Summer Wine.

Well, I can’t say that I know what happened with the weather here in Canada, but I do know one thing: I LOVE IT! The sun has finally taken over and fought off that awful cold weather that seemed to want to overstay it’s welcome.

Now that classes and exams are over, I took the week off to relax and get away from it all. This past weekend was a lot of fun, most of which spent in the sun. I also drove down to Calgary with my family on Saturday for some shopping and a change of scenery. I managed to find a few gifts for myself as rewards for finishing a tough year of classes. Surprisingly, the weather in Edmonton has been a lot nicer than Calgary even though they are farther south in the province. That made me eager to come back home after my shopping trip was through, mostly to soak up the last few hours of heat in Edmonton with a nice glass of red wine before going off into a post-shopping coma.

I wanted to keep my outfit really light and easy, because I would be in the car for most of the day (6 hours total round trip). I wore my yellow, oversized linen-blend shirt from Club Monaco with my distressed Zara jeans for a really comfortable and relaxed summer look. I also wore my favourite new scarf from Club Monaco with an awesome tribal print and neutral, earthy colours. I also really love mixing and matching different accessories in the summer to add to my look, so I chose my Michael Kors Tristan Aviators (I love them so much I have them in two colours), and some assorted bracelets paired with my Michael Kors Gold Runway Watch.

And with that, I am off to enjoy another relazing day in the sun – I hope everyone else is enjoying a beautiful start to the summer season!

-Andrew

Oversized Shirt, Scarf & Bracelet: Club Monaco // Jeans: Zara // Runway Watch & Aviators: Michael Kors

Ready, Set, Spring.

I have been so busy with final exams and portfolios this month, and I have missed my blog so much! Although the city isn’t quite as warm as it could be for this time of year, we are all making due with any chance we may have to dress lighter. I have one more exam this week, and then it looks as though the weather may take a turn for the better by the time my summer vacation really begins.

For this outfit I just chose to wear my super relaxed, faded Nudie Jeans paired with an oversized H&M shirt. I kept the accessories bronzed and worn looking, and stuck to a gold aviator for something relaxed and simple. I think that this overall look will be my go-to for the upcoming summer season. It is so relaxed and easy, and there is nothing better than a light, oversized t-shirt when the weather hits the 30 degree range!

I hope everyone has had a great month of April, and good luck on all of your exams!

Andrew

Jeans: Nudie Jeans // Sunglasses, T-Shirt & Sunglasses: H&M // Accessories: Club Monaco, Michael Kors, OAK + FORT

Styling/Editing: Andrew Eirich // Photography: Scot Allan

Take a listen to some of my new favourite music for sunny days:

Twenty-One.

Today, I am 21 years old. I’ve always loved having an April first birthday, and I am looking forward to celebrating with friends over the next few days (we’re all busy with finals right now). I can’t believe how the years have passed, and now I am legal around the world! Next time I go to New York I will finally get to experience some of the amazing nightlife and sip on some wine at any one of their amazing restaurants. I’m looking forward to an amazing year ahead!

I wore this outfit to the closing night of Western Canada Fashion Week, and what a finale it was. The headliners included Stanley Carroll, Angelique Chmielewski, and Kaadiki who was a newcomer to the Edmonton stage. I’ve already started picking pieces from the collections that I want for myself, including some amazing neon yellow colour block shorts from Kaadiki. Overall, the shows were all really well presented, and this night finally showcased some of our best talent in the city. I was really sad to have missed the LUXX ready to wear show and Nicole Campre from the day before, because those are two other must see shows at fashion week! I may or may not have been one of the most colourful people at the shows that night, but I really just couldn’t help and go all out Spring now that the city has finally been warming up.

I attended the shows with some old blog friends of mine, and met some new ones. Alyssa from The Ordinary Peoples, Janis from Dress Me Dearly, and first time wcfw’er Vincent from Binzento were all front row that night with me. It was a lot of fun to catch up with the bloggers again and interact in our natural habitat. Hopefully we will all get together soon!

Cardigan: H&M // Tank: Top Man // Pants & Mocassins: Zara // Sunglasses: Simons // Watch: Michael Kors

Styling/Editing: Andrew Eirich // Photography: Alyssa Lau

 With only a few days left of cold weather in Edmonton before (hopefully) the big spring melt of 2013 will commence, I decided to post a look I put together a while back that I hadn’t posted. I went for a coffee date with the always lovely Marie Zydek (of Marie a la Mode) and we snapped these photos on a chilly, but sunny day a few days before we had our once-in-a-century blizzard.

