Fashion Hags (Abby, Evan and Katie)

Lots to cover this week, Hags! We can’t not talk about the Met gala and all the hits and misses (there were a few) but the real deal is a kiki about line reviews. A line review is basically an internal show for buyers and other members of the production team by the designers for a specific season. Have no idea what any of that means? Better listen in and learn all about it.

In this week's podcast, the Fashion Hags chat about the shifts going on in the luxury industry between designers and design houses. A musical chairs, if you will, whether by choice or by force.

REBEL REBEL!
Fashion has always been a rebellious act, from those who create it, to those who refuse to embrace it, to those who actively reject it. Rebels continually push things forward to new limits and new directions by updating the status quo, but rebellion doesn’t have to be as obvious as wearing a torn jean jacket with safety pins and a mile high mohawk, even though that’s pretty fun. It can be as subtle as buying clothes from a small business run by POC, and, obviously, everything in between. Let’s take a big ol’ dive into it, shall we?
Get those fists in the air, Hags! Or not, it’s up to you

This week the Hags take a listener suggestion to chat about Fashion Photography! Abby is on a sewing rampage, Evan visits the Great Outdoors and Katie learns the finer points of wagering.

It's always fun to look back at school and talk about the good times, the bad times, the stress, the rewards, the blood, sweat, and tears, and how we could all do so much better now with the gift of hindsight.

For lucky Episode 13, the Hags brought in Evan's muse, model and all-around lady pal, Willow for a few cups of tea! Tangents and swear words abound! 

We are talking about cultural appropriation in fashion - a light topic, we know - and we invited friend and super dope guest Vee Pho to chit chat - nay, kiki - about POC, fashion, and what the shit everyone is doing wrong.

What's the deal with Black Friday anyway? In this episode, the Hags dig into the whole gong show that is holiday shopping and everyone's favourite day to either completely avoid or completely dive in: Black Friday.

YOU GUYS WE ARE BACK IT'S BEEN SO LONG!

Our hiatus is over, Abby is in her new house, we are back on track in the new studio. Thank-you for your patience!

Now get ready for an all-obsessions-all-the-time Hag-iversary episode. Buckle up, Hags, we are not holding back.

 This episode has been a long time coming. Way back in March (or April? who's counting), Katie met Jenny Amber of Oenone Perfume (pronounced ee-no-nee) and they instantly connected over fragrances, fashion, podcasting, and general good times. Ever since, they have tried to connect to chat with the rest of the Hags about the mystery that is perfume making. Finally, here we are, with the Hags all in tow, and what an absolute delight this episode is. Who knew perfume making was so magical, alchemical, existential, physical, and emotional? Jenny did, as it turns out.

In this episode the Hags welcome Jen Croll, author of a badass book about badass women in fashion through the ages called Bad Girls of Fashion. We obviously needed more information.

Did you know we have far-reaching correspondents in all areas of the world? Well it's true so don't bother looking it up. One of our favourite contacts around the world is the fashionable and hilarious Sheila Campbell, aka Aunt Sheila, a Canadian transplant in Sweden (and Abby's actual aunt). You may know her from her lovely instagram @shelouise or you may know her from other various podcasts or you may not know her at all. Until now. Buckle up, hunnies, we are taking a trip to Sheila's Europe!

This week on The Fashion Hags we discuss shopping habits and how much work goes on under the surface to get you to part with your hard earned cash.

T-shirts. How do they get from soft little cotton balls to your body? This episode we looking into all the steps, machines, transportation and hands that make that happen. It might just be more complicated than you think!

We invited our former classmate and local costumer/performer/Technical Developer/super rad lady Claire Gabereau to join in the sesh and boy, does it get giggly.

We invited an old deign school friend, Madison Reid from Only Child Apparel to talk about the rise of feminism in fashion. Is it just a marketing ploy or sign of a real movement?

One of the most glamorous, stupendous and ridiculous nights in the entire fashion industry is almost upon us - the MET GALA. The First Monday in May is when the high and mighty fashion influencers come out in all their finery and sashay up a giant stairway to get the picture taken (and to raise some $ for the Met Museum, but that's secondary). Got $25,000? Maybe you can go too.

