What is Will without Grace?

A ruthless real estate agent named Ricky Roma.

Eric McCormack, the Canuck thespian behind TV’s Will Truman, will grace the stage in the Arts Club Theatre Company’s rendering of Glengarry Glen Ross opening tomorrow. With its foul, fast-talking Mamet speak, the Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winning play is sure to take your mind off the slow housing market.

That and McCormack’s cuteness. Sold!

Glengarry Glen Ross runs July 22-August 22 at the Stanley Theatre, 2750 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-687-1644, tickets from $25, www.artsclub.com

Vitamin Daily Vancouver reader Elizabeth wrote, “Hi there, I'm looking for a nice wine and champagne cooler or ice bucket for my boyfriend. Ideally, I'd be able to have it monogrammed. Do you have any suggestions as to where I should go? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks very much.”

Herewith, our picks for cool coolers at three different price points:

For the gadget guy who favours function over flash, the Vacu Vin champagne cooler comes with a removable, reusable insert that chills champagne in five minutes flat sans ice. $64.99 at Homewerx, 1053 Davie St., Vancouver, 604-682-2204, www.homewerx.ca

Liberty’s silver champagne bucket is perfect for the regal gent. The front features an elegant engraved crest with a spot in the centre for adding your own monogram. $149 at Liberty, 1635 W. Broadway, Vancouver, 604-682-7499, www.libertyinside.com

A mod man will love the slick and shiny stainless steel cooler by Alessi with room for more than one bottle and a bigger, bolder engraving. $336 at Inform Interiors, 50 Water St., Vancouver, 604-682-3868, www.informinteriors.com

Sade’s sexy voice is what we really want, but we’ll settle for her super smooth hairdo.

Helping us emulate her frizz-free style circa 1984 is Calm Down grooming butter by Vancouver’s Eli Manuel. Rub the smallest amount of the lightweight cream—which happens to smell like scrumptious vanilla—into your palm, and then run your hands over your hair, finishing with a pat down of those flyaways closest to your part.

A license to love (your locks), insurance to hold (those hairs in place).

$26 at Tao Salon, 1523 W. Eigth Ave., Vancouver, 604-732-7889, www.taosalon.com

It took one dress—a white chiffon gown worn by Michelle Obama at the presidential inauguration—to catapult former Vancouverite Jason Wu’s fashion career.

The same could be so for another Taiwan-born local, Joanne Hu. The challenge to Kwantlen's fashion design students was to design a dress that Lara Osen, owner of Misch, might buy for her boutique. The resulting silk charmeuse dress in military green so impressed Osen that she’s selling that very dress alongside Alexander Wang and Phillip Lim for spring.

Now that’s the power of one.

$595 at Misch, 2960 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-731-1017, www.misch.ca

When the James Perse pop-up shop, well, popped up on South Granville, we knew we'd find a minimalist space and well-edited collection of our "weekend uniform."

But alongside classic cotton basics are limited-edition pieces exclusive to Vancouver, like the men's grey long sleeve "Vancouver Twenty Ten" crew neck  ($69) and the women's sweatshirt with the Canadian flag ($125).

It's patriotism, Perse-style.

James Perse, 2717 South Granville St., Vancouver, www.jamesperse.com

For athletes, losing a race by a tenth of a second isn’t pretty. But for art collectors, a split-second finish is pretty in paint.

Drawing inspiration from Olympic competition, Toronto artist Anda Kubis has turned the canvas into a kind of TV screen that captures the swift blur of bodies striving to beat the clock. Like a Monet for the digital age, she uses bright streaks of oil paint to freeze frame an abstract moment in time. So it’s apropos that she should show her work here in Vancouver during the Games.

If only the agony of defeat looked this beautiful.

On now until March 13, 2010 at Elissa Cristall Gallery, 2245 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-730-9611, www.cristallgallery.com

Whether it’s from the house of Chanel or Alexander Wang, leggings or sleek little dresses, there’s more leather than ever these days. And if your closet needs a boost of something buttery, there’s a new store in South Granville you must see.

Known in the wholesale industry as experts in leather, Marquis of London has a new label name and its first retail store, Identify. While the space is simple and unassuming, the leather outerwear, all designed in Vancouver, is quite divine. The perfect motorcycle jacket made in grey ($450), a cool toggle coat in crinkly black ($625) and a hip hooded zip-up ($475) were all begging to be bought. And that’s just the leather. There’s also a plaid equestrian jacket with suede elbow patches and tweed blazer with of-the-moment zipper detailing (both $350) to mull over.

That’s five different jackets we identified with. Here’s hoping the significant other will still identify with us when we bring them all home.

Identify, 2662 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-736-8885.

If it looks like a black and white photograph of a young, leather and denim clad gent captured from behind, it could be just one of Brian Boulton’s drawings.

A guru of graphite and pastel pencil, the Vancouver artist first captures on film, then renders with photorealistic precision by hand the fabrics, folds and features of young men standing unaware on the street. While his treatment of the subject matter feels very "right now", with its street fashion and paparazzi undertones, Boulton found his inspiration, his own youth and trips to the skate park, years ago.

The art is all at once simple and complicated—just like some boys we know.

Brian Boulton exhibit, November 5-29, 2009 at Winsor Gallery, 3025 Granville St., Vancouver, 604-681-4870, www.winsorgallery.com

Once again, Thanksgiving weekend and all its stuffing has you squeezing into skinny jeans only to wind up secretly unzipping the top of your pants to release the pressure. This year, wear the sweatpants. 

No ordinary sweatpants however: Maggie Ward silk sweatpants. They share the same comfortable drawstring waist and elasticized cuffs as their college cousin, but are made of grown-up silk charmeuse. The fam will give you props for poshing up the dinner table and you'll be thankful for the extra room for mashed potatoes.

Fear the gravy will find your lap? There are cute cotton ones too.

At Oliver & Lilly's, 1520 W. 13th Ave., Vancouver, 604-736-7774, www.oliverandlillys.com

The best way to take baby steps into the fall season? Bake baby-sized pies.

Williams Sonoma’s apple and pumpkin pocket pie molds ($14.95 each) are perfectly petite and practically foolproof. Complete with a pastry recipe on the back of the box, the adorably-shaped shell gives you a top and bottom—all you do is stuff one side with something sweet or savoury and close the mold to seal the deal.


A batch of these autumnal mini pies makes a great housewarming gift, now that heat is required.

At Williams Sonoma, 2903 Granville St., Vancouver, 778-330-2581, www.williams-sonoma.com