Couture | Fashion & Philanthropy

It’s important to give back to the community and Ecole Holt Couture is fortunate to do this while sharing the art of couture and the work of our students in support of InspireProjectYYC.

This is the first year the event will benefit new-kid-on-the-block INSPIRE Project YYC. Started in 2012, by a group of Calgarian creatives, passionate about social justice, the Project funds organizations seeking to affect change in difficult areas. Their first recipient? Dare to Care, whose mission is to address the pervasive and crippling issue of bullying.

Step by Step  will focus on explaining what couture really is, how it is achieved, and why it matters and more importantly how it can change your outlook towards your fashion style!

Join us on November 13th, 2016 at Festival Hall in Calgary’s Inglewood community, hub of live music venues and is known as the one-stop shop for art fans, culture buffs, foodies, fashionistas, scrappy hippies, and hipsters.

 

Ecole Holt Couture 2016 Fashion Event on November 13th!

This event is Ecole Holt Couture’s annual fashion event featuring student creations, the Founder’s vintage collection and our charitable community partner. All tickets proceeds from ticket sales are donated to Inspire Project YYC.

Event tickets are open to the public and now on sale – just follow the link to get yours now! EHC Fashion Event

New for this year is the pre-show exhibit where you can see what we do at the school and meet our current students, a great chance to get insider information!

more soon… cheers! J

 

Ecole Holt Couture is taking summer break, but gearing up for the Fall already!

Hi there! Ecole Holt Couture is on summer break, but not all of us are on vacation just yet! The classes are over for now but the students still have a couple or three weeks to finish up their projects. And even though we are winding down from the year, we are gearing up for our next fashion event in November.

We start planning the next fashion event just after the last one is over and finished. We’ve booked the venue and we’ve got the date – Sunday November 13th, 2016 at Festival Hall Calgary. There is a lot of planning to do though from that point on, most of which doesn’t go into high gear until August. Right now we are sitting down with the people who are our best supporters and getting their input into the plan.

We maintain our event website throughout the year now at http://www.ehcfashionshow.myevent.com/. There we post things like pics from the last show and a few photo albums from past shows so that our visitors can get an idea of what its all about. It gets updated every now and then with the latest information, so if you’ve stopped in at our event site before feel free to drop-in now and again to see what’s new.

Have a look at the video that Tessa and her dad Terry created from our 2015 Ecole Holt Couture Fashion Event. We’re pretty pleased with the result. Cheers! J

 

 

Couturier ‘String Theory’ – not just a Fable!

Most of the Students at Ecole Holt Couture have heard me tell a similar version of this Fable….

Once upon a time there was a very rich man and his wife spending some quality time together on their private south pacific island. Even with its remoteness it had every modern convenience. Solar panels for electricity, running water, and even 4G Internet access. Everything you could possibly need was there. A beautiful house, airstrip, dock, boat house, deep-sea fishing boat, and several guest cottages on its beaches.

He arrived following several strenuous business trips with his wife, who had completed a major shopping spree from Paris, Milan, London, to Tokyo. There was nothing that the couple could not buy. His wife had just procured lengths of the most elaborately hand-embroidered French silk, the softest Kashmir wool, the most luxurious Italian silk velvet, and the finest English worsted. The best that could be made, very expensive and all quite unique.

Because this man was also very generous he regularly invited friends and relatives to his island, but he also invited strangers from time to time to share in his good fortune. This time he invited three young, and very promising, fashion designers to the island as a reward for their contribution to one of the many charities he supported.

Each of the three individuals saw this opportunity differently. One was very ambitious and viewed each day as potential for new business and so brought an iPhone, laptop, latest look-book, and a few new design ideas to present, just in case. The other viewed this as a good time to get on with a project or two without distractions, and so managed to pack a compact sewing machine, sewing kit (thread, pins and scissors), and some new patterns but decided to investigate locally made materials on the island to experiment with. The third accepted this, as a time to relax and not worry about anything. To absorb, and enjoy this once in a lifetime experience.

