Vancouver: Eugene Choo pulls you out of the dregs of winter
Is it just me, or do this year’s Boxing Day sales seem to be dragging on forever? What is it now, mid-February? And it wasn’t until a week ago that I started to see a significant decrease in 50 to 80 per cent off notices in my inbox. But I truly realized how desperate this situation is, when a recent visit to one of my regular Main Street haunts yielded an ominously empty response to the friendly question, “Hey! What’s new?”
I never thought I’d complain about a bargain, but I have been getting a little bored with seeing the same merchandise I added to my wardrobe six months ago still in stores. This is problematic to me for a few reasons”
1) Despite my awareness of mass-production, I prefer the “ignorance is bliss” mentality when it comes to people buying the same things as me. If it’s no longer on the rack, it won’t detract from my false sense of originality. 2) Second: I don’t like knowing that someone will bite my style for a better deal. 3) The red signs everywhere are not attractive.
Suffice it to say, I am very happy to finally see new merchandise making its way into stores. And despite these economic times, I’m even happier to see that Vancouver still supporting local and isn’t copping out on cheaper wares.
Eugene Choo (3683 Main St., 604-873-8874, eugenechoo.com) is one of my favourite shops on Main Street. Proprietor Kildare Curtis has been selling the best in Canadian and international design to Mount Pleasant for almost a decade now. This spring, I am happy to announce, he’ll be offering a strong collection of garments by local designers Dace and Mono. You can’t imagine the euphoria this brings me. It’s like a whole bunch of goodness all wrapped up into one. I won’t even begin to explain why I love Dace and Mono, because frankly, each deserves a post of their own. But let me just say this: If ever there was a spring season to wait for, this is the one.
Read more about Mono.
Craig David Long is a Renaissance man with a post-modern sensibility. His interests in the arts, culture, fashion and design have collided over the years, shaping his thoughtful and observational writing style. Prior to becoming the regional winner of FASHION Magazine's 2008 Reporter Search contest for Vancouver, Craig had dabbled in the world of public relations, working with clients such as the Law Commission of Canada, Vancouver Magazine, Starbucks and Warner Bros. Pictures. He had also founded Vancouver's popular street-style blog, The Commodified (thecommodified.blogspot.com). Craig retired the site after two years, when he assumed his current role as the Assistant Editor of Vancouver's new regional lifestyle quarterly, Montecristo Magazine.