Fashion Friday :: Cabin Fever

Let's get one thing out of the way first: cottage vs. cabin - which is it? Well, like a good rap rivalry, it depends on whether you're East Coast or West Coast. Prairie folk, poor things, are stuck in the middle of it all, which basically makes them Switzerland, in which case they must call their summer places chalets, right? Joking and semantics aside, let's get down to the brass tacks of cabin fashion.

Cottage style isn't just denim cut-offs and tank tops anymore. But above all, it's about comfort and when you're not in your swimsuit, there's nothing better than a cozy, oversized sweater at the cabin. But what to wear when your lake- or ocean-side neighbours come by for evening drinks on the deck? A shirt dress is easy, comfortable and a key look for fall, so get a head start. Guys, stick to well-made basics like vintage t's, worn-in denim or chambray and your good ol' alma mater sweatshirt. Just don't forget the bug spray...

Now what to bring? Men (from top left) The Real McCoy's x Champion USA t-shirts, MLB LA Dodgers baseball hat, The Real McCoy's joe mccoy bandana, Mosley Tribes merchant sunglasses, Rainbow leather sandals, Levi's 511 denim cut-off shorts

Women (clockwise from top centre) Motel celeste long line shirt dress, Rebecca Taylor stripe pullover, Billy Reid yvonne dress, Marc by Marc Jacobs racer back stripe  belted swimsuit, Minnetonka deerskin driving moc, Blank Denim classique cut-off shorts, Oliver Peoples j gold sunglasses, J.Crew saturday pant

More Fashion Friday Buoy Oh Buoy Festival Style Tribal Inspiration Spring Mini Break

{Fashion Friday posts are published on the last Friday of every month and written by fashion blogger Heather.}

[Top photos via The Globe and Mail and Old Chum]

Spotlight :: Osoyoos :: The High Life

[trip style = wine tasting + weekend getaway + sun + luxury]

{Editor’s note: This month we’re doing a four-part feature on the Pacific Northwest’s off-the-beaten-track destinations. See below for this month’s earlier selections that sit in the shadow of bigger, fancier or legacy locales. This week we're going to a summer town that works hard year-round.}

Last week I found a place that layers trip styles with the same attention to detail a winemaker uses when creating a 90-point blended white. You just don't expect to see, taste and feel such depth in a town of 5,000, but Osoyoos' roots dig deep to produce a time-tested getaway and wine region with international acclaim.

Maybe it's Osoyoos' depth that enhances its height. Ten years ago, it wasn't easy to find the high life in the Okanagan. With lakefront RV parks, motels and condos flooding the vacation market, if you wanted a luxurious summer vacation or tasting trip, you needed to fly south to California.

Then a few trailblazers, one of whom has roots that stretch back to BC's beginnings, had a vision to draw vacationers back from below the 49th with the promise of award-winning wines, sunset vistas and rolling hills painted with vines. The aboriginal-owned Nk'Mip resort area and Cellars occupies a large plot of land overlooking lake Osoyoos and the town below. This trailblazer was my home base.

The resort area's signature property, aside from the Cellars, is aptly named Spirit Ridge. True to its name, it sits higher than most properties in the area providing a retreat from the summer frenzy below. I arrive in the late afternoon and open my door to a waft of lavender-infused heat flooding my air-conditioned vehicle. This scent did not come from the spa; the purple bushes are planted throughout the resort.

After sitting in a car for four hours, I have one goal in mind: get to the pool! En route I'm distracted, again by my nose. This time, the scent is more savory---like fresh-baked, herb-dusted focaccia. Dry and pale green sage and rosemary bushes are everywhere, not just planted strategically, but scattered throughout the surrounding desert ridge. Vegas' resorts spritz signature scents into their properties, but in Osoyoos this is a naturally occurring phenomenon.

If you want to get back to civilization, walking down to Osoyoos Lake or the main road below only takes 10 minutes with your choice of route: stroll through vineyards and along an orchard-lined street or along a dry, crunchy, well-maintained desert path with signs that warm against rattlesnakes. What? Don't worry, there are few sightings and protective fences keep most of these heat-loving, tail-rattling desert dwellers out. I walked the trails multiples times without a hint of rattle.