While on the island, which was very tiny indeed, it became apparent just how remote it was from civilization. The owners of the island were very hospitable and made time to visit with each of their guests, making sure that everyone was quite comfortable. One night they invited the three young people to dinner at the big house. Nothing but the finest was offered, the freshest fish caught just hours earlier, the best quality vegetables and most exotic fruit flown in from the nearest islands, and the finest wines.

The conversation turned to each guest to find out what their hopes and aspirations were for the future. One was confident that someday they would become world famous, so that everyone would want to own one of their designs. The other was hopeful, that with experience and some help, they would be able to manufacture highly popular collections selling around the world. The third confessed to wanting to be creative every day, to being content, and wanting to make other people happy. The others all sniggered at the third’s response, and privately thought how impractical and unrealistic that would be.

Curiously, the rich man’s wife asked more questions about why this would be a considered career choice. After all, doesn’t one need a lot of money to be able to have everything one’s heart desires? “For instance, we have everything one could possibly want, a good income, good health, and access to the best of everything. This doesn’t come without hard work and sacrifice of course”. All had to agree, and continued to enjoy a pleasant evening of good food, conversation and exchange of ideas.

Later, the rich man’s wife was delighted to show the three young people her exquisite fabric finds, knowing they would share in her excitement. As expected, all three were indeed thrilled. Also, as an almost instant reaction, they offered to design something for her using these fabrics. “Oh, but, I couldn’t just let anyone touch these precious fabrics, only someone with considerable experience”. They asked who she knew, that had such experience. “Well, I don’t really. I’m a bit hesitant about asking anyone!”

The first young designer offered to create the most fashion-forward designs, and would start on it straight away. The second, began to research the latest trends to present. Meanwhile, the third asked questions about what the rich man’s wife dreamed for herself, what were her requirements for the coming year, and what type of things she loves to wear. “This is all wonderful, but it still leaves the dilemma of who will make these amazing designs for me?”

Not to worry the first designer said, “I have some really good people behind me who will get it done right”, the second designer remarked, “I will make it myself, it won’t take long. I can usually run things up in a few hours, a couple of days at most!” The third’s reply was “I would love to make it for you, it will take some time. I want to make sure everything fits just right, and makes you look marvelous. Your fabrics will deserve the utmost attention, for the most part they will be hand-sewn”.

That night a tropical storm knocked out the 4G Internet access, the docks were damaged, and the airstrip was littered with debris from broken branches. Fuel supplies were so low that the generators couldn’t be run for more than just the bare essentials – such as pumping fresh water. Repairs would take some time.

The first designer conceded, “Well that pretty much finishes my plans, without the internet I can’t communicate with my team, my laptop battery is low and in need of recharging, but I can’t do it without electricity”. The second designer complained that without power the sewing machine was useless, and it was too late to order patterns on-line. The third said, “No problem. Let’s get started”.

In wonderment, the rich man’s wife asked how this is possible without any equipment! “I have my hands, I never travel without my emergency sewing kit, and if you have a ball of string somewhere, that’s all I need.” And so proceeded to take her measurements with the ball of string, sketched some ideas on paper for her approval, and drafted the patterns on old bed sheets. After assembling the mock-up designs, they were fitted exactly to her figure. Then used as the pattern to cut her prized fabrics.

During the following days, the rich man’s wife witnessed how the garments were being created piece by piece, all with the greatest care and attention to detail. Every pattern was skillfully matched at each seam. The garments were fitted a few times making sure they were comfortable and flattering to her figure. Then – one day the clothes were complete! “Oh my, I have never in my life seen such craftsmanship, such beauty, but mostly I have not felt so comfortable in my clothes, and felt so good about the way they make me look! I could see your joy while you worked, and why you love creating such wonderful things! How can I thank you enough for what you have done for me?” The young Couturier replied, “The opportunity you’ve given me has been priceless! Here is a detailed invoice of what you have received in exchange for my expertise.” The rich man’s wife never again wanted what everyone else could buy! Do you?

