All posts filed under: Kudos

Outsiders: American Photography and Film

2016 – A year in review at I want – I got

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2016 *shakes fist*. What a strangely wonderful and horrible year. This year took several of my important cultural idols: Bowie, Prince, Phife Dawg. It hit hard and deep. On a personal level, I didn’t do much with this space here, my blog. I spent a lot of the year pretty miserable with my professional IT life. I lost interest in the celebrity/influencer obsessed version of fashion that was being put out there. I couldn’t take another thing about the spawn of billionaires and celebrities. The lack of diversity irritated the fuck out me and I took steps to cut that media out of my regular routine. I wasn’t bored of clothing but I was definitely bored with the industry. I didn’t feel the need to talk to the world via this blog as much this year even though there were things to celebrate. I’m going to change that in 2017 but first, here are my biggest moments of 2016. Some are lovely and some hurt till this day. Skating on the top of 120 Adelaide …

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 …

Roots Sweatstyle Anita Clarke

Oh that, it’s just my Roots Sweatstyle Ad Campaign

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August was one of those pinch me is this really happening months. I’m still processing the idea of my face plastered all over Roots stores and their online properties. That’s right, I’m currently part of Roots Sweatstyle Ad Campaign. As with most amazing things that happen to me it started with a random email. In July, I was approached by Roots to take part in their Sweatstyle campaign celebrating Roots’s 41st anniversary. It was going to be a big one featuring online, instore, magazines and outdoor ads. I didn’t quite understand the large scope of the campaign when I said yes but my ego was all over it. Here is a company that I’ve grown up with asking me to become part of their history. I also love having any excuse to take part in a phootshoot with professional hair and makeup artists, stylists and photographers. The question I got asked by most people when I told them I was participating was “Did they pay you?” I didn’t receive any money for the campaign but …

I want - I got on Cityline July 4, 2014

Holy Crap, I was a Guest on Cityline

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Random forces rule my life sometimes. A really great example of this resulted in an appearance on Cityline. How did I go from minding my own business to being a guest on major morning show? Well, it all started at a party, one that I was initially waffling on. La Société had a little anniversary party in early June. I didn’t know many people who were going but they have one of the best patios in the city. I also wanted to congratulate Charles Khabouth on the anniversary. If you are a reader from way back, you’ll remember that Charles took me to NYC when he launched Bisha to go furniture shopping. It’s still one of my favourite blogging experiences. I learned about to the furniture side of New York City and discovered some amazing brands. We even had lunch at Balthazar. So, I enter the party and I’m seeing no one I know. I spot Charles on the stairs to the upstairs patio and move in to quickly chat. I keep walking up to …

I want - I got/Anita Clarke in Vogue Italia

Anita Clarke/I want – I got in Vogue Italia

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Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think Anita Clarke and Vogue would be spoken in the same sentence. I was minding my own business in November of last year when an interview request landing in my inbox. I had to do a complete double take when I saw Vogue.it in the subject line. “Vogue Italia, Are you shitting me?”, I thought, “This is just too crazy. Vogue Italia and me, WTF”. The email was from Shomara Roosblad, an Amsterdam based fashion writer who contributes to Vogue.it and runs the website My roots, My style!. My roots, My Style! documents the story behind stylish women around the globe. (OMFG, I’m considered a stylish woman worldwide, WTF) Shomara wanted to do an interview with me to discuss my style influences accompanied by a slideshow of photos that would be featured on My roots, My style! and Vogue.it. Of course, I said yes because who’s the idiot who says no to this kinda thing. I’m a great secret keeper (ask some of my friends, they will …

Finally, I’m a Street Style Star on Refinery29

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I’m a street style star! Refinery29 had some photographer spies taking street style photos and I was snapped. It was very cool to be featured in the Oh, Canada! Toronto’s Most Stellar Street Style post. This is totally bucket list material. Neon makes people crazy. I wore this outfit to work. I wear some crazy things but this was brightest and loudest. Coworkers were commenting all over the place. Random strangers had nice things to say too. It was such a fun outfit to wear, I was smiling all day. Let’s breakdown the outfit shall we. Dress: Zara Shoes: Aldo Necklace: Aldo

