I’m not very proud of the way I’ve behaved in the past two weeks. I’ve been to two hockey games and watched many more on TV. I’ve worn a baseball cap (a Sweden one) in public. I’ve based my social life on hockey matches and I’ve chosen my social venues based on whether they had TVs or not. I actually know the names of some hockey players, aside from Wayne Gretzsky. I understand what icing means, sort of. I have spent many hours in sports bars, and I know what a shooter ski is. Actually, I have paid to get into sports bars. (God, that’s embarrassing.)

This has been an excpetional two weeks, not only was it the Olympic Winter Games in the city I live in, but we also had a visitor from Sweden who claims to have come here to see us, but I know really the only reason was the Olympic hockey.

Before I go any further, I’d like to promise that I won’t be partaking in any sports viewing (aside from the videos from the World poledancing championships taking place in March) for a very long time. And I’d like to explain why I decided to join in the Olympic festivities, even though I feel quite disgusted about who benefitted from these winter games, because it certainly didn’t seem to be many of the small, local business.

Sports bring a nation together (sadly its not the arts or education) but the fact is, major high profile sporting events like the Olympics or the World Cup can really raise the spirit of the host or winning country. I don’t have statistical evidence to back this up, although I’m sure there is plenty of it, but I leanrt about this during my years spent living in England, where the football (soccer) brought the nation together. Many years ago I dated a Brazilian, and it was touching how emotional they became when it came to football, and how that emotion transcended class and race. I’m not talking about Chelsea vs Arsenal, or the Vancouver Canucks vs San Jose Sharks, that sort of sport is of no interest to me. I care about when countries play against each other, because that is something a whole country can support, together. So when Canada played the USA for the men’s hockey gold medal, on Canadian soil, I wanted to support them. And now I feel like I have done my bit to support the Canadian athletes, which was actually quite fun.

I’d like to quickly say that I much prefer soccer to any other sport, because I’m a fan of a game that anyone can play. You don’t need expensive equipment, padding, ice rinks, nets, etc… to be a great soccer player, and that’s why most of the great ones come from second and third world countries. But I also know that Canada will never be any good at soccer, so I took the hockey opportunity while it was there.

I’m sorry to my readers who don’t give a toss about hockey, Canada, or the Olympics, but for those of you who have never been in a sports-obsessed country during a very important match, here’s a short, chaotic little video of the minute following Team Canada’s mens hockey team’s goal against Team USA during ovetime, which secured them the gold medal. Even if you’re not interested in sports at all, there’s no denying that the sheer joy and excitement of the people in this bar made it worth sharing, despite the embarrassment of publishing to my readers the fact that I was in a sports bar. After you have watched the video, let’s just forget it ever happened, and go back to FASHION.

Images from Vancouver2010.com.

Vancouver Eco Fashion Week organizer, Myriam Laroche, in the centre, with models from the show. Photo by Antonio LaFauci.

On Friday night I went to the Eco Fashion Forward party, which is the preview party for Vancouver Eco Fashion Week set to take place in Vancouver in April. I wasn’t expecting much, but in fact the event was quite nice. It took place in the Vancouver Public Library, which is a very beautiful building, and the crowd was fantastic.

The downside to the event was the fashion show itself, whose production included the models standing on balconies, dancing. You could see them change, which was sort of interesting, but the problem was that we didn’t get to see the clothes very well. I am totally against gimmicks when it comes to fashion shows, and with the models so high up, we couldn’t properly appreciate the clothes.

This was the view from where we were standing, which was pretty poor. I like to get a feel for the clothes, not see them five metres away. Photo by Antonio LaFauci.

I went downstairs to see the clothes afterwards, since I didn’t get a chance to look at them properly during the show. and there were some very beautiful pieces. I especially likes the Nixxi jersey, which I plan on covering on my blog in the next few weeks.

To be honest, I had pretty low expectations for the event, considering the disaster that is Vancouver Fashion Week, but this was an extremely well-produced, professional event and there were also some great clothes. Great news for the Vancouver fashion industry, and something to look forward to in April.

Alexander McQueen's legendary Plato's Atlantis Spring Summer 2010 show live streamed on Show Studio.

This very interesting post by the Sartorialist last week got me thinking about the future of fashion shows. He says that fashion shows are changing so much because nearly all of them are live streamed, and asks “Don’t you think it’s only a matter of time before these shows are open to the public? …I mean, let’s think about it, designers always say that one of their biggest expenses are fashion shows. It’s always one of the first things to get cut when times are hard. But, if they had the ability to sell tickets to these shows, it would actually become a profit maker instead of a necessary loss.”

