Juno 2016: Stand Out Fashion from Canuck Artists
It’s a bit surreal to see the city you live in on the national stage in the media. Perhaps it's just my small town upbringing flaring up again. This past week, Calgary was the musical darling of the country as it hosted the 2016 Juno Canadian Music Awards. Musicians, artists, celebrities, and fans alike flooded to our city to take in the festivities.
Global News estimated that an expected $11 million dollars would be injected into our economy due to the festivities. Take a minute to think about it: pubs, restaurants, stores, tourist spots, and malls all benefited from the influx of visitors and locals enjoying the fun atmosphere. That’s a much-needed boost considering our recent resource driven economic woes. Oil prices aside, it’s wonderful that we get to host a Canadian event here in Calgary.
Maybe it's just me or does it seem that Canada’s music scene is getting richer and richer in talent year over year? I’ll be so bold to say that the same can be said for Canada’s fashion scene as well. It may not yet be spectacular all across the board, but there are spectacular stars among the masses.
I wanted to highlight my picks of the night, other than Buffy Sainte Marie (she's just everything, right?), by explaining why I think they are exceptional. Think of it like a sort of living example of why their style is working so well.
First up, the mega winner and huge star, The Weeknd. Abel Tesfaye, aka: The Weeknd, made a strong case for the simplicity and impact of uniform dressing. His now signature black on black look works well juxtaposed with his unique hairstyle. The look has to be considered in full, not the individual pieces so much. It helps, too, that he is wicked talented. He seems to be using fashion not as the feature of his brand, but rather as the supporting, dependable element to it.
I loved Walk Off The Earth’s slim suits and specifically styled hair Sunday night. Each of the members look is unique but the band looks is cohesive. A special shout out goes to Sarah Blackwood’s brave swagger-full-on-trend blue lip. An awards show is totally the time to try something fun, just for one night. By pairing it with relaxed, loose hair and a simple dress, it’s a big statement without yelling.
While I am one to enjoy a hotel’s bathrobe in the hotel, I’m not sure what K-os was up to donning one on the red carpet. Perhaps he was packing light and thought why wear clothes when the hotel provides some? Thankfully he added his own personal touches with hat, heavy chains, sunglasses and that awful cigarette. Although it’s not really fashion, I’ll give him spirit points for creativity and pragmatism in these tough times.
Finally, it never gets old to me to see the RCMP in their Red Serge. The red carpet photo wall had two Mounties beaming alongside the stars adding more red to the scene. I do love a uniform, especially the proud dress of our historical law enforcement.
It’s pretty cool to be Canadian, eh? It’s cool to celebrate our countries finest in music. It’s the coolest, if that’s even a thing, to see our music idols looking as good as they sound.