I played a Cannon Doll in The National Ballet of Canada’s The Nutcracker

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Just when I thought things couldn’t get more exciting and random in life I get an email from the National Ballet. They have invited me to take part in this season’s performance of The Nutcracker as a Cannon Doll. Traditionally, the National Ballet asks Toronto luminaries, personalities and politicians to join the production in this small role. For those of you not familiar with The Nutcracker story, the Cannon Dolls are colourfully costumed, Russian Petrouchka dolls in Act I who shoot a cannon into the audience to begin the battle scene. James Kudelka’s 1995 version of this evergreen seasonal classic is a perfect gem of a ballet, affectionate and reflective, at once cheeringly traditional yet freshly attuned to the rhythms and accents of the contemporary. Rarely have the dreamscapes and wonder of childhood fantasy, the allure of spectacle and the mood of reverie been integrated in such a seamless blend of dazzling stagecraft, virtuosic choreography and ravishing design. Kudelka’s gentle re-shaping of the narrative releases the story (based on E.T.A. Hoffmann’s Christmas tale) into new …

Toronto Life Stylebook and Toronto’s 12 Most Stylish People

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So, its been a funny year for me. I was one of the city’s most stylish people according to Derick Chetty of The Toronto Star and I helped choose Toronto Life’s 12 stylish people. It was weird being judged and then to flip the coin and do the judging. My partners in judging crime included Fashion editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra, The Bay’s Christopher Sherman and torontolife.com’s Kevin Naulls. It was a really interesting process to be a part of. I’m pretty proud of our selections. Get over to the Toronto’s 12 most stylish people post on torontolife.com and check them out. Just don’t read the comments, I haven’t. It’s pretty cool that our stylish Torontonian list was featured in the first print edition of the Toronto Life Stylebook which features fall fashion finds, Toronto’s Top 200 stores, street style and fall fashion trends. It can be found on newsstands or purchased online. The only thing that rubs me a little wrong is the illustration of me used. I’m gonna be blunt, it’s a distorted, ugly version …

Toronto’s Best Dressed – The Star

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Derick Chetty of The Toronto Star named me one of Toronto’s Best Dressed for 2011. Yay! I wasn’t expecting this when Derick emailed me a month ago. This is my first best dressed listing and so far things have been positive. Coworkers got a kick out of it and I know my Mom loved it. I’ve done the smart thing and stayed away from all the comments on thestar.com. Really no point in reading the hateraid about something so insignificant in the whole scheme of things. Choosing the outfit was a nightmare. I’ll be honest about that. Read the article at These 31 people are Toronto’s Best Dressed on thestar.com. image: thestar.com

Um you’re on WWD

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I was in meetings all morning and when I finally returned to my desk my twitter replies were blowing up. Something is up, I thought to myself, I haven’t even tweeted yet. Turns out WWD did a street style post for LG Fashion Week and I was snapped with my friend Caroline Shaheed. The title of this post was the best email subject line I received all day. It best represents the shock of finding out. Can you say freaking the fuck out! I’m stunned by this and doing a little happy dance. It’s silly but I have to admit I totally love this. All the shots are stealthy ones, I love it. I remember photographer James Lourenco taking our photo as we walked but didn’t think anything of it at the time. I’m so happy I’m not carrying a Starbucks coffee cup in this shot, ha ha. You can see the rest of the street style shots from LG Fashion Week at They Are Wearing: Toronto – EyeScoop on WWD.com. This outfit also landed …

Watch It: Anita’s Awesome Adventure by Jaime Woo

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Every time I see the Anita’s awesome adventure video by Jaime Woo it makes my heart quicken. It brings me back to the end of June 2009 on the night that the Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows were unveiled. This video brings it all back like it was yesterday, it gives me goosebumps. My dear friend last year celebrated her birthday at the same time that Holt Renfrew celebrated her work as a fashion blogger, paying homage to her with a display window. I filmed it as a belated present for her. <3 you, Anita! I hope you all enjoy this little behind the scenes look. It’s a year later and I still can’t believe this happened to me. I’ve had so many amazing opportunities in my life and I can’t help but look back at them and think about how fucking lucky I am. This moment is something that I will always cherish. Thank you Jaime Woo for filming. Thank you Gail Mcinnes for the awesome Louis Vuitton birthday cake. Thank you to everyone who …

