Author: Anita

Sidewalk Hustle x Nike Sunrise NTC Sessions

Sidewalk Hustle x Nike Sunrise NTC Sessions

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For the last 5 weeks, I’ve been busting my ass at the crack of dawn with Nike and Sidewalk Hustle. Hawley invited me to participate in the Sidewalk Hustle x NTC Sunrise NTC Sessions. Monday mornings, Nike’s Canadian Master Trainer, Eva Redpath leads us through a high intensity 45min interval workout at the crack of dawn. Literally. I’m up at 5am like an insane person to do this workout. The workout overlooks the city as we train at the gorgeous Malaparte space in the TIFF Lightbox. The first week was very hard on me. I was sore for days. I haven’t kept up with my fitness. I started do yoga at home but I hadn’t stepped foot in a gym in years. That week I swore up and down that I’d never let my fitness sink to the bottom of the barrel like that again. I’m not usually one for classes but the NTC sessions reminded me of my training days. So very long ago when I was a sport obsessed youth. Many of the …

Dermalogica Facemap Our Nation - Till June 30, 2015

Dermalogica Facemap Our Nation – Till June 30, 2015

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My favourite skincare line, Dermalogica has launched their Facemap Our Nation program. Participating Dermalogica partners will be providing free facemapping for interested people. Facemapping is a zone by zone approach to skin analysis that’s completed by a certified Dermalogica Skin Therapist. They will be able to answer all your skin care questions and give you a skin care regime tailored to your skin conditions. All I can say is once you go Dermalogica, you can never go back to what you have used before. I speak from experience as last year my lovely Skin Therapist put me on a heavy program to get my face in a good place after a year of playing beauty editor and trying all kinds of weird products. I’m back to my never using anything but Dermalogica stance. Please visit FaceMapNation.com to find out more information on dates and places where you can find across the country to get your facemapped. You have till June 30, 2015 to take advantage of this great opportunity to learn more about your skin. …

Nao Steakhouse x I want - I got Dinner Party

Nao Steakhouse x I want – I got Dinner Party

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Nao Steakhouse teamed up with me, Sidewalk Hustle and The Soles of My Shoes on a special dinner event in which we invited some of closest influencer friends to experience the food and cocktails of this modern steakhouse. Nao sources its cuts of meat from top local and global producers and accents them with spices and flavours of Asia-Pacific. I invited my good friends Andrew Sardone, Editor of Globe Style Advisor and Philip Sparks, a Toronto based menswear designer. Executive Chef, Stuart Cameron prepared a wonderful menu that gave everyone a chance to try the variety of dishes on the menu. Here are all the mouthwatering details. We were excited for the epic experience the menu hinted at. First course Tuna Tartar – Wasabi Leaf + Avocado + Puffed Rice + Wasabi Lao Raw Beef Tartar – Squid Ink Chip + Kaffir Lime + Chili Binchotan Grilled Shishito Peppers – Amabito No Moshio Salt Second Course 24 Oz Strip Loin – Dry Aged 40+ Days USDA Prime, Nebraska, USA Whole Branzino – Red Yuzukosho Marinade …

I want - I got x Eve Gravel Garden Party Challenge

I want – I got x Eve Gravel Garden Party Challenge

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This is the result of the Eve Gravel Garden Party Challenge style challenge. Eve Gravel sent me a Garden Party kit that included a dress from the SS15 collection and some addition styling items to add to the shoot. I chose the dress but everything else was a surprise. With this box of goodies I was to come up with a Garden Party themed photoshoot. The Red Hat dress is amazing and has some beautiful movement to it. At first I was like, I don’t have a garden! I thought about going to a park but it was cold and brown out there (this was a few weeks ago). I realized that this would be have to be an I want – I got style garden party and that meant my balcony would take centre stage. In the #evegravelgardenparty party kit styling items included a super cute pineapple bracelet from Horace Jewelry, Misslyn nail polish (available at Shopper’s Drug Mart) and a pair of incredibly cool Italia Independent sunglasses (available at Pink Eye Optical). I’m …

The Final PROM at the ROM - PROM X, March 28, 2015

The Final PROM at the ROM – PROM X, March 28, 2015

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It’s the end of an era. This Saturday, March 28, 2015 is the last PROM at the ROM party. It’s been 10 years and I’ve attended several PROM parties, so it’s a little bittersweet to say goodbye. The final PROM at the ROM, PROM X is inspired by the works of Douglas Coupland and the ROM’s latest exhibit Douglas Coupland: everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything. I’m a big fan of Douglas Coupland’s work so I’m really looking forward to what the ROM is calling a Pop Explosion Party that pays homage to this iconic Canadian artist. There will be live music, dancing, electric activities, gourmet fare and lounge areas to relax in between all the fun. Guests are encouraged to “curate an artistic or experimental ensemble that screams avant-garde, be playful with neon colours or celebrate contemporary Canadiana.” Tickets for the PROM X are still available online. There will be a small number of tickets available at the door with a $25 surcharge. PARTY TICKET includes food and beverage (open bar), dancing, interactive …