We catch up after a month away and reminisce about our days at fashion school.

So it turns out counterfeit goods are more than just a crappy knockoff of luxury goods. They are a massively profitable trillion dollar industry that funds terrorists, organized crime, human traffickers, and criminals of all kinds! Jump in for a highly depressing look at what is actually going on here. And please, if you see a guy down an alley selling that cute Chanel bag for $49, DON'T BUY IT.

It's just about time for the annual MET Gala and we are ready to dish. This year's theme is Camp: Notes on Fashion, based on Susan Sontag's 1964 essay Notes on Camp. It is such a fun theme that is almost impossible to get wrong, although we are pretty sure there will be people that will, which is one of the reasons we are excited to see it all unfold. Plus, we swoon over Beyonce's Homecoming and the usual nonsense. Put on a pink feathered gown and come join!

This week's episode is all about film in fashion - two of our favourite things - and gets a bit silly. Evan gets witchy at a Film Fest event, Abby goes to a vintage fashion show and is on TV, and Katie gets the crap scared out of her in the woods. 

The Hags are back on track this week and ready to spill the tea on Menswear! As a major element of the fashion industry, it's about time we take a look at how the other half live with a meandering look at the history of menswear, what we love about it, and what direction we see things going. This one's for the boys.

Listener and Hag Extraordinaire Gabrielle Trach joins us to talk about her Master of Fashion thesis where she got to talk to older ladies about their wardrobes. And of course, a bunch of nonsense in between the interesting bits.

Here's what's up. It's Dad time. Our first and biggest fan, Katie's Dad, Chris Garnham has joined us for an episode to talk about shopping for denim, the history of denim from a guy who just wants cardboard pants again, and of course, the major motor vehicle accident. It's almost too much to handle but we're pretty sure you can do it. Come on it, Hags! It's tea time.

It is hard to ignore all the craziness going on in the world these days and reading the news can be a triggering and harrowing experience for many. So let’s talk about it, but make it fashion!
In this episode, we are spilling some tea on who wore what for what, good or bad (looking at you Melania), and how politics and fashion are so connected. How do people use fashion to their advantage? How do they fuck it up? (Again, Melania…) And what difference does it make? We’ll guide you through a rambling assembly of tirades and do our best to figure it out.

Get the tea on our beloved Evan's spectacular debut at Indigenous Fashion Week Toronto, his smashing success and how he got a lot of REALLY good press (*COUGH* VOGUE *COUGH*)

All you book nerds out there, this episode is all yours. The Hags chit chat about their must-read and must-flip-through-every-page fashion books that do more than just make you look fancy when your pals come over for crackers and cheese (I mean charcuterie).

Guess what, hunnies! We have a new episode and a new Hag! Our first guest of 2017 is only a few weeks old but she's got some strong feelings so far. You'll hear some of them on this episode, where we chit chat about our favourite Models and some other tangential nonsense.

Episode 52 marks the Hag’s two year anniversary! To celebrate, we decided to have a trivia episode to make sure we still know what we are talking about (we do mostly!) so get out your coil notebooks for a pop quiz, Hag style.

Karl Lagerfeld is a name even non-fashion-y people can recognize, and now that he's gone what will fashion look like? His contributions to fashion are unmatched but there are definitely things we are not going to miss. Listen to the tea spilling'!

Do you ever think about the impact our clothes-buying has on the world? On our culture? On each other? Maybe not. But our guest Jess Montgomery sure has. And lucky for us (and you!) she took some time to come over to the hot hot basement and chat with us about these impacts, how to train yourself to buy things differently, and her project Think The World Differently. It turns out she’s not just super knowledgable and passionate, she’s also an absolute delight to talk to. Give it a listen, you’ll see.

We are thrilled to have academic researcher, blogger, author, networker, lecturer and generally delightful lady Kat Sark join us on this episode! She walks us through fashion networking, the wide world of academia and where fashion fits into it, her city-based fashion history books, impacts of colonialism on fashion and culture, and also starts up a few good giggles. Get ready for some great stories, stuff you never knew before, big words that sound impressive, and of course, obsessions.

