| Fas ion wai Lk’. WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 29: Family Services of the North Shore will host a trunk show of Valentino ready-to-wear, 1] am. to 3 pm. at 1477 W. 30th Stc., Vancouver. There will be a 10% discount on all fashions. No GST or PST will be charged. Ten per cent of all proceeds will benefit Family Services. For more informa- tion, call Fiona at 988-5281. TO OCT,1: Purchase a mfile ticket to win an_ original handmade quilt trom The Thread Bear in West Vancouver. The queen-size quilt —off-white, peach and _green, and valued at $2,006 — was created by volunteers and members of the West Vancouver Seniors Centre from materials provided by The TVhread Bear. Tickets are $2 each and can be purchased at the store, 1552 Marine Dr., or by. phone 922-0308. -Proceeds go to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. SATURDAY, OCT. 2: Wayne Gretzky will be at The Bay’s downtown store to launch his new collection of corporate casual -. essentials, lusive to The Bay. Fashion show at 11:45 a.m., question ‘and: answer session at noon, _ autograph signing from 12:20 to 1:30 p.m.. TO OCT. 31: Nomination ‘forms | are’ now - available’ at Fabricland . for’ the: fabric store’s Community Sewer :. Award. The award’ celebrates a home sewer dedicated to her craft. The winner-will receive a 4 “Package OCT. 22: 24: The Wedding . Guild” presents its . autumn iridal_ show to - showcase Vancouver’ next" peneration ~ “wedding . ‘services, » at ‘leritage Hal: 3102 Main St. Vancouver... Fashion - shows, rkshops, wine. tasting -and .. refreshments.° ours are 6 to 9 p.m. Friday and -Saturday, 10 “a.m.-to. 1. p.in.; Saturday and Sunday as well as -2to.-5 p.m. on Saturday. Tickets) are’ $20 through Ticketmaster at 280- ° ‘SUNDAY, OCT 24: Fashion Evolution, a fashion show produced by Chris Falcon and Nancouver. .. Ready-to-Wear * showcases the fashions of two dozen‘ of the city’s up-and- _ ® coming designers, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. at the Vancouver Trade and ‘: Convention '. Centre. “Tickets, $24.95: plus GST, _ through Ticketmaster at 280: 4444, ONGOING: The Cerebral Palsy Association of B.C. secks donations for its slothing. rogram. The asso- , Gaon tS several drop-off ¥ locations and free pick-up. . Call 205-9150 for more infor- mation. : ‘Layne Christensen FASHION FILE is a weekly” Sunday column. If your busi- nes or charity is planning a fastion show, send in your infor- mation as carly as possible to the North Shore News. Fax to 985- 2104 | or e-mail . from — Compiled by | : RETAILERS are start- ing to notice that size matters. Quoting statistics that chim 40% of North American women wear size 14 or up, stores as diverse as Fairweather and Halt Renfrew are expanding their merchandise to cater to this growing market. Last week, Holt Renfrew celebrated the opening of its plus-size department Fourteen/Twenty-fwo at its Vancouver store. The department teatures a mix of designer names, such as Anne Kiein, Marina Rinaldi, Eileen Fisher and Peter Nygard as well as Holt Renfrew’s own label mer- chandise. The collection is designed to serve the career, casua! and evening wear needs of the plus-size customer, the woman who wears sizes 14 through 22._ For the first time, a Holr Renfrew label mainstay, the Wardrober career package — a four-piece suit consisting of jacket, skirt, pant and knit - top — is being offered in sizes 14 through 22. The Wardrober retails for $598 and comes in a variety of colours. While the styles are guar- anteed to be chic, the price won't fit the budget of every plus-size woman, says Dawn Neubauer, a size 18 and co- | owner of Above Average _ boutique in Lower Lonsdale. “That’s great for lawyers,” she says. “But the woman who works at ICBC can’t - -; afford.