After a morning walk and sun-therapy beside the pool, I'm ready for more of the high life sipping fine wines in an area known as "Napa of the North." But forget California, hundreds of award-winning wineries await your palate. Just don't forget the baguette and brie picnic, which is an essential in wine country fashion and function.

Must-Visit Wineries

Nk'Mip
Nk'Mip is unique. As North America's first Aboriginal owned and operated winery, it employes a winemaker from Saskatchewan who is now training two young men from the Band to take over. In addition to shadowing winemaker Randy, they've studied the craft for 11 months in New Zealand and taken night school classes to help manage the vineyard's 32,000 acres and white, red and ice wine production. Don't miss the tour, focusing on the wine and impressive collection of Native art. Plus, the restaurant has some of the best food, wine {obviously} and views in the vine-saturated region.

Road 13
Part of the Golden Mile wine route, Road 13 is on ... Road 13. I visited on a Friday, and I think it must have been good luck because three deer, some of the region's most authentic tour guides, led us up to the winery for our tasting after spotting our car from the side of the road. We were then met by two dachshunds, one of which is depicted in the winery's recognizable logo. The highly-acclaimed, complex yet medium-bodied wines seemed like a metaphor for the castle tasting room and adjacent modern facility sitting side by side at the top of the vineyard.

Le Vieux Pin
Le Vieux Pin is named after the old pine tree that sits on the French farmhouse-inspired boutique property. The owners felt the old pine was a symbol of what they wanted to achieve: stand out and stand the test of time. I think they are well on their way to meeting that goal, given their highly selective approach to harvesting grapes---they produce approximately 3,000 cases per year, but could do 16,000. Severine, the head winemaker, must be doing a great job, because during my 20-minute tasting, flocks of spandex-clad cyclists and lakeside vacationers pulled in to purchase her Pinot Noir Rosé. I had to follow suit and leave with a bottle too.

Church & State
If Church & State's boxy, concrete tasting and production hub hasn't already been featured in a design magazine, I'd be shocked. Pair this with Merlot-coloured Turkish carpets and a Springsteen music video playing on two flat-screen monitors in the background and you've got a pretty unique tasting environment. It's as if Glee's Don't Stop Believing {or Journey - whichever version you prefer} was playing in the background, because we purchased more wines at Church & State than any other winery in the area.

Hester Creek
The moment you walk into to Hester Creek's Tuscan tasting room you are fittingly greeted with a glass of wine. The day I visited, a glass of Pinot Blanc was on the welcoming committee. A trip up to Hester is worthwhile for more than just the wine; there are six guest villas and a restaurant with a vine-covered terrace. I hope you get a chance to talk to the winemaker Rob---he's as much of a science guy as he is a people person.

Silver Sage
Silver Sage has made its mark with sweet wines and The Flame, a chili-infused dessert wine. It's a tasting experience you'll remember, especially for the laughs. I'm convinced the wine host is part comedian and must moonlight in comedy clubs when not running his wine operation.

Trip Styler Tip: If you want to experience the high life for less, visit just before or just after summer in May or October for highly discounted rates and a more personalized tasting experience.

Getting There
Four hours from Vancouver, five from Seattle. Once there, there are tour and shuttle options to visit wineries if you prefer not to drive: OK Wine Shuttle & Uncorked Okanagan Wine Tours.

More Off-the-Beaten-Track Features
A Magic Carpet Ride
Lodges and Cabins
Spotlight on Bellevue, WA
OK Wine Tasting
Beat the Heat in Sonoma

[photos by @tripstyler]

Vancouver ---> Seattle :: Towns With Taste

[trip style = weekend getaway + urban + wine tasting]

If you read Trip Styler on a regular basis {Thank You BTW}, you know we're fond of weekending in Bellevue, Seattle and Portland. Sadly, the cross-49th, 3-hour tour from Vancouver to Seattle is usually done as timed, precision journey between the two coastal cities. So focused on the destinations, there is no time left for the tasty towns along the way.