The concept of paying for a fashion show in Europe is unheard of. Many people ask me how much it costs to get into a Chanel show, and I then have to explain that no one pays to get into a Chanel show, its free for the very limited list of people that are worthy of attending.

I don’t like the idea of paying for a fashion show, whether it is a designer fashion show in Paris, or a local fashion show. Actually, I wouldn’t pay for a fashion show, as attending fashion shows is work for me, and I don’t pay to go to work. And I certainly don’t like the idea of the general public being allowed to pay their way in to a fashion show, it would completely ruin the notion of exclusivity that the fashion industry has cultivated and is desperately trying to hold on to.

Pointless celebrities in the front row of a fashion show.

In the CNN documentary about her, Carine Roitfeld talks about how unusual it is that everyone wants to know about the fashion industry now, and that ten years ago, it wasn’t like this. She is right, when I started, the fashion industry was not full of celebrities, and therefore there weren’t millions of people who followed it closely, movies dedicated to the going ons of the industry, front rows full of pathetic reality TV stars, and thousands of fashion students trying to get into the industry. But now it is different, Anna Wintour  is a household name (how many of you can name a fashion editor from the 90s?) and the fashion industry is out in the public domain.

I know that fashion shows are very expensive, and it would be nice for brands to find a way to earn some money from them, but I don’t think they should do that by letting people buy tickets. At worst, they should stage two shows, one which is for industry, and then a public version afterwards (although even that sounds hideous to me, and probably not very cost effective.)

One thing that has really surprised me about Vancouver is that there are a lot of fashion shows on here, and people pay to go and see them. It is actually a business. Tomorrow night I am going to a fashion show that costs a lot of money (I’m not paying) and takes place at 10pm on a Friday night. That is like asking me to have a business meeting on a Friday night. I’d rather be with friends or family, relaxing and enjoying myself, rather than being “at work.” But I have realised that this is how things work here in Vancouver, and it is surprising.

Yves Saint Laurent's Spring Summer 1974 fashion show, with an informal catwalk, in the companies headquarters.

Image source.

For now the shows may be open to the public through a live streaming, but the invitations are still reserved for industry and celebrities (ugh.) As much as I love a big production fashion show, if the future of the shows require brands to tone them down a bit, I don’t think that would be such a bad thing. Let’s go back to the salon style shows from the 60s and 70s, intimate affairs for industry only (not celebrities please.) Its a nice idea isn’t it? But I doubt that will happen… For now the celebrities are adding to much value to the brands.

Here’s hoping that the fashion show I am going to tomorrow night, which is showcasing local ethically-friendly brands (which could go many ways…) is a fun Friday night out.

Here are some of the photos from the DSquared2 party at the Opus Hotel. The party was pretty good, very chic and lots of nice, good looking people. I went with Jason, and I think we stayed a bit late. The party started at 8:30pm, and we left at around 11pm, which was when the crowd started to get a bit, well, less “fashion”. We should have left at 10pm.

Here is a blurry photo of me on my way to the party. I'm wearing a dress by Jason Matlo, Sonia Rykiel shoes and handbag.

The waitresses at Opus Hotel are all dressed in Jason Matlo-designed uniforms. They look fantastic.

Rebecca Tay, from Fashion Magazine, really stood out in her leopard print dress.

Dean and Dan Caten from DSquared2

Excuse my ignorance, but I really have no idea who's who in the Vancouver scene, so I can't tell you who this is, only that she is very beautiful.

Lots of well-dressed people...

Another great party shot.

On the left is Tiffany, who does PR for the Opus Hotel and who send me these photos.

The DSquared2 boys were a lot more relaxed and fun at the Opus Hotel.

All photos by Mark Kinskofer, courtesy of the Opus Hotel.

The arrival of DSquared2 is probably one of the most exciting fashion events to have taken place in Vancouver…ever. Which is a bit sad, why can’t we have more fun fashion things?

Anyway, I went to meet Dean and Dan Caten, the twin Canadian brothers behind the Milan-based luxury brand, at Holt Renfrew for photos, and then there as a party at Opus Hotel. I am still waiting on the Opus PR girl to send me some photos of the event, so I’ll post those later, if they ever arrive.

Here I am with Dean and Dan Caten from DSquared2.

Holt Renfrew was manic, there was a lot of media there, as well as a long line up of people waiting to meet the pair. In typical Canadian style, everyone was nice, no bitchy PRs and rude security guards, which make a nice change from Paris or London. Both Dean and Dan were very friendly and fun, especially once things were a bit more relaxed at the Opus Hotel.

