The Mellinda Mae Harlingten Fall 2008 collection was unraveled last night at BC Fashion Week's spruced up China Town venue. With recognizable indie dance tracks playing in the background , Vancouver's fashion trend setters looked on with awe as model, after model paraded down the black runway to show off this fall's latest fashions.

Mixing textures, highlights of red and large buttons seemed to the the focus of Mellinda Mae's new collection. Although safe, this up and coming designer seems to have a handle of what's to come when dealing with hot vs. not.

Nothing says Spring like getting mauled by hordes of fashion-crazy women. I had the luxury (perhaps courage?) to take part in the Spring opening of the Portobello West Market last Sunday and while it was packed, true fashion was few and far between.

In a city where studio Condo's sell for $500 000, thrift shopping abounds. My most recent foray into the world of bargain hunting was at My Favourite Thrift Shop at 4th and MacDONALD in Kitsilano which supports BC's Children with Disabilities. At first glance, the shop looks like any other thrift shop with various paperbacks, furniture, and 'one-dollar' racks outside. Inside, however, the shopper is treated to a wide range of items in both terms of variety and price.

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