The University of Regina has great style and I plan to highlight our best and best dressed. In an interview with one of my personal “campus style icons” I discover her favorite places to shop, great tips to stay on trend with a student budget and her favorite items for the season.

WHO?  Fashionista Robyn Barclay

Robyn introduced me to one of the many places she finds inspiration for her style; it’s a website called Pinterest. Pinterest lets you organize and share all the wonderful things you find on the web. You can use pinboards to plan events, decorate your home or find inspiration for amazing outfits. Robyn has gotten me hooked and I’m already finding inspiration for a great New Years outfit.   Robyn tells me her favorite holiday outfit would definitely include a velvet dress. “I save my velvet pieces for the winter holidays and love to make the most of them.”  She tells me she would also throw on some “sky-high heels, black tights and something furry, like fur stall or coat” to be ready to ring in the New Year.

Personally, I find this time of year hard to find a great outfit that also keeps me warm on the long trek from the parking lot to class. Robyn wears muk luks, “they’re a fun alternative to the UGG boot” and you can have them made locally.  I wanted to know where Robyn finds all of her amazing accessories. She calls it “The Bargain Hunting Trifecta!” You can find great vintage accessories at the Antique Mall, Value Village and The Blue Mantel-“Hey, I’m on a budget.”

Robyn says her go to shops in  Regina are Fazio Boutique, Stella and Sway, Winners and Le Chateau. She says not to underrate Le Chateau for a great wardrobe staple like a black pant or blazer and always check the sale rack for trendy items that you wouldn’t normally try on. She says she “loves to pick out items that other people are afraid of; they always end up being my favourite pieces.” Think outside the box and try wearing pieces in an innovative way.

Robyn always has a new and interesting outfit and I wanted to know how she does it on a student budget. She uses Rhoda’s Elegance, a local consignment store with two locations in Regina. Robyn says, “It’s a great way to clean out your closet and make a little money.” Robyn takes the proceeds from a good consignment sale and puts it towards new items. She also uses tailoring as an inexpensive way to breath new life into old items already in her wardrobe. Dean Renwick, a tailor and local designer, located in the Scarth Street Mall “has a keen eye for tailoring and always knows just what I’m looking for.”   Lastly, I wanted to know what Robyn’s top 10 fashion picks are to carry us through the winter season.

1. Jewel tones
2. Vintage Accessories
3. Boyfriend Shirts
4. Velvet
5. Siwash Sweater
6. Tuxedo jacket
7. Winter booties and snake print heels.
8. Peridot nail polish
9. Liquid eyeliner
10. 10.  Tights

Thanks for the tips Robyn and we’ll be sure to keep up to date with you and your fashion finds during your eight-month excursion to France!

-Written by Caitlin @ U of R

It’s getting cold out, meaning we’re saying goodbye to our beloved summer wardrobe and hello to some new fall fashions!

First of all, I love fall. The layers of clothing, the variety of outfits, and the way everything looks beautiful just because the leaves are red and orange, and littering the streets with colour. The perfectly mild weather in fall is amazing, the endless possibilities with outfits is probably my favourite part of this season so I’m here to share with you my personal favourites of this beautiful season!

Boots

Unfortunately we have to say goodbye to a favourite of mine, the flip-flop. But not to worry, in comes the equally fabulous knee-high riding boot! The boots go well with jeans, leggings, tights, everything really and the fact that they reach all the way up to your knee means that you’re just that much more bundled up and ready for the autumn breeze.

Knits

Knitted sweaters. Oversized, cropped, cardigan, hooded – whichever way you prefer, the knits are in. Their warmth, coupled with the fact that you feel like you’re walking around in cotton candy all day makes them a definite investment. They can be pricier than your average cotton sweatshirt – but you’re really doing your health a favour with this one, keeping yourself at optimal temperature (while looking adorable, of course).

Sequins

This may be the less practical suggestion of the bunch, but probably one of my favourites. You can add sequins to your everyday outfits in a headband or maybe a top underneath a jacket or blazer – or glitter up for a night out downtown in a fully sequined dress, either way – you’ll be a definite stand out. Sequins make everything fun and exciting, so why not!

Scarves

Go big or go home. The bigger, fluffier and warmer the scarf is, the better. I love hiding behind a warm scarf while hiding behind a dusty old textbook up in the library studying for my dreaded stats exam. They’re sensible and cute – and similar to the knitted sweaters, they’re a concrete investment.