Last week I was asked to write an article for the travel section of The Daily Meal, a NY-based foodie publication, covering the culinary stops that would beckon drivers to abandon their B-line journey in lieu of a short break or lingering meal.

Nine stops at haute pastry shops, roadside coffee bars, hearty sandwich cafes and modern wineries make up just a few of the Towns With Taste {between Vancouver and Seattle}. Dig in!

Related Content Spotlight Seattle Spotlight Portland {part one} Spotlight Portland {part deux} An Ode To The Ace Portland Vancouver to Seattle Must-Stops

Tech Tuesday :: FlightBoard

[trip style = any] Aside from people watching at Heathrow, one of my favourite airport pastimes is looking up at the flight status boards that decorate and inform airports around the world. Where and when in and outbound flights are headed is like reading a page-turning book you just can't put down.

Recently, an app was launched that not only displays flight status reports for over 4000 airports and 1400 airlines worldwide, but does so mimicking the timeless design of the Charles de Gaulle airport status screen.

FlightBoard turnes your iPhone, iPad or Android into a real-time arrivals and departure screen, provided you have a data plan or access to wifi. It's not cheap, starting at $3.75, but I guess that's the relatively small price you pay to monitor flights from Seattle to the Seychelles. Don't worry, we'll get there one day.

Other Flight Status Apps In October of 2010, we wrote about a few other flight status apps, one of which is FlightTrack {$4.99}. As it turns out, FlightBoard is made by the same company. The two apps function in a very similar way; one just looks and operates like it would at Charles de Gaulle. If free apps are more your bag, casual jauntsetters will appreciate the FlightAware app.

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More Tech Tuesday Summer Travel Gadgets [1/2] Summer Travel Gadgets [2/2] Travel Apps :: Royal Tour Travel Apps :: Tiffany's New York

Wine Touring 102

[trip style = wine tasting]

The sand and rocks that make up the soil in BC's only desert offer the most optimal conditions for growing grapes. Within this plot of land, there's a micro area called The Golden Mile, known worldwide for its production of fine wine. {More on this region Thursday}.

I spent the latter part of last week partaking in one of my favourite trip styles, wine tasting, exploring the Okanagan's Golden Mile. Only in wine country for 2.5 days, I had to take advantage of my surroundings quickly and efficiently, yet slowly and savoringly to enjoy the fruits of the winemakers' labour! On the second day of zipping from one winery to another as if in a pinball machine, I was reminded of some basic wine touring 101 lessons I learned and wrote about last year, as well as some new insights I picked up for the next time you partake in trip style = wine tasting!

Wine Touring 102

• See Wine Tasting 101: basic guidelines and etiquette for tasting anywhere from Napa to the Naramata Bench.
• Map out where you want to taste in advance based on how much time you have, the geography of the area, what wines you already love and where other wineries suggest you sip and swirl.
• Don't try to do too many wineries at once. You won't have the same interest and attention span at the end of the day to properly appreciate the wines you're tasting.
• Plan time for lunch, whether you eat at a winery's restaurant or pack a picnic in a cooler you leave in the car.
• Bring lots of water and crackers with you to re-hydrate and ensure something is in your stomach at all times.
• If it's a hot summer day, seek solace in the tasting rooms from 12 - 3pm and relax the rest of the day.
• When tasting wines from white to red, always have at least 3 sips of each wine you taste. The first cleanses the palate, the second offers a first glimpse of the taste, and the third is the full effect.
• Talk to wine tasting hosts as if they are your friends, most are good with people and know a lot about wine.
• Take notes. What wines did you love, how is the wine best enjoyed, what wine making philosophy did you love, etc.
• Make note of what wines you can buy at wine shops versus only at the winery.
• Doing sequential tastings at multiple wineries tunes your taste buds to what you like and dislike.
• If there's a tasting fee, most wineries will wave or refund it with a minimum wine purchase.
• Hire a shuttle, limo or car service if you're planning on seeing more than a few wineries and not planning on using the spittoon.

Did you know? The bulk of the flavour in wine comes from the inside the grape, just under the skin.

Related Content
Wine Touring 101
OK Wine Tasting
Beat the Heat in Sonoma
Travel Apps :: Wine Touring in BC