seuside

Giorgio Beverly Hills intro-
duces a new fragrance this
month, Called Ocean
Dream, itis the antithesis of
Giorgio’s brash signature
scent which epitomized the
-brash “80s. The fragrance is
soft and so are the bottles,
in soft coral, green, blue
and magenta, which take
their inspiration from wave-
beaten beach glass. The fra-
grance’s creators have
sought ta capture the
“olfactery spire” of the
ocean, Unusual essences
include mermaid, an aquat-
ic flowering plant found
along the coastline of Santa

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‘GIORGIG Beverly
Hillis introduces a new:
fragrance,... Ocean
Dream, - ai

~Barbaras’seaside heliotrepe,
a-diffusive’ flower. found in
«warm Pacific waters; aquat-

ic orange -blossom; and’

“blue .sea” sandalwood,
which combines sandal-
-wood’. oils from South

America, India and the’

“US. perfiime is $175 for
15 mL, caw de’ toilette is
$49 for 30 mL. Body wash
($39) and body moisturizer
($49) ‘contain sea plant
extracts, Dusting powder is
'$49.’Ocean Dream is avail-
able now at select Eaton’s,
The Bay and Scars stores,

“hair and there...
Avant Garde salon owner
Jon-Paul “Holt is running
out of display, space ‘in his
Yaletown studio for all the.
medals.and awards he and

his team ‘of stylists receive |

Photo submitted

AVANT Garde’s chic
coiffs garnered “best
makeover” kudos.

from the many competi-
tions they enter.

The North Vaneruver
resident returned — from
Toronto fast month with
two major hairstyling

- awards: Canadian
Hairdresser magazine's
gold medal for Team of the
Year, and a silver medal for
Best Makeover.

Avant Garde’s color
team will represent Western
Canada at the L*Oreal
International Colour
Awards in) Montreal in
November. Avant Garde
also has six finalists in the
Canadian Hairstyling
Awards. Those awards sill
be doled out in November
in Toronto. Stay tuned.

— Layne Christensen

NEWS photos Mike Wekefield

“THESE are my fashion models,” says Deep Cove
designer Kian Samet, who has. visions of a fashion

show with her miniature mannequins.

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Deep Cove designer Kian Samet sees a future in small business

_KIAN Samet has a closet filled with fabu-

lous frocks she has only ever worn once. -

’ For the Deep Cove
designer the fun is
-in the creating not
in the wearing.
“T get so excited ...
all of my stitches to
the fast one,” says
Samet, sitting in
her light-filled stu-
dio with its view of
the cove. “As soon
as it’s firJaned and

notes

’ [have it on I don’t like it any more. Then it’s on to

n

the next one

It’s an expensive indulgence, she admits, and one
that may put her in the poorhouse if she were to let
her passion consume her. But she thinks she’s found a
solution: produce all of her designs in miniature. Sue
can fulfill her creativiey and not have to worry wout
buying metres of costly fabrics and trims. ““linis way I
can atlord to have a collection every yer,” she says.
Samet was an X-ray technician in her “omeland of
Persia, When she came to Canada in 1970, sewing
and designing was just a hobby. But she quickly made
it her craft. She received her training in European
dressmaking and design from French and Italian cou-
turiers while still overseas. [n 1980 she showed a cap-
sule collection of her designs a¢ Hotel Vancouver. She
has since designed evening gowns and bridalwear for
private clients and taught European dressmaking,
techniques at Capilano College. She shares her design
ideas with News readers in her monthly column,
Master Pivees,

Her talents are also sought by the film industry.
Of late, she has sewn costumes for the TV series like
The Comonish and Sliders and the feature tilm
Unforgettable.

But it’s her miniatures, her “babies,” that give her
the most joy.

Samet knows she is too old to play with dolls but
her tabletop mannequins are not toys.

“H's not about a woman who plays with dolls,”
she explains. “It’s about a designer who couldn't hire
a model.”

“T couldn't attord Claudia Schiffer so 1 created my
own,” she laughs.

Some of her “house models” wear fantasy cre-
ations, Others wear exact replicas of Samet’s original
designs.

A black cocktail suit she made in °83 and wore
once toa charity function adorns a dressmaker's form
tucked in the corner of her home studio, [ts minia-

ture stands at its feet —the same black wool with
cream taffeta fan collar. Samet has turned her out in
style — long red nails, black suede pumps with white
scalloped stitching, real hair peaking out under a
jauntily perched patent fedora.

Another model cuts an elegant figure in a velvet
sheath dress with mink cap
and collar. The impudent
could cast a downward glance
and ogle her blush-colored
lace bustier. You see, Same.
has taken care of ever. fecail.

Her miniatures are a labor
of love. Each one typically
takes her three days to com-
plete.

Taere are the logistics.
Tae collar on one is smaller
than Samet’s pinkie. The skirt
of another is invisibly
attached to its fabric back-
drop. Everything is stitched,
both by machine and hand.
Nothing is glued. Samet uses
dressmaker’s techniques to
construct them all — full lin-
ings, hems, darts and in-set
sleeves.

Another model wears an
exact replica of a dress Samet
wore toa wedding when she
was 2(). [t’s a senstrously slim
gown with a deep V-neck
edged in sequins. She wears a
velvet and tulle beaded hat
and bows on her shoes. Red
painted toes flash out from
black mesh pumps, Though
gach is impeccably made,
Samet says it's not about
technique.

“This is not about sewing,
this is about the art of fash-
ion,” she comments, Hutfing
the face skirt of one of her
“girls.”

There is another reason
for her care. Samet and her
husband were notable to
have children, She would
have loved a daughter. Now she has many,

She considers one mannequin dressed in a strap-
less gold lace party dress. “f just imagine her coming,
back fram a party. She's about 25 or sa. Just like T
was,” says the designer. Samer has given her a jacket.

Tr’s draped over her arm °
but she might need it
later if there’s a'chill in’.
the air. A thoughtful *
gesture.

There is a business

THE creator and the creation —- both in velvet, sequins and lace.

side to all this, however. Samet bas a copyright on her
concept and thinks her concept would appeal to the
bride who wants to immortalize that special day by
having a faithful recreation — in miniature, of course
~- of her bridal gown.

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