GAP is turning 40 years old

Yesterday, the GAP held a fashionable fête to mark the 40th “Born to Share” anniversary at their downtown location. They had their new premium denim collection in stock (the deconstructed skinny in the dark indigo wash was very popular. There was only 3 pairs left when we got there!) and scored 25% off all merchandise that night. DJ Auntie Em was spinning the tracks (and there were some old-school tunes playing! ) and lots of party favours, including mini-makeovers by Beautymark, a sweet buffet by Frankie’s Candy Bar and refreshments by Vitamin Water and Fuze. They even had a popcorn machine, like the kind you find at the fair! I hit that up pretty fast.

I got my makeup touched up by the lovely people at Beautymark (it was HAWT out and I could feel my makeup sliding off my face) and with every mini-makeover, you received a Beautymark gift card. You have to go to Beautymark to find out how much is on the card (it ranges from $5 to $500!), so I'll be sure to book it down there after work soon.

What could be more fun than a bag full of gummy insects? Mmm... spiders...

***

Today, after work, I booked it down to the Scotiabank Dance Centre to line up for the annual Spend on Trend event. The event showcases hot new designs from established and upcoming Canadian designers of clothing, jewellery and accessories. The first 25 people through the door each day will receive a fabulous goodie bag filled with great stuff such as a copy of FASHION magainze, Catalyst Reaction keychain, a yelp! shotglass and more. Hence, the reason for my speed in getting down there. Partial proceeds donated to BC Cancer Foundation supporting Breast Cancer Research and Care. It feels good to shop while support a good cause. Makes all the money spending a little more worthwhile. At least that's how I like to think about it.

holiday shopathon begins tonight!

Hosted by The Style Spy and gloss event + design, it's a shopping event held at four shops (Fine Finds, Blubird, Wink Beauty Lounge and Orb) where you can enjoy great discounts, special gifts with purchase and goodie bags as well as complimentary bubbly, great music and yummy appetizers.

First up, is Fine Finds boutique at 5PM, then onto the RW&CO shopping party at 6PM and our last stop at the VIP party at the GAP downtown. I will be wearing flats tonight!

I thought that I could just wander into Fine Finds boutique, pick out a feathered headband for a friend and maybe purchase a bird necklace that I've been eying and that would be the end of it. But, of course, it's never that easy. Ended up dropping over $100 and there was no alcohol to blame this time.

Arrived at Fine Finds at exactly 5:01PM only to find that they were still setting up their sound system and the alcohol had yet to be open. No worries. We breezed on by and started checking out the goods. Silky satin beauty sleep eye masks, feathered headbands galore and lots of things to ohhh and ahhh over. So many cute things to buy, but I was trying to reign it in, remembering my mental check-list of things that need to be bought, wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree (which will be up this coming up weekend!). But I couldn't say no to a gorgeous dark black green feathered Miller headband by A Farmer's Daughter (I can wear it at Christmas parties! Weddings! Birthday parties! Clubbing!), the necklace that I wanted and a lovely Mae headband for Shar. I also won a free pair of sunnies! They had envelopes pinned to the wall and after filling out your contact information, you can grab an envelope, open it up and find additional discounts and prizes inside. I got a free pair of Mercury sunglasses and my friend got a 50% discount off bath items (which she generously gave to me to use to buy some sweet-smelling luxurious hand lotion). Then it was off to the RW&Co shopping party, but not before we picked up our goody bags filled with Vitamin water, gift certificates to Glowbal Restaurant, a sample of Vera Wang's Princess perfume and other little goodies.

RW&Co's shopping party was a bit lackluster, as there was a small crowd just milling around waiting for their name to be called in a draw to win prizes. I didn't find what I was looking for there (is it that hard to find a sweater dress that isn't black?), but I managed to get a free copy of the latest LOULOU magazine (they were sponsoring the event) and a bottle of RW&Co water.

Final stop at the GAP! And what an event! They had some steep discounts for the one night: when you buy one item, you get 50% off the second item (anything in the store), as well as an additional 20% off the first item and an extra 15% off the second item! At first, I thought this applied to clothes only, but I still got a discount on my hats! I bought the light grey herringbone bucket hat and a grey sweater knit beanie. Now, I'm covered for the holiday season (pun intended!).

Sweet white wine and delicious hors d'oeuvres (cubed watermelon with prosciutto anyone?) were being served as we gingerly maneuvered our way around the aisles to avoid dropping our wine glasses while shopping bags and clothes or items that we wanted to buy. After hours of shopping, it was time to call it a night and with our GAP goody bag in hand (hand cream and lipbalm), it was time to head home and study for an exam the following morning. Boo!

getting tipsy on white wine

Last night was spent at an exclusive GAP shopping event where we checked out the new stock while we sipped on sparkling water/white wine, chowed down on yummy hors d'oeuvres and enjoyed a 20% discount on all purchases made that evening.

The talented Patrick Robinson designed GAP's 2008 fall fashions and it looks pretty damn good. Lots of casual looks: layering tops and sweaters, drop-waist dresses, plaid, great coats and jackets, a twist on the classics, all in slate and heathered greys, plummy purples and warm earth tones with an unexpected splash of yellow. I bought myself two pairs of tights and I'm planning to keep an eye on these lovely items:

It has a detachable liner inside and the collar can also be taken off separately. It's perfect for those warm sunny autumn days and will take you well into the fall when the leaves change colours and the days get shorter. Definitely a must for my closet.


Too cute for words. It'll look great with my black cable-knit tights that I bought and my black and white Oxford pumps with side cut-outs or these beauties which will be mine very, very soon: