June Callwood died on April 14, age 82, after living with cancer for several years. The first thing I thought of when I read the news was a summer afternoon in Toronto 17 years ago. Callwood treated me to lunch on a pricey patio in Yorkville. After I'd worked as the national publicist for her 1990 title, The Sleepwalker, she'd drafted me onto the board of an AIDS organization. Lunch was her way of saying thanks.

A new book urges us to get imaginative and create “mini environments” in the home

A new book urges us to get imaginative and create “mini environments” in the home

Next Thursday (November 16), you might want to think about dropping by Celebrities (1022 Davie Street) because the place will be packed with people giving good head. It’s time for the annual Wiggle extravaganza of wild wigs and far-out fashion, hosted by NYC’s drag sensation The Lady Bunny, with music by DJ Dickey Doo. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 at Celebrities and at Obstruction (1112 Davie Street).

Next Thursday (November 16), you might want to think about dropping by Celebrities (1022 Davie Street) because the place will be packed with people giving good head. It’s time for the annual Wiggle extravaganza of wild wigs and far-out fashion, hosted by NYC’s drag sensation The Lady Bunny, with music by DJ Dickey Doo. Doors open at 9 p.m. Tickets are $10 at Celebrities and at Obstruction (1112 Davie Street).

Cognito: Modern Wisdom for Dining and Social Etiquette is a trendy-looking, tastefully packaged deck of protocol cards just in time for the fast-approaching festive season’s endless parties and its endorsement of good will among men and women. It landed on my desk soon after Peter MacKay’s recent fuddle duddle and Norman Spector’s follow-up comment on a Vancouver radio station.

Leave it to two ambitious young Vancouver companies created by people who came from somewhere else to identify a niche that needed filling and do something about it, with impressive results.

In our red-hot market, the display suite has become as much a study in cutting-edge design as in the art of selling space

In our red-hot market, the display suite has become as much a study in cutting-edge design as in the art of selling space

In our red-hot market, the display suite has become as much a study in cutting-edge design as in the art of selling space

Give peace a chance! Until Sunday (October 15), Boys' Co and the Elliot Louis Gallery are staging a Bed-in for Peace in the store window at 1044 Robson Street.

As the cool weather starts to creep in, poor people are especially affected. That includes men with HIV/AIDS who are living on a fixed disability income. New clothing is rarely an option.

To any guys out there who still think that carrying a purse is effeminate: the 20th century just called and wants its fanny pack back.

Vests, t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets combine for a kickass look

Vests, t-shirts, sweaters, and jackets combine for a kickass look

You could, like the song says, get your kicks on Route 66. Or you could head out to one of the local shops carrying a range of shoes that take their cue from the soccer field, basketball court, running track, or skateboard park. There is no shortage of high-performance footwear coming out this fall. In fact, more and more, the athletic-shoe industry seems to mirror the automotive cabal, with new and innovative functional features debuting each new season.

You could, like the song says, get your kicks on Route 66. Or you could head out to one of the local shops carrying a range of shoes that take their cue from the soccer field, basketball court, running track, or skateboard park. There is no shortage of high-performance footwear coming out this fall. In fact, more and more, the athletic-shoe industry seems to mirror the automotive cabal, with new and innovative functional features debuting each new season.

Fashion walks the streets, and guys eager for a more of-the-moment look might want to check out one street in particular””Main Street””where the mainstream and marginal mix it up.

The retro-hip look without the coin.

Fashion shows never start when they're supposed to, and this one is no exception. We're on Latin American time, and south of the Rio Grande, 11 p.m. is apparently the new 9 p.m.

Graham Bingham has received one of Vancouver's gay community Hero Awards under the Business Citizen of the Year category in May.

Men who want to be part of the eye candy come Pride Day can check out a number of stores in and adjacent to the West End that are stocked with all the current trends in gay apparel.

When a friend I'd known since high school killed himself a few years ago, we were all shocked. He was an even-tempered, feet-on-the-ground kind of guy whom people depended on and who never lost his cool.

When a friend I'd known since high school killed himself a few years ago, we were all shocked. He was an even-tempered, feet-on-the-ground kind of guy whom people depended on and who never lost his cool.

Many years ago, the comedian Bill Cosby said, “Fatherhood is pretending the present you love the most is soap-on-a-rope.”

If your dad has a youthful, maverick bent and likes things chunky, funky, and just a little bit dangerous, El Kartel (121A–1025 Robson Street) carries something you're definitely not going to find anywhere else in town.

A VAG retrospective of Arthur Erickson is potent evidence that his playful urban landmarks are as visionary as ever.

When is a T-shirt worth $848?

According to Raif Adelberg, the Sex Pistols were the first boy band.

Get up to speed on this misunderstood hormone

Get up to speed on this misunderstood hormone

If you're desperately seeking a pair of designer jeans that are trendy and sexy, it makes sense that you'd head for a retail outlet billing itself as "Canada's favourite gay store". Priape (1148 Davie Street) just got in its new line of men's denim, and the distressed jeans ($70) are hot. The low-rise, relaxed-leg jeans are built to accentuate all the right curves and bulges, plus they're super comfortable. And no, they don't make you "look gay".

Tiger of Sweden is marking new territory. The Scandinavian design house first flexed its muscles during the inaugural season of B.C. Fashion Week last year. It was back at BCFW with a vengeance on April 6 when its fall/winter 2006/'07 collection roared down the runway at the Scotiabank Dance Centre. Those in the packed auditorium were lucky to get a first glimpse of what has to be one the slickest, sexiest, and smartest menswear lines to come along in a while. Burberry and Duffer of St.

In May, a coalition of nongovernmental antipoverty, human-rights, and social-services agencies serving millions of Canadians are taking their concerns to the United Nations. They are going to present the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights with information that paints a picture that is at odds with our international reputation: that Canada is a country that upholds human rights and maintains a social safety net ensuring that no one lives in deprivation.

Mark Gueffroy, who ran away from abuse at home when he was 15, is a survivor. He recently kicked an addiction to crystal meth, and he is now working for the upcoming World Urban Forum. He held down jobs when he could and depended on strangers when he had to, which was not always a good thing. He's navigated the welfare system, and says it can be a nightmare.

Back in the day, when Glyn Roberts was a young man in Manchester, England, he joined a semiprofessional local soccer team, except of course they call it football over there. At the time, he was a stylist for Vidal Sassoon and everyone else on the team was a plumber, bricklayer, or mechanic.

David Graff's use of gilding on his interior-design installations has earned him an international reputation.

Constantin Brancusi said that architecture is inhabited sculpture. Of course, being a sculptor himself, he was biased. In times of cookie-cutter exterior and interior design (think of those middle-class Victorian parlours stuffed with copycat versions of exotic art from the African or Asian colonies, or the mass production of featureless suburbs in North America in the 1950s and '60s), an artist's bias can humanize living spaces and save them from soul-crushing sameness.

Constantin Brancusi said that architecture is inhabited sculpture. Of course, being a sculptor himself, he was biased. In times of cookie-cutter exterior and interior design (think of those middle-class Victorian parlours stuffed with copycat versions of exotic art from the African or Asian colonies, or the mass production of featureless suburbs in North America in the 1950s and '60s), an artist's bias can humanize living spaces and save them from soul-crushing sameness.

David Graff's use of gilding on his interior-design installations has earned him an international reputation.

Actor Harrison Ford recently made headlines when he bought a whole bunch of short- and long-sleeve T-shirts made by a New York-based apparel company called 429. That spells gay on your phone's keypad. Momentum (1237 Burrard Street) sells these sexy, form-fitting tees made of ultrasoft pima cotton ($45 and $55), which the creators say are designed to "blur the lines between conventional sexual stereotypes". The admirable Ford is pretty secure about his sexuality.

Let's be honest; I like men," says Graham Bingham, a likable man himself. The co-owner of Momentum Advanced Grooming Solutions (1237 Burrard Street), which he runs with his partner in life and work, Robert Graham, is sitting in a stylish black-leather chair in the cleanly designed shop. The atmosphere is relaxed and manly, with a subtle barbershop ambience. A selective mix of skin care, shaving, fragrance, and men's makeup products is displayed on well-lit, uncluttered shelves.

What separates the men from the boys? It's not six-pack abs, a great butt, a nice package, or perfect cheekbones. It's character, as was evident during the December 1 launch at Sonar of the BC Aboriginal Distinguished Men 2006 calendar, featuring photographs by Suzette Amaya of 26 very hot guys from across the province.

There are people in Vancouver with HIV/AIDS who are dying without ever having access to health care. So says Paul Lewand.

BAGS OF FASHION Last month, high-tech whiz-turned-handbag designer Gail Conzatti opened Tutta Mia (translates as "it's all mine") in the old Point in Time location (1302 Victoria Drive) with her fall line of Gaia handbags up front and central. Fashionistas can swing around town with Elsie ($280), made of furry cowhide and buffalo leather. The Mini-Weekender ($240) is a scaled-down version of a big seller, and, similar in size and shape, Omni ($240) now boasts a practical double strap.

Some creative Vancouverites have cooked up a new concept for the growing number of foodies out there. Blending designer tableware, sit-down dining, catering, takeout, and delivery, Enthuze (871 Denman Street) is an innovative West End shop-restaurant capitalizing on the evolving eating and entertaining habits of young urban professionals.

Some creative Vancouverites have cooked up a new concept for the growing number of foodies out there. Blending designer tableware, sit-down dining, catering, takeout, and delivery, Enthuze (871 Denman Street) is an innovative West End shop-restaurant capitalizing on the evolving eating and entertaining habits of young urban professionals.

The kitchen is the hottest room in the home these days, and it's taking over.

The kitchen is the hottest room in the home these days, and it's taking over.

Beautiful young men dance in the centre of the World. It's almost 3 a.m. on a Sunday morning and the dance floor at the downtown after-hours club is packed. Although the crowd is mixed, there are many more men than women, and most of them are gay. If anyone is over thirty-five, they hide it well.