Vancouver Shops

Something hits you when you walk into Gravity Pope (604-731-7673, gravitypope.com): It's absolutely, completely full of shoes. A full 1,700 styles, in fact, from 70 different labels for summer. The sheer volume draws customers from everywhere including Selma Blair, Tori Spelling, Jennifer Garner, Kelly Ozbourne, Michael Stipe, Tommy Lee - heck, even the guys from Cheap Trick.

Part of the fun of shopping here is that rather than being relegated to the walls like artwork, shoes get spilled like jellybeans across a knee-high central stage, just begging to be picked up, fondled and tried on. This summer, an array of tasty Marc Jacobs platforms takes the spotlight, mixing with glammed-up Dr. Scholl's and Birkenstock in juicy new colours.

Open just over a year, Gravity Pope shod stylish feet in Edmonton and, later, Calgary before expanding to Vancouver, where the industry insiders already knew it well. The loyal and smart staff has followed the little-company-that-could, founded by Edmonton's Louise Dirks in 1990, when she was just 26. Known for exclusive brands such as Moma and Wicket from Italy, and London's cultish TN_29, the Vancouver store fields requests from as far away as South America and Europe, and TV stylists (Smallville, The L Word) scoop up 30 pairs at a time. Vancouver's John Fluevog is represented, and there are slouchy leather handbags in a million cool colours from local designer Erin Templeton. Studded satchels from North Hollywood fave Colleen Cordero, and bags by Jack Gomme and Collection Privee and the summer's stars. Come cooler weather, shoes by Sigerson Morrison's funkier division, Belle, will round out the international footwear mix. Expect to see more platforms (wear them with woolly grey tights next fall), and everything Western - from boots to Blay high heels - in teal or purple leather with studs. Ride 'em, cowgirl.