Ever heard of Audrey Hepburn? Or Hubert de Givenchy? Well those two legends are one of the most famous examples of fashion designer and muse and in this episode the Hags kiki through a few examples you might know and you might not.

Ever been to a store to buy a thing and all they had at the store was just things to buy? Just go in, get it, and leave? Well that kind of transaction isn't enough for some brands, especially big ones, who want you to have a whole experience while at the store — maybe get a beer and draw a picture, see a DJ do a set, skate on a skateboard. In this episode, we chit chat about the new retail trend of experiential stores. Is it a coincidence that they are coming along at a time when traditional retail is dying and online shopping is easier and more popular than ever? We think not.

What's a lookbook? Why does it matter? Who even cares?
Well the Hags do, so let's get into it.

Like all businesses and industries, shipping is a huge part of the world of fashion. And guess what, it's not just about getting those Gap tees and khaki's on super sale in time for your swing dance competition next week. In this week's episode, the Hags dish about the woes of the world of shipping and how we actually can't survive without it. Curses!

It's the season of love and the Hags are looking for good things to love in Fashion. And guess what? Despite the turmoil the world seems to be in these days, we managed to find some! Time for a chit chat on a handful of fashion companies that are using their powers for good rather than evil - can it be true?! It can and it is, Hags. Give it a listen, mmk?

Special guest Erin Gibbs, a local designer with Danica Studios as well as an artist in her own right, joins the Hags this week to talk about illustration, textiles, an amazing trip to India, and some really great nonsense.

This week's episode is all about Haute Couture and how effing fabulous it is. And also how it maybe isn't what you think it is because turns out there's a lot more to it.

In this episode the Hags do their best to tackle the heartbreaking closures and dwindling resources for handmade quality, unique artistry, and extreme craftsmanship of high couture. Can it last in the changing world of fast fashion? We hope so.

We were ambitious with this episode trying to tackle a "quick" red carpet review and then the "real" topic, but who were we kidding. We just talk about gowns for the entire time.

Well it's done and gone and over, good riddance, 2018.
In this episode, we are taking a look back at the highlights and lowlights of the year, fashion-wise, plus some great obsessions and general tangents. You guys, 2018 is gone forever.

Are Vogue's print days over? Monthly fashion magazines were a direct line from the insiders of the fashion industry to the public but how can they survive in today's fast paced media landscape? And we somehow manage to fit in multiple Simpsons references.

Have you ever been seduced by a weird Instagram ad? Or a product some random "Influencer" posted about? The answer is probably yes! But why tho? We dig in and talk about how Instagram is dominating how consumers are shopping these days.

Happy New Year, Hags! And goodbye to 2016, may she rest in peace. Thanks for your patience on the lateness of our release but Abby had a friggin' baby which really cramped our schedule. It won't happen again. Probably.

A listener-suggested topic about fashion school. Was it worth it? Was the transition from student life to work life difficult? Have we wasted our lives?

This episode is our first Hag-iversary! To celebrate, we are doing a Favourite Things in the style of Our Lord and Saviour Oprah Winfrey. It's complete self-indulgence and is going to be fuuuuuun.

We delve into the aesthetics of "ethical" fashion brands and how they make shapeless sacks and then charge $400 for them. We also highlight the underlying (and often subconscious) ways that racism can permeate how these brands market themselves. FUN TIMES!

Lots to talk about in this episode as we are chatting about just what the hell is going on with sizing in clothing. It's utter insanity, no wonder people hate shopping!

After months of failures, the Hags finally succeeded in getting our guest Lyndi Barrett of StyleCalling.com into the basement for a hot chat. Turns out all it took was for our schedules to work out! And don’t get too bothered, it was only hot temperature-wise: Lyndi is very cool. And she knows all the best fashion words. Let’s get into it, mmk?

This episode is all about sewing and the love/hate relationship we have with it (and we suspect all sewers have as well).

Guess what?! We are so excited to finally have friend of the podcast and fellow podcaster Alicia Tobin to chit chat about the retail experience among many other things.