I liked Nelly Furtado’s DSquared2 dress that she wore when she performed with Bryan Adams, but I think her shoes were a bit high. Well, maybe not high, but you could tell she couldn’t walk in them properly. If I was going to be seen by millions of people, I would make sure I was wearing a pair of shoes that I was confident walking in. I was at the edge of my seat waiting for her to fall over or trip. Thankfully she didn’t.

While I’m on the subject of the opening ceremonies, I just want to quickly say that although I thought there was some very beautiful imagery, it was generally disappointing. I loved KD Lang’s performance (and I’d be happy to recommend a tailor for her…) but other than that, it just didn’t do it for me. My question was, where was Cirque de Soleil? They are one of Canada’s best performance exports, I don’t understand how such an important Canadian event did not include Cirque de Soleil. We should have had trapeze and silks, instead of dancers in yoga pants.

My husband has had his eye on this Stanfield’s long john onesie since we first stepped into Mr. Lees General Store and Haberdashery off of Main Street. So today, after having coffee with a new friend (a European one, which is doubly exciting!) I popped into the store to buy him a red one for Valentine’s day.

This photo from the Stanfield's website is not very cool.

Mr. Lee’s was very busy, and I didn’t want to tempt myself by looking around too much, as I knew it would end up being expensive, but it is a very cool store, definitely worth checking out. Here are a couple of photos and a blurb from their blog.

“Mr. Lee’s has a curated selection of accessories, clothing and accompaniments that we feel are noteworthy, rare and purposeful, and above all else special. In addition to this we carry a template of product that was sold by general stores of the 1930’s &40’s: specialty foods, hard goods, apothecary, magazines, fine paper products, flowers and notions.”

And here’s the onesie photos.

Brown paper bags are totally underrated.

Stanfield's is very Canadian.

This onesie has great benefits!

Not sure how comfortable I am about posting photos of my husband in his (long) underwear.

Today is the first day of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. I am not particularly thrilled about these games, but there is nothing I can do now but try and have some fun. New York fashion week also started yesterday, and I will be doing my Love and Loathe for some of the catwalk shows, the ones I think are important. Despite being busy with Olympics, and visitors from Sweden, and all of the fashion shows, I still fully intend on posting some regular blog content.

If you’d like to read a bit about the Olympics fashion, you can check out my VERY generic coverage of Olympic style on Examiner. I also did an article about some very cool athlete and consumer gear for the latest issue of View2. If you’d like to know my thoughts on the rather disgusting sponsorship deals, read this interesting article on Business of Fashion, and check out my long-winded comment on the bottom. I also contributed to this Urban Junkies Vancouver Guide, sponsored by Oakley.

In the meantime, here are some fun Olympics images.

These images of Team USA wearing special edition Rodarte knitwear, shot by Ryan McGinley for The New York Times Magazine are pretty cool.

Jeret (Speedy) Peterson, Freestyle Skier (Aerials)

Johnny Weir, Figure Skater

Rachael Flatt, Figure Skater

Emily Cook, Freestyle Skier (Aerials)

Some creative anti-Olympics images…

Image source.

Image source.

And here is a genius logo from the anti-Olympics camp. Is it a middle finger? Or is it a phallic symbol? (Thanks to Jocelyn and Andrew for that!)

Going to my parent’s house has become more like a shopping trip than a family visit. On Sunday my husband and I went over there for dinner, and we ended up leaving with a pair of motorcycle boots (for my husband), a vintage Salvatore Ferragamo clutch, a few tacky but cool 80s cotton sweaters, a belt, some mohair scarves, and an old Celine bag. Plus, the piece de resistance, which was my sister’s 1992 Roots jacket.

You would need to be Canadian to understand how this ultra-tacky baseball jacket could possibly be an exciting acquisition compared to a Salvatore Ferragamo clutch and a Celine bag. These jackets were very fashionable when I was in my teens, and anything from your teens is either horrifically embarrassing, “totally awesome”, or a mixture of both. It makes me feel very old, discovering fashion items that were super-desirable to me in my teens which are now (in my eyes) cool again.

It says 1992 on the sleeve!

Here’s a few photos of the jacket. I’m not sure how I will wear it yet, the fit is terrible. The body is quite big, and the sleeves are too short. And its hideous, but in a good way (I think.)

Here are the new versions, available at Roots now. It’s obvious that the only way this jacket can be fashionable is if you are wearing a very old one, sort of like the Club Monaco sweatshirts I talked about a few weeks ago.

