Vancouver: Have hat, will travel
I call my FASHION Magazine blog Zeitgeist! with the intention of speaking to the spirit of the times. What I love about living in this day and age is that it is almost impossible to get dressed without juxtaposing different styles. Inspiration from eras long ago and cultures far and wide creep into our subconscious as readily as into our closets. The splendor of style spontaneity has made pastiche our prerogative. But nothing stirs the imagination quite like a hat, perhaps because it sits on the top of our head.
Berlin-born, Vancouver-based milliner, Claudia Schulz, looks down a long history of European hat culture to inform her simple yet striking designs. As I cruise through the archived collections on her website (claudiaschulz.com), I can’t help but consider the influence of Paul Poiret and the 1920s cloche hat. However, I think Schulz’s designs extend even a bit further into modernism with a touch of Pierre Cardin’s ultra-mod 1960s helmet cap. Anyone?
Regardless, Schulz keeps her design aesthetic classically minimalist, redefining accent details to create charming hats that are entirely wearable. Claudia Schulz hats are available at Mooncruise Gallery in Gastown (235 Cambie St., 604-685-9575, mooncruisegallery.com).
Craig David Long is a Renaissance man with a post-modern sensibility. His interests in the arts, culture, fashion and design have collided over the years, shaping his thoughtful and observational writing style. Prior to becoming the regional winner of FASHION Magazine's 2008 Reporter Search contest for Vancouver, Craig had dabbled in the world of public relations, working with clients such as the Law Commission of Canada, Vancouver Magazine, Starbucks and Warner Bros. Pictures. He had also founded Vancouver's popular street-style blog, The Commodified (thecommodified.blogspot.com). Craig retired the site after two years, when he assumed his current role as the Assistant Editor of Vancouver's new regional lifestyle quarterly, Montecristo Magazine.
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