BIOGRAPHICAL INFO
Store Name: Misch
Owner: Lara Osen
Address: 2960 Granville Street, Vancouver, BC
Tel: 604.731.1017
URL: www.misch.ca
Email: info@misch.ca

Tell us a bit about the shop.
It’s fresh, modern and fun!

How old is Misch?
I opened in September of 2004.

Why Misch (where did the name come from)? My middle name is Michelle.  My parents have always called me Misch or Mischi.

What were you doing before you started Misch? I was working at my Dad’s insurance brokerage [firm] for 10 years.  What can I say about that career???… loved working with/for my Dad.

What were your inspirations for starting Misch? I traveled a lot in my previous career.  I used to see these fantastic boutiques everywhere I went and thought that was the one thing that Vancouver didn’t really have.  And of course I LOVE CLOTHES.

How do you go about choosing designers? I look for originality and quality and I look for things that I would want to wear.

How do you decide which emerging talent is worth investing in? See above.

What’s hot in Vancouver right now? misch!

Name a fashion item that you own that you can’t live without? My Sartore Black Boots (coming to Misch in January).

Name a fashion related pet peeve? Visible tags on scarves.

Who inspires you? French women.  They are stylish without trying. They wear little makeup, their hair is completely disheveled and they all seem to have the perfect coat, scarf and boots!

What is it like being a business owner? Wonderful!

What was the toughest decision you have had to make related to the shop? Once I decided that I wanted to open a store, the rest was easy.

If money were no object, how would the shop change (other than endless parking and Champaign for every customer)? At some point, I would love to expand the store adding more shoes and some higher priced clothing lines…Derek Lam, Peter Som, etc.

What do you daydream about? About renting a traditional cave house in Santorini with Lucy (my daughter).

To download the full December 2008/January 2009 issue, click here.

What is your favorite piece that you have designed?
The ‘Touchdown There’ denim jacket with hand-embroidered football players on the back
(from our first collection).

Who are your favorite designers?

Elsa Schiaparelli, Sonia Rykiel, and Kim Gordon’s X-girl line of the 90’s; fashion with humor is key.

Tell us about the space where you design?
I am lucky to have a work/live space in Chinatown, NYC, between two feuding baby turtle vendors and across the street from the greatest ice cream store on earth.

How do you get out of a creativity rut?
Long aimless walks with my headphones on full blast.

When did you learn to sew and who taught you?
My earliest memory was in home economics class in junior high. Our big project was to sew a stuffed animal out of kits we would pick from a craft catalog. I chose a flourescent green dragon with hinged arms. I still have it.

What is your favorite part of designing?
Experimenting with new prints and color. and watching how they react with one another.

What is the toughest part of being a business owner?
Keeping up with the Joneses.

What is your favorite part about being a business owner?
I’m quoting straight from a fortune cookie I received: “There is only one success…to be able to live your life your own way.
What is new at Snoozer Loser?
Charles Darwin and Virginia Woolf…you’ll see in Spring 09.

What is next for Snoozer Loser?
We’ve been developing an accessories line for a while now, and have tested a few pieces out which have been received kindly, so I am hoping that is the next step.

What piece from the winter line do you think that everyone should have?
The Maya Jacket. It’s a perfect little cropped jacket in Thai Silk that is a gorgeous verdigris color. It’s perfect for layering and goes with everything.

Coffee, tea or ?
Coffee. Black with a bit of raw sugar.

We have been following Snoozer Loser for a few seasons now and we are not the only ones captivated by this emerging designers copious amounts of talent. Thanks in part to reality television, we have all became a bit more sensitive to the fact that it takes a lot of guts to achieve even a sliver of glory in this business we call ‘fashion.’ The need to know more drove us to interview Sonia Tay for our first of what will become a regular collection of designer interviews.
Tell us a little bit about Snoozer Loser.
Snoozer Loser is a clothing label that stems from a love of art, music, textiles and odd prints.

When was the label started?
2005 and is based in New York City.

