J litestytes Comfort is in but platform heels are out Spring shoe trends include subtle embellishes such as cap toes, studs and chains By DEANNA CHENG of relief because they will get a chance to stretch and relax this spring as they strut in bright colours with a hint of gold. The trend this sea- son is all about comfort. According to Aldo’s sales lead Am- ber Harkousha, sandals, cap-toe shoes and cutout wedges are in. “Gems and studs just cover the front and adds a bit of shininess to it,” she said. De- tails such as studs and gold chains jazz up simple, ba- sic designs, but they don’t com- mand and over- take the style of the shoe. “Cap-toes peep out from underneath the pants and it adds some subtle shine.” Platform heels are going out, but customers are upset because the extra padding in the platform adds to com- fort, said Harkousha. Pointy-toe leather heels are still sell- ing, especially in basics colours such as black and beige. Popular spring co- lours are watermelon and turquoise. Sneakers are more minimalist in de- sign but they follow the trend for com- fort. Pearl Benam, a Browns sales associ- ate, said the hottest items now are sneaker wedges. “People don’t want to break any- thing in. It must be comcomfortable im- mediately,” she said. “They want com- fort but they also want to look good.” In the athletic world, the Nike Free line is selling well. They mimic the feel of running barefoot, said regional Nike manager Justin Dusanj. “They’re like slippers with cushion- ing and support,” he said. “People get the full range of motion from the shoes and it’s the most com- fortable.” F all over the city will cry a sigh AMBER HARKOUSHA Sales lead for Aldo, Oakridge. ALDO, NIKE website photo (From top) Sneaker wedges and cap-toe flats from Aldo, Nike Free running shoes. Black Opal Images photo (Left) Women show off their fetish wear at Sin City fetish night. (Right) A woman in dominatrix cos Kink no longer a taboo in Vancouver The growing kink scene holds events almost weekly in the city By PATRICK COLVIN f the idea of getting tied up or even lit on fire peaks your curiosity, Van- couver’s growing and inclusive kink scene has many social, playful and educational avenues to explore. “T think we have one of best [kink communities] in North America,” said Brandon Beatch, a board mem- ber for the non-profit organization Metro Vancouver Kink. “There are quite a few events locally, there are club events, dungeon parties and munches.” “Munches,” explained Beatch, are a casual dinner out with people inter- ested in learning about kink. According to Isaac Terpstra, founder and organizer of Vancou- ver’s largest and longest running bi- monthly kink event Sin City, Vancou- ver’s kink community has seen steady growth in the last 15 years “Ten to 15 years ago, there used to be enough attendance and interest to hold a [kink] event once a month, now there is enough interest for once a week,” said Terpstra. “It’s still con- sidered edgy, but the taboo is gone from it being scary and weird, most people now are like holy shit that’s hot.” Social media is helping Vancou- ver’s kink scene in becoming more mainstream and less taboo. Fetlife.com is a Facebook style net- working site that caters to the fetish community. On Fetlife, one can engage in com- munity discussion. That’s an important part in putting on events such as fetish nights and club scenes, according to Terpstra. Kink play can be a daunting en- deavor for those new to the scene. Rope, suspension and fire play are all aspects of kink that can be danger- ous for those who don’t know what they’re doing. “There is some requisite knowl- edge to do that,” said Beatch, who educates people on rope work and suspension as part of his work with Metro Vancouver Kink. Getting involved with Vancouver’s kink community is quite simple, ac- cording to Terpstra. “As far as a first step goes, you just have to go to one of the fetish nights,” he said. Events. Biggest kink events in Vancouver SIN CITY BI-WEEKLY Commonly hosted at the Eletric Owl and The Red Room. NOIR MONTHLY Every third Saturday of the month at the Cobalt. Sources: sexlifecanada.ca, sincityfetishnight.com Vancouver hosts many good places to run Best spots for beginners include Langara golf course for the slight inclines By BEN BULMER ith summer around the corner W:: the fresh start of spring firmly in the air, many people are shaking off the laziness and isola- tion of winter and heading outside for a run. Vancouver’s natural landscape makes it a great place to run outdoors. Victoria Gilbert, who runs four or five times a week manages a triathlon store in Point Grey called West Point Multi Sport and is a seasoned triathlete and runner. She recommends Stanley Park, Jeri- cho Beach and Pacific Spirit Park as her favourite places to run in Vancou- ver “The beach past Jericho in the sum- mer, they have a paved trail there and the sun’s always shining,” she said. There’s lots of water fountain stops in the summer that are open.” Gilbert’s advice to people who want to start running is not to be discour- aged straight away. “It’s totally fine to start out doing shorter things or even doing walk runs, where you run for five minutes and walk for one, run for five, walk for one.” Gilbert recommends those who are starting off to run about three times a week. “Maybe start with two half-hour runs and then try to push yourself to a 40 - 45 minute run,”she said. Gilbert also recommends running in proper running shoes and to remem- ber to have fun. One of the best places to run in South Vancouver is the Langara golf course, according to Langara running club member Laura Pascall. There’s a little bit of an incline and you go up and down a little, it’s really nice,” said Pascall. “T like that it’s a really good work out and it’s a nice stress reliever and time to just hang out by yourself.” Pascall said that starting out is the hardest thing about running. “At the beginning [it’s] hard to wake up and go for arun, but if you stick with it, you will become obsessed with run- ning.” BEN BULMER photo The seawall is one of the top places to run in Vancouver.