We would like to congratulate 2nd Place contestant Lisa Deane who looked stunning in her teal Invito Couture evening gown. The unique style and high-quality of the dress helped her stand out for the judges amongst the other contestants.

Take a look at the photos of Lisa Deane below:

You can view a LiveStream video of the entire event HERE:

The first is Betsey Johnson, a fashion industry veteran of over 30 years, who recently announced the company’s bankruptcy and closure of most of their 69 stores worldwide. While this is a sad day for many people in the fashion industry to hear of the end of such an iconic brand, it’s not much of a surprise for us. Many North American consumers these days are less willing to buy quality clothes from designers and are turning to cheaper brands such as H & M and Joe Fresh for their fashion purchases.

The lower price brands can create clothes which look good but the quality and originality is not there. It is very expensive for designer brands like Betsey Johnson (who pay extremely high rents for their retail stores in premium locations such as on Alberni Street in Vancouver) to stay in business without a large amount of constant sales. Unless there is a shift in consumer’s shopping habits back to caring about quality over quantity and price we will continue to see the end of more and more designer brands. Betsey Johnson plans to keep a few of her best-selling stores open, such as the New York location.

Sara Blakely - creator of Spanx

On a brighter note . . . Sara Blakely, the creator of Spanx, was recently named by Forbes as the youngest self-made billionaire on their annual list. Sara’s story is an incredible one as she started her company at age 27 with only $5,000 without any help from an inheritance or husband. Now at age 41, Sara Blakely is the sole owner of Spanx, which is worth over 1 billion dollars, and carries zero debt. Not only is her brand sold in major department stores all over the world such as Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom, thousands of small boutiques also love and carry her brand. At Invito Couture we highly recommend the entire line of Spanx products. While there are many other brands of shapewear on the market presently who claim the same results, few actually live up to their promises and work as well as Spanx. Spanx are a must-have for any “real” woman who is wearing a dress to an event or special occasion. Lets face it, not all of us have our model-like bodies any more, but we all want to look like we still do. Spanx helps us achieve those looks by offering seamless support and shape definition. Click Here for info on the full line of Spanx products. Our friends at Diane’s Lingerie in Vancouver carry many Spanx products and are the local experts in lingerie and shapewear for the past 25 years. Check out the Blog Post they recently wrote about what to wear under your evening gowns and cocktail dresses – of course it was Spanx! Thank you Sara Blakely for creating such a wonderful brand and line of products helping us all look our best at whatever age and body size we may be! In the words of Sara Blakely, “We can make the world a better place, one butt at a time.”

Happy Mother’s Day from all of us at Invito Couture, 
Your Destination for Exclusive Cocktail Dresses, Evening Gowns  since 2009.
2427 Granville St, Vancouver BC. 604-681-3464. www.invitocouture.com

Turkey is not only home to thousands of years of rich history and culture, but also some of the nicest beaches and resorts in the world, amazing natural cuisine and of course… shopping! Check out the photo gallery below. Turkey has been producing textiles and leather for hundreds of years and is home to both modern shopping malls and endless neighbourhood shops and bazaars. So if you like to shop, relax on turquoise beaches, and eat delicious food, you will love a vacation in Turkey!

Watch Claire’ Newell’s destination spotlight video: http://www.globaltvbc.com/claires+advice/6442528000/story.html

You can also visit www.goturkey.com for more information about visiting Turkey.
And, if you are in Vancouver and would like to experience Turkey’s excellent textile quality, visit Invito Couture at 2427 Granville St and shop our collection of dresses, gowns, casual wear and accessories.  We will also be happy to recommend local restaurants and cafe’s around Vancouver that feature Turkish cuisine and help you plan your visit to Turkey.

2012 Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango

This luscious reddish orange adds sensuality to fashion, flair to accessories, verve to cosmetics, and lively luxury to interior surfaces and appointments.” (Source: Pantone)

At Invito Couture we have lots of new styles of cocktail dresses in Tangerine Tango, such as the five shown above. The color was hot in Europe last summer when we were doing our 2012 purchasing and we’re thrilled to see the color being embraced now in North America.

2012 Color of the Year: Tangerine Tango

Come visit us at 2427 Granville St in Vancouver and try one on yourself, we know you’ll love the color as much as we do!

You can also Shop Online with Free Shipping on all USA or Canada orders over $250.

The online store now has a cleaner look which is easier to navigate, read product info and purchase dresses. The online store contains all of the evening gowns and cocktail dresses that are available in the Invito Couture boutique (2427 Granville St, Vancouver, BC 604-681-3464) and displays sizes and colors available and all prices. The best part is that you can order worldwide from home or your mobile phone and get Free Shipping on orders over $250! There are fantastic tops from Turkey starting at $45 that will not be found anywhere else online. More product categories will be updated soon including fashion jewelry, suits and pashminas.

Invito Couture - Online Shopping - New Look!

Check out the new look of the Invito Couture Online Store HERE and leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thank you!

Before I get into news about events coming up in 2012 I’d like to look back to 2011 and all of the exciting things that happened at Invito Couture last year. It was our busiest year yet with lots of changes, additions and updates.

