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smart Expeditions Toronto

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smart Expeditions Toronto

I didn’t know what to expect when I said yes to a smart Expeditions in The Distillery District. The description read as follows:

smart is presenting an urban curated ride & drive that will guide people to discover Toronto’s art/theater/music/culture in rogue areas of the city that they have yet to experience. This ‘never-been-done-before’ experience will feature live art installations, musicians, fire twirlers and additional surprises around every corner. Instead of just educating the city where they can experience this culture, we are going to show it to them LIVE via multiple vignette’s including the Distillery District, parking lots and warehouses – all from behind the wheel of a smart fortwo.

smart Expeditions Toronto

It was a very clever take on the test drive. After filling out some information and checking my driver’s license, I was sitting behind the wheel of a smart fortwo. There was a group of four cars and we followed the lead car on our adventure. We found ourselves driving to different spots around the area where we would stop for entertainment. There was the drive-thru art museum which featured little enclosures you had to drive through. Works from local artists hung on the walls of these enclosures. We then parked in front of an old building. Two parkour trained kids came out and started jumping all over the cars to music. It was pretty fun. We then drove to movie set where  jazz, ping pong, fire dancers and drummers entertained us. I know, it’s a weird description so that’s why I took a video with the trusty Olympus E-PL1.

Smart Expeditions from Anita Clarke on Vimeo.

The whole experience was about 30 minutes from start to finish. It’s amazing to see smart create this whole experience for a simple test drive. The smart fortwo is a cute little car that handles nicely. I really hate the review mirror, it’s tiny. I’ve always thought of smart cars as a second car, never as a main car. It’s not practical in my mind but good for city driving. It would make a great second vehicle.

smart Expeditions is setting up locations in different parts of the city for the next few weeks in June if you want to try it yourself. They have appointments during the day and evening. Be sure to check the schedule at smartExpeditions.ca.

There is a photo of me on Smart’s Facebook Page.

Jason Wu at The Room

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Jason Wu At The Room

photo taken by JJ at The Compendium Daily

Jason Wu and I have similar shaped heads. I can’t get that thought out of my mind whenever I look at this picture. I met Jason when he came to The Room for a Trunk Show and cocktail party in his honour. Jason Wu’s bio reads like one of the those prodigy kids. At 16 he was well on his way to becoming a designer creating couture like clothing for dolls at Integrity Toys. At 17, he became the Creative Director of Integrity Toys.

Jason Wu at The Room

Jason studied fashion design at Parson and started his namesake label in 2006. He created Michelle Obama’s ivory inaugural gown which pushed him into the limelight and made him a household name.

Jason Wu at The Room

I never appreciated Jason’s collection until I saw it up close. His style is very ladylike; socialite wear if you’d like. The details and fabrics that make his clothing interesting aren’t noticeable in photos. I was really surprised at some of the luxurious fabrics he used in the collections. All clothing is manufactured in the United States.

Jason Wu at The Room

The Room had a mixture of Spring Summer 2010, Pre-Fall 2010 and Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 collections available for browsing. I love the olive-green and leather dress from the Pre-Fall 2010 collection. Actually, I like the Pre-Fall 2010 collection and posted about late last year. I also really like the gold leaf dresses from the Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 collection.

Jason Wu at The Room

I do find Jason Wu’s collections are a bit of a hodge podge of looks. I can never seem to grasp an underlying theme or style that stands out as Jason Wu in my mind. Regardless the man does make some pretty clothing with interesting details.

Jason Wu at The Room

Jason Wu at The Room

Jason Wu at The Room

I wasn’t able to interview Jason but I found a video where he talks about his inspiration for Fall Winter 2010 – 2011

Gil Carvalho Fall Winter 2010 – 2011

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Gil Carvalho Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

Footwear designer Gil Carvalho sent me an email letting me know about his Fall Winter 2010 collection. I was quiet surprised and excited to hear from him personally. This London based shoe designer has a background in fine art, art history and architecture. Gil studied shoe design at Cordwainers College at London College of Fashion.

Gil Carvalho Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

The lookbook talks about the inspiration for Gil Carvalho Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 collection.

