Starting the show off modestly, Bridger unveiled her casual and Eco-friendly day wear. Lululemon owner Chip Wilson helped Bridger fine tune her low-carbon-footprint fashions during their Oqoqo fashion collaboration while Vivienne Westwood showed the designer a thing or two about feminine style during their time spent together in London.

Loose fitting fabrics and colors that reflect the natural hue's of spring seemed to be the on-going theme throughout the show. Bridger played up her flowing ensembles by belting the shirts with a harness-esque strap and balanced the silhouette out with chunky heels. The styles, however, failed to please some of the fashion savvy folks sitting around me, causing them to call the clothes "bland" and "unoriginal". Despite the slow start to the show, Bridger quickly changed gears and brought out her top-guns.

Starting off the show with her business attire, a great contrast to the electro music in the background, Conoir's line of suits were less than impressive. A fellow attendee chimed in and said, "I feel like I could've bought something similar at Reitmans." Reitmans: 1. Jacqueline Conoir: 0.

The line gradually strayed away from the conservative and began to move into metallics and satins. Though a couple pieces sparked applause from the audience, including a silver mini dress that automatically made me think of J.Lo, none of the pieces seemed wearable. And while they may be priced for those within the higher tax bracket, I felt that very few pieces from that section of the show were worth the investment.

It all began when Owen Covert bought too many T-shirts. Using his love for graphic design, he put it to good use and began what would soon be known as To the Nines. Introduced by mutual friends about a year ago, Nikolai Hobrucker and Owen Covert soon realized they shared ideas for creating a clothing line and combined their separate talents. The product would result in a stylish, streetwear line suited to anyone's wardrobe.

Now, however, we can avoid the exhausting and tedious act of scouring every last rack in the store by attending Vancouver's very own Spend on Trend. The event, taking place September 5-7 at Scotia Bank Dance Centre, will feature 24 vendors from all over the country showcasing their latest and trendiest designs. If buying local and supporting your friendly, neighborhood designer is part of a recent attempt to be a better Vancouverite, this would probably be your chance to make good on that promise.

From bags to boots, dresses to denim, Spend on Trend Vancouver 2008 will be the first chance to buy Fall's latest fashions. Tickets to the event are $5 and can be conveniently bought at the door. $1 from each ticket is also donated to the St. Elizabeth Home Emergency Shelter for Women and Children (and who said shopping is selfish?). For the keeners out there, the first 25 people in the door receive a free gift bag valuing over $50.

Photos courtesy of Spend on Trend's website

With 20 finalists representing each Canadian region, the 10 trend watchers with the most votes will be awarded the chance to give their weekly opinions on the hottest spots to shop, flaunt and horde fashion in their area.

I figure Vancouver, who is being represented by Craig David Long and Terri Potratz, has a good chance of winning the contest. With our growing number of independent shops and increasingly more fashion savvy individuals, Vancouver is finally starting to break out of the simplistic trends of yoga gear and plaid.

Keep in mind though, it's worth it to look at all the finalists. Good fashion is by no means restricted to one city or region. There are some talented writers from across Canada that are in the running to win the reporter challenge including a dear childhood friend of mine, Meghan Tooley, from Winnipeg.

Take advantage of this rare opportunity to voice your opinion. Voting ends tomorrow morning. Happy voting! Photo from FashionMagazine.com

Personally, I'm happy to have H&M be so close and accessible. I'm a student with limited funds, so I'm always price-conscious when I shop. The wonderful thing about H&M is that you can buy seasonal pieces to dress up your wardrobe staples, and you can do so without too much guilt. I'm also super-curious to see how they've redone the space formerly occupied by Holt Renfrew, which has now become a behemoth of outrageous prices and luxury on the other side of the mall. H&M is good with keeping a constant buzz around its brand, especially because of its collaborations with international designers and celebrities. Currently, they are featuring a collection with Finnish design house Marimekko, and although it's not my personal favorite, it will definitely be recognizable. For the next collaboration, that they are working with Rei Kawakubo, founder and head designer for Comme des Garçons. Now that is something to be excited for.

Thursday, April 17 (tomorrow) hot, eccentric fashions are being brought to the streets of Vancouver. At 8pm, outside the Riot clothing and accessories store (1395 Commercial Drive) a new style of fashion show is being unveiled. With the promise to showcase this season's brightest, tightest and flashiest collections, Riot hopes to start, well.... a riot on the Drive. Fresh air and neon colors do, after all, mix very well together.

Look for fashions from such brands as Kensie, Hurley, and Level 99 Denim. If you are fun-loving enough to attend the rally and enjoy some trendy fashion, or hate this post enough to want to yell at me personally, then show up at 8pm tomorrow and let it all out.

Photo courtesy of Nicole Stewart PR and Riot clothing and accessories

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.

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.

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.

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