Spring was a very busy time and one of the highlights was our fashion show at Club 560 in  downtown Vancouver – check out the photos HERE. We were also fortunate to have the opportunity to sponsor Miss Universe Canada contestant Jessie-May Broadhurst who wore 10 of our dresses and gowns in the competition. A low point in 2011 was in April when the lease on our first store in the Tinseltown Mall expired and we were unable to locate a new location in time. We did not want to rush into a new store location that was not right and so the search took us 3 months during the summer to find the new home for our boutique.

During the summer, while scouting new locations, we booked a photoshoot with professional photographer Sandy Porter in Hollywood California (Photos HERE – first row) as well as met with some friends designers and models in Los Angeles. We also visited Istanbul Turkey for a buying trip for our new Fall/Winter and Holiday 2011 collections. While in Istanbul we acquired 5 new clothing lines including more day wear and a line of plus-size dresses and outfits.  Finally, in August, our new store location on South Granville (2427 Granville St) was secured and after a month of renovations and fixturing, our store was open again! I would like to thank all of our customers, friends and fans for their patience with us during this transition period. And although many people may have thought we closed for good after leaving the Tinseltown Mall, that was definitely not the case. We simply moved to a new street location in order to better serve our customers. We now offer free customer parking, a wider range of clothing options and more accessories in a more comfortable and private setting within the upscale South Granville neighbourhood.

Since opening the new location in September of 2011 we have met many of our wonderful neighbours and area residents who gave us a very warm welcome. We are thankful for your support and friendship and look forward to the continued relationships for years to come. There are many pictures of our new location on the previous blog posts HERE.

December was a wonderful month with many local and visiting ladies choosing our dresses for their Christmas and New Years parties – and they looked fabulous! Following Christmas we had our huge annual Boxing Week Sale which saw discounts of 40-70% Off on all dresses in store and many people came in to take advantage of these once-a-year deals. Thank you to everyone who shopped with us in December 2011!

Now, on to 2012! As we look forward to 2012 there are lots of exciting things happening. Chinese New year is early this year, on January 23rd, and we would like to wish everyone a very happy and prosperous Year of The Dragon – Gung Hay Fat Choy! We have the perfect red dress or gown for your celebrations. Next up is Valentines Day which is always a very popular time for  purchasing gifts for the ones we love. Men: why not surprise your girlfriend/wife with a beautiful new dress or necklace set this year? We also have gift certificates available and special Valentines Day promotions which will be announced shortly. We also have some exciting New Arrivals for Spring coming in soon and a new line of locally-made feather earrings and hairpieces.

2012 is shaping up to be a very exciting year at Invito Couture and we welcome you all to visit us and share it with us. We are located at 2427 Granville St in Vancouver (1/2 block north of Broadway) with Free Customer Parking behind our building.
We also have Online Shopping on our website with free shipping or local pickup.

Exclusive Styles – Affordable Prices – Invito Couture.

Invito Couture Holiday 2011 Window

Not only have the sales been announced early than ever this year, they are also bigger than ever. And Invito Couture’s sale is no exception. This is definitely our Biggest Sale of the Year and the lowest prices on everything in our store! The best part? The sale is on all week and not just on December 26th. So you can head to the big box stores and malls and wait in long lines for door-crashers on the 26th and then when you would like to come and shop in peace, visit our boutique for the best deals and best selection on imported evening gowns, cocktails dresses and accessories.

Boxing Week 2011 Sale

All dresses are 40-70% Off and prices start at just $35! Many dresses are under $100 and tops and accessories for even less. The sale is on for 5 DAYS ONLY, December 26-30! Please call 604-681-3464 if you have any questions – Thank you, hope to see you soon. Don’t forget, we have Free Customer Parking behind our boutique.

You can now see the sizes, colors and prices for all of our dresses and order from anywhere in the world. We are offering FREE SHIPPING on all North American orders over $250 and flat-rate shipping of $20 for orders under $250. Please contact us for a shippng quote on orders outside of North America. Payments are easy and secure on our website using your credit card via Paypal.

Looking for a new Little Black Dress? How about this one for only $230? Or if an Evening Gown is more your style, this gown will get you red-carpet-ready for only $350!

High-quality dresses – made in Turkey – Exclusive Styles – Affordable Prices.
Come Shop With Us Today!

All Invito Couture Dreses on Sale Now!

It’s that time of the year again, time for Holiday Shopping! We know budgets are tight this year and that’s why we are starting our Sales early! Right now almost all of our dresses in store are on sale $25-75 OFF or more, plus clearance dresses that are over 50% off. Now is deffnately the time to get a head start on your shopping and finding the perfect dress for all of the upcoming Christmas parties and celebrations, and…don’t forget about New Years! There’s no better night in the year to look your best in a stunning dress or gown than New Years Eve. At Invito Couture we have dresses that will make you the star of the party and are guranteed not to be seen on another woman in the country. Don’t wait until the last minute when your size is gone!

If you are shopping for gifts, we can help you there as well! We have unique gifts to fit any budget such as pashmina scarves, decorative bra straps, rings, necklace sets, belts or event locally-made feather hairpieces. More details on our previous blog post.

Come visit us soon at 2427 Granville St in Vancouver and share in the Holiday Shopping joy!

Check out our gift ideas below and then visit us soon at 2427 Granville St in Vancouver for the best selection and deals.

We hope to see you soon!