to look tan! Green tinge gone by noon. I will seek answers on the Information Superhighway. Hopefully they’ll travel at a faster rate than the tan on my right leg. And I hope I get the green out of my white bamboo sheets.

UPDATE: TWO DAYS LATER – ST. TROPEZ RESPONDS ON TWITTER

All tanning products containing DHA have a tendency to go green when they get warm, especially those with higher levels of DHA. This is because increased levels of DHA in heat can cause the red dye to leach from the guide colour so that it looks green instead of brown. Brown is made when you combine three primary colours, yellow, blue and red. When the red drops out you are left with green. The altered guide colour should not affect the performance of the tan. We have found a new technology that helps prevent this from happening and have slightly revised the ingredients for our new stock. We recommend that all tanning products containing high levels of DHA are stored below 30 degrees (as indicated on pack).

They have a note on their Facebook page expressly for this issue, so it seems I’m not the only one. Glad to hear they are dealing with it.

Hollywood Gateway to the North

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London called, but I blew it off, and instead hit the road for exotic Edmonton. I had a call-back for an audition for Cut Bank, a feature film starring John Malkovich, Billy Bob Thornton, Liam Hemsworth and Teresa Palmer. Shooting will take place in various locations around Edmonton, with the town of Innisfree, about 140 km east, acting as Cut Bank, Montana.

I was asked to try out for the role of ultra-smiley Chandra Blueford, the pretty local news reporter. The character is described as small town glamorous, ie, the girl who will always be overlooked for primetime news. I had already been through casting director Rhonda Fisekci’s rigorous first round, so when she asked me back a second time, I decided it was worth the drive to YEG. Actors in Hollywood might have to deal with LA traffic, but could they handle three hours fighting semis on the Deerfoot?

The audition was fun — I actually remembered my lines and didn’t have a meltdown in front of director Matt Shakman, who was super nice, btw. I wore my pink pantsuit to channel the crazed Nicole Kidman character from To Die For, but apparently I didn’t nail the small town glamor they were going for. It was down to two people for the role and I didn’t get it.

However, all was not lost, because, just north of the downtown core, I discovered the perfect accompaniment to my peg leg:Since Buckingham Palace is a long puddle jump away, this guy stands guard at a self-storage facility just north of Edmonton’s downtown core. He doesn’t say much, but don’t get him fired up. Because he has a rather large…… firearm! Sleeveless shirt, Armani Exchange. Jeans, Converse One Star “The Motocross.” Flip flop, BCBG. Key pendant, Tiffany & Co. Take a last look at the Aircast on the other foot, because soon I will be saying Adios.

Meanwhile, Cut Bank begins filming in Edmonton today! YEG paparazzi, start your engines and start clicking. I expect to see all kinds of photos of John and Billy Bob surface online as they live la vida loca in the Gateway to the North.

When Papyrus Pigs Fly

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When Papyrus apologizes, they care enough to send the very best: It wasn’t even a big deal. In fact, it probably wasn’t even their fault. The stationery store had promised to send me a package, and it got lost in transit. But 2 weeks after the mysterious and minor disappearance, the manager of the downtown Calgary location at The CORE hand-delivered a lovely token of apology.Personalized note cards! I just happen to work with one of the most knowledgeable printing experts in the country, who immediately told me that Crane & Co makes The Best Paper In The Business. When the White House requires stationery, they order exclusively from Crane. The 200-year-old company eschews killing trees — it prints on paper made from cotton. He went on to tell me about their embossing technique that uses a hand-crafted die and no ink, but these details weren’t even necessary. The cards had me at Hello, Little Piggy.Just when you thought classic good manners appeared as often as pigs fly…

Taking Stock

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Gettin’ my hair did for a photo shoot today. Two hairdressers make for faster flat-ironing when the photographer needs his model ASAP.Actually, there were three photographers today — part of three full-on photo teams, complete with art directors and assistants, for simultaneous shooting throughout the building. Hero Images is a stock photography company based in Calgary. They’ve only been in business for a year or so, but they’re busy. They do up to five shoots a month, which just goes to show the growing appetite for royalty-free images. If a business only needs a generic look for their advertising, it’s easier and cheaper to buy images this way instead of setting up their own photo shoot. Normally I wouldn’t do stock photography, but Hero assured me they would not be selling my image to escort sites needing a photo of a woman in high-collared business attire. But you can never predict exactly where your face will end up. The last time I did stock, my mug ended up on an ad promoting a herbal remedy for hot flashes. But with everything my visage has been through in the last couple of months, I was excited to land a modeling gig — especially since Calgary is not the world’s top fashion capital. The photographers today might have been thinking about the additional photoshop challenge due to the scar on my nose, but not a single person asked me about it. Which I really appreciated! Looks like they were going for Business Traveler In Airport Lounge here.The location for the shoot was the super-cool gold LEED certified City of Calgary Water Centre. (Ahem… I’d like you to appreciate that I busted out of my personal American spelling zone to spell Center the Canadian way back there, in the name of journalistic accuracy… since I am a Serious Fashion Blogger). Besides reducing electricity usage for lighting, all those windows conjure up a corporate IBM headquarters/Microsoft campus aesthetic.

It will be three to four months before the images will be finished and ready to sell. In the meantime… photo bomb!

Miss Match Steps Out

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If you love a pair of shoes so much you buy a pair of colors, who says you can’t wear both at once? Not Sing Tao journalist Phoebe Cheng (aka Miss Match), who picked up both sets of heels in Hong Kong. Much more subtle than my constant Aircast clash, while adding oomph to the Oval Room at the Fairmont Palliser.

Tiffany Tours the Tiffany Tour

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Cuff me. Please. This Jazz Age-inspired diamond bracelet is one of the select pieces from the Tiffany & Co collection currently making pit stops at flagship stores around the world, including Sydney, London, Los Angeles and… Calgary!Every year since 1845, Tiffany & Co publishes their Blue Book. Historical fun fact: it was the first mail order catalogue to be distributed in the United States. Now, with The Great Gatsby making it a banner year for bling, Tiffany is taking its catalog on the road. Four heavily insured items were driven across the Rockies in a heavily armored vehicle for a brief but breathtaking appearance tonight in the Oval Room at the Fairmont Palliser.When Tiffany’s elite gemstones travel, it seems only fitting that the security detail keeps the aesthetics to the same high standards.Tiffany’s design theme for 2013 is Art Deco, in keeping with the pieces designed specifically for The Great Gatsby. Baz Luhrmann’s film sets may have been entirely computer generated, but the jewels adorning his actresses were real. Unfortunately, the Savoy, a headpiece of diamonds and freshwater cultured pearls, only appeared in the pages of the Blue Book. Perhaps it was just as well — only four headpieces were made and at $200,000 all four are already spoken for. No sense setting your shopping sights on something that isn’t available.However, there was more than enough ice on hand to melt the hearts of those invited to the champagne reception.Mount Lefroy looms in the background of these diamond and platinum chandelier earrings.Rocking the namesake: don’t mess with Tiffany while she’s wearing a $727,500 Tiffany ring.