We hope you come and visit us there.

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The boys opened up the show with their latest hit, Single, which was soon followed by some New Kids classics. I have to say that the boys certainly still know how to perform. I was entertained throughout the entire concert. Their dance moves are still top form, although they have toned it down a bit from their early days. It seemed that Jordan and Joey did most of the singing, followed by Donnie. Danny and Jon held back and let the others steal the show. The worst part of the show was when they held a photo contest after their Click Click Click number. It was just lame and a waste of time. I tuned out. They need to switch that up. Favourites - Tonight, Step by Step and Summertime (yes, the new song)

Yes, I still have a soft spot for each of the boys. I had forgotten how hot Jordan Knight is… did anyone else need to change their panties after his solo of Baby I Believe In You where he crooned in front of the wind machine in an open white shirt? Wow. Hot. I was even attracted to Danny Wood when he busted out some breakdancing. Surprised? I was. He was always a bit of a monkey boy. Joey’s still hot but, as we later found out after the concert, he’s a bit of a diva. Someone should tell him that there are five members in the group, not one. Jon Knight, the shy and quiet New Kid, has grown into a very handsome man with some fabulous arms. And then there’s Donnie Walhberg… still a bad boy.

The crowd at the concert was an odd mix of females. Mainly over the age of 25 but there were definitely some youngsters in the group… possibly just there to see Lady GaGa. I can’t imagine the girls under 25 would remember the New Kids in their prime. The clothes that the girls wore were just as terrible as the outfits at the Madonna concert. Think neon, leg warmers and tight everything. Girls wearing short skirts and tight tops who really shouldn’t be wearing those things - they really need to learn to dress for their figures. I actually cringed.

NKOTB couldn’t have picked a better time for a comeback. I enjoyed their new songs and their old. It was an excellent concert… perhaps even on the same level as Madonna. But I must say, the best part was hanging out with the boys post concert. Can we say dream come true?

Entering the Shark Club was like walking into a meat market. There were men everywhere and they weren’t afraid to check out every single girl walking through those doors. You could feel the testosterone in the room and wading through it was intoxicating.

We instantly went to the bar to grab drinks and I was pleasantly surprised to find that the prices were 2001 prices. Not much of a wine list, but $6.00 for a glass is hard to come by in this town, so I’ll let it slide. We found our group and settled in the middle of room, great location to check out our surroundings. I think the crowd was predominantly from the outer suburbs just in town for the game. They were easy to pick out. Suburbian men are oddly bigger more rugged than city boys. Plus, they brazenly looked at you and smiled. Very approachable. Sadly, men in the city are far more reserved. We managed to motion over a hot guy we had had our eyes on… we certainly know how to pick them… this one had a french accent. Finally, we picked correctly! Montreal, not France. I’m ok with that. He was very sweet and didn’t speak English very well. It was refreshing talking to someone from outside of Vancouver.

As the crowd dwindled and everyone moved on to the game, we debated whether we should stay for some food. After a quick glance at the menu, nothing sounded good, so we decided to move on. There just weren’t enough choices in the appetizer list - nothing we wanted to share.

All in all, I was impressed with the Shark Club and will likely head there again pre-Canucks game.

Shark Club Bar & Grill
180 West Georgia Street

Knowing that I have some commitment issues, when I first read the headline of this story I really felt some compassion for the poor guy. This happened back in October, however, I felt it was good enough to share it with you.

According to the Yomiuiri newspaper, a Japanese man set a fire in the early morning at the resort hotel in Yamanashi Prefecture, just west of Tokyo, where he was due to get married to his fiancee before 80 guests. The 39 year old man had gone along with wedding plans even though he already had a wife. I guess he decided setting a fire would be easier than coming clean. According to the paper, guests at the hotel were evacuated and no one was injured. Although I’d bet his fiancee might now be suffering from some serious commitment issues.

Although this man was already married, which caused a slight twist in my original compassion, I decided to dig a bit further into the reasons people are afraid of marriage. A little self-help if you may. I came across this very informative site: The National Marriage Project. It really is a great read, with topics ranging from cohabitation, divorce, marriage, and child well being. I’ll let you form your own conclusions…

According to an article at askmen.com, men are afraid of marriage (aka commitment) for the following reasons:

1. No More Freedom
2. Loss of Space
3. One Sex Partner, Forever
4. They’ve Been Burned Before
5. The Emotional Baggage
6. Lack of Compromise
7. Loss of Free Time
8. Not Ready for It
9. Can’t Trust a Woman
10. She Applies Pressure

Now, what happens when a woman completely agrees with the above and feels the exact same way? Because let me tell you, I’m hearing this list from my singleton gf’s over and over again. So if this is the case, wouldn’t you both agree to have the perfect partnership, the best of both worlds? Or will those afraid of the C word and all it signifies continue to make the list of most eligible bachelors and bachelorettes?

If you’re still into monogamy for life and you think your man might be dragging his feet to the altar, here are a few good reads:

Closing the Deal: Two Married Guys Take You from Single Miss to Wedded Bliss
Authors:Daniel Rosenberg and Richard Kirshenbaum

He’s Just Not That Into You: The No-Excuses Truth to Understanding Guys
Authors: Greg Behrendt & Liz Tuccillo

On the plus side, VFW was certainly an interesting and eye opening experience. VFW was attended by sponsors, buyers, retailers, editors, writers, bloggers, stylists, friends and family of the designers, the general public and the various designers themselves, and was generally a full house over the weekend.

