Fashion and beauty primer

CYNTHIA RAMSAY

Spring is the perfect time to try out a new look, and the advertisers in this year’s Jewish Independent Fashion & Beauty section are the perfect places to put together your new wardrobe or indulge in a new beauty treatment.

The latest fashions

DNZ ([email protected], 604-569-3776) is focused on “quality, fashion, comfort and environment.” The store carries brands like Fitflops, Mjus and Urban Toes in the shoe sector, and Margarita and Matti Mamane (Israeli brands), Poools (Dutch), Colleen Eitzen (South Africa), Elroy, Alchemy and Public Myth (local) in its clothing section, as well as jewelry from all over (Israel, the United States, Canada and elsewhere), scarves, belts and other fashionable things, and would be the perfect place to go for a Mother’s Day or bat mitzvah gift, or just to update your wardrobe.

Double Happiness 2011 (olseneurope.com or doublehappiness.me) is the third collection produced by international fashion brand Olsen Europe – and it’s a win-win-win collaboration.

“The initiative, Empowering Women Worldwide, was set up to provide sustainable aid to women’s projects all over the world by sharing Olsen Europe’s expertise,” explained Sabrina Masud, marketing and public relations coordinator for Olsen Europe. “The partner- ship between Olsen Europe, Sadhna and Plan Canada is unique: Olsen Europe donates the industry knowledge and the women of Sadhna, India, create and embroider the garments, gain business skills and a percentage of the proceeds. Double Happiness provides a livelihood to earn a living, open a bank account, provide for themselves and their families, manage their own money and, ultimately, empower their lives by gaining confidence and self-esteem.”

Dragon & Phoenix Designer Consignments (dragonandphoenix.ca, 604-261-1317) is nearing its 30th year in business. Established in 1982, “Dragon & Phoenix continues to transform in order to meet, and exceed, the needs of its ever-growing and constantly changing clientele,” explained Audrey Hubbard.

“A team of buyers with a well-defined esthetic select only the most current and desirable items, in the best condition,” reads the store’s website. “With a full range of labels from around the world, Dragon & Phoenix offers everything from business attire, evening wear, designer wear, to urban casual sportswear, athletic wear and a huge selection of the latest denim styles. An array of shoes and accessories including jewelry, purses, wallets, belts, sunglasses and frames is always available. Presented in a clean, modern space, one can spend hours foraging through the dozens of racks, discovering thousands of items; or, if pressed for time, one can ask a member of our knowledgeable staff to help find the perfect elusive piece.”

Enda B (enda-b.com, 604-228-1214), located in Point Grey’s West 10th shopping district, “has had a spring makeover. It has a fresh new logo, website and blog, as well as a gorgeous spring campaign featuring the hottest looks of the season,” according to promotional materials. “With its exclusive Pennyblack Collection (Div of Max Mara) and host of designer brands, including Eileen Fisher, DKNY and Elie Tahari, the store prides itself in keeping its customers up to date in the latest styles. In addition to consistently offering exciting new brands, such as the denim essential J Brand and celebrity favorite Rebecca Minkoff bags, the store is an established fashion destination.”

Jack & Jill Clothing Inc. (jacknjillclothing.com) is celebrating 15 years of business and its success is evident by the fact that, along with its original location on South Granville (604-738-2700), there are now also stores in West Vancouver (604-922-2701), Coquitlam Centre Mall (604-552-5564) and Grandview Corners in South Surrey (604-536-2771).

“Jack & Jill is a store for women who love quality clothing, a touch of Europe and the accessories that help to make shopping an exciting destination,” Rose Catanzaro told the Independent. “Over the years, our customers have enjoyed our unique European lines from Stockholm, Paris, Denmark and the United Kingdom and our lines from New York, to name a few. We travel all over the world to find unique styles for our customers while being extremely careful about where and how the product is made.

“We view our clients as a beautiful canvas, where we can create and design to have them look their best,” she continued. “We inspire each woman to have fun in her shopping experience while we draw out her beauty to look her best in the most exquisite fashion pieces.”

Catanzaro added, “We pride ourselves in placing excellent service above all else, while providing head-to-toe dressing, flexible payment plans, extended hours and personalized one-on-one styling. We go the extra distance to make you feel special.”

My Best Friend’s Closet (mybestfriendscloset.ca, 604- 879-6232) is a boutique-style women’s resale shop located at West 16th and Cambie, carrying a range of clothing, shoes, accessories and jewelry, both new and consigned. The Independent (“Clothes for all types of women”) found the store to be “a warm and inviting space, equipped with a bag of toys for kids and a husband’s corner, replete with magazines to keep men happy while their partners shop.”

