Last night was the grand opening for the expansion of Chinook Centre shopping mall. A list of the new stores is here. I’m personally excited for Anthropologie and Urban Outfitters (which aren’t open yet), I’m surprised it’s taken so long for them to arrive in Calgary.

It’s also Alberta Fashion Week. I can’t cover Alberta Fashion Week, because it’s overlapping with the Calgary International Film Festival (I have a film festival pass, but not a Fashion Week pass. Two awesome festivals happening at once. This is an example of why when people complain about the lack of culture and things to do in Calgary, I want to smack them in the face). I was there last year, though, as a model for Daleio, and the shows were really well done. (My experience, personally, was about 2 hours of hair, makeup, and runway practice, and then being scared stiff walking down the runway trying not to fall off my high heels.)

We’ve had some huge gains for Calgary in the last year or so. From the newly-renovated Holt Renfrew, to Fashion Central (what girl doesn’t lose their mind over Betsey Johnson?) and the recent fashion events, I think we’ve come a long way. If only we can convince some of our fellow Calgarians to drop the lululemon-pant-with-cowboy-hat trend, we could be on our way to a seriously fashionable city.