The time has come for Vancouver to once again participate in the globally recognized and celebrated Fashion Week. For 5 days, March 31st - April 4th, 2008, Vancouver will host an array fashion shows highlighting the many talents of international designers, stylists, choreographers and other industry pros. With this year's focus set on Business of Fashion, BCFW organizers hope to establish international relationships that will put Vancouver high on the list of global fashionistas.

Mixing business with pleasure is what the designers of this year's BC Fashion Week are striving to achieve. Unlike many of the unpractical couture fashion shows you see in magazines that have skirts billowing over the runway and shirts that leave nothing to the imagination, the goal of the designers visiting our city next week is to market a product that can be used everyday. For this reason, BCFW will display two levels of fashion: Ready-To-Wear and Diffusion (that is being described as somewhere in between everyday wear and couture).

As the Canadian fashion elites and international media of all kind begin to pour into our city, the BCFW committee is dedicated to proving that Vancouver has what it takes to become a major mecca for trends. In light of this, locations in and around the Vancouver area will begin rolling out their merlot carpets and polishing up their velvet ropes this week. By setting the standards of expectation high, the BCFW organizers hope the trends seen next week will be on the shelves of Vancouver's top shops come Fall.

No this is not a confessional about a secret crush I have that I can no longer keep private, its about a store called Love Rosa tucked clandestinely (like a secret crush) on the shady side of Kingsway and 8th. Taking cues from Budgies next door, Rose opened the shop to showcase Dios de los Meurtos-style trinkets but soon expanded into one of the finest found clothing stores in Vancouver.

Art Deco skirts adorn the walls, a wax skull sits solemnly on a black piano, and a beaded necklace is draped over an anonymous frame. Authentic Mexico City folk art, papier mache dolls, and Catholic rosaries add to the ambiance. Downstairs there is a collection of men's clothing as well as lingerie and vintage shoes. Almost all of my clothing allowance has been wisely allocated to oversize Blue Jays paraphernalia, Converse sweatshirts, and hipster approved Wolf-print tees. But more important than the clothes, (yes there is such a thing) is the cultivation of an aura of total hang-outability. In the summer the proprietors lounge on beaten up car seats sipping fine wine from plastic cups. But with the completion of One Kingsway, which will house the Mount Pleasant branch of the VPL, a childcare centre, and community centre, the fate of micro-stores like Love Rosa hangs in the balance.

The forces of gentrification are hard at work; the marketability of Commercial Drive to the east, the branding of Mount Pleasant into SoMa, condo fever snaking its way up from the ashes of Cambie Village as the RAV Line rips through a once prosperous community, and to the north is South-East False Creek with its Olympic aspirations.

Yet for all the doom and gloom, the neighbourhood is hanging onto its character, even building on it. The Foundation still anchors the little mountain, with the most corporate addition being a Waves coffee shop, and a Sport Chek on Broadway. Our Town hums away, Dadabase is still selling their agitprop, Soma has branched out into quite a destination cafe, Happy Bats nest on the middle of the hill, while Red Cat and Eugene Choo crown the hill. The two newest additions to the Kingsway wedge are a jewelery shop named Queen Bee Luxuries, and a treasure trove of vinyl in the basement of Gallery 42 called Dandelion Records. The former is a sort of 'rockabilly lifestyle shop' with burlesque corsets and colorful makeup, a lot of which is vegan. Queen Bee compliments the Kiss Stores, Puncturehaus piercings, and the low brow Jem Gallery. Meanwhile Dandelion Records have original pressings of Can, Nick Drake, and Neu amongst others and a projection screen with vintage videos haunting the corner. Be prepared to lose a pile of cash.

Back in the day, we wore hats much more often. A 1962 high school textbook I got on ebay says that, as a woman, "you would wear a hat...if you attended your brother's graduation exercises in the morning. You would probably wear one for job-hunting." Needless to say, times have changed, but this season hats are back with a vengeance. Noted celebs have goaded this trend along, including the ubiquitous Kate Moss (sporting new bangs, I might add). Check out e-zine Get Lippy for snaps of your favourite personalities in their new head gear.

Not sure if hats even look good on you? They do! Some pointers:

- an asymmetric brim looks good on just about anyone
- if you have a round face, go for a tailored, angular hat
- if your face is angular, go for a rounded hat
- the label always indicates the back of a hat
- if your hat has a large brim, wear darker eye makeup to bring out your eyes

Even a dismally dank Sunday afternoon won't keep me away from the possibility of reliving a past I never knew. On Sunday, I strapped on my umbrella and my floral rubber boots (reminiscent of a children's birthday card from the 70s) and made my way to the Croatian Cultural Centre for the Retro Design & Antiques Fair.

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To the taunt beats and turgid loops of DJ Mike Louw in the cool night air, September 21st saw the opening of Hot Box Accessories Inc.. at 2560 Main St. The opening was also an 'R' Rated-for-Nudity fashion show aptly named "Bare Accessories Fall Fashion Show". Co-Owners Kameyo Melina and Brenda Mcguire (you may have seen her at the 'Riot' store on Commercial) rocked the Block with a Bevy of Burlesque-Punk model/Dancers that paraded with nothing much on, except - yes, you guessed it -- Accessories. While the controversial zones on their bodies were covered only with body paint -- the Hot Box folks definitely know how to raise the temperature to a "Sssss..." for Sizzling.

When I inquired about the tone and vibe of the shop, the Hot Box crew answered with gusto: "Sexy!" "Friendly, Uninhabited and all-inclusive for Boys, Girls and In-Betweens", and Brenda chimed in with the ubiquitous sound-bites: "It's Hot Box - It's HOT!" Brenda further explains, "[o]ur concept is 'Everything--BUT Denim." Indeed, Hot Box aspires to be what I would deem to be the 'Little Accessories Mecca on Main' that could. It is festooned with hat fetishes: scaling up the high-ceiling wall is a wide selection of noodle baskets by Goorin Bros. Be it knits, or felt fedoras to beanies and toques the fall colors have finally arrived, and at affordable prices. Click for more...

Most of us have switched to compact fluorescent lights, recycled paper, and are eating organic food (when we can affort it); but to tell you the truth, how many of us are regularly wearing "local" designs? Fashion High is putting Vancouverites to the test with the Dress Local Challenge

The challenge is issued to guests attending the Generation Next Fashion Show on Thursday, September 27, at Performance Works on Granville Island, where BC Fashion Week showcases three emerging designers from the province. As guests walk the red carpet The Express' Johanna Ward will be asking the proverbial questions, "Who are you wearing?" But instead of a catalogue of international brand names, it will be roster of Vancouver designers that will be rolling off the tongue.

If pride of place weren't enough reason to strut your stuff in designers such as Elroy, Peel and Bon Bon, Fashion High has put together a fashionable prize pack for the Dress Local Challenge winner who will be chosen by raffle. The prize pack includes a subscription to Fashion Magazine, a Bring Your Own Bag, a $100 gift certificate to JC Studio, jewelry from Sugar Lime, Spa Binge skincare products, and an unforgettable night in the VIP suite at the Century Plaza Hotel. That's a delightful little prize pack if you ask me! Read on for more...