Vancouver is often included on lists. You know, like the Most Livable City list (we dropped to #3 this year, while Melbourne ranked #1). And let’s face it, Vancouverites are a little smug about being the envy of everyone in the “world”. But Vancouver ranked near the top of another list last week: Vivian Song, a travel writer for MSN, just listed Vancouver as #3 on her list of the Worst-Dressed Cities in the World. She probably brought all these kicky heels and designer dresses to wear on her trip to Vancouver, but alas…she had no idea they wouldn’t be de rigeur in a city where wearing a jean skirt and a tank top invites the question, “Did you have a job interview today?” (Yes, this has actually happened–to me.)
Song blames the prevalence of that Kits classic, “unnamed local brand” yoga pants, as the reason for her choice. Isn’t it interesting that yoga, a practice that originated thousands of years ago as a Hindu spiritual practice in India and is studied at colleges in that country, reaches its ultimate shallowness in Vancouver, the pretty boy of Canadian cities? There’s nothing like $100 pants to center yourself in a practice whose ultimate goal is enlightenment. Wearing them for your every activity makes just as much sense as a dancer wearing tap shoes to do her grocery shopping. And insisting that they’re comfortable doesn’t do you any favours. What are you, a two-year old who insists on sleeping in his Superman costume for days on end?
Other cities on Song’s list include Seattle (#2) for trying to keep grunge alive almost 20 years after Nirvana’s Nevermind (and the picture that goes with this is hilarious), Pittsburgh (#9) for its constant sporting of Steelers/Penguins jerseys, and Ottawa (#8), the only other Canadian city included. Having experienced the 80s suits and drab colours of government town firsthand, I heartily agree with #8. Right on, Song!
