All posts tagged: Toronto

BijouxBead Wearable Art

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During my vacation I had the pleasure of meeting with local jewellery designer Darlene Martin of Bijouxbead. We connected on twitter and she wanted to show me her work. Darlene is a former professional figure skating coach and doesn’t have a jewellery making background. It was very interesting to hear how she found herself making jewellery. It all started with an impromptu jewellery making class with young her daughter that sparked her creative interest. In 2007 BijouxBead Wearable Art was formed. BijouxBead necklaces are usually characterized by a glass bead. It’s the focal point of the necklace. The lampwork glass bead is handmade by Darlene by hand. They take on various shapes and textures. I really liked the weight to these pieces and the tactile nature of the glass. I spent a lot of time examining the bead on the brown necklace. The colours were so intricately laced together that I mistook it for stone initially. The full collection include necklaces, bracelets and earrings that are all handmade using glass, semi-precious gem stones and sterling …

Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 at The Royal Ontario Museum

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I’m excited that there are two great photography exhibits rolling into town this September. One is the Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 The Institute for Contemporary Culture (ICC) at the Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) presents Vanity Fair Portraits: Photographs 1913-2008 from September 26, 2009 to January 3, 2010. The exhibition, which garnered record-breaking attendance in its recent European engagements, showcases 150 portraits, including classic images from Vanity Fair’s early period and photographs featured in the magazine since its 1983 relaunch. A collaboration between Vanity Fair and the National Portrait Gallery, London, the exhibition is curated by Terence Pepper, Curator of Photographs at the National Portrait Gallery, and David Friend, Vanity Fair’s Editor of Creative Development. The ROM will be the only Canadian venue to display Vanity Fair Portraits, and this will be its first showing in eastern North America. Throughout its 95-year history, Vanity Fair magazine has helped define the public persona of some of the most influential individuals in the world. The exhibition brings together a collection of captivating images of cultural icons from …

Lingerie Francaise presents Secret of Seduction

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I usually one to skip lingerie shows. They are usually held a clubs and aren’t really a fashion but a vehicle to get horny men into the venue and buying alcohol. However last year I attended Lingerie Francaise presents Secret of Seduction which was a showcase of the top companies in France. I was a big fan of two of the companies in the show so I decided to attend. To my surprised I enjoyed myself so when the opportunity came up again I said yes and brought my trusty photog www.paulbaikphoto.com to document. I knew Paul would enjoy this gig immensely. The night will once again feature coveted brands last year’s celebrated evening; Lejaby, Elixir, Simone Perele, Chantelle, and Passionata will all share their unique fashion visions. Newcomers to the event Empreinte and Gerbe hosiery round out the selection for an evening that promises to provide a truly comprehensive presentation of the seductive and feminine world of lingerie. Details and embellishments are a strong trend for 2009/2010 with florals, embroidery and lace appearing in …

La Roux Toronto 2009

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I saw La Roux on a whim at the El Mo. I have to say, I’m impressed. They put on a great show, this is no studio band. Elly Jackson’s voice is the real deal. She is completely amazing. You can check out the Official La Roux YouTube page for videos. They won’t let me embed. 🙁 This is another Blackberry enabled post. I really need to recharge my camera’s batteries stat.

Fashion Magazine Fall 2009 – 2010 Trend Event

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While I was on vacation from my day job I attended the Fashion Magazine fall 09 trend preview event. This was the magazines take on the key trends for the upcoming fall 2009 – 2010 season. I awlays find it weird to hear about the season during it’s execution in the market. By this time I’m already over the trends and just want to see the merchandise in person. Sometimes I get re-inspired or opinions change about collections after touching the garments. Prada fall 2009 collection is a good example of this effect, I’m totally gag over the collection now after seeing pieces in the store. Time helps to ease initial perception of a collection. The preview took place at the the beautiful Andrew Richard Design Loft in the east end high end furniture shop mecca of King Street. The space was beautiful and we were treated to drinks and canapes. There were a few Canadian Designers with samples for viewing in the space: Ezra Constantine, Miss Rowe and Mercy. The presentation was well rounded …

