The End

It is with great regret that I announce I will officially no longer be updating The Commodified.

The Commodified was as tribute to the city I live in and love, Vancouver. This blog has acted as an outlet for me to express my enthusiasm for the changes I have wanted to see in Vancouver. And in the two years I have been documenting street style here, these changes have occurred. Each day, with my eye on the street, my belief that Vancouver is world-class city worthy of note in the realms of fashion and style, has been reaffirmed. New boutiques opening all over town; local designers, stylists, and photographers getting the recognition they deserve; people on the street feeling inspired to 'get dressed' without need of a reason (and I say that in contrast to the idea of simply 'putting on clothes').

That being said, many people have come to learn that it was not the fashion of Vancouver that intrigued me most, but rather the people. We are blessed with such a wonderful community of like-minded individuals: those people who are shaping this city with positive attitude alone and calling on the world to spectate. Thank you to everyone who has sent me emails, myspace comments and facebook messages to express the inspiration you have felt from my writing or photography. You embody everything which I have mentioned above.

Although this is perhaps the end of The Commodified, this is not the end of my devotion to Vancouver. I am excited about the new projects I have on the horizon, one of which of course being my new FASHION Magazine blog, Zeitgeist!. Nor is this the end of street style in Vancouver. It is my greatest hope that a new blog will pick up where I have left off. And to whoever is passionate enough to embark on such an endeavour, I would be more than happy to pass you any advice you may be seeking.

I will continue to check my email periodically, as I am always interested in hearing from those people who have shared in my experience with The Commodified. And, I am eager to continue learning about the exciting things going on in the city. I can be reached at thecommodified@gmail.com if you would like to communicate.

Thank you once again, and all the best!

Craig

VANCOUVER - Carrall & Alexander

This photo was taken by Rebecca Tay outside of Chill Winston in Gastown. The photo was originally intended for the FASHION Magazine blog FASHION Lovelies, but Rebecca opted to send it our way instead!

VANCOUVER - Commercial & East 2nd

VANCOUVER - Granville & Georgia

I think Vancouver is giving Tokyo a run for its money here.

Vancouver - Granville Street Bridge

This is about people. Living, breathing, city-dwelling people. Its about waking up in the morning and putting on clothes, not knowing where the day may take you. This is about capturing one single moment, on any such day.

This about who you are, and who you want to be, and probably even more so, who you put forward to the world and how we make sense of it.

This is about finding beauty in the otherwise mundane everyday. It's about creating intrigue and offering inspiration.

This is about life style not street style. Its about aesthetic sensibilities. It's to do with currency rather than novelty.

If fashion is the result, so be it. But it is not the intention.

VANCOUVER - Friday the 13th

VANCOUVER - Nightime

VANCOUVER - H&M Opening Press Event

Here is a shot Dani got from the press event for the H&M flagship store opening at Pacific Centre. There were a ton of stylish people there, but it was far too crowded and busy to pull people aside for photos, which explains this solitary photo. I think Bitsy also snapped one or two, so hopefully it will be redirected my way and posted shortly.

VANCOUVER - Main Street

Speaking of the relationship between music and style, yesterday I hung out with Lauren Toyota of Much Music's Going Coastal. We chatted a bit about the blog, and a bit about the city, but spent the majority of our time hunting down these stylish individuals. I think the episode will air on Sunday, June 1st, if you want to tune in!

VANCOUVER - Commercial & 8th

This is Thomas, a member of Vancouver's The Green Hour. I have to encourage you to check out their myspace page (linked above) because their music is actually quite good. In fact, really good. And anyone who knows me, know that I'm not nearly as passionate about Vancouver's music scene as I am about its street style. However, when I do find a local band I like, I get really excited. Which is why I can't wait for their performance tomorrow night (Saturday) at The Railway Club.

But what is even better about the Green Hour is that these are four incredibly well dressed guys, albeit they look like they walked straight out of the 1960s. I mean, when you see them all walking down the street together its a bit funny, especially out of context. But on stage, they are pretty damn cool. These are four guys who definitely understand the importance of creating an image. So much of our appreciation of music is involved in visualisation -- which is why so many musicians of the past have been as equally recognized as style icons, as they are music legends. The Green Hour give us a sense of this, as they draw inspiration in style from the same era their music refers to.

VANCOUVER - Photos by Bitsy

VANCOUVER - Photos by Meredith

MONTREAL - Worn Journal Issue 6 Release, Slow Dance Prom

To celebrate the release of their 6th issue, Montreal's Worn Fashion Journal threw a Slow Dance Prom. And what a fitting, nostalgic idea they had to set up a photobooth. The pictures turned out beautifully! Check out their flickr album. Although I couldn't attend the event myself, it was an important event for The Commodified: a collection of photos from my archives appear on the back cover this new issue. If you are in and around Montreal, Toronto, or New York, here is a list of locations where you can find a copy!

VANCOUVER - Ion Magazine 5th Anniversary Party

Shout out to ION on their fifth birthday!

great vancouver collaborative

The fashion article in this month's issue of Infamous Magazine about "5 BC Fashion Designers on the Rise" is a pretty wonderful thing. Its a collaboration between some of the most inspiring people in Vancouver, above and beyond the designers mentioned.

First, the article is written by Maeve Doyle, who is in my opinion, an important figure in Vancouver's fashion industry. Whether its her production and publicity company, her foray into journalism, or the classes she instructs at John Casablancas, she's always up to something to help inspire and promote.