(Not The End) Just The Beginning – Cheers J

 

Many Thanks and Plan B │ Organizing Fashion Events 13 Tips for Success

Event planning is a piece of cake – if you’re referring to ‘mille-feuille’, French for ‘a thousand leaves’. What we’ve learned over the past five years is just how extraordinarily fortunate we’ve been to enlist competent supportive individuals, and develop solid partnerships. Professionalism, artisanship, reliability, availability, generosity, and willingness all matter.

EHC’s fashion event fundraisers are held on Sunday afternoons and therefore reflect a more relaxed, but no less sophisticated event. As a small private vocational school, our reliance on volunteers is quite significant. The love of doing it, donated time and expertise, or taking an opportunity to gain experience and exposure, are all motivators.

Here are 13 things that we’ve experienced.

1. We’re extremely fortunate to have a culture of volunteerism in our city. Organizers need to take good care of their volunteers, a large portion of them are made up of skilled and willing individuals. Everyone generally functions better when they know what to expect and what is expected of them, so providing volunteers with an itinerary full of relevant details a few days before the event is effort well invested.

2. Choosing the right venue, space for staging and seating are obviously essential. Often technicians and other behind the scenes people struggle with tight spaces, no place to sit down, few to zero refreshments, poor lighting and insufficient electrical sources, not to mention accessibility issues and parking near the venue is overlooked – don’t forget them in your plan.

3. Start planning early, as far as a year ahead of time. Set the date first, decide on the theme, book the venue and secure it with a refundable deposit. Get the photo shoot done for the graphic work and marketing. Book the photographer/videographer, musicians, staging people and caterers (some might require deposits at time of booking). Compile your own sponsorship package to initiate the sponsorship drive.

4. Choose and book your preferred hairstylists and makeup artists early. They are probably in high demand and appreciate advance requests whether they are working full-time or are free-lance operators. Free-lance doesn’t imply free time any time; it means they have chosen to work according to a schedule outside the norm.

5. Interestingly, the fun part of the organizing a fashion show comes late in the process. Choosing the looks, the garments, the models, the music and the menus can be done a couple of months to a few weeks before the event. Printing up final guest lists and programs is usually done only hours before the event.

6. In your show day schedule, allow 1 to 1 1/2 hours preparation for hair and makeup for each model. Provide healthy option, small portion nosh, and plenty of drinking water for the stylist and models as they are usually at the venue for very long hours. Strictly avoid sticky foods and foods that are prone to staining fabrics. You’d be appalled at how often simply providing refreshments for models and stylists, (and volunteers) is overlooked at fashion events.

7. Provide private space for hair stylists, makeup artists and models. Some natural light, plenty of electrical outlets, layout space for equipment for each stylist to work on a seated model, are musts.

8. Don’t forget racks for garments to be spaced and hung properly. Forget the iron, and go for a steamer if you must. Not all dressers are familiar with fabric characteristics and can inadvertently cause disaster trying to help. Garments should be properly pressed prior to the show and transported with care in zipped garment bags long enough for the entire piece to hang freely at the hemline. Shoes should be transported in clear plastic shoe boxes to identify them quickly and protect them from potential damage. Insert all accessories in labelled zip lock bags, one for each model per look for the dresser to handle and track.

9. Have one dresser per model, and if possible have one assistant per dresser to re-hang garments and replace accessories after each look is shown. A lot of damage caused to garments, lost earning backs, and misplaced items, happens during the frenzy of undressing, rather than the dressing. Pack an emergency sewing kit with thread, needles, thimble, scissors, safety pins, clear nail polish, and band-aids.

10. Set up a storyboard (runway lineup) that is clearly posted with a photo in order of appearance each of model name and accessories per look where the models, dressers, and stage manager can all reference it. A personable and firm stage manager is invaluable!