My 21st Birthday is coming up next week (Monday, April 1st to be exact), and I am hoping that the weather network isn’t playing an April Fools joke on all of us with their forecast calling for temperatures in the positive double digits and up. I think we totally deserve the warmth and sunshine, and I think it would make for the perfect Birthday gift!

For this outfit, I wore a drape-front cardigan which is another new piece from OAK + FORT that I am absolutely in love with! It is really difficult to find a men’s drape-front cardigan that isn’t too long in the front and too short in the back, or that simply has too much bulk and fabric in general. This is the best one I’ve found yet, so I absolutely had to pick it up! I paired it with an awesome printed tank that I recently picked up at Simons and my trusty Cheap Monday jeans that have always been a go to pair for me.

Hopefully the weather will clear up soon, but nevertheless I have started building up some awesome summer playlists. I’ve recently found some amazing chill wave artists that will definitely be on repeat (videos below) in my car with the sunroof open and the sun pouring in. Now all I need is mother nature to help me out on a few of those elements and summer will be off to a great start!

Cardigan: OAK + FORT // Tank: Shades of Grey (Micah Cohen @ Simons) // Jeans: Cheap Monday // Boots: Zara // Sunglasses: Prada

Styling/Editing: Andrew Eirich // Photographer: Marie Zydek

Spray Art.

I recently attended an amazing street-art opening hosted by a friend and coworker of mine and her boyfriend. They work collaboratively on a lot of the pieces displayed directly on the walls (like the one I am standing in front of), but the canvases shown were all created by my friend’s very talented boyfriend. The event had a great turnout and was hosted in the basement level of the Mercer building on 104st. The art took centre stage, and the brightly-colored, cartoon-inspired canvases have already been selling out to some really excited art fans. My friend Annaliza added some flair to the already cool evening by hosting a fashion show of some outrageous cartoon-inspired looks on female models. Bright hair, colourful makeup, lots of faux fur and retro 90′s clothes. Overall, the event was so much fun and really unlike anything we usually see in Edmonton – I hope we see more events like this from this amazing power couple very soon!

For the event I chose to wear something really fun and urban, or at least as urban as I go when I get dressed up! I wore a studded denim shirt underneath a really psychedelic giraffe/camo print sweater. I paired down the look by wearing dark green pants that complimented the spots on my sweater, and brown leather boots to give just enough fun print. I really loved this look, and I enjoyed blending in with the colourful walls that were filled with art!

Happy Friday everyone and if you are in Edmonton, like me, stay warm and drive carefully through this crazy snow!

-Andrew

Studded Shirt: TOP MAN // Sweater: H&M // Pants & Boots: Zara

Waiting.

I have been so busy this week that I meant I had to miss a post earlier in the week, but I suppose I should be expecting that as university finals draw nearer. What a week it has been though, lots of really fun projects I am so thrilled to be working on, and as stressful as school may get, I really do love my design classes!

Everything was starting to get warmer in the city and really clear up for a nice Spring boost. Sadly, as quickly as the sun, warmth, and melting showed up… It left. We have had so much snow in the last 20 odd hours I am beginning to forget what the roads looked like, and it was so nice to see the pavement again after months of winter darkness. Also, as much as I love my car, it really is not well suited to these conditions, and as a result will remain parked for the rest of this bad weather. This means I can stay in and catch up on a lot of little things I have to do around the house, for school, and for the blog!

This outfit was just a casual look for school, and I was really loving the combination. I recently attended an event at Simons where they gave me this bag, and I chose the camouflage – which has become my go-to tote for school. It is so on trend, and I really don’t worry about using it like I do some of my pricier leather bags. So, for as long as I have my laptop, textbooks etc to carry with me to school, this bag will be by my side!

I hope everyone is having a great Friday, and as much as we may all be waiting for Spring to come don’t let it get you down – the sun will eventually win! :)

Plaid Shirt: Club Monaco // Henley & Jeans: H&M // Boots: Zara // Bag: Simons

Styling/Editing: Andrew Eirich // Photographer: Adaire Beatty

Winter Chill.

March. I have always considered this month to be the start of my New Year as opposed to January because everything starts to come back to life, slowly. The days are longer, the sun is warmer, the snow is melting and yet it remains completely unpredictable. We had an amazing start to the month but this past week has been anything but spring-like.