What were you doing before you started the label?
I graduated Parsons [the New School for Design] and my first job was a print and embroidery artist for a textile studio.  I then moved on to designing for a number of fashion companies in the “industry” and did some costume designing and styling for films and shoots.

Tell us about your design process.
I usually draw in my sketchbook, quick little ideas with watercolor and pen. I take a lot of photographs with my memory.

What are your inspirations?
Lately… The Discovery Channel, the town of Kent Falls in CT, mineral and crystal stores, Elvis, Pollywogg Holler, the art of Yayoi Kusama and Yoko Ono, a book on medicinal plants I found at a thrift store and my friends.

- Continued next week OR read the rest of our interview with Snoozer Loser in the Dec/Jan issue of DiDi Magazine, free here.

1. Make sure you have an LBD (little black dress) that you feel really good in that is neither super-formal nor casual.

2. Pull out all of your ‘statement accessories:’ bold jewelry, a bold belt, interesting shoes, bright tights, a splashy bag, etc. You will survive a multitude of parties with the same dress by styling it with different ‘statement accessories’ each time. People will remember what is most immediately noticeable about the outfit: the accessories, not the dress itself.

3. Score ‘statement accessories’ on the cheap. Getting your hands on some great accessories need not be expensive at all. Opaque tights in bright colors can easily be found at very reasonable prices.
Shopping vintage is probably the number one way to find inexpensive accessories that still pack a lot of style punch per dollar, and have a great deal of style credibility vis-a-vis runway knockoffs (which are an option too – Zara, H&M, etc). The best options for vintage finds are jewelry, handbags, and coats. However, if you find a particularly fabulous dress, you should totally get it. A vintage dress that fits well is a special and rare find and always creates a splash, even if you only wear it a few times: so don’t spend more on it than would justify only a few wears.

4. Get the maximum mileage out of your existing closet. Firstly, find yourself a good tailor. If you do not know where to start, call higher end boutiques near you and ask who they use. Then, take pieces in from your closet that are a little out of date, or never fit you properly in the first place. Shorten hems, sleeves, have the waist adjusted, etc. Tailored adjustments will help make your closet feel fresh and new without you actually having to go out and buy new pieces.

5. Make a list of what your closet really needs. Look through it and try to identify ‘intersection’ pieces that would help you wear A and B together, B and C together and A and D. So, pieces that you can only wear with one thing are not smart investments right now; they are too specific.

6. Analyze the spring shows at DiDiMagazine.com or Style.com to get ideas for where your closet is going. You don’t necessarily need to copy trends, just touch on things you do like and get new ideas. A wardrobe is a much more satisfying thing if it inspires you a little bit! The point of this is to be conscious of what you want incase things on sale seem to find you.

7. Shop the early sales properly. When pieces are still a bit more expensive, you are really best to only consider high quality, classic items that fit you perfectly, or near enough. These will be the things that are not likely to make it to further sale, and that you will be glad you invested in for seasons to come.

8. Shop the late sales well. At this point, selection is low, but prices are great. Sometimes, I find that this is where you can find weird, but cool, items for great deals. These ‘statement’ pieces should work back to simple neutral outfits, not require additional outlay on more pieces to go with them. If that criterion is not met, do not get it!

9. Splash your cash thoughtfully. If you must invest in a higher quality accessory, make it a simple ankle boot that will carry you forward well, like the Yvette from Loeffler Randall (which is perhaps the most versatile shoe I have ever encountered after a riding boot or a great sexy pump) or a simple clutch, like the new one from Dior’s Dior 61 collection, which is gorgeous, simple and really well priced.

10. Get a cheap, but not wasteful, shopping fix if need be. If you are dying without a shopping fix, pick up a hair accessory, birthday card, etc. as these items always come in handy! I find that when you are on a budget, it is too hard not to want to rebel against it, so find ways you can ‘break the rules’ without being too destructive.

By: Alice Whittick

To download the full December 2008/January 2009 issue, click here.