This issue:

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Contact: Brittney MacDonald, Life & Style Editor Ace intimacy
M1 lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca

(¥Y To sex, or not to sex, that is the question
(Y Intoxicating love

And more!

 

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Little Sister's Book and Art Empor1um

» LGBT book and sex store has something for everyone

 
  
 

Lauren Kelly
Assistant Editor
Massistant@theotherpress.ca

Nos between other
storefronts on Davie Street,
the long-standing Little Sister’s
Book and Art Emporium has a
long and difficult history. The
store was founded in 1983 asa
literature store for Vancouver’s
LGBT community. Since then,

it has been bombed three times

with Canada Border Service's
Agency, which was intentionally
stopping the importation of
LGBT books for the store, as they
were considered “obscene.” The
ordeal lasted 10 years, and was

and a full length documentary
entitled Little Sisters vs.

Big Brother. It also acted as
inspiration for a subplot in the
romantic comedy Better Than
Chocolate. Litigation ended in
1996, with the courts deciding in
favour of Little Sister’s, declaring
that their imports had been
wrongfully detained or seized.

Today, the store holds over

: 1,000 books. Their book sections
: include “men’s and women’s

: stories,
: “queerotica.” Many of these

: books are non-fiction accounts
: of queer writers’ experiences

: with coming out, dealing with

: prejudice, and living their

: lives as LGBT individuals. In

: addition to this, there are many
: other books by LGBT authors,

: as well as many novels and

and involved in a long legal battle : graphic novels featuring queer

: characters in genres including

: mystery and fantasy, which can

: be hard to find in mainstream

: media. If you're looking for gifts,
: the store also carries novelty

: items, greeting cards, pride

well documented in several books ! shirts, stickers, flags, and pins.

7 6.

trans & gender,” and

Little Sister’s is also part

: adult store, featuring a robust

: selection that includes many

: items specifically for LGBT

: individuals. The store carries

: binders and packers, which is an
: often flaccid strap-on penis used
: to fill the empty space in male

: clothing, for transmen, as well as
: non-binary and cross-dressing

: individuals. They also have a

: wide selection of jock straps and
: fetish wear. On the toy front,

: you can find large strap-ons as

: well as starter ones for pegging,

: prostate and g-spot massagers,

: and various fetish-specific

: goods. The large selection is

: great for people of any gender or
: orientation, and the atmosphere
: is bright and welcoming.

: The knowledgeable staff is

: available for any questions, but

: never feel as pushy as some

: owners at small adult stores.

Little Sister’s is a must-

: visit store due to its varied and
: inclusive selection, as well as

: the store’s history of providing
: a safe space for queer people

: and fighting for their right to

: provide LGBT literature and

: information. If youre looking

: for some fun gifts for a partner

: (oryourself!) for this upcoming
: Valentine’s Day, make the trek

: out. You won't be disappointed.

Little Sister’s Book and Art

: Emporium is located at 1238

: Davie Street between Jervis and
: Bute Street, and is open every

: day from g a.m. to 1 p.m.

  

Image via www.wikiwand.com

 

Indie fashion feature:

» Frugal fashion

    
 

Brittney MacDonald
Life & Style Editor
M lifeandstyle@theotherpress.ca

r

Fins that perfect date
outfit for Valentine’s Day
can be hard, not to mention
expensive. For one, you might
not know where youre going—
curse whoever invented the idea
that surprises are romantic!—
then of course there’s the

issue of money. As student
fashionistas, we will never have
enough disposable income to
satisfy that vain little creature
inside ourselves. That’s not an
insult, it’s just a fact. So then
where can you go to ensure
that you not only look great,
but don’t break the bank?

If you're panicking because
you don’t have an answer to
that, don’t worry—gather
‘round, children, and listen
to my tale of Romwe!

Romwe is another
independent clothing
manufacturer available online.
They take inspiration from more
expensive online brands such
as Black Milk and Nasty Gal.

: The difference is that their price
: point is a lot lower. This does

: come at an expense, though:

: the quality of the fabrics is

: often far below the labels that

: Romwe mimics—but in truth,

: as someone who owns pieces

: from Romwe as well as the more
> expensive brands, there are

: certain things I am willing to

: concede to save a couple bucks.

For our scenario, where

: we need an outfit perfect fora

: date that we might not know

: the destination of, a cocktail

: dress is the most appropriate

: option. The reason behind

: this is that cocktail dresses fall
: into that strange category of

: being both formal and casual,

: depending on your accessories.

Luckily, Romwe has us

: covered. The majority of their

: dresses are under $40, with

: regular sales going on all the

: time. The loose or knit clothing
: options from this site are perfect,
: but I would advise you to avoid
: anything that’s meant to be

: extremely structured because

: of the problems with fabric

: quality. Even if you are able

: to find something structured

Romwe

: that’s made out of a proper

: fabric able to maintain the

: shape, this is an online store.

: Anything you buy is sight-

: unseen—meaning you can’t

: try it on—and the likelihood

: that you'll receive a perfectly-

: fitted structured garment is

: extremely low, meaning it

: will need to be tailored. So if

: that’s the look you want, don’t
: buy online—save the cost of

: shipping and tailoring, and just
: go down to Forever 21 or H&M.

For those of use keen on the

: mod look, or who like the idea

: of wearing a fancy looking sack
: that will hang off of us like a

: draped masterpiece—you might
: want to bookmark this one.

You can shop Romwe’s

extensive selection at www.

: romwe.com. They ship

: internationally for a fairly

: reasonable rate, and they offer
: a large selection of purses and

: jewelry to complete whatever

: look you are after. Some items

: will even have links to suggested
: companion pieces. Overall,

: it’s a very pleasant shopping

: experience—made more so by
: the fact I can wear my pyjamas!

  

Image via www.romwe.com