Where Lululemon meets John Deere

Lately, I have been having fun comparing Torontonians in their 20's and 30's to Calgarians of the same age. Some of the things I observed are as follows (of course these are over-generalizations):

• Rich Torontonians love to wear elite name brands such as Gucci, Prada, etc., and poor Torontonians often go vintage/hippy/artsy with all sorts of strange combinations of clothes gathered from rare and unique clothing boutiques. Rich Calgarians prefer to wear the Lululemon style clothing that says, "I paid this much money to try to look like I'm not trying too hard," with an occasional John Deere purse. Poorer Calgarians wear mainstream American brands and Lululemon knock-offs.

• Black, beige, gray and white are the main color palate for Torontonians. You don't want to be different from anyone else (unless your a hippy/artsy type). Calgarians enjoy color, and the jet-setters are not afraid of over-the-top, straight-out-of-the magazine snazzy-ness.

• Most of our 20/30 something friends in Toronto are single or married without kids. They rent an apartment suite and drive an older car that's good on gas. They often switch from job to job or take breaks for further education. Most of our 20/30 something friends in Calgary own their own home, have 1.5 kids, drive a car plus an SUV or new pick up truck, and hold a steady job.

• In Toronto you never mention "the troops" unless it's in outrage over the war. In Calgary, people talk about joining the army and even pray for the troops.

• Torontonians love sleek and chic hair. Brown shades are vogue. Calgarians enjoy hair with a little more height. Volume and curl are vogue and you'd be hard pressed to find a woman without blonde highlights.

• Kids are the "greatest accessory" according to a Yorkville sign in Toronto. Kids are also the greatest accessory in Calgary...although you may see a few more baby Wranglers and chaps in the Calgary area.
  

• In Calgary, there are no children allowed in the play park without an adult. In Toronto, there are no adults allowed in the play park without children. (Honestly, that's what the sign says!)

• In Calgary, women wear dresses. In Toronto...well... you know.