$300 blazers.” ' At Above Average, locat- ed at 115 E..1se St., Neubauer caters to women sizes 16 to 26 on a wide range of budgets. A customer can pick up a pair of pants Layne Christensen ‘Fashion Editor layne@nsnews.com HEATHER Elrick says there is something the public should know about plus-size women. “We, too, swim, play golf, fall in love and get mar- ried,” says the Coquitlam-. based i image consultant. - What she means is that women who fit easily into a sampic size aren’t the only ones who covet fashionable and comfortable swimwear, active wear, evening wear and bridal gowns. Elrick figures there are five categories of plus-size women: teens, . seniors, petite plus, big and tall, and standard. -At 5°4” tall, Elrick could be pegged as petite plus. It’s not. that simple, she says. Like many plus-size women, she falls into a no-man’s land of sizing — a size 18 on the bottom and a size 12 on top. “I have a really difficult time shopping,” she notes. And, she says, she’s not alone in. this regard. north shore news ‘® FASHION _ New lines a pl talk from $28 to $110. When Weubauer and her sister, Debbie Dickie, first opened the store cight vears ayo, the boutique carried only lingerie. Now, fashions account for about 50% of the store’s sales, with bras and underpinnings making up the rest, Neubauer figures. The boutique carries fash- ion Jabels Jones New York, Piccadilly, Donna Donna and Asian Creations as well as Danskin. In terms of lingerie, Neubauer tends to steer away from what she calls “bed- room wear.” A recent foray into stretch lace teddies, ordered from an American manufacturer and marketed as suitable for the plus-size market, was a flop. The matching thong . underwear “wouldn’t even go around my thigh,” scoffs Neubauer, who complained to the manufacturer. Brandie Fontaine, opera- tions manager for Current is fairly certain she has a hit on her hands. ° The Vancouver clothing manufacturer and retailer, which currently has eight locations in the Lower Mainland, will debut its own plus-size clothing line at the end of this mon Called Parallel Lines, the clothing collection will be available in select Current boutiques, including the new West Van location at. That’s why Elrick leads a wardrobing workshop for plus-size women. Called New Beginnings, the classes “provide the ultimate guide to being stylish and feeling great with the body we have.” Next month, Elrick. will be offering che course through North Shore Continuing. Education. Four sessions, starting Oct. 7, run Thursdays from 6:30. to 9:30 p.m. The cost is $61. Location is Carson Graham secondary school at 2145 Jones in North Vancouver. Workshop participants will discover how to use fab- ric, colour and silhouette to * create a core wardrobe and learn about the power of first impressions. As well, Etrick will share tips on where to shop. “The choices here in Vancouver are sither low | end or really high end. There’s nothing moderately priced that is s¢ill really chic,” she says, adding apologetically. chat she makes the majority of her clothing purchases south of the border. The charcoal grey jersey jacket and coor- IN addition to introducing a plus-size clothing collection to its Dundarave bou- - . : Sunday, September 26, 1999 ~ North Shore News ~ 15 NEWS photo Brad Ledwidge - tique this fall, Current has added size 16 to its fail suiting promotion — > the $99 wool crepe jacket and coordinates worn mn by model Nicole Felan. wo Dundarave Mews. Available in sizes 18 through 20, the label includes career suiting and weekend wear. Five years ago, the aver- dinating skirt she wears to our meeting were both pur chased at Bellis\ Fair Washington State. Her plum sweater, a size XL, was bought off the rack ‘at Costco. Elrick received her fash- ion training at Braemar and age person was size 8. Now she’s size 12, says Fontaine, herself'a size 4. “Doing a size ringe that’ ° is size 4 to 14 is no longer sufficient,” she says. Braemar Petites, conducting © staff training and developing corporate apparel proggams ; for financial institutions” Listening to women’s clothing concerns, Elrick “realized that there’s _ a whole group of women — out there who have been neglected by this industry.” Wishing to go out on her own, she enroiled in BCIT’s Venture program and: devel- oped a business plan for an image consultancy. She caiied her new com- pany Stylemakers and before Jong her focus was catering to the plus-size market. “It’s incredible,” says Elrick. “1 feel like ’m such a pioneer. Doing this gives me so much satisfaction.” To register or for more information about New Beginnings, call North Shore Continuing Education at 903-3333. larger : IMAGE consultant Heather ; Another er plus for plus- -size _ Women: the company has “<.- * expanded its annual fall pro- motional grouping, which .- features a wool suit jacket’ ‘for’ just $99, to include size 16.: ‘Elrick . founded | Styiemakers, her Coquitiam-based company, to cater” .to the wardrobe needs of plus-size. women...