Petite Fashions (petitefashions.ca) carries such brands as Bianca Nygard, Simon Chang Denim, Fen-nelli, Ingenuity, Lana Lee, Jones NY, London Fog, Parkhurst, Spanner, Picadilly Fashions, Yak Magic and many others.

“For more than four decades, the Chark family has been devoted to maintaining a successful ladies wear operation, specializing in petites,” said owner Marni Tritt, adding that, originally located at Georgia and Granville, they now have two locations, in Kerrisdale and White Rock. Over the many years, the Charks and their staff have outfitted ladies in the community. “With the passing of the patriarch of the business, Burt Chark, and the current challenges facing the retail sector,” said Tritt, “the family has decided to retire the business at the end of August 2011. [We] hope you will drop by and view the beautiful spring collection and bid farewell to one of Vancouver’s longest-standing independent retailers.”

More about the family’s history in the apparel business can be found on Petite Fashions’ website, starting from when, “Growing up in his parents’ store, Bests Apparel, Burt was taught all the ‘tricks of the trade.’ At 16 years old, he was in the store on weekends, changing window displays and greeting customers.” Burt Chark and his wife, Carole, and their children, Michael and Marni, have truly dedicated their lives to the business, and it will be sad to see Petite Fashions close the doors of its shops in Kerrisdale on West 41st (604-266-3577) and in Windsor Square in White Rock (604-541-1254).

The beauty realm

Anti-Aging Medical and Laser Clinic (antiagingvancouver.com, 604-261-9121) came into being when Dr. Gidon Frame transitioned from family practice to esthetic and preventative medicine. He is medical director of both the Anti-Aging clinic and Old Orchard Medical Clinic in Burnaby, according to the clinic’s website.

Certified by the American Board of Anti-Aging and Restorative Medicine, Frame initially provided private consultations and then, in 2003, he and his wife, Nadine, established the Anti-Aging clinic in Kerrisdale.

“This evolving and exciting approach to health care involves preventative health, hormone optimization, menopause and andropause management,” explained Nadine Frame. She also noted, “As boomers age, they demand optimized medical functioning, as well as looking the best they can. This has led Dr. Frame to offer exciting new injectibles, lasers and ultrasound devices that can remove wrinkles, lift cheeks, shape noses and chins, as well as shrink belly fat.”

Nadine Frame highlighted some of the latest techniques and technology that are now available at the clinic: Fraxel Re:store Dual to remove sun damage, aging pigment and wrinkles; Liposonix, which targets high-intensity focused ultrasound to destroy fat cells; eLaser, which uses a diode laser and radiofrequency to target hair on all skin types; and Juvéderm Voluma, which can augment cheeks, nasal bridges, chins, jaw lines and hands for up to 12-18 months.

Kits Beauty Spa (kitsbeautyspa.ca, 604-228-8286) has been a part of the Kerrisdale community for 12 years. Specializing in facial therapies, eye-lifting firming, advanced pedicures, body therapies (including body massage and special slimming and firming body wraps), waxing and tinting, the spa offers several different packages and features monthly specials on its website.

“We use quality products, such as the Swiss medical-grade lines of Physiodermie and SwissMed, world-renown for effective and lasting facial treatment and body care, coupled with beauty technology ... to provide the best possible results for our valued clients,” spa owner Kit Tung, who is also a certified master pedicurist (North American School of Podology), told the Independent. Tung also noted that the spa has two technologically advanced machines (made in France) that provide “effective but gentle pneumatic lymphatic drainage [and] detoxification” and also are used for “cellulite, body contouring, face lifting and firming, wrinkles [and] scars.”

Rufina’s Cellulite Solution and Anti-Aging Clinic (skinandbodyclinic.com, 604-737-7060) is owned by Rufina Kraychik, who has more than 35 years experience in women’s health and beauty. A member of the Canadian Esthetics Association’s board of directors, her brief biography on the association’s website describes Kraychik as “a world-renowned physiotherapist and cosmetologist, who has worked for legendary Christian Dior, Nina Ricci and Estee Lauder, just to name a few. She has written two popular books, as well as has been internationally recognized and awarded for many years.

“Rufina is a big believer in pure and natural ingredients, as well as applying wisdom of the ages with the latest technology to help rejuvenate the face and reshape the body,” it continues, noting that she operates her clinic based on these ideals.

Rufina’s body services include LPG (lipo massage endermologic), which is a medically approved non-invasive treatment that reduces cellulite; VelaShape, which is described as a nonsurgical alternative to liposuction; Alpha Spa, a dry heat sauna with gentle massage vibrations and aromatherapy; and ProEllixe, a piece of exercise equipment that people are welcome to come in and try out for 10 minutes on their lunch hour or coffee break. Skin services include hair removal, nonsurgical face-lift, microdermabrasion, etc.

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