In this week's episode, we are getting down to the real deal of the state of things in the fashion world and should we even care about it. Have things lost their way from the top down? Is anything even fashion anymore? Using Eugene Rabkin's Business of Fashion August 2018 Op-Ed, Whatever: How Fashion Lost Its Meaning as a jumping off point, we are taking a dive into the complicated question of Fashion versus Style in this weird moment of uncertainty - is it really just, whatever as Rabkin suggests? We are going to cover all the bases, talk about all the things, throw all the shade, eat all the Wunderbars. Come on in, Hags!

A fascinating conversation with activist and founder of Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week. She tells us about her time as a model and how she has turned that into community outreach and giving indigenous designers and artisans a platform for recognition. 

In this episode we welcome a lovely guest, local designer Lisa Siperko of Siperko Swim! We are very excited to chat with her about her new line, designing in Vancouver, and a wealth of other tangents we bumble into.

The final in our trilogy of episodes where we try and predict the future of fashion. This week we talk about the garments and the technologies that we will all be using sooner than you think. In fact, we're already using them now! Whaaaaaat?!

We get down to brass tacks (and scissors) about our favourite sewing tools this week so get ready for sone intense ruler, stitch ripper and scissor talk, hunnies!

What is luxury? What makes something a luxury good? How and why does it come at such a high cost? Obsessions this week: Katie goes mad looking for a logo, Abby falls in love with Erwin Blumenfeld and Evan crushes on Grace Coddington.

In Episode 2, the Hags chat about how inclusive the Fashion Industry is towards women and gay men but at the end of the day, rich white dudes still hold all the power. Curses!

Big news! We are still alive and still love you and fashion and podcasts.
In other news, French President Emmanuel Macron has requested that the fashion industry get its shit together in terms of sustainability and other "initiatives." So Mr. Salma Hayek himself, Francois-Henri Pinault (of fashion conglomerate Kering) has spearheaded a "Sustainability Pact"  for members of large fashion companies like H&M, Chanel, Prada, etc to present to members of the G7.

So wtf does that mean? To us, a whole lot of not much yet. Want to hear us get into it as well as a bunch of other highly important topics (ie: summer, moths), get on it!

This week's episode is fun and frivolous as the Hags chat about making bunnies, Mountain Equipment Co-op, and Katie's elopement in Vegas!  A tangent-based discussion on weddings in general fills your earbuds as the Hags catch up after a month-long break from recording to shoot the shit. Lots of giggles in this one. Our obsessions include Navajo textiles and jewelry, collage art and that damn M2M channel we can't shut up about.

A little debrief of Evan's recent show HIREATH. We ask about his process, inspirations and motivations for his most recent collection. And of course, Evan makes it all about wigs and witchcraft.

Oh hi hello! We are here to kiki about vintage clothes and why people care about your Grandma's old sweaters and your Aunt's weird coat from college. (Short answer: because it maybe is cooler than whatever you're going to find at H&M today and no one else will have it.)

Our topic this episode is the tenuous relationship between fashion design and copyright law. Did you know that here in North America you can't copyright or trademark a specific design or design element on a garment? Europe has different laws but have the same result - which can lead to knock off and companies copying each other. But is that a bad thing? We discuss! So listen already!

The Hags are so lucky this week to have Vancouver photographer Lauren Zbarsky in the basement to chit chat about photography, inspiration, fashion, lighting, getting your best angles, and of course, eggs.

VERY EXCITING NEWS, HAGS!
We officially have a Fashion Hags T-shirt! It is a limited edition tee that is available RIGHT NOW at The Hag Shop (thehagshop.tictail.com). There are 50 available until April 28 at 4:00pm PST at which point they will be ordered, straight up, just for you. Get on it!

The Hags are expanding their empire with a fascinating Skype interview with Liz Vastola, costume designer for Jessica Jones, Landline and The Purge: Election Year. Katie talks to her about her favorite tools for the job and her love for 90s fashion.

In this episode, the Hags get into what exactly licensing means when it comes to fashion. Hint: it's how big companies make the most money by selling stuff other people make! Fun, right? Plus, Obsessions and all the other fun stuff. Get on it!

