Neon Next Gen DIYalogue

Earlier tonight, I took my youngest friend on a date to Edmonton's Next Gen DIYalogue "Talks Fashion," and since we carb-loaded like 24-year-olds* at 10pm, I am now wide awake and ready to share.

*She is 24. I am that reversed minus the age of my youngest child.

I asked for help deciding which dress to wear and almost immediately it was clear that neon was the next gen choice.  I made a quick stop for some custom-made stunningly perfect accessories from She Does Create and then, we hit the scene.  Wait, that sounds old.  We left.

We clean up pretty good.

That also sounds old.

I had no idea what to expect from this event.  The poster said something about it being like speed dating, but somehow I thought that meant mingling in small groups.  Nope.  There were tables set up around the room with a "mentor" at each table and, after being called to the front (!! luckily for us, the front happened to land us next to the cocktails), the attendees broke off and sat at a table and had a few minutes to chat with each mentor before the timer went off (!!) and we moved on.  This must be horrifying in a real dating situation, but for the DIYalogue, it was indeed conducive to some quality chit chat.

    

 Chantel: What are we doing here?

Nicole: We are having fun.  Now be quiet and interpret like a good little next gen'er.

We made friends with Derek, the local designer behind LUXX Ready to Wear and I had to remind myself not to act like a proud mom.  But seriously!  Derek is living out his dreams, practicing his passions and that is truly awesome!  It just makes me so happy to see people living life to the full!   

 AND Derek's collection is designed for real women!

I loved chatting with everyone!  And I *may* be plotting some purchases once my strictly-thrifting year is done... First stop will be at Majesty Industries for a wallet and bag!  We agreed with Julie that mustaches are done, and I can't wait to see what she has in stock in September!  After that, I'll stop by Poppy Barley for made-to-measure boots and/or flats.  I had heard of this one-of-a-kind company but did not realize that they are A) local, and B) affordable!!  This may just be the perfect use for my Splurge Sorority shopping!  Thank you to Caroline Gault, Alberta Editor of Fashion Magazine, for reminding me of the awesomeness of Poppy Barley, and keep up the great work (there I go sounding old again) advocating for Alberta's fashion voice!

I had no idea Edmonton had so many talented designers!  We had a double-chat with Alisha of Suka Clothing, because we are rule-followers rebels.  Alisha is moving from Gothic cowboy to romantic bondage (marriage) (kidding) in her upcoming collection.  I am interested in where designers find inspiration, and those that articulated it well were most compelling.  Not that I'll be sporting any cowboy-goth because I don't want to break the Internet.

This shouldn't come as a surprise, but both Chantel and I won door prizes.

Chantel was first, but I knew my win was coming.

Chantel won a style-consultation with Laurie Callsen, vintage blogger and style consultant.  She has amazing vintage style and I can't wait till my appointment I mean Chantel's appointment that I will also attend.  I could have spent all evening chatting with Laurie and Janis of Dress me Dearly who looks so familiar I can hardly believe it's only via Twitter that I know her!  Speaking of Twitter, that was the only part of the evening that was befuddling (sounding old a-gain); no one was tweeting.  At first I wondered if Twitter is passe according to next gen's youthful fancies.  On my ride home though, I understood.  From my limited perspective, next gen'ers have the youthful privilege of being able to easily and conveniently talk on the phone or even get together to talk and connect.  For your average mom, special forces of the universe need to collide in order to have a decent telephone conversation or go out alone clean and coherent.  That's ok, you all just enjoy this time of life because one day you'll be hiding in the bathroom from your children to text like the rest of us.

Neon dress $6.50 and pink shoes $8 from VV Boutique
I'm already dirty here.  But that's because of the aforementioned second supper:

My food matches my dress.

There was even a clothing swap!  Meaning, you could browse the clothes and just take what appealed - fits my second-hand rules!  They assured me and Chantel that we were not stealing... still felt a little like stealing unusual.

All in all, it was a fun new experience!  I absolutely loved my dress for this event and the accessories were nothing short of perfection.

I heart you coloured jade and beautiful spikes!

Like my fabulous and talented jewelry designer sister, these mentors are working hard at what they love.  And that is inspiring!