Stubborn Love

In the last week, it feels as if nature is just been squeezing out sporadic periods of sunshine like squeezing out the last dainty drops of lemon juice from the wedge. (Oh look I'm doing that Vancouverite thing again talking about the weather. Well whaaddup I'm ownin' it).

The Lumineers concert was last Thursday and took place at Deer Lake Park in Burnaby. We were truly blessed by some good dry weather, which came into effect pre-emptively in the mid-afternoon. After a brief costume change after work, voila, I transformed into a concert bo-ho with my trusty Hipster Lion (if you haven't met him, he made his first appearance on my birthday as a honorary Leo).

Vanstyle Summer Nights Fashion Show

A couple weeks I had the pleasure of attending the Vanstyle Summer Nights Fashion Show, produced by Vanstyle, a fashion community run and operated by SFU students, at the exquisite Waterfall Building on 2nd Ave. Tucked away behind a waterfall was the beautiful triangular glass building, whose natural lighting and artworks served as the perfect backdrop for showcasing the three featured designers - Pretty Hipster (by Mark Abenir) & Ritzy Pin (by Anna Kudrjasova).

Below are some of my favorite pieces from both collections. The gowns from Pretty Hipster are glamorous and filled with surprises, such as cut-outs, and never lacking in their airy and grandiose quality. It's amazing that these are the works of an 18-year-old who at this young age had already chosen to follow his dreams - to pursue a career in passion.

The highlight of my night was meeting Anna Kudrjasova, the designer of the up and coming Canadian online retail brand, Ritzy Pin. Ritzy Pin is ready to launch anytime soon, and is set to become the go-to store to satisfy the cravings of "wild and free" spirits. This collection was brought to life with a bright colour palette and womanly silhouettes exude a strong sense of self-expression and fun-loving nature. Anna and her PR manager Lina, were both incredibly sweet and down-to-earth and were the perfect spokespeople for their brand. We are really looking forward to the official launch of Ritzy Pin and can't wait to get our hands on some of these unique pieces ourselves!

All in all, it was a night of great fashion, conversation and inspiration. After all, who could miss out on an opportunity to play fashionista for a night?

Photos:
1/2/3 - Designs from Pretty Hipster. (PS - doesn't the first gown look like something Danaerys from Game of thrones would wear?!)
4/5 - The fun, edgy yet girly designs from Ritzy Pin.
6 - The beautiful Anna, founder of Ritzy Pin, and Franny, my date for the night.
7 - Friends =)
8/9/10 - Tina, my other date for the night, Franny and myself in our fashionable attires.

What to do this Weekend

The positive weekend weather forecast and the anticipation of Friday 5pm to roll around have got all of us looking forward to the weekend. If you've got a weekend getaway, good for you for planning ahead. For us folks staying in the big city, we begin to mull over the big question: what should I do this weekend? To save some time and energy for everyone, I have put together a list of cool things to do this weekend. Trust me - there is something for everyone.

The summer will not last long, so let's not allow these precious weekends to go to waste! (and of course if you rather sit on the beach or on your patio, kudos to you too)

-EVENTS-

Honda Celebration of Light

Sat. July 26th

http://hondacelebrationoflight.com/

United Kingdom – Pyro 2000. 

-EAT-

"QE POD" – the new food truck pod in Vancouver!

Opens July 26th

11am-3pm daily

Next to Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Features 6 new food trucks: Aussie Pie Guy, ChouChou Crepes, Culver City Salads, Dougie Dog Diner, Fat Duck Mobile Eatery, Reel Mac and Cheese

Vancouver’s Food Cart Fest

Every Sunday

215 W. 1st (between the Cambie Street Bridge and Olympic Village)

Every Sunday from 12pm-5pm ($2 admission)

www.foodcartfest.com

-SHOP-

Light Activewear Warehouse Sale

July 27 & 28

10am-6am

#111 - 5911 Minoru Blvd, Richmond

Up to 75% off everything. ALL sizes and all styles available.

Warehouse Sale Details

Gravitypope Outlet Sale

July 26, 27, 28

11am-6pm

24 West 7th Avenue

50% to 90% off everything - shoes and clothing.

Taiwan Fest



Greetings! I just came back from a long weekend work event - exhausted but more inspired and refreshed than ever. I wish I had shared my photos of the Taiwan Fest in downtown vancouver earlier to encourage more people to go. I had so much fun that I went back the next day just for MORE food!

The Taiwan Fest took place over the Labour Day long weekend. Apart from the previous years, the festival took place in the heart of downtown - on Granville Street and behind the Vancouver Art Gallery. The event featured lots of businesses, cultural games and activities (ie. lantern making and chinese vegetable plants), as well as Taiwanese music artists and bands. The highlight however was the amazing variety of traditional food! As a Taiwanese, I would have to say that the dishes were a fairly decent portrayal of the traditional street foods back home. The fried shrimp rolls, braised pigfoot with thin noodles, brown rice cake (really pork blood mixed with rice..), lamb skewers, etc....this was more authentic and diverse than the night market! Needless to say, I would HIGHLY recommend everyone to check it out next year.