Fashion

Party On! Meet The Sisters Behind Vancouver’s Very Own Partyskirts

BCLiving talks to the local ladies behind this fun and flirty fashion line

By Danielle Tsang /

Credit: Lindsays Diet

Sister Act

Meet sisters Mariel and Lauren Victoria Armstrong. The fashionable siblings are the masterminds behind PARTYSKIRTS, a Vancouver clothing brand specializing in well, party skirts. The Armstrong sisters aren’t just pretty faces though – both went to school for fashion. Lauren attended the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York for fashion marketing, and Mariel attended FIDM in Los Angeles for product development. With their creativity, education and passion, Partyskirts was born.



Credit: Partyskirts

Fun, Vibrant and Classy

Partyskirts is still the fairly new kid on the block – the first Partyskirts collection was launched in the winter of 2012. Pre-launch, Partyskirts were only seen twirling around town on the Armstrong sisters and their friends. The fun and bright skirts caught the attention of Vancouverites and gained some serious love. I first spotted the skirts on Instagram and fell in love with the bright and fun colours.

Since the brand’s launch, the fun, vibrant, and classy skirts have been flying off shelves around town and online. The brand released a limited edition collection of skirts for Teen Vogue this past November, featuring prints like classic polka dots.

BCLiving had the chance to chat with the fashion line’s co-founder Lauren Victoria Armstrong about everything Partyskirts.



Credit: Instagram/Partyskirts

An Idea is Born

How was Partyskirts born?

Partyskirts was born out of a void we both felt was missing in our wardrobes! Mariel had our mom whip out her sewing machine and the first Partyskirt was made. We both found it was more fun to wear them out together. We wore them for about five years before we decided to make it our full-time job a year ago.

What was the first Partyskirt collection like?

Our first collection was holiday 2012 – we choose beautiful jewel tones. We research colour trends but ultimately go with what we love.

Are Partyskirts still made locally? What fabric are Partyskirts made from?

We manufacture here in Vancouver, so it was important to us to keep it local while we were starting out. We have always made them from dupioni silk because of the fabric’s natural beauty. But we are excited to offer silk taffeta for this coming spring season. We have also started to custom-dye all of our fabric.

 



Credit: Instagram/Partyskirts

Girl, You’ve Got Style!

What’s the best way to wear a Partyskirt?

Partyskirts can really be worn anywhere – that is the best part about them. We love them with a pair of sneakers and a jean jacket as much as a blouse and high heels. We even wear them by the pool with our swimsuits.

What’s your favorite Partyskirt right now? If you can pick one, because I sure can’t!

Picking a favourite is always hard. Mariel tends to love the prints and I love the navy lady length.



Credit: Jillian Harris

Teen Vogue Collection

Can you tell us about the Teen Vogue collection? I know the polka dots and the black-and-white stripe skirts were sold out everywhere in Vancouver.

Our Teen Vogue collaboration has been one of the best opportunities yet. We were able to work with the magazine on a collection that was suited to their readers and us. We designed customs prints that really turned out to be a hit. We are sold out and still get emails and calls daily. Stay tuned because we have more fun prints for the summer.

Find PARTYSKIRTS at skotapparel.com and at the following local retailers: Blubird, Lynn Steven, Rebecca Bree, Holt Renfrew (across Canada).

Pictured: Jillian Harris in the polka-dot white Partyskirt from the Teen Vogue collection.