All posts filed under: Fashion

So, I’m some sort of Toronto Fashion Hero

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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

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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

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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

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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?

Holt Renfrew’s Northern Soul Windows, October 2009

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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 …

i got: The Sartorialist by Scott Schuman

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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.

The Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows lives on in Google Street View

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View Larger Map I found out that the Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows are on Google Street View. It was such fun to have the window for the month of July and I was a little sad when it came down. Then I went to India and the window seemed like such a lifetime ago. The trip changed me a little. All the feeling from July have rushed back with this Google Street View discovery and it’s like experiencing it all over again.

Peter Kent Handbags

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I went to the Canadian launch of Peter Kent Handbags at the Hazelton Hotel this week. Peter Kent is a leather accessories line out of Buenos Aires, Argentina.  Hector Neer founded the company in 1972 and it continues to this day as a family run business. His three children joined him in the business using their skills in different areas of the company.  Hector still is the head designer. Hector and his son Alejandro made their way from Argentina to Toronto for the launch. They had a hell of a trip up here; missed connection flight due to customs in Washington and lost luggage. This resulted in a 25 hour trip, much longer than normal. Despite this Hector and Alejandro were so incredibly nice and personable when I got a chance to meet and chat with them about their business. They are so passionate about the business and their enthusiasm really shows in the handbags. Peter Kent Handbags doesn’t produce in large volumes and the result is well crafted merchandise. They use local craftsmen who …

Shared now has a Storefront

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Shared is a Toronto based fashion company that makes incredible locally made basics. They decided to open their first storefront and I went to the opening launch. All their clothing produced in Toronto and is made from organic cotton. I learned that they weave their own fabric in Toronto. The yarn is sourced from many different places but basically the shirts are made from scratch in Toronto. To top this off, they donate 50% of their profits to charity. The store is one of the cutest I’ve seen in Toronto. The designers are big collectors of antiques and they have cleverly decorated the space with their finds. The store isn’t big, only 350 sq ft but the layout is very well done. I’m a fan of Shared. I own a black cardigan that I got at The Drake Hotel General Store. I really am enamored with these two tshirts though. They both have a story. I suggest you goto the store and find out about it. The running shoes are very cute and affordable ($99). …