Sights Unseen: Fashion Above and Below the Fairmont Palliser Hotel

Trendy fall fashion comes to the Fairmont Palliser for its centennial

 

Photography by Gerard Yunker; Styling by Kara Chomistek; Hair by Sue Thompson (Chrome Hair Design); Makeup by Lucy Morris; Model Kendall G. (Mode Models). Photographed at the Fairmont Palliser Hotel. Marie Saint Pierre coat, $1,480, and leggings, $380, both from Blu’s Womens Wear; Michi bra, $115, Dean Davidson temple ring, $196, castle ring, $185 and earrings, $95, all from Holt Renfrew.

 

High above the Fairmont Palliser’s luxury guest rooms and far below its palatial lobby are spaces few guests have ever seen. On the eve of the storied hotel’s 100th year, get a glimpse of its edgier side, with fall fashions to match.

Photograph by Gerard Yunker.
Lauren Bagliore neoprene jacket, price upon request; 3.1 Phillip Lim Pashli mini messenger bag, $925, from Holt Renfrew.

 

The Palliser was built in the Edwardian Commercial style, and was designed to resemble an “E” to maximize natural light in each guest room.

Photograph by Gerard Yunker. Matthew Gallagher dress, $1,325, available at Parkluxe; boots, $112, from Topshop; Konstantino cross ring, $4,540, from Rubaiyat; John Hardy dragon ring, $1,575, from Holt Renfrew; CoutuKitsch gold rings, $25 each.

A 490-foot-long tunnel carries steam heat from a power house built by Canadian Pacific Railway in 1912 and located across the tracks from the hotel.

Photograph by Gerard Yunker. Malorie Urbanovich wool coat, $1,495, from Gravity Pope; The Row dress, $3,795, from Ooh La La Womenswear; Mizuki earrings, $4,540, from Rubaiyat.

Three additional floors were added to the Palliser in 1929, increasing the number of guest rooms from 350 to 492, now 407 following subsequent renovations. The hotel was the tallest building in Calgary until 1960.

Photograph by Gerard Yunker. Lauren Bagliore cape, price upon request; Hugo Boss lace-up sandal, $1,145; Horace & Jasper leather wrap bracelet, $20; Alexander McQueen skull ring, $290, and Balanciaga bracelet, $215, both from Holt Renfew; earrings, $8, from Aldo; cuff, $12, from Topshop.

Two floors of attic space above the 12th-floor Gold Lounge house much of the building’s mechanics, including the machine drive for the elevator, which is still in operation today.

Photograph by Gerard Yunker. Matthew Gallagher dress, $560, available at Parkluxe; Konstantino rings, $3,145 and $4,540, both from Rubaiyat.

Iconic neon lettering spells out the hotel’s name on the penthouse lounge roof. Early plans for the rooftop, including a swimming pool and restaurant, were never realized.

For more fashion coverage at the Fairmont Hotel, visit A Luxury Escape Then and Now

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