If the cold is going to stick around, then I will do everything I can to make the most of it. I just bought this amazing jacket (the “Jerome”) from Oak + Fort last week, and I am totally in love with the rich green, structured simplicity, and high collar. Although it is a bit more of a spring coat, I simply layered up underneath with an outerwear vest and oversized scarf to keep me warm. I am so happy that this piece is so transitional because it means I’ll get to enjoy it long into the spring as well! Sadly, the jacket is not available for online purchase as Oak + Fort only sells their men’s apparel in stores at this time.

Jacket: Oak + Fort // Vest, Scarf & Jeans: H&M // Boots: Zara

Styling/Editing: Andrew Eirich // Photographer: Danielle Rousseau

Resort 2013.

There is nothing like the month of March to help us flash forward into thoughts of warm, sunny days and amazing getaways. I was really inspired to create a photo shoot that captured some of the major trends this season, such as pastels, monochromatic color, and jewel-tones. I wanted to evolve these trends into my vision of a sunny, ocean-side retreat and I am thrilled with the outcome! Without further adieu, enjoy my Resort 2013 photo shoot and #escape with me!

I styled the models in some amazing pieces of Club Monaco, BB Dakota (via the Bamboo Ballroom), Simons, and Michael Kors. I had some amazing accessories from Amor Jewelry and Plum Tipsy, also provided by the Bamboo Ballroom.

I want to thank Claire Flook and Reid Gillis for being amazing models, Scot Allan for the hair and makeup talent, and The Bamboo Ballroom for providing part of the amazing wardrobe I had to work with. Also, a thank you goes out to Fanny Kung for allowing me to pull clothes from her amazing personal wardrobe.

All images are copyright Andrew Eirich, 2013, all rights reserved. Images may not be duplicated or used for any purpose unless prior consent is given.

 Overcast.

I was waiting to post this look, mostly because these were my last photos to put up from Vancouver. Now that reading week is over, and classes have resumed, I am totally wishing I was back in Vancouver for a slightly extended vacation. Oh well, once things get rolling again I’ll be too stressed with due dates to dream of getting away from Edmonton.

It was a really overcast day when I shot these photos, and unlike many others, I really like rainy, cloudy days. There is no better time to stay in and get things done (napping included) than a day like that. It’s just nice how the world seems to slow down a little bit when it rains, amongst our hectic lives in the city. So, while everyone is feeling gloomy, I am feeling totally refreshed and getting ready for sunny days by being totally productive on the not-so-sunny ones.

Shirt: Club Monaco // Pants & Boots: Zara // Scarf: Simons // Watch: Michael Kors

Styling/Editing: Andrew Eirich // Photographer: Monica Falcos

Aurora.

This past Wednesday I attended the unveiling of “Aurora” at Simons at their West Edmonton Mall location. Aurora is a permanent art installation, designed by architect Philip Beesley, which reacts to space and motion with a mixture of technology and different materials. This installation is truly breathtaking and is a wonderful example of art that can be enjoyed by the masses – in this case, anyone who stops by Simons to catch up on some retail therapy.

As a design student, I really love the appreciation for art and design that Simons has as a company. The fact that they are so focused on their identity as a brand and their image gives me major respect for what they are doing. Making art accessible and making it a part of everything they do as a company makes Simons more than just a clothing store – it makes them a cultural hub that we so desperately need in Edmonton. They are providing a space for us to become more fashion forward, and see some amazing works of art and design that are open to their sales floor.

I attended the art opening with my gorgeous friend Alyssa, and the company definitely made the night more fun! In typical blogger style we made our way through the event snapping all sorts of photos. I eventually had to limit the photos down to a few, so I thought it was best to show what I wore that night as well as a gorgeous photo of the installation from an overhead view. Along with seeing some other Edmonton bloggers, I was thrilled to see some of my own classmates from the University of Alberta. The volunteers came from either a Visual Communications or Industrial Design background, and definitely brought a level of expertise and professionalism to the construction of Aurora. Also, what an amazing opportunity this must have been for those designers-to-be to work with such an accomplished architect!

There is an incredible sense of depth and space to the installation, which is in part due to it being hand-constructed out of various plastics, needles, syringes, glass votives, oils, lights, motion sensors, and much more. The level of fine detail and workmanship, along with the interactive, technological elements made this an unveiling to remember. Aurora truly came to life over the crowd! Even better yet, in case you think you might miss the opportunity to see Aurora in person – think again. It is a permanent installation, which they hope will be up for at least the next 10 years, so definitely take some time to go check it out if you have the chance!

Such a fun night, and I definitely can’t wait to see what’s next at Simons!

-Andrew

Cardigan & Pants: H&M // Shirt: Urban Outfitters // Boots: Zara // Watch: Michael Kors // Clutch: Louis Vuitton