Avenue Magazine Edmonton

A walk through any part of Edmonton on any given day can turn up all sorts of outfits. Who knows what style you’ll run into? We at Avenue had no idea when we held our inaugural Best Dressed contest on our website.

We saw every kind of entrant, from “geek chic” to “urban flair” to however you would describe someone in a bona fide clown costume — seriously.

Narrowing down the shortlist — and then the even shorter shortlist — was not easy. With the help of our celebrity judges, Capital FM’s Kari Skelton and Sonic’s Garner Andrews, we’re confident we’ve found Mr. and Ms. Edmonton’s Best Dressed: two people who take risks with their appearances, but still appreciate classic cuts. You can catch them April 19 at Shaw Conference Centre during The Spirit of Spring Fashion Show and Luncheon.

FEMALE WINNER - STEPH ROGERS

Steph Rogers grew up in Cambridge, Ont., near Toronto. After the 24-year-old graduated with a BA in Communication Studies, she moved to Edmonton. The difference? “People here tend to wear one extreme or the other. They love basics and are into hoodies and jeans — something simple — or they go all-out with hair, makeup and clothes. There isn’t any middle ground,” she says. Because Toronto has more shopping districts, she says, there’s “more shopping to be done” and more styles to be worn. For Steph, standing out is key — but it’s also important to know when not to take a piece from the rack to the cashier.

When you’re buying new clothes, how do you find your Goldilocks zone?

There’s something to be said for people who know exactly what their body type is. They can look at something and know right away if it’s cute and won’t look good on them, or if it’s cute and will. Lots of people just like a piece and buy it with no consideration for how it will look on them. But I’m able to take a trend that I like and know right away if it will work on my body and with the wardrobe that I already have. In the past I’ve made the mistake of buying tons of stuff, only to realize it doesn’t work for me.

Do you have a favourite designer?

Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Jacobs — people who have a lot of great ideas. I really love what Lanvin is doing — it’s a lot of really structured dresses and tops with interesting angles and hemlines. The head designer is Alber Elbaz and he’s got a way of knowing what will make women look their best.

What’s your favourite place to shop?

In Edmonton, it’s Holt Renfrew mostly, but for some fun things, I love Forever 21 and Zara. They are a really good way to bring runway trends to an affordable and inexpensive level. You can wear one of their pieces until you get bored of it, and not have to guilt over the price tag. I also love shopping for vintage pieces on Melrose Avenue in L.A.

What’s your favourite shopping experience?

Going through Paris and finding little shops off the beaten track or tucked away on side streets. They might not even have signage. It’s really cramped and everything’s really packed on racks, so you never know what you’re going to find.