Designer Chantel Traub's City Skirts

When Chantel Traub was looking for inspiration for her Fall 2011 collection, the Alberta College of Art + Design graduate just had to go for a stroll through some of her favourite neighbourhoods.

Traub’s collection includes circle skirts made of raw silk, hand-painted with streetscapes from Calgary communities. Perhaps her most recognizable street-turned-skirt design is one featuring Stephen Avenue with its metal “Tree” sculpture and sandstone buildings.

“A lot of people say Calgary is lacking in culture, and I completely disagree,” says Traub. “The garments I make are a celebration of our city, and Stephen Avenue is an exemplary example of a vibrant area with lots of action.”
Traub’s collection also includes a bubble dress dubbed “The Bow,” with a diamond pattern similar to the crossbeams on the new downtown skyscraper, and a silk dress that pulls in colours from fall foliage found in Traub’s own neighbourhood of Parkland. Traub’s dress designs have also been inspired by international locales such as the Vatican, Cote d’Azur and Bavaria.

To see Traub’s geographically influenced designs, or to commission one of your own, visit chanteltraub.com