NEW MARK’S: With more than 380 stores countrywide, Mark’s Work Wearhouse is undergoing a makeover with a new store interior and a shorter name. In addition to Mark’s denim staples — Denver Hayes and Levis — shoppers can now select from a variety of denim suppliers including Guess, Mavi and Buffalo, which have joined Mark’s ranks. Deanetra Ford, Mark’s denim expert, was recently in town to introduce the season’s new denim trends — think stretch and performance — and to tour media and other influencers around. In addition to the extensive line of jeans, the reinvention includes an enhanced outerwear and footwear section.
STRIPPED DOWN: One in seven Canadian men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Hoping to shine a spotlight on the below-the-belt cancer, Pants Off for Prostate Cancer was created. Alongside major cities such as Toronto, Montreal and Halifax, Vancouver got to show some leg recently at the fourth Pants Off staging on the West Coast. Led by young professionals Mikhail Zalesky, Mitchel White, Taylor Scholz, Stefan Lillos, Yongku Jung and Will Konantz, the party attracted several hundred guests who filed into the Vancouver Rowing Club, checking their coats and pants at the door, for the fashionably fun evening. Leaders from all industries mixed, mingled and participated in fundraising activities, generating $100,000 in support of Prostate Cancer Canada and leading research at the Vancouver Prostate Centre. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect Canadian men, says Mark Mahl, Prostate Cancer Canada executive director, Western Region. This year alone, nearly 25,000 Canadian men and their families will face a prostate cancer diagnosis, he adds. While the disease can be deadly, the survival rate for prostate cancer can be over 90 per cent when detected early.
HASHTAG FILTER: In this social media world we live in, Instagram filters are de rigueur, enhancing our photos and ourselves from ordinary to extraordinary. Vancouver-based artist David Wilson explores this social phenom in his latest works displayed at the Kimoto Gallery. Those familiar with the celebrated artist’s work will recognize the subject matter: giant portrayals of stylized urban centres and iconic cityscapes. In his newest exhibition, Interrupting the Interface, the Emily Carr grad reinterprets images of rain-soaked streets and other vistas, applying photographic filters commonly found on our smart phones. In building this body of work — a dozen or so pieces all named after Instagram filters such as Valencia, Rise and Mayfair — Wilson scanned thousands of photographs on Instagram and selected the images he felt compelled to work with. Through his series, Wilson proposes that our reality is subverted and substituted via alteration; that we insert, even impose, our ideals. We beckon a perception that flatters our self-image more than the photograph’s, says Wilson. Interrupting the Interface is on display until the end of September.
ALL THINGS LUXE: This past weekend for the eighth consecutive year, all things luxe ruled at the annual Luxury and Supercar Weekend. Some 7,000 people took in the weekend garden party, showcasing the best in luxury cars, fashion, food and jewelry, at VanDusen Botanical Garden. Created by Craig Stowe, the event featured more than $250 million worth of vehicles — everything from a $200,000 Karma Revero to a $750,000 Rolls-Royce Phantom, and a 2018 Pagani Huayra roadster, with a jaw-dropping sticker price of $4.5 million. The Italian hot wheels first parked at Inform Interiors to kick off the two-day event. A well-heeled crowd of 500 made the invitation-only, grand opening party in Gastown. The two-seater then made its way to the manicured garden grounds, stationed alongside a selection of other mint-condition and limited-production cars for all to ogle. Taking more than photos, high rollers also had the chance to buy some high-performance vehicles such as a 2012 Maserati, 2015 Aston Martin DB9 and 2016 Mercedes Maybach, which went on the auction block. “When we first hatched this idea, Luxury was considered a bad word,” says Stowe. “Today, more and more people, as well as dealers, are getting on board to be part of the annual show.”
Hear Fred Mondays 8:20am on CBC Radio’s The Early Edition AM690 and 88.1FM; Email: yvrflee@hotmail.com; Twitter: @FredAboutTown
