Month: October 2009

So, I’m some sort of Toronto Fashion Hero

I was honoured to be part of this season’s Toronto Fashion Heroes by Andrew Sardone in NOW Magazine. Prior to the piece coming out I had lunch with Andrew and we conducted a little interview. The next day at lunch I was standing at King and Bay with Michael Watier the photographer doing the photoshoot. That was a lot of fun. People stopped to gawk and little kids waved at me, like I was a famous person. A friend of mine, Jason Howlett, happened to be walking by at this point and snapped this behind the scenes shot. It was pretty emotional to read Andrew’s words when the piece came out. The support on twitter was amazing. I want to thank all my readers and everyone who has supported me with my little blog. It’s been a hell of a year, both good and bad, with the good outweighing the bad. I have no idea how I’m gonna top 2009. Check out the full story at NOW Magazine – Toronto Fashion Heroes – Anita Clarke.

Holt Renfrew Style Rules with David Donohue

After the Philip Sparks Spring 2010 show, I headed over to Holt Renfrew for their Style Rules event. The guest speaker was David Donohue, a professional car racer. We were also introduced to the new four door Porsche sedan, the Panamera. I’m a huge Porsche fan. My dream car is a Porsche 911 Targa. It’s been my dream car for more than 20 years. Unfortunately, I’m not an owner yet. When I heard the Panamera was a four door, I was a little skeptical. However, after listening to David and Porsche Canada’s president talk about the car I began to change. The unveiling sold me, it’s not too bad. It’s larger than the two door models but smaller than the Cayenne. It has all the bells and whistles anyone with money could wish for. They opened the car up and let the guests take a look inside. It was drool worthy. In the end, my favourite car is still the 911 Targa. The Panamera is nice, but not the kind of car I would buy …

TEFW – Philip Sparks Spring 2010

Philip Sparks was the unofficial start to what I’m calling Toronto Extended Fashion Week. TEFW for short. The venue was in the usual haunts of the Burroughs Building. This season they used the bigger section of the 6th floor. They also had a great setup for the lounge area, complete with cheese plates and a DJ. I had a preview of the collection when I got to sit in on the Lookbook photoshoot. The collection included some pieces that I hadn’t seen which was a great surprise. The inspiration this season was cottage life and 1950s Canadian Pacific Railways gatewya ads. The collection featured fabrics like seersucker, cotton voile and ramie. Philip worked with textile designer Kerry Croghan to create his Gone Fishing print. It’s inspired from Thor Hansen fabrics and Canadian souvenir imagaery. These prints were used in shirts and ties. I love the fact that Philip doesn’t shy away from his Canadian roots. He embraces them fully and I really appreciate that love for our history and culture. I’m a born and raised …

LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris is Coming

It’s that time of year again. Extended fashion week in Toronto. I will be attending Philip Sparks, Greta Constantine and a number of shows during LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris (beware loud obnoxious music autoplays) . I’m just finalizing my schedule with LGFW and will post it on the blog. I’m having a real hard time with the name. LG Fashion Week Beauty by L’Oréal Paris is much, much too long. I wonder how this name came to fruition?

Ask a Geek: Confused by perfume terms. Here are some references to check out.

Okay, this isn’t a true Ask a Geek post but I thought it could be helpful. I couldn’t find the words to describe Flora by Gucci for my last geekiviews post. I didn’t know the language of perfumes and needed to find out. I found a few links and thought I would share. Basenotes – independent online guide to fragrances, with news and reviews PerfumeCritic – online magazine dedicated to fragrances Perfume Glossary from Now Smell This – glossary of terms. Check out the other pages on this site also. Glossary of Perfume Terms from Go Go Perfume – glossary of terms. General info on hard to grasp perfume terms and other trivia from perfumeshrine.fortunecity.com If you any readers have your own great perfume website, please leave a comment.

Holt Renfrew’s Northern Soul Windows, October 2009

The Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows may live on in Google Street View but that is not the case in real life. Currently, the windows are taking on a Canadiana feel, which I very much enjoy.  I walked out of the main doors and hear birds chirping.  At first I thought maybe some birds were holed up somewhere in the rafters.  Then I remembered that the only birds I see around Holts are pigeons.  I realized it was a tape at that point and chuckled to myself. There is a darkness and moodiness  in the windows attracts me.  The I like way it’s used in the colour palette of the clothing and through the richness of the trees and greenery. They evoke the spirit of fall for me.  I want to wear all my fall gear.  Looks like I’ll get that chance from the way the weather it taking a downturn quickly. Set to a soundtrack of birds and woodland sounds, the windows incorporate a mixture of two and three dimensional mediums. Natural settings are created …

Ask A Geek: What events are available for selling clothing in the GTA?

Sometimes readers ask me questions. If they are of value to all my readers I post them online. If you have a question, please feel free to submit it using the contact form. I’ll definitely do my best to answer it. I want – I got reader Cody wrote: Hey there, I wanted to show u my list of selling events where I could sell my clothing to the general public for cheap prices, like besides what I have listed here, can u think of anything else year round? I love events that are cheap, or free (usually none are free, right?) There’s always booths on young street, I wanna look into that! What do u think of these, know anymore?…. -The Clothing Show (twice a year) -Portobello and I’m not sure what is sold at Nuit Blanche? Comments on where to go from here? thanks Hi Cody, There are some free events for the general public but a majority of them charge an admission fee. There aren’t many shows dedicated to clothing in the …

geekiviews: Flora by Gucci

I received the Flora by Gucci Eau du Toilette in a swag bag from an event. I can’t remember which one (If any friends out there remember what event, please comment!). I like floral based perfumes, so I thought I would give it a shot. Turns out I like it. It’s sweet smelling; a mixture of fruit and flowers at first. It finishes with a heavy base. I don’t normally like patchouli but it works for me in this combination. It’s a girl’s fragrance and nowhere near the androgynous zone. It’s very strong and you have to remember that when applying. I do find myself reaching for this perfume a lot in the morning. Flora’s olfactory pyramid is composed around the floral theme, with top notes of citrus and peony, a heart of rose and osmanthus — a Chinese flower with a distinct floral fruit and leather aroma — and sandalwood and patchouli on the base. Giannini and the P&G fragrance team developed the scent with Firmenich. This is Gucci’s second perfume geared to the …

i got: The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman

When I saw a quick preview of Scott’s book at his Holt Renfrew Party, I knew I had to own it. Well, a few weeks ago back I found it at Chapters and picked it up. There is not much to say about the book except that it is full of interesting people (some of which I actually know!) in beautiful clothing. Scott also talks about some of his subjects and the circumstances behind the shots. It gets my thumbs up. You can order The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman on Amazon or grab it in your local bookstore.

Heels @ Home with Ms. Pastel Supernova – October 17, 2009

Heels @ Home with Ms. Pastel Supernova – October 17, 2009 Falling in your heels got you down? Fret not. Pastel Supernova, from Fritz Helder and the Phantoms, will teach you how to werk it like a woman should in heels! Oct 17 @ 2.30pm-3.30pm Chasse Gardee, 1084 Queen St W, Toronto with Special Guest: Muchmusic Vj Sarah Taylor!