PASSION FOR FASHION

PASSION FOR

I must have been in the second grade when I became aware of the power of a beautiful dress! The allure, the elegance, the way it transformed the lady wearing that beautifully designed gown at my mother’s shop. That was the year I wore my very first pageant gown. Wonderful! Life changing? Oh, yes! You see, what you wear on Prom or Graduation -or a pageant in my case- and on your wedding day, is going to have a lasting impression on you. The DRESS, will trigger a memory, an emotion, something special. A meticulously polished wardrobe also, has the power to revolutionize your life!

Looking fashionable is all about playing with contrast and proportion. Silhouettes and colour. Not just big with small, but also hard with soft, tight with loose, and heavy with light. The shoes will complete the outfit, while accessories are the cherry on top.

It starts by knowing your body shape and then finding the right silhouettes that flatters you the most. Follow by the colours (solids or prints) that bring the glow in you. Of course you will choose the textiles according to the season you are dressing for (please, no wool in July!), and find your signature style, that which will set you apart from everyone else.

To be truly stylish does not take a huge budget or four walk-in closets full of designer clothes -you don’t need a lot to look good. What you do need though, is to make good, sensible decisions. Buy what you need, buy what makes you feel great and hold on to nothing more. And, this is very important, look after your clothes. Follow the washing instructions and you will add years to your garments. Refashion in later years to create a completely new look.

“Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening”. Coco Chanel

Dina Harder Owner of Dilis Boutique

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Discover Altona This Summer |

With travel restrictions in place, and most large festivals and events canceled for the time being, you may be looking to explore closer to home this summer. The Pembina Valley has many beautiful communities and destinations to check out, including Altona.

Altona is home to the Gallery in the Park, a 1902 heritage home turned fine art gallery. Surrounded by an expansive sculpture garden, the Gallery exhibits works from local, national and international artists. This year, season one (June 27 – August 8, 2020) features a special exhibit celebrating the work of four Mennonite photographers who lived and worked in southern Manitoba at the turn of the twentieth century. The images have been painstakingly reproduced from delicate glass and film negatives for the exhibit entitled: Mennonite Village Photography: Views from Manitoba, 1890-1940. Season two (August 15 – September 26, 2020) will feature I C E, a traveling group exhibit by the Textile and Fibre Artists of Manitoba (TFAM), and Resurfacing: Mennonite Floor Patterns, an exhibit by Margruite Krahn. Since 2001 Krahn has worked to restore and curate 19th and 20th-century housebarns, as well as the material culture in Neubergthal, Manitoba, a Mennonite Street Village and National Historic Site. Her exhibition at Gallery in the Park will be a study of hand-painted floors from these buildings, created by earlier generations of Mennonite women, which have greatly influenced her artistic practice.

The Buffalo Creek Nature Park is a hidden gem in Altona. The Nature Park is 8 acres, and features flora and fauna native to the area, including tall prairie grass and oak trees. The catch-and-release fishing pond is well-stocked with carp, and surrounded by wide, wellmaintained trails for walking or biking. These trails are part of the longest multi-use trail system in the world, the Trans-Canada Trail. The trails also meander through the Altona Centennial Park, and the rest of Altona before heading south towards Gretna. Visitors to the Altona Centennial Park will find a large playground and numerous picnic shelters dotting the manicured landscape, along with tennis courts, volleyball courts, batting cages, and baseball diamonds. The Park is also home to the Altona Campground, a great place to stay with your family with fully serviced campsites. Just a short walk away is the Bridge Skate Park, a popular spot with skateboarders, roller-skaters and BMX bikers alike!

Van Gogh Painting

Potpourri of Flavours

Centennial Park Trails

If you are visiting Altona in late July or early August, don’t miss the Sunflower Selfie Field, which is expected to be in full bloom at that time! Just north of the Altona Centennial Park, the Selfie Field was created in 2019 for the Manitoba Sunflower Festival, to help visitors get the Sunflower Selfies they desired without causing damage to nearby farmers’ fields! While the Sunflower Festival won’t be taking place in 2020, the Sunflower Selfie Field will still be planted to create a beautiful photo location for visitors, and local residents.

Located just south of Altona, Oakview Golf Club is a challenging 9-hole course nestled in a picturesque oak forest. This year, Oakview has some specific guidelines related to COVID-19. Visit www.oakviewgolf.ca for upto-date information!

Altona is the home of the Altona Bisons of the Manitoba Junior Baseball League. They will be playing this summer, with home games at the state of the art Access Field, which is regulation sized, and equipped with professional lighting for evening games.

While you are in Altona, don’t worry about finding good food to eat! Order a fan-favourite “Chipper” pizza from Pizza Haven, enjoy live music on the patio at Grumpy’s Bar & Grill, or check out Potpourri of Flavours for Filipino/Canadian fusion food – and don’t forget dessert from the Ice Cream Hut, or Sweet Caroline! Oma’s Kitchen, Lok Lok Garden, Ang’s Pizza & More, and Chicken Chef are a few more of the great restaurants that Altona has to offer.

Did you know? Altona was home to the very first Mennonite Central Committee Gift & Thrift Shop! There are now over 100 shops across North America, and the Altona location has recently undergone a large expansion. Visitors to the store are being asked to follow physical distancing and other guidelines to protect the volunteers, and other customers.

Before leaving Altona, be sure to stop to take a photo in front of the Guinness World Record “Largest Painting on an Easel”. At 76’6” tall, this landmark is a re-creation of Van Gogh’s “Sunflowers”, dreamed of and painted by local artist Cameron Cross, and is part of a series that includes sculptures in Australia and Kansas. While at the painting, take a stroll along the trail through Altona’s Memory Garden, a peaceful space filled with flowers, shrubs and trees planted in memory of loved ones.

Learn more about everything that Altona has to offer at www.altona.ca.