Thursday, January 29, 2015

Having the Confidence to Look & Feel Good!


On Monday January 29th, the ladies of Lamania held a gala at the boutique. We gathered a group of fashion lovers for an evening of wine and discussion about finding confidence in our clothing. Some of the ladies agreed that they often will use their clothing as something to hide behind when they are not feeling overly confident. As fashion lovers, they also agreed that getting dressed should be fun, and not an experience that causes anxiety or discomfort. So it was up to the ladies at Lamania to show them how to mix up their looks so they can feel cozy and confident.

I started out with a simple question, what does your style say about you? Is it screaming confidence, success and happiness, or is it highlighting fear, confusion and discomfort? Everyone you come into contact with throughout your day will judge you within the first 10 seconds of seeing you, regardless of whether you speak or not. This is the main reason why style is so important in you everyday life. A perfect example, as told by Lamania stylist and young designer, Jessica Da Silva, is a woman trying to find success in her career, people you do business with, potential employers, and colleagues will often judge your work ethic based on how they physically see you. If you show up to work hiding behind oversized clothing, chances are people will find it hard to view you as a leader due to your insecure outwardly appearance.


In this situation, it is important to keep a few things in mind. For starters, be sure you are wearing clothing that is the appropriate size for your body. This goes for oversized clothing just as much as clothing that is too small. Just because you have curves doesn't necessarily mean we should automatically be reaching for a double XL. When you are hiding parts of your body that you believe to be flaws, you are also hiding parts of your body that are your greatest assets. Don't be afraid to emphasize the things you love about yourself. If you have great curvy hips and a nice butt, but you don't feel comfortable flaunting your mid section, why not mix some skinny jeans or a pencil skirt with that looser fitting top? Using your clothing to highlight your assets rather than something to hide behind will immediately bring out your inner confidence for everyone to see.


The first step in feeling confident, is looking confident. We can often attach emotions to our clothing that can create such a difference in our level of confidence. For example, if we say to ourselves "I try to stay away from this top because it makes my hips look huge" we are attaching negative emotions to a piece of clothing. Therefore, we probably won't be feeling all that great about ourselves the next time we put it on. It is important to take note of the pieces of clothing that we attach positive emotions to and focus on those pieces and how we can style them to boost our confidence to an all time high.



Sometimes all we need to do to add a little bit of the wow factor to our look is add a bit of colour, glitter, or shine in what we call a statement piece. Jessica was able to give us a glimpse of what a statement piece can do when she transformed her basic black and whites to a head turning look with a bright red cape from Lamania. With Valentines day just around the corner, it's important for us ladies to look and feel our best, whether we're looking to impress a special someone, or we're simply just looking to impress ourselves.


Thanks to all the lovely ladies who joined us at the boutique for this fabulous event.
Stay tuned our blog about the second part of our event where we discuss relationships and dating with professional dating coach Leslie Edwards.

- Meghan Wels
Lamania Boutique

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Model of the Year- Mind & Beauty

Lamania Boutique promotes talented and beautiful models across Canada. Every year we'll choose  the special fashion personality that we had a pleasure to work with. Our choice of the year 2014 is Nikolina Granic.

As she rings in the new year, Lamania’s Model Of The Year, Nikolina Granic, has an amazing 2015 to look forward to. All of her wildest dreams and aspirations seem to be coming alive in front of her eyes as she prepares for one of the biggest moves of her modelling career, and life. The long legged beauty will be on her way to Milan in early January to focus on her career and her studies. Much more than just a pretty face, Granic is a whiz at math and is a business mastermind. When she’s not strutting down the runway she’s working hard in school working on her Bachelor Of Commerce, specializing in marketing management, economics, and of course, fashion.

At only 20 years old, being a jack-of-all-trades purposes many life choices for Granic as she begins to build a career for herself. “I’m good at math and marketing, but I also have a love for blogging. I could even see myself potentially being a designer,” says Granic of her many interests and talents. It is obvious that Granic works hard to be successful. Her inspiration for hard work and dedication to what she loves comes from one of her biggest inspirations, Naomi Campbell. “I admire her for her strength and personality. She is the 21st century power woman,” says Granic.




As she prepares for Milan, her modeling goals and aspirations are at the forefront of her mind. “I want to pursue runway, that’s why we’re going to Italy,” says Granic. “I’m excited to open up some networking and build my book.” A big push to go international came from her beloved agent and jewelry designer, Mario Velocci. “He really focuses on the models and their goals rather than his own. He’s helped me explore different sectors of modeling,” she says of Velocci.  According to her agent, she’s got just the look and the spunk that Italy is looking for. “Toronto was a great place to get a start in modeling, but the fashion industry here is lacking. Im excited to explore what Milan has to offer.”



An obvious touchy subject in modeling is always the stuff that goes on behind the scenes in regards to body image and intense industry standards, but Granic seems to have it all figured out. As a intelligent business student, Granic has got a great head on her shoulders and is not afraid of being pushed around by the industry. “As a model and business student, I am my own product and my own brand. I’m driven by my passion for modeling and not by the negative standards of the industry. No one should ever put themselves in harms way for something they’re passionate about.” Her hope for the future of the industry is that models are seen with more positivity and not so much criticism.

As far as 2015 fashion trends, Granic is already looking forward to seeing what looks hit the runway. “I want to see a take on contemporary minimalism, but to an extreme. More leathers, pastels and grunge.” One of her favourite eras for fashion being the 80’s, she wants to see the looks take it one step further with the bold prints and chunky heels. Looking back on 2015, Granic says she was most impressed by Alexander Wang. “I love the sport looks. Who says you can't be athletic and stylish?”





Looking ahead to the future of her career, we may see the runway queen takeover Europe. “In one year from now I see myself in London or Paris. Maybe even Asia! Those are the three main markets I see my face trending in. No matter what, I’ll definitely be travelling,” says Granic. One thing is for sure, she will be sure to shine wherever she goes.

Ladies and gentlemen, your 2014 Model of The Year, Nikolina Granic!

http://modelnikolinagranic.wordpress.com




Happy New Year and best wishes Nikolina!

Meghan Wels
Photographer: Natasha Reddy
Lamania Boutique