Vitamin Daily

Getaways to boutique hotels with one-of-a-kind art and custom linens call for a bespoke bag.

Pack the bare essentials into a piece from Palmer & Sons. Beautiful and well-built, the line of leather luggage is made in Vancouver the old way by father and son duo Nik and Jack. Each bag is constructed using hundreds of brass rivets hammered in by hand, fastened with unconventional closures like equestrian panic snaps and marine clasps and individually numbered using 100-year-old metal stamps. Made-to-order in two to three weeks, details like hue, handles and interiors can be customized.

Just be prepared that your Gladstone could get more attention at Gladstone Hotel check-in than you.

$230-$650 at www.palmerandsons.ca

See pics from our studio tour with Nik Palmer on the Editors’ Diary.

In the realm of music videos, we thought we’d seen it all, from Bjork’s gorilla dentist in “Army of Me” to anime eyes on Lady Gaga in "Bad Romance."

That was until Arcade Fire’s “The Wilderness Downtown.”

Set to the tune of their nostalgia-fueled single “We Used to Wait,” the new interactive online film takes you back to your childhood home through tech geekery and Google maps.

Multiple browser windows choreographed to the music appear like magic too, but like all videos its better watched than read about.

Tip: For optimal viewing, download Google Chrome and close other desktop applications.

www.thewildernessdowntown.com

As summer segues to fall, all fashion talk turns to transition pieces. This means nubby knee-length socks ’neath chunky sandals, boy blazers over feminine frocks, and for we West Coasters, the all important rain slicker.

Defeat downpours with Lily + Jae’s Charley Cape ($180). Made of rain repellent waxed cotton with double-breasted snaps, the cute hooded cover-up is perfect topper when caught in an unexpected September shower.

In black or caramel, the cloak can be found at the label’s new four month pop-up shop within One of A Few. There you can also snap up the rest of the sophisticated collegiate fall collection, past pieces and vintage sourced by designer Jude Feller on her global escapades.

Now you're cloaked in style.

Lily + Jae in One of a Few, 354 Water St., Vancouver, 604-605-0685, www.lilyandjae.com

If washing our face was like being a contestant on The Wheel of Fortune, we’d ask to buy a consonant, not a vowel.

Winning words like “natural” and “organic” describe the foaming face wash ($18) from Canadian skin care line Consonant. Feather light and refreshing, it’s sans synthetics and loaded with the natural goodness of tea tree and grape seed oils. Have yours unscented or with an air of citrus bergamot.

Purchase the wash as a part of their three piece 30 Day Challenge Kit ($90) and they’ll give you back your cash if you’re anything but pleased with the products. That’s good game.

At BeautyMark, 103-1120 Hamilton St., Vancouver, 604-642-2294, www.beautymark.ca and www.consonantbody.com

You’ll have to pry the iced tea from our cold, dead hands, because we aren’t ready to say goodbye to summer yet.

Denial is best steeped in an Eva Solo Iced Tea Maker ($99.95). Shaped like a milk bottle, the glass carafe comes with all the fittings for making homebrew, so you simply place your tea leaves in the filter, fill with hot water, let cool in the fridge then serve.

We suggest turning The Ô Dor citrus-bergamot rooibos blend Trahison Byzantine ($18/100ml) into the tasty tea sangria they serve up at The Urban Tea Merchant by adding white grape juice, a splash of fruit syrup and sliced fruits.

Sip it while shopping for fall sweaters to ease into the season that isn’t summer.

Tea and tea maker at Urban Tea Merchant, 1070 Georgia St., Vancouver, 604-692-0071, www.urbantea.com

See photos of our afternoon tea on today's Editors' Diary.

The "put your shoes on" tango just got a whole lot easier.

Modeled after its hip adult line, the kids Fall 2010 line of Native Shoes are super comfortable, casual and colourful (Hollywood Pink, Pencil Orange, and Gossip Purple are just a few of the punchy hues). Laceless and ultra light, we love that these too-cute sneakers are easy to slip on and off.

Well, as easy as it can be to get a 4-year-old to put his shoes on.

Kids shoes $35, Junior shoes $39; available at Young and Fabulous, 200-1700 Sprucewood Ave., Lasalle, Ontario, 519-962-8530, www.youngfabulous.com and Antisocial, 2337 Main St., Vancouver, 604-708-5678, www.antisocialshop.com

When you live in 500 square feet, even the smallest canine crate can cramp your style.

Take care of Fido and furnishings in one wag of the tail with BowHaus. Created by Seattle-based company DenHaus, it’s a sleek side table well-suited to your Bauhaus-era Barcelona chair, with space inside specifically for your sleeping pooch. Or if your taste points toward the traditional, there’s a wooden TownHaus too.

Your dog’s life just got a little less ruff.

$399-$599 at All Modern Pet, www.allmodernpet.com

The strapping September issues have just hit newsstands and while we’re fond of trend-packed tomes, we also crave clean, timeless fare.

For the latter our favourite is Corduroy, named for the sartorial staple of History and English professors. Inside are crisp photographs, no-nonsense profiles of interesting people and selections of art from the likes of Guy Bourdin and Robert Longo. Helmed by two Torontonians and printed in Winnipeg, the international mag is Canadian to boot.

Thanks to a recent design refresh, the pages look good enough to frame. Now that’s an idea.

Available at Chapters or online at www.corduroymag.com

Potting plants in your pied-à-terre is near impossible, but new shop Olla Urban Flower Project makes it easy to get green.

Pots are ready to take home like agave in black concrete, air plants in glass terrariums and mixed cacti in colourful ceramics, or custom order one that suits your space, aesthetic and spending allowance. Specializing in Ikebana (Japanese flower arranging), they also offer bouquets that are anything but ordinary.

Buying local and ethically traded plants, and supporting non-profits by forwarding on flowers after conference events, they have community conscience too.

It's a green thumb dream come true.

Olla Urban Flower Project, 235 Cambie St. (mezzanine), Vancouver, 604-609-6552, www.ollaflowers.com

We turn to Burberry when we want the nattiest of raingear.

And now the venerable British line has coverage for our faces as well.

Burberry’s new makeup line pays homage to the legacy with foundations named “Trench” and a storm-inspired range of greyed-out eyeshadows ($33).

The shimmery compacts feature the signature Burberry check, which reminds us, time to check our makeup!

Ah yes, still perfect.

Burberry Beauty, Holt Renfrew, 737 Dunsmuir St., Vancouver, 604-681-3121, www.holtrenfrew.com