I want - I got Loves Poppy Barley

I want – I got Loves Poppy Barley

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I’ve been completely spoiled by my custom fitted boots from Poppy Barley. It won’t be possible for me to buy another pair of tall boots off the rack again because nothing is going to fit as well. Poppy Barley is an Edmonton based shoe brand that I first heard about in the summer. They offer custom, handcrafted footwear that is Canadian designed and ethically made in Mexico. Sisters, Kendall and Justine Barber are the brains behind the brand. The idea of Poppy Barley came to Justine when she was on vacation in Bali. She came upon a local shoemaker and was disappointed when a pair of boots she wanted didn’t come in her size. The shoemaker said no problem, measured her feet, processed her address and payment. A few weeks later, her custom made shoes showed up at her door in Edmonton. While this is an affordable option for many shoe buyers in other parts of the world, it isn’t common in Canada. Justine had the idea that she wanted to bring custom made footwear …

HELLO! Canada's Best Dressed 2014

HELLO! Canada’s Best Dressed 2014

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I love emails that brighten a dreary day. I was having a particularly stressful day at work a couple weeks ago when I got an email from HELLO! Canada. They wanted to include me in their Canada’s Best Dressed list for 2014. My first reaction was jaw drop and WTF are they kidding! I select people to be on lists like this, I don’t grace them. But there it was seriously staring me in the face. Of course, I agreed my ego demanded it. Ha I had to answer some questions about my style, etc and I was placed under embargo till November 20, 2014. I still wasn’t quite sure if it was real and decided to keep my mouth shut in case it turned out to be some cruel, horrible joke. The morning of November 20, I got a text message from Kirk of Greta Constantine congratulating me. Kirk and Stephen are also gracing the list. It wasn’t a hoax, yay! When I got in the office that morning I took a look through …

Montrealer by FREED

My Winter Coat Holy Grail – The Montrealer by FREED

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My down parka boycott began last year. I was sick of wearing the damn things and longed for the days when the wool peacoat ruled. (Does anyone remember that?) I have nostalgia for the stylish look of a wool coat but I really didn’t miss the unfortunate side effect of freezing my ass off in extreme cold weather. How was I going to get the best of both worlds? Last year, I started to wear a down vest from Danier Leather underneath my Philip Sparks pimp coat. This combo did a great job of keeping me out of my down parkas on some really horrible days. It was a good solution but not perfect. The down vest was the purple and really didn’t match the coat. Then spring came and I put all thoughts of winter coats and optimal layering solutions to bed. During the summer, I received an email from Marissa Freed. She’s the President of Freed and Freed International, an outerwear company based in Winnipeg. The company is 95 years old and you …

Live in Levi's - Me in Grade 9

Live in Levi’s Campaign

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Levi’s contacted me about participating in their Live in Levi’s campaign (#LiveinLevis). Some select bloggers/influencers use the hashtag and their social networks to share their style stories about Levi’s in their day to day lives. Levi’s also sent us one of their ICON pieces to style to go with our stories. I came across this photo of myself in grade 9 recently. I’m wearing a well loved Levi’s 501 jean jacket. The first thing that came to my mind was “Anita, you stupid asshole, why didn’t you keep that jacket. Think about how worn in and cool it would be now.” I honestly don’t even know if I could still fit in my Grade 9 clothes. The other thing that came to me from that photo was the emotion that it conveyed to me: Happiness, confidence and a little bit of style with my funky skater/Michie Mee-ish haircut. Levi’s was the denim brand of my youth; it wasn’t like now where there is an overwhelming amount of choice in the denim market. It was Levi’s …

Sully Wong x Amanda Lew Kee Swalk Hi Sneaker

i want: Sully Wong x Amanda Lew Kee Swalk Hi Sneaker

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I have a saying that I’ve repeated a lot these days, “I need another one of these like I need a hole in the head”. Lately, its been applied to coats, sweaters and shoes. I said it to myself again once I spotted the Sully Wong x Amanda Lew Kee sneaker collaboration. I don’t need another pair of sneakers because my closet is full of them but the Sully Wong x Amanda Lew Kee Swalk Hi sneaker is one incredible shoe. Amanda has incredible style so I had big hopes for the design when I heard about the collaboration initially. She has surpassed anything I could have imagined. The shoe is perfection, I cannot lie. “The SWALK HI collaboration personifies all aspects, both in design and philosophy, which Sully Wong and I share as a team. The design itself is sleek, smart, and constructed with the finest attention to detail and luxury materials. Together we are aiming to give the women’s market a sophisticated limited edition option, in the realm of casual athletic footwear, focusing …