Polysh Magazine Top Toronto Bloggers

Polysh Magazine – Toronto’s Top Bloggers, Spring 2010

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I had such a lovely time with the Polysh Magazine folks. One Saturday in February I went the studio and did a photoshoot and interview. The final product is better than I expected and I’m really pleased. Thank you Polysh for considering me. Make sure you check out the magazine because there are interviews with the other bloggers on the cover and some amazing editorial photos. My interview starts on page 53. My blogging friends: Coco&Lowe Style By Drew 1 LOVE T.O. urbanebloc Lost in the WILLDERNESS hustleGRL

Cover Critiques at Masthead Online, March 2010

Cover Critiques at Masthead Online, March 2010

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Masthead.ca has a feature called Cover Critiques. It takes two magazine covers and asks members of the industry to critique them. I was asked to provide my input for the March 2010 issues of Fashion and Flare. Read everyone answers at Cover Critiques on Masthead.ca. This critique was pretty hilarious from my standpoint. I’m a subscriber to Fashion Magazine but not Flare. However, I bought the March 2010 issue of Flare because there is a picture of me in it. I’m on page 150!

She Takes on the World Women of the Year 2009

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On December 31, I received an email with this subject line, “You are a Woman of the Year Honoree.” WTF is this, I thought. Woman of the Year?  Is someone playing a joke on me. It has to be spam, like that Princeton Premier stuff. It was real and it shocked me. There are many large publications that publish an annual Women of the Year list and I’m always disappointed when I see the lists populated with female celebrities and women who already have a very high profile, not to say these women haven’t had notable accomplishments. She Takes on the World Women of the Year pays tribute to a diverse group of women ranging from teachers to social innovators to entrepreneurs. These are women we have been inspired by this year in our every day lives. They may not be celebrities -although some of them are well on their way -but one thing is for sure: these bold, fearless women are taking on the world. After sorting through over one hundred incredible nominations, we …

The House of Constantine: Our Girl Anita Clarke

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I get a message from the @gretconstantine twitter account telling me to check out their blog. The first post on the site is called The House of Constantine: Our Girl Anita Clarke. It’s this beautiful tribute post to me from everyone at the House of Constantine. They posted photos that were taken of me in the studio and out and about. These people know me; they got the pose, beer is my alcoholic beverage of choice and the I love the word Fuck. I started crying, thank god I was home at the time. It was really touching and beautiful.

My time at the Queen’s Business Forum on the Fashion Industry

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I’ve been lucky enough that people have asked me to speak at their events this year. I’m at four appearances and counting. One of those events was the Queen’s Business Forum on the Fashion Industry which took place the weekend before LG Fashion Week. I received an email from Shaine sometime in the summer. I had never heard of QBFFI before so I did some investigating. I learned that many big players in the Canadian fashion scene were previous speakers .  People like Barbara Aktin, Robin Kay, Chip Wilson and Harry Rosen. This years line up included Rita Silvan, Linda Lundstrom, Allison Gordon, Stacey McKenzie, Mosha Lundstrom Halbert, Karen Cleveland and Julie Magnan. I was really honoured with the request. I’m still amazed that anyone cares what I have to say. So, I made my way up to Kingston on VIA with The Oracle who was there for moral support. We barely made the train and I literally mean by seconds. The train attendant had pulled up the stairs and I managed to get him …

Greta Constantine Spring 2010 Trunk Show and Personal Appearance Photos

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I stopped by Holt Renfrew for the Greta Constantine Spring 2010 Trunk Show and Personal Appearance on Saturday. Here are some pictures I took from the event. I also found out that I have another dress named after me by the Greta Constantine boys. It’s called the Clarke. Click the thumbnail to see the larger version. I’m constantly amazed at how amazing 2009 has been. 2 dresses named after me, what the hell!!!! The Greta Constantine Spring 2010 collection that will be on sale at Holt Renfrew includes a number of pieces with a more accessible price point.

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.

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.