Depeche Mode Toronto 2009

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I went to see one of my all time favourite bands, Depeche Mode, on Friday. It was an incredible show and I thought I’d share some of my photos with you. There were taken with my blackberry so apologies for the quality. The show was amazing. A show for true fans as they didn’t play any of their popular hits. I was dying because of all the Black Celebration tunes they played. Dave Gahan is the sex. He looked amazingly hot the whole show, le sigh. I went crazy for a Question of Time, so here’s video from that night.

Cocktails with The Sartorialist at Holt Renfrew

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I mentioned that The Sartorialist, Scott Schulman would be at Holt Renfrew for a public appearance. I didn’t attend that because I was invited to a private cocktail for Scott later that evening. The attendees included a number of fashion industry types, media and Holt Renfrew customers. People have been buzzing about what to wear to the event for the last week. The crowd didn’t seem any more fashionable than normal, but there were a few over the top trainwrecks that were amusing to behold. What did I wear? I went with what I call my superhero outfit, a Greta Constantine dress called the Kebede after model Liya Kebede. The back reminds me of a cape and all I could think about was flying. You can see the dress in the slideshow below. I grabbed a drink and then was asked if I wanted to do an interview with Fashion Television. Of course, I said hell yes. The interview was done outside by the I want – I got window. I talked a bit about …

geekiviews: PunkMedics, Vegan Skincare with Edge

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I review the odd skincare or beauty product on the site, so it was nice to get pitched from a Canadian based company. The thing that makes PunkMedics different is that all it’s product are vegan. They carry a range of products from skincare, lipcare, piercing & tattoo care and even roadrash care. PunkMedics is also an sustainable company and you can read about their practices on the website. PunkMedics is a Canadian based company that manufactures, wholesales and retails a fun line of vegan skin care products with edge. Our products are made of natural plant and botanical ingredients from organic sources. They are 100% vegan (contain no animal by-products) and not tested on animals. They are free from parabens, sulphates, petroleum by-products and GMO materials. I first heard of Toronto based PunkMedics through twitter. Owner, Badur Ramji, offered to send me the Vegan Sample Pack which I used on my FDJ press junket trip. It contained a Body Wash, Conditioning Shampoo, Leave in Conditioner, Facial Cleanser and Body Lotion. The only thing I …

MediaStyle interviews Anita Clarke

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I did my first interview about the bloggers window with Ian Capstick of Mediastyle.ca. You can read it at this link – MediaStyle interviews Anita Clarke. I met Ian through Twitter initially and when the news of the Holt Renfrew Bloggers Windows broke, he asked me for an interview. We met outside the windows at 10am one morning during my vacation. I didn’t realize it was a video interview until it was too late. I was wearing a short grey knit dress, bright pink tight and Danielle’s Docs. I was cursing myself for not wearing mascara. However, here is the video for your enjoyment. I talk abit about myself and a lot about the window. MediaStyle.ca interview with Anita Clarke of I want, I got from Ian Capstick on Vimeo. Thanks Ian for such a great post.

The Peek in Photos

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I stopped by The Peek art show on the weekend. This was the 2nd year for this show put on by Chris of Mindazi and Gloria of Urbanbloc. Thanks to The Peek’s organizers Chris and Gloria. The Peek featured the following artists: JAY SKAM – www.skam.net THE EATONS – www.theeatons.ca CHARLENE CHUA – www.charlenechua.com JUSTIN WU – www.jwuphoto.com CREATIVE REFLEX – www.creativereflex.ca DARRYL GRAHAM – www.darrylgraham.com – he created the Marvel 360 poster i got SAMANTHA DARCY – www.samanthadarcy.com CHRIS BRETT – www.chrisbrett.ca