Nouveau Rich

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There’s a new champagne on the liquid landscape…… and a new way to drink it: in a Chardonnay glass. With garnish. Over ice. RICH by Veuve Clicquot was designed to be mingled with other ingredients. Mixology, move over. This is Cliquology.

Coming to just one store near you (Zyn gets the exclusive listing in Calgary), Veuve Clicquot’s new champagne isn’t easy to find. And after taking two years of research before jumping on the mixology trend, Veuve likes it that way. The local launch party for Rich wasn’t even in Calgary — it was held at Azuridge, Priddis’ hidden hotel jewel.On my way in, I bumped into Clarence McLeod, the only guilded butler in North America. Besides being the Queen’s man on the ground in Canada, he is also the general manager of Azuridge. The hotel’s Opal Dining Room will be the only restaurant in Southern Alberta pouring Rich.Only five Canadian cities are enjoying the honor of a formal introduction to the French sparkling wine with the Anglo name, and local media had to work for their knowledge of the best way to serve the new bubbles. The women were up for the task of slicing infusers like cucumbers and bell peppers, but please note the blank looks on Ryan Massel and Vincent Law. I get it. Is there a bartender in the house?Anyway, back to the cocktails. Apparently I over-peppered, but it didn’t matter. Rich is sweeter than Veuve’s staple champagne, allowing it to work nicely with various vegetables and melting ice. Un peu trop doux for me (I prefer vodka with my cucumbers) but fans of pinot gris will love it. An infusion of grapefruit and tea leaves was my favorite, but risky. The potential for tea leaves in my teeth was too great. Also, while I support the specially designed glasses – they hold more champagne than your average flute – sipping while restraining an ice avalanche takes skill that might not be in abundance after a few glasses.Once the champagne kicked in, so did the photo-ops. Drew Tollerud of IBM demonstrates just what would inspire a mad genius to make a mad dash: beaucoup de Champagne and snappy orange accoutrements.Those accessories included Veuve swag in the form of these silver shades, all the better to discern the dazzling view from Azuridge. A votre sante, RICH!

Stitch & Bitch with Kat Marks

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Calgary designer Kat Marks is a Jill of many trades, designing in leather, plastic, PVC and textiles, even custom moulded leather armour. She recently opened up her airy 1st Street studio so several of us lucky non-designers could try our hands at Lethrbar, a deluxe DIY experience.

Alberta actor Cody Sparshu might be cheating the shot (such a professional) but he’s not acting — he’s tapping his name into a leather luggage tag. He does all his own stunts. PR maven Katy Bond gives good background, diving in for some letter stamps of her own.

Look at this roundtable of influencers: Casey Wagar, aka Fancy Bro, on the far left. Actor/Producer Cody Sparshu, designer Kat Marks, fashion blogger Vincent “Binzento” Law and Katy Bond of Parker Bond PR. In the foreground, Mandy Balak, Founder of Branded Magazine, is totally focused on her art. The group looks well-behaved in the photo, but this stitch work station offered the bitch option. What else are you gonna do while sewing en masse?Vincent eschewed paint to go nude.But, claro, the Blue Besos tag had to be blue. Turns out when you layer Kat’s turquoise paint, you get a distressed denim look. Love it! Check out Kat’s website to book your own experience.

Spring Trends Now Trending

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A flash of daffodil down the Holts-hued pink carpet signaled that Spring Trends were trending at Calgary’s Holt Renfrew.By all means, do the white thing, but break it up with some green – or should I say absinthe, Tom Pecheux? Conveniently coordinated with an audience member’s pashmina.In between the runway sashaying, mavens, moguls (ok, only one… more on him later) and mannequins paid rapt attention to Lisa Tant’s powerpoint presentation of springalicious trends: Modern Geometry, Print Remix, In The Clear and What’s White Now. I’m guessing the mannequin is remixing a print. Like a DJ! Pay close attention to this outfit, because you’ll see it again on someone else. Then you can play Who Wore It Better, although perhaps the rules are different when one of the models isn’t human.As we admire What’s White Now, I have a confession to make. My focus was fuzzy on a lot of these shots. Cranky camera. I could wax rhapsodic about the ethereal inspiration of these dreamlike images, but… it’s not really what I was striving for. In the meantime, check out everyone’s footwear.Not only did all of these women brave the second blizzard of the week to learn Lisa’s trend lesson, they did it in immaculately well-heeled style. Sans salt and snow. Credit must go to the covered valet parking out front.Here he is! The one male specimen in attendance who wasn’t a fashion journalist or HR employee. Andrew Kondi, President of Cowtown Capital, is man enough to handle women’s spring trends. And smart enough to keep the guardian of winter trends close by. To his left is Cheryl Janisch, fashion designer and creative director of Frost Sportiva, secure in the knowledge that the fashion forecast in Alberta includes lots of snow.The hostess of the evening, Lisa Tant, Vice-President, Fashion Editor at Holt Renfrew with Vincent Law, fashion blogger.Shout-out to Rav, my favorite Holts hustler. We met when he sidled up to me as I was eyeing a pair of Prada suede OTK boots and whispered, “Silent sale.” Props. No event would be complete without the swag bags. In this case, parked perfectly by the escalator leading out of spring trends and back into winter. Thanks Holts!