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THOSE TIMES are upon us for nocturnal
niceties like champagne toasts and fond
embraces, with dresses cut down to there and
jewels piled up to there.

By Carol Crenna
Contributing Writer

Sequins, taffeta, gold lurex, velvet and black
crepe top the trends for Hollywood glarnor this sea-
son.

Leave your simple sheath, your so - so evening
suit and other fade-into-the-woodwork standbys at
home on those particularly dressy evenings. You're
out to make heads turn.

if nothing in your closet quite lives up to the for-
mal party circuit, but Christmas budgets leave little
room for frivolity, there are places to find nighttime
attire for less.

Dynamic designer holiday wear is sold for
‘wholesale price and below at secret little shops in
Vancouver,

One designer outlet selling only the best quality
labeis is called Fine Finds in Kerrisdale at 6272
East Boulevard.

The modest exterior of Fine Finds hints at its
being a designer discount store, but once inside you
soon forget that it's anything but an exclusive,
upscale boutique.

Imports from Milan, Germany and Paris. onc-of-
a-kind originals and new Canadian designer labels
are purchased through Montreal wholesalers.

The owner, Maria Cowan, buys only one or two
of each item, which she carefully selects and sells
for at least 40% off retail, and often discounts from
50 to 60%. .

Cowan states, “If you are used to shopping in the
better stores in Vancouver, but you don’t always
want to pay the prices, we're an alternative.

“We have a very loyal clientele, some presti-
gious customers from as far away as San Fransisco
and Whitehorse, but they don’t tell their friends
because they want to keep it a secret.”

Though the North Shore News can‘t reveal the
labels she carries. and she clips the labels out, to
protect other retailers selling the merchandise at
regular price, Cowan is happy to disclose the cluth-

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