Next, we have photography by Fiona Garden. Fiona Garden's photography is pretty much a staple in all Vancouver's important fashion publications. If you keep up with these magazines, then you've probably seen her work countless times and thought, "Wow. What an incredible photograph!" without even realizing it was her each time.

Vancouver is no Paris or New York, I'm willing to admit. But every now and then I come across an editorial spread and forget that for a second. Why? Because stylist Shiva Shabani has masterfully created ensembles with resources you didn't even know existed in this city. This time, she worked with Maeve's Top 5 picks to create yet another stunning collection.

Maeve's Top 5:

Kulpa by Joanna Kulpa
Lily+Jae by Judith Feller
Mandula by Hajnalka Mandula
Bloodline by Malcolm Norman
Jason Matlo

VANCOUVER - Commercial & 4th

i can't look at this photo and not think of a past marc by marc jacobs collection, that has been such a source of inpiration for my current aesthetic sensibilities and style. so much so that bought a pair of glasses similar to those above from a montreal thrift shop last summer. i've never been able to convince myself to leave the house wearing them, probably because i'm lacking the serious moustache that completes the ensemble. compliments to him for beating me to it, and looking way better than i ever could.

VANCOUVER - BC Fashion Week, Nicole Bridger Presentation

For more BCFW coverage, check out The Conveyor Belt. To find out more about Nicole Bridger, visit her website.

VANCOUVER - Grace Gallery, East 3rd & Main

This is the first set of photos from another new contributor, Laura Macdonald.

VANCOUVER - Granville Station

VANCOUVER - South Granville

VANCOUVER - Water Street

VANCOUVER - The Style Spy Presents: Fabulous Life, The Bay Downtown

VANCOUVER - Commercial & Broadway

VANCOUVER - Photos by Meredith

Photos by The Commodified's latest contributor, Meredith Carr.

VANCOUVER - Ruffles Presents: Crayon

The premise of this party was to wear one any colour, but only one colour. Hosted by Ruffles.

VANCOUVER - Simon Fraser University

Photo courtesy of Trisha L.

Seeking Contributors

Email thecommodified@gmail.com for more info.

VANCOUVER - Stanley Park

VANCOUVER - Downtown

* Dunsmiur & Howe


* Thurlow & Robson


* Thurlow & Robson
* On the left is Reed, a past contributor to The Commodified.

VANCOUVER - Rainy Tuesday

* Alexander Street, Gastown


* Vancouver Art Gallery, Robson Square

New Years Eve Controversy

"Simply Horrific"
January 3, 2008, 1:53 am

demiCouture.ca wrote:

I decided to check out The Commodified (a Vancouver hipster street style blog), and found an image that truly stood out and absolutely horrified me (posted below).



I won’t even go into what is wrong with this girls’ outfit (because that is too painfully obvious to bother discussing), but jump straight to the hideous display of disrespect from this little blond twat for the man pictured.

The look on his face while he holds that plate of pizza juxtaposed with her disgusting Paris Hilton-esque kissy face and pink pepto 80s mini dress makes me ill. Seeing this photo on a blog that gets a fair bit of exposure and has a high readership is silly and embarrassing.

Come on guys, you should really know better.

***

Victoria, the blog author, has encouraged me to post the response i left her:

I appreciate the discussion you’ve brought up! When I took this picture I was really hesitant because I didn’t want to be perceived as exploiting the man. I took the risk, though, because I thought it was important too portray a less glamorous image of street style. Her outfit epitomizes the excesses of fashion. Whoever designed this 1980s prom dress was clearly inspired by Christian Lacroix, whose extravagant dresses parodied the materiality of 1980s wealth. So perhaps it is appropriate that the girl pictured is posing beside a downtown eastside resident?

I've since raked through some of my texts for some interesting literature on this subject. Pictured below is one of Lacrox's famous 1987 Pouf dresses:

"Fashion cannot be separated from conspicuous consumption... in eras of inequality, conspicuous consumption has to be understood as a social norm... [and] as a necessary imperative for the insistent representation of social distance and social hierarchy." - Gilles Lipovetsky

"During the 1980s throughout the industrialized world, people in the top economic strata enjoyed significant increases in disposable income, and responded by flaunting their wealth in the purchase of consumer goods, including clothing." Valerie Steele, in Fifty Years of Fashion

"Conspicuous consumption... during the Reagan years was regarded as a badge of personal achievement. The heroes of the eighties... outfitted their wives in dresses by Christian Lacroix" - Holly Burbach in The New Yorker

"His clothes were not simply opulent and luxurious. . . Lacroix was a witty iconoclast, who was not afraid to go over the top." Valerie Steele, in Fifty Years of Fashion

"Lacroix makes clothes of such extravagant, gorgeous excess as to divide the classes once and for all." - Julie Baumgold, in Dancing on the Lip of the Volcano

Some interesting trivia about Lacroix: he revealed his first collection under his own name in 1987; the same night the stock market crashed. Many fashion journalists joked that his dresses were excessive to the point of being "crash chic".

Best of 2007

Here are some of my favourite photos from the last year:
















*singapore


*bangkok


*montreal


*montreal


*montreal


*montreal


*montreal


*photo by reed


*montreal


*montreal


*montreal




*montreal