Beauty and Fashion on Bannatyne Street in Winnipeg

By Genavieve, Miss Teen Manitoba 2017

It was such an honour to be crowned Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017. Holding this title involves participating in charity events, fundraisers, galas, and especially getting to know and getting involved with the people of Manitoba. One of the topics I wanted to find out more about was Manitoba’s fashion sense, so I chose to investigate Bannatyne street in the Exchange District in Winnipeg, Manitoba where there are frequent theater performances, parties, art galas and much more take place. I chose this street because there is lots of diversity, culture and acceptance in the Exchange District and Bannatyne street is right in the heart of it all. You can wear just about anything in this area of Winnipeg from laid back and comfortable to very classy and uptight, and it all just adds to it’s colourful and unique character. There is always something to do and things to see in the Exchange District. So, of course, I just had to pay the area a visit on a warm Friday evening and see what styles people were wearing.

I selected four individuals who really stuck out to me. They stuck out of course because they were wearing very unique outfits, but they also had a very confident air about them and big smiles on their faces. I really appreciated this because they obviously felt beautiful and if you feel beautiful on the inside, you look beautiful on the outside. I was very interested in what these lovely ladies had to say about their sense of style.

Meet Erika

The first beautiful lady I got to meet was Erika. Erika is a thriving and passionate business owner who owns the Magic Room in downtown Winnipeg. The Magic Room is a nail salon, a spa and a cosmetic store all in one building. It is also the original Magic Room and was the first store in Winnipeg to do facials, waxing, and nail care. Erika got her Masters of Business Administration in fashion in Paris. Erika was wearing a beautiful white sheer bodysuit underneath a pleated front zip grey skirt with faux snake skin black block heel boots and black ankle socks. She bought all of her clothes about a year ago. Erika describes her style as classic and trendy.

Get Erika’s look:
White Body Suit from Holt Renfrew and designer Wolfard: $200
Grey Skirt from Club Monaco: $150
Boots from Browns: $200
Black Ankle Socks from Walmart: $5

Meet Gorete:

I saw Gorete’s style and couldn’t help but run over and ask her about what she was wearing. Gorete is a counselor. She loves to stand out and look unique. Her style is very colourful and she likes to mix and match different outfits, shoes and jewelry. Gorete was wearing a stunning white lacy dress, pink shoes with a rainbow heel and a matching pink handbag. She also wore a very nice stone necklace and earrings.

Get Gorete’s look:
White Dress from Urban Behaviour: $40
Pink and Rainbow High Heels from an unknown independent store in Grant Park Mall Winnipeg: $25
Handbag: Unknown

Meet Ira:
I was so amazed when I saw Ira at how she made a pair of old ripped jeans look so classy! Ira is a technical designer. She describes her style as “boho meets off duty rockstar.” She also loves to stand out, but likes to keep things more comfortable. Ira wore a loose and very light weight orange and white shirt that tied up at the front. She paired it with black ripped jeans and faux alligator skin and leather black shoes with bright orange socks. She also held a faux alligator skin purse. She bought all of her clothes in Montreal.

Get Ira’s look:
Orange Shirt from Revolve: $100
Ripped Jeans from Zara: $50
Shoes by Jeffrey Campbell: $100
Purse from Zara: $100
Orange Socks from Walmart: $5

Meet Kelly:
I loved Kelly’s style so much I couldn’t help but ask her about it. Although Kelly’s outfit looks very classy and expensive, she actually created most of her outfit from hand-me-downs, so some of it is unknown. Kelly wore a beautiful sheer white dress that buttoned up and tied up at the front. She got this as a hand me down from her step mother. She is also wearing black sandals and carrying a black leather handbag. Kelly describes her style as preppy but feminine. Kelly’s look is perfect for any setting and any occasion.

Get Kelly’s look:
White Dress from Armony: $50
Black Sandals from Marshalls: $20
Leather handbag by Matt and Nat: $100

And lastly, Genavieve (me)!

My name is Genavieve. I am 17 years old and have been crowned Miss Teenage Manitoba 2017. I am going into Grade 12 at Glenlawn Collegiate in Winnipeg, Manitoba. I hope to go into forensic psychology and one day become an RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) officer. I want to make a difference in the world in everything I do, so I thought that this would be the best career for me. I am currently working at a spa in Winnipeg as a skin health sales associate and have also worked in different clothing stores because it is very important for me to ensure that people always feel their best and I want to empower people to feel confident in themselves and to embrace their individual unique qualities. I would describe my style as sometimes sporty and sometimes preppy.

I am wearing a burgundy tight fitted knit dress and rainbow high heeled shoes. Burgundy dress from Garage: $10
Rainbow Heels from Designer Shoe Warehouse: $60

I noticed that the style here seems to be big shoes and big purses! I want to make sure that people know that you absolutely don’t need to spend a fortune to look beautiful. As long as you feel confident and feel good in your own skin, that’s really all that matters. Love yourself for who you are and don’t let anyone tell you that you need to change the way you look or dress. You are beautiful. “The more you are like yourself, the less you are like anyone else which makes you unique” -Walt Disney

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