Made in Vancouver Awards: Introducing Our Head Style Judge

The son of a grocer and an artist, Kildare Curtis was raised in various small towns and outposts in the Canadian arctic and prairies, but today, the founder of beloved fashion outpost Eugene Choo Clothing is happy to call Vancouver home—and we’re happy to call him a judge in our second annual Made in Vancouver awards.

His keen eye will help us choose this year’s Style winner from what he sees as a city full of innovators. “Perhaps because it’s such a young city that young people are maybe not as inhibited by an old guard or feelings of a status quo,” says Curtis. “Our reputation has swung from being a city of outdoorsy dressed and unfashionable people, to a respected and stylishly dressed city. Ironically we’ve come full circle to where outdoorsy is now fashion. Maybe the rest of the world just took a while to come around to our style?”

Here, Curtis shares his local favourites as we count down to the Made in Vancouver Awards deadline. (Get those entries in by March 13!)

Perfect Vancouver spot

Third Beach on a summer’s day.

Best place for a drink on a Tuesday night

Brassneck Brewery.

Vancouverite you most want to meet

Stan Douglas.

Best Neighbourhood in the city

Mount Pleasant is a neighbourhood with long history, a great community and the best mix of independent businesses. 

Best restaurant in the city

Sorella. Sara and Dan provide the perfect balance of an intimate dining experience with no pretence and exceptional seasonal Italian fare.

Best thing you ate this year

My wife’s homemade cacio e pepe.

Your go-to cocktail

Manhattan.

A hidden gem more Vancouverites should know about

The Cleveland Dam in North Vancouver.

What’s a perfect treat-yourself day?

A Hammam and Gommage massage followed buy lunch at Rangoli 

Perfect hangover food

Any dim sum.

Perfect big night out on the town

Pepino’s followed by The East Van Panto.

Where do you go to sweat it out?

Hot yoga 101.

Which spa treatment is on your birthday wish list?

Scandinave Spa in Whistler. 

Ready to enter our 2nd annual Made in Vancouver Awards? Submit your entry today—deadline is March 13!