The old one is definitely cooler.

Roots is a very Canadian brand, and, like most Canadian fashion, has enourmous potential but fails to deliver. OK, the clothing and branded merchandise sucks, but the leather goods are super good quality and extremely durable. I have this wallet, from Roots, and I got tons of compliments on it. Its nicer and rougher than the Comme des Garcons wallets, and much more durable. So why can’t they make a decent handbag?

I’d love to give Roots’ leather products a makeover, in fact, I am offering my services to them. The leather is great, the product is very high quality, and its extremely durable. But they need to improve their designs, and what better time to do it. People are sick of paying $2000 for a handbag, let’s make some great ones for $300. Plus, I like the fact that they don’t blatantly brand their bags (like Coach…ugh.) Here are some designer brands that they should take inspiration from… Roots people: call me.

All Roots images from their website, all designer bag images from and available on Net A Porter.

Last night I went to the opening of the James Nizam show at Gallery Jones on 3rd. As expected, crowd was interesting and well-dressed (unlike most fashion events in Vancouver.)

James’ work is really interesting, and once I looked into his older work, I’ve realised that this recent collection is much more to my taste than his older work. It is photography of sculpture and installation, and its amazing. He told us a bit about the process, and it was really interesting, but rather than try and recap it all, I’ve included a blurb from the invitation on the bottom of this post.

Images from the Gallery Jones website.

Here I am with a very old friend, Jessica Clark, from Quince Fine Flowers. I’m wearing Atelier 1 coat, Uniqlo Jeans, vintage handbag, Hermes necklace, and Finsk shoes.

I had to show you all a few more photos of my shoes, which got many compliments. I have yet to unleash my entire Finsk collection on Vancouver, but I can tell you there are many more amazing pairs that need christening.

The giant zipper pull looks amazing when it sings back and forth when you walk.

The pleated leather is divine.

More on James Nizam’s work, from the exhibition invitation.

“On the occasion of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Gallery Jones is pleased to announce James Nizam’s exhibition, Memorandoms which continues Nizam’s use of vacated domestic interiors as the backbone of his photography, the provisional location of his studio, and the source of materials. In this case the site is the former Little Mountain housing project on 33rd to 37th Avenues, between Ontario and Main Street, what was the oldest public housing development in Vancouver, recently demolished to make way for a higher density combination of market condominiums and social housing. At one time these low rise buildings situated around grassy common areas across the street from Queen Elizabeth Park would have been attractive housing. Large windows threw light onto hardwood floors of square well built rooms, but that was decades ago. One year ago Nizam was granted access to the slated complex where he assumed residence to an empty third floor apartment. There he set up a camera, and over the course of several months, documented a series of ephemeral sculptures that he constructed from accumulations of remnants such as doors, drawers, shelves, and various other standardized architectural furnishings. Similar to each of Nizam’s previous photographic series two dominant and constant ideas persist with this new body of work: the lost or abandoned domicile, and that the personal is political. In Memorandoms, though the type of the home used has shifted towards the social, Nizam’s work in them continues to move towards greater refinement and sophistication.”

I’ve had some very good and some very bad shopping experiences this week in Vancouver. You can read about my bad ones here and here. But yesterday I had the pleasure of discovering some very cool retailers for a Vancouver shopping guide I am doing for my friend’s London website, Urban Junkies. I’ll be mentioning a lot of them over the next few weeks, but today I’d like to show you some photos of a really cool store on Main and 8th called Lark.

The concept is heritage brands and classic clothing, but with an edge. It seems they get a lot of people coming in to buy the traditional French Saint James nautical sweaters and tees, but they also carry really beautiful european brands like Bruuns Bazaar, by Malene Birger, Frank Leder (who was in my gradaute class at Saint Martins), Barbour, and Mackintosh. They also sell Chimala jeans and Yoshi Kondo.

I bought this Bruuns Bazaar top at Lark yesterday, I am trying to get more colour into my wardrobe at the moment.

Bruuns Bazaar is a Danish brand. I have a minor obsession with clothing that makes neat geometric shapes when they are flat.

Part of the shopping trip also involved a trip to Gastown, and I bought this diamond ring napkin ring from Parliament. I am going to wear it as a pendant. They do the usual modern furniture and homewares, which you find a lot of in Gastown, but their selection is very affordable, which makes a nice contrast to somewhere like Inform across the street (which, by the way, has extremly cold and uninterested sales people.) Parliament also has a very beautiful and soft shop dog. It is taking me a while to get used to the concept of going into a shop and meeting a dog, but I love it.