“With it’s emphasis on the sculptural, inspired by the Abstract artist Rolph Scarlett, the latest collection explores the relationship between a woman and her shoes, one that had endured teh passage of time but remains as passionate as ever. The palette of colour gravitates from monochrome to metallic pink from deep matt through to the high shine of patent, a thoroughly paradoxical collection full of opposites.”

Gil Carvalho Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

Gil Carvalho platforms are as tall and sleek as buildings.  The Comet style on the left has about a 3/4 inch platform (20 mm) platform and 4.5 inch (120mm) heel.  Buzz on the right has about a 2 inch (50mm) platform and 6 inch (150mm) heel.  The photos give you a sense of the shape and height on the foot.  I love the Buzz style the most.  Extra inches for height are always important to me.

Gil Carvalho Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

You can check out the Gil Carvalho Facebook page to see more images from the Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 collection. There is a good interview with Gil at Gil Carvalho’s Back! on the Drapers blog

images: courtesy of Gil Carvalho

i want: Manon Mini Bag by Tila March

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This is a fun little crossbody bag from Tila March. The 4-year-old company is the brainchild of a French fashion editor, Tamara Taichman and a marketing executive in the leather luxury goods business, Nicolas Berdugo.  The Japan Times has a great little article on the brand and some history.

Manon Mini Bag by Tila March

Tila March handbags are available in Canada exclusively though the online handbag retailer A TO ZANE.

images: tilamarch.com

i want: Devon Open Toe Booties by Alexander Wang

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Devon Open Toe Booties by Alexander Wang

These Devon Open Toe Booties by Alexander Wang are fun. Playing with Alexander Wang shoes was a little detour I made while in the mist of playing with Todd Lynn in the personal shopping area of Holt Renfrew. I love the colour and reptile treatment to the leather. I’m not usually a suede fan but I like the contrast it provides. They are pretty comfortable with a reasonable heel height.

The shoes are available at Holt Renfrew Bloor street and online at shopbop.com and net-a-porter.com.

Haider Ackermann comes to Toronto

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Haider Ackermann comes to TorontoThere was small group of people to gathered to see the Haider Ackermann Fall 2010 fashion show at the ROM. It was a real treat.  119 Corbo is the exclusive Toronto retailer for Haider Ackermann and they were responsible for bringing him to the city. Holt Renfrew Calgary and Vancouver will carry Haider in the fall.

Haider Ackermann comes to Toronto

I wrote about the Haider Ackermann Fall Winter 2010 show during Paris fashion week. This presentation wasn’t the full collection but it was amazing to see the pieces up close. Haider is a master of materials. The draping and architectural details were phenomenal. The collection and music almost brought a tear to my eye. It’s the same emotional reaction that I get when I go to the symphony or opera.  I wish I had the access to play and touch the clothing. I’m going to have to befriend Linda Perisa, owner of 119 Corbo.

My photos were completely shit. I still have to learn how to take good low light shots with the Olympus E-PL1. The two shots I’ve posted are not what I intended but I like the result. I didn’t talk to Haider or get a photo with him. It was a bit of a scramble and I just on looked from afar. I love his relaxed style and fantastic boots. Since my photos turned out crap for the most part I’m providing you guys with the full length Paris show on video.

Playing with the Todd Lynn Fall Winter 2010 – 2011 Collection

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Todd Lynn Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

Work kept me from catching the tail end of the Todd Lynn trunk show and personal appearance. I was a little bummed as I really wanted to meet Todd. He looks so cute in his photos. He also reminds me of Rick Owens so I’m drooling a little.  I think it’s the long black hair, le sigh.

Todd Lynn Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

Todd Lynn Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

This is one of my favourite jackets in the collection. The sleeves are removable

I missed the designer but I got to play in his designs.  On Saturday I made a quick trip to the private shopping area at Holt Renfrew and played dress up.  Every leather jacket made my waist look tiny.  They totally fit like a glove.  The fur was outrageous.  I like the androgyny of both the mens and womens lines.

Todd Lynn Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

Todd Lynn price points are relatively cheaper than other brands doing leather with the same aesthetic.

Todd Lynn Fall Winter 2010 - 2011

I even was recruited to model Todd Lynn for a customer. She was trying to decide what items to pick up from the trunk show.

Todd Lynn Fall Winter 2010