We really had no idea that some of these people existed in real life in this city. Take, for example, the Italian Queen. Picture this, if you dare, a long black satin dress, clingy in all the wrong places, talons for toe nails (they were actually an inch longer than her toes) and toes that hung over the front of her towering platform heels. Black liner rimmed her pink lips and eyes, and a natty hair piece, which could have come free with just one light tug, trailed down her back. I hope someone took a picture of this train wreck.

One of the MC’s of the Saturday shows was Mandy Gill of the Beat 94.5. Now, she seems like a sweet girl but someone needs to help her out with her fashion decisions. I’m hoping someone else dressed her and she’s got better sense in normal life. If those over the knee boots she was wearing are actually hers, she should probably throw them in the dumpster or give them to one of the ladies standing on Seymour Street - they would get more use out of them.

And just who was that fabulous black man we saw at all the shows and events? Each day in a more fantastic ensemble than the last. Saturday consisted of a plaid blazer and sunglasses… it was gold. What media outlet was he with?? He reminded me of Andre Leon Talley, in the best possible way.

The models used at VFW were both good and bad. Many were certainly not model material and left me wondering if Vancouver has a small pool to draw talent from. Perhaps a better selection process should be used next time and rather than use models who just got out of “modeling school”, actually commit some of the budget to booking higher profile models who I know are out there in Vancouver. That being said, there were a few models who fit the bill, who didn’t have fake boobs and fake tans or walk like they owned the runway, who actually looked like they could do Paris or Milan. PS. The stunning Alek Wek look-a-like is named Regina.

Names to watch? Our picks are Karen Wu, Papillon, In Harmony and Lav & Kush,

All in all, I hope in the next installment of VFW, organizers step up their game and give Vancouver something to brag about.

Here are some behind the scenes shots courtesy of Yvonne Chew:

Parasuco is definitely targeting the younger market and really should branch out. They were a big name for fashion week, and I was hoping they would spread their design wings and show us some new creative pieces. Sadly, I felt that I could rewind time and watch the exact show in the 90’s. Points should be given to the band who kept the energy levels up. I think we paid more attention to them than the clothes… what can I say, I’m a sucker for hot band members…

Here are some pics. Oddly, we only have pictures of the men ;)….

Christopher Bates has been receiving a lot of positive attention as an up and coming designer. Although he showcased many pieces and the models were definitely easy on the eyes, I left his show a tad disappointed and thinking that he was capable of more. Maybe next season.

And it is just me or does Christopher Bates remind you of Tom Cruise?

The evening wear was gorgeous. Silk party dresses and long chiffon Grecian like gowns - a flowing leopard print number had hints of 70’s YSL. But one piece caught our eyes more than the others - a hot two-toned jumpsuit that could have been worn at Studio 54… plunging neckline and wide legs… hot. I’d like to wear that to my office Christmas party and make all the wives hold onto their husbands a little tighter.

The finale dress made the crowd gasp in one collective voice. Worn by the Alek Wek look-a-like (we really must find out her real name…), the dress made references to Japan with it’s kimono style shape, brilliant red sash and high collar up to the ears. Breathtaking.

Karen Wu is definitely one to watch…

Odile Odette made me dream of Paris in the spring.

The S/S 2009 collection, entitled Hollyhock, featured high waisted denim pencil skirts and pants, with red buttons cascading in a curve down the front. These were my favourite pieces… overall the designs were ultra feminine and elegant. Although some pieces verged over to being a bit too conservative and frumpy. The finale wedding dress was beautiful and appeared to draw inspiration from the 1940’s.

All in all, a cute collection but didn’t have a huge wow factor.

So suffice it to say, last night I was quite excited when I heard that it was leatherwear. I always do this, get my hopes up, high expectations… then they all come crashing down.

I must say that some of the outfits were quite nice, but none were really “Wow”… at least not in a good way. There was one absolutely stunning model - think Alec Wek. She should upgrade to Paris. The other models… not so much. Although a couple of the male models were rather dreamy. Especially the one with the crystal blue eyes and the other one with the sculpted arms. But, I digress… back to the clothes.

Would you like the good or the bad first? Ok, I’ll start off with the good. There was this absolutely to die for black cape towards the end of the show. And another fabulous denim western style shirt (without the leopard print pants). There were a couple of male models who had fantastic jeans on… oh whoops… those weren’t part of the collection. The kids were adorable. Cute leather bomber jackets and huge personalities. I think the cutest was the poor boy who was clothed in a leather jumpsuit that was far too small for him. It was probably at least 4 inches above his ankles and the poor lad kept tugging them down.

Hmmm… seems like the bad may out weigh the good. The first few thoughts that came to mind when I saw the clothes: Peg Bundy, Night at the Roxbury, Vegas Showgirl, Urban Cowboy. Don’t mean to be harsh. But that’s the truth. And I’m sure that there is a market for the clothes, they just weren’t my cup of tea.