11. Another insider tip to working these events is that they are all ‘hurry up and wait’ affairs. The venue is set up quickly, with various experts assembling in sequence. Be sensitive, helping hands are extremely useful when needed and a bit of a nuisance when surplus to immediate requirement.

12. Everyone needs a break and people do go missing during long wait breaks, but they should enlist a temporary replacement during their absence, or at least be tethered to a mobile phone switched ‘on’ as common courtesy. There is nothing more frustrating to a team leader than a member who goes AWOL. Unfortunately the reputation of those individuals is not easily forgotten.

13. One of the finer points is to say thank you, be thankful and let your team and supporters know that they are appreciated. If you are genuine, it is perceived as such.

The other side of fundraising events is the marketing, contacting sponsors, obtaining donations, gathering gift certificates, procuring door prizes, hosting raffles and silent auctions, and a complete mystery to me best handled by our event partner. Having a great partner is like having a right hand; for maximum efficiency, you need both a right and a left. I’m a believer, so I’m saying we’ve been ‘Blessed’ with a great partner. Nonetheless – for best results managing efficient and effective communication is crucial to success.

One final note is to have a Plan B. It isn’t mandatory to have a completed Plan B, but making notes and keeping options in the back of your head is. At each event something will go wrong at some stage. One year our photographer couldn’t make it, once our key speaker cancelled at the eleventh hour, one year extreme cold with a huge snowstorm slowed everything down, another year our modular display wall got lost in transit never to arrive, and people do become ill at the last minute. So, keep your contacts updated and your relationships healthy.

No matter how well it all turns out, someone will lose their car keys during the cleanup. Cheers! J

 

ECO GLAM – Save the Date! November 17th, 2013

Ecole Holt Couture – School of Couture Sewing Tailoring and Design’s 4th annual Fashion Event Fundraiser for Making Changes Association Calgary – ECO GLAM – is on Sunday November 17^th, at the Calgary Winter Club from 1pm to 5pm.

If you wonder how ecology and glamour could possibly synchronize, then you might want to see this year’s fashion event.  Ecole Holt Couture’s shares its view on how using high quality materials, extreme craftsmanship, and on how focusing on individual style can sustain the well-being of the planet, take care of people, and produce a profitable bottom line.

It may still be a secret to most, but it is no surprise that true Couture and Tailoring have honoured these concepts for a very long time. Wouldn’t you like to do something that you really love doing, know that you are doing your best to do the right thing, and earn a living doing it?

Let’s look at ‘Glamour’. Something that most of us can only aspire to, is really expense, and is totally impractical. Right?

The idea of supporting Fair trade practices, paying living wages, working and living conditions, global well being, “blah, blah, blah”- well is so – totally not about fashion. Right?

Wrong! We only don’t care about what we don’t know about, doesn’t affect us, or can’t change, but once we become aware of something it affects our consciousness and we can see and look at things from a different perspective, and affect change – even at our own seemingly insignificant level.

For most of us wearing clothes that actually last longer than a few months seems a bit weird because we  can’t imagine anything that is really worth hanging on to – other than for sentimental reasons….

We haven’t always needed to be so conscious of saving our planet using Green materials and who makes things and how things are made. If you’ve grown up in the last 15 years ‘repurposing materials’ is a new idea, but it is an ancient idea.  But, why would anyone spend so much money on clothing when you can pick up the latest and newest at the big box stores or at places like Top Shop really cheap? Why would anyone care to pay more?

What seems even more strange is that some people really love spending long hours creating something that totally engages their minds and hands, working on something that is not only beautiful, but also something that has more  purpose and meaning behind it than what appears on the surface, and that has taken years to learn and master!

Come and see what we experience:  a satisfying world, one of full of opportunity, beauty, fulfilment and sufficiency. Stay tuned for more…..

Eco Glam Fashion Event

 

EHC 2012 – Dress Code fashion event!

EHC 2012. Click on link for Dress Code in summary!http://animoto.com/play/XSV70fPvK5E11aIejo1avg

Dress Code opening act…