We started off hoping to talk about fashion blogging but it turned into more of a open ended chat about social media, wigs, and eventually an inadequate dick joke. Kind of like when you go to the grocery store to get eggs and milk and come home with caramel corn, two kinds of squash, and a frozen pizza. And eventually you remember the eggs.

In this episode, the Hags re-hash Evan's Origin show that he has been working on for months. A bit of a backstage look at the show from conception to completion!

How does a given item all the a sudden show up everywhere? Who decides that cerulean is the "it" color of the season? WHO CAN WE COMPLAIN TO ABOUT CROP TOPS COMING BACK? This week we talk about how trends pop up, proliferate and die. 

This week we try and ask the big questions about how to shop in an ethical and informed way. It's a hugely important part of being a good consumer - something that is a hard thing to do these days. Considerations like company transparency, environmental impact, labor abuses, price, quality, availability and intellectual property are things we try and touch upon to help you - and us - become more supportive in the way we think about and consume the fashion we all love so much. 

Fashion and art have long been connected and it's hard to say exactly which came first. Sort of a chicken/egg situation. We decided to crack some eggs and fry some chicken with artist and friend of the podcast Doug Watt to see how far to the bottom we could get on this.

This week's topic is Designers curating and marketing themselves as brands as well as their clothing and company brands. It can get messy but it can also be a huge income generator. And of course, Karl Lagerfeld's name comes up. A bunch.

The we get to pick the brain of Olivia Hayward who recently got to go to Asia to visit fabric manufacturing companies. It might sound boring, but we make it fun, don't you worry about that.

Our first episode! We tell you the story of how we met and dive in to the topic of fashion shows; the fun, the beauty and the insanity of it all.

Well well well, it's report card season and we are checking in to see how well we've been doing at not being a dumb doofus when shopping for clothes. If you haven't already listened to our Episode 12: How Not To Be A Dumb Doofus When Shopping For Clothes, go ahead and give it a listen (or stream it directly here) or don't, it's up to you, just live your Hag life, hunny.

We wanted to see if we passed or failed (we did a bit of both) at being better buyers so listen up and see how we did. How did YOU do? Are you a dumb doofus? (It's basically impossible not to be so ...)

This week the Fashion Hags talk about the beautiful hysteria that are Fashion Weeks. Twice a year, Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter the fashion capitals of the world explode in a frenzy of clothing, creativity, models, photographers and greed. How it all gets done once, let alone multiple times a year is a miracle!

Episode 8 is our first episode with a guest! We could not be happier about our first guest, Evan Ducharme's PR guru Asheigh Said!

This week, the Hags are looking at the shopping floor, digital and otherwise, and what is in store for this massive section of the fashion world. Get ready for some highly informed, very specific, irrefutable facts, and wild predictions from three people who sort of know what they are talking about and aren't afraid to go on and on about it.

With the 2016 Oscars looming, awards season is in full swing! But how does this Red Carpet thing even work? This week we talk about the fantasy and the reality of what it takes to get a celebrity in a gown in front of a billion people. And why we think Fashion Police is the WORST.

We are so excited to finally have body positivity activist and badass lady Victoria Welsby of Bam Pow Life on super sexy episode 69! Victoria is here to chat about the extreme prevalence of fat shaming, body positivity, social media, clothes for fat girls and a whole bunch of other good stuff, including her brand new book (out Sept 10) called Fierce Fatty. Get it here and get on it!

It is always so great to chat about something we've been excited about for a long time but had to keep under wraps. In this episode, the Hags finally get to spill on Evan's latest (and best, we think) show called "Atavism" at Vancouver Indigenous Fashion Week. You guys! The best!

Often maligned and even more often misunderstood, we decided with Winter upon us we would tackle the subject of fur in the fashion industry. We invited our former design school instructor and fur expert Alexandra Suhner Isenberg to talk about exactly what goes on at fur farms around the world and Evan speaks to his family's deep connection to the fur trade in Manitoba.

Cast your gaze into the crystal ball and see into the future of fashion! OOoooOOO!

Or just, listen to this podcast episode instead or whatever. The Hags are talking about what the future of the fashion world looks like (or what it hopefully will look like) when it comes to actually making clothes by dreaming up all the solutions to all the problems. Plus the usual nonsense.