Login / RegisterStyle stars give up the goods: Anna Kosturova
When it comes to shopping for something new to wear, Anna Kosturova is one lucky lady in that she usually doesn’t have to look much further than her Gastown studio. That’s because in addition to making sinfully sexy swimsuits, the queen of crochet designs stunningly beautiful, boho-chic resort dresses and coverups.
And she has no plans to stop there either. Vancouver’s beachy bombshell designer is expanding her empire to include destination-wedding dresses as well as home accessories, which she’ll be launching in spring 2012.
“It’s weird, because I wanted to get some pillows and I couldn’t get anything online, so I was like, ‘Wait a minute,’ ” says Kosturova, calling from her Vancouver HQ. “ ‘Why didn’t I come up with this earlier?’ ”
As for her personal style, she’s definitely down with finding a good deal, but does like to treat herself to the odd beauty indulgence once in a while. Here, then, is her personal list of style bests.
Best place to buy a special-occasion dress in a pinch
BCBG
Various locations
“They have a big selection—they have short. They have long. The prices are a little higher up there, but they do have great sales as well. And anywhere I go, when I ask someone, ‘Where did you get that dress?’, many ladies are like, ‘Well, it’s BCBG.’ ”
Best place for cheap accessories
ALDO
Various locations
“I get stuff for photo shoots and myself there. Earrings, necklaces—you name it.”
Best vintage shopping
Community Thrift & Vintage
41 West Cordova Street
604-682-1004
“Usually you go to these stores and it’s like 40 bucks or whatever for something. But these guys have a pretty good selection there and everything is usually below $20. I purchase their belts. I purchase their shoes. I purchase their dresses. But one of my recent purchases was a black cardigan with Marilyn Monroe beadwork on it. It’s, like, so 1980s—two heads at the front, on the sleeves, and at the back. And honestly, it was 19 bucks or something like that, so I was super impressed.”
Best place for style watching
“Anytime I’m on Granville Street just sitting on a bench, I can watch the world go by. It’s pretty amazing. And it’s always some kind of a fashion snippet like, ‘Oh, that’s a great top’ or ‘That’s a great whatever’ that inspires me.”
Favourite fashion guilty-pleasure
Jean cutoffs
“Oh my god—[whenever I buy a new pair], everybody goes, ‘but you just bought a pair of jean cutoffs.’ And I’m, like, ‘No, they’re completely different.’…Ripped jeans—same deal. I never have enough ripped jeans. I’ve got to get over that.”
Best beauty bar?
London Drugs
Various locations
“I am a creature of habit. Everything I need is there. So I basically get everything there—except I do have one thing that I buy at Holt Renfrew.”
Best splurge
La Mer Moisturizing Cream at Holt Renfrew
737 Dunsmuir Street
604-681-3121
“I put it on at night and I always get compliments. It could be something shiny or it could be something that for, like, one minute plumps up your skin? I have no idea. But there’s never enough of it. It’s the one thing I [splurge on] and on my birthday, it’s like, ‘I don’t need anything—just get me that old-people’s cream.’ ”
Best spa to hit before a big date
Scandinave Spa Whistler
8010 Mons Road, Whistler
604-935-2424
“Hands down, it’s the best thing on the planet. I’m all about cleansing, hot and cold, sauna type of spas. And it’s a beautiful environment—and that to me is spa because if I go to a spa, I want to have awesome visuals like a mountain. And this one is great because you can bring your date and it’s super affordable…so I would say it’s absolutely worth it to just drive up there for a treatment and come back.”
Best hole-in-the-wall shopping strip
Abbott Street
“There are so many beautiful boutiques between Cordova and Water streets. Well, it actually starts at Keefer—there are two secondhand stores there and then, when you walk further past Woodward’s, there are some nice little stores—like three or four in a row.”
Favourite new trend
That “I don’t bother with trends” attitude
“You know the hipsters are slave to that formula. It’s kind of like they have a list and they go point by point and they check it all off. So it’s just so much more refreshing to see someone wear something just because they like it—not because it’s trendy.”