Blazers

Top off your jeans and tee outfit with a blazer and you automatically kick your outfit up three notches, adding a polished and professional zest. They’re practical – keeping you warm (and the majority of them have pockets, perfect for your blackberry), and they’re cute! They come in various lengths and fits, “boyfriend fit” being one of my favourites because the loose fit adds extra comfort.

Colours

Try staying away from those go-to black outfits you’ve had around forever and try jazzing up your day with some fun colours. Tan and taupe are definitely popular colours this year, keeping a neutral palette gives off a sophisticated glamorous feel. Or – if you’re seriously looking for some excitement in your days, go with a cherry red or emerald blue peacoat – stand out statement items for your closet and probably the farthest thing from those safe black coats we all own (while you’re still warm and toasty).

Extras

And, by all means – mix them all up! Go with a colourful knitted sweater, or a sequined blazer! The possibilities are endless. Layer it all on, ensuring warmth while staying fashionable. Finally – don’t forget to add your own personal style into everything! I personally am a big fan of the scarf – so it’s rare you’ll ever see me without a larger-than-life scarf wrapped around my face, and it just so happens I’m featuring a fully sequined dress for my 20^th birthday!

Remember, these are just my suggestions – by no means are you a hobo to me if you’re not dressed in a sequin blazer and knee-boots! Keep it fashionable.

-Written by Emily @ UWO

My childhood was spent flipping through the glossy pages of magazines.  I passed the time admiring runway snapshots, sketching McQueen-inspired dresses, and catching the legendary Jeanne Baker on Fashion File.  Fashion became the creative solution to my 7^th grade ennui – the glitz and glamour that was Fashion Week always left me committed to purchasing a knockoff of the latest it-bag, or dedicated to replicating the Olsen twins’ trademark boho outfits. 

At 20, my love for fashion – both the clothes and the industry – has never faded.  I’m hopelessly addicted to a regular roster of fashion blogs, and my number one procrastination tool is online shopping.  In fact, the combination of the memorization of my credit card number, alongside the amount of homework I’m assigned is positively lethal.  This past summer, I had the extremely fortunate experience of working at a fashion label as a PR intern.  Having worked in PR before, I was vaguely prepared to interact a lot with potential buyers and magazines, but nothing could have prepared me for the true nitty-gritty of the fashion world.

My day-to-day duties were not difficult, per se, but they demanded constant attention.  For example, I would update the log of samples going in and out to external magazines and photoshoots, but the sheer amount of clothes we had cycling to and from our headquarters was tough to keep a handle on – especially when stylists would pull on-the-fly without warning, or schedule appointments outside my internship hours.  I was frequently out of the office carting samples to various Manhattan locations – effectively getting my daily exercise through teetering over subway grates in 4-inch Zara platforms.  That’s another thing about the fashion industry – flat shoes are always uglier than heels.

It was my first time spending more than a week in New York.  What I thought was going to be 3 weekdays of answering e-mails quickly became the best summer of my life.  Through my internship, I met people who were not only truly interested in fashion like myself, but also knew where to party – when I somehow found myself at a launch party where, to my great surprise, Beyoncé was also in attendance, I marveled that this would never have happened in Toronto.

To succeed in fashion, you have to pay your dues.  More than anything, this involves slaving away at a computer updating Excel spreadsheets until your eyes are unable to focus on that one highlighted cell.  This also involves calling a Swedish publication to ask who their current fashion director is…and would they be interested in attending our Fashion Week presentation?  As well, this may include making a frantic dash to that boutique in SoHo for that mesh shirt that needs to be in production, stat.  While I found myself knee-deep in responsibility and e-mails reading Urgent!, I realized how much I love clothes, and how culturally important aesthetics are in our modern society.  There is nothing more magical than watching the fruits of your labour walk down the runway, or seeing the perfect sequined gown be photographed in the perfect light.  Moreover, through my hard work and (mostly!) chipper attitude, I’ve made lifelong connections that I’m sure will come in handy later in life.  While I hope to have round two of New York summers next year, I staunchly encourage all you blossoming fashionistas to send your resumés to the NYC workplace of your dreams – even if that means I’ll have more competition in applying to Alexander Wang!

-Written by Jessica @ McGill University