Photoshoot

My friend Chloe recently moved in to a loft with her parents. It's on the fourth floor so it gets some fantastic mid-afternoon light. I thought that the space's soaring ceilings and high white walls would be a perfect place for a little photo shoot. Chloe has always had impeccable style and I wanted to document a sample of it for my blog. We are not looking at anything. I think that this angle was just flattering for the both of us.

Chloe is wearing:
Top - BDG
Shorts - H&M
Necklace - Vintage
Sunglasses - Street vendor

I am wearing:
Cardigan - H&M
Romper - Target
Boots - Nine West

Do we remind you of anyone?

Kensington Market

Last weekend, I went down to Kensington Market with my partner in crime, Chloe. Eclectic and diverse, Kensington Market is a treasure trove of vintage clothing, great food and urban heritage. Kensington is bordered by College St. in the north, Dundas St. in the south, Bathurst St. in the west and Spadina Ave. in the east. Kensington is adjacent to downtown Chinatown. The area was initially a settling place for European Jewish immigrants from the turn of the twentieth century until the 50's. As the Toronto Jewish population moved north, a wave of Chinese and Caribbean immigrants took over the Village and added their own cultural flavour. During the Vietnam War, the neighbourhood was popular with American draft dodgers. Their sense of political activism and hippie sensibilities never left the neighbourhood and you can still feel the influence of all the groups that have called the Market their home. In November 2006, Mayor David Miller declared the Market a National Historical Site of Canada.

Spadina looking North.

Seeing how this is a fashion blog an all, I'm going to be talking about what Kensignton has to offer in terms of clothing. I could devote pages of blog posts to other aspects of the neighbourhood. The overwhelming majority of Kensington clothing stores offer vintage items. The neighbourhood is known for it's vintage row on Kensington Ave. and that's where I spend hours looking for the perfect retro gem.

A store called Ego was our first stop. Ego had a great selection of leather jackets inside but the clerk asked me not to take pictures. I understand, if I had such a fantastic array of clothes, I would want to keep it under wraps too! Ego also had some great basket weave flats but they were too small for my ginormous feet (I'm a size 11). I did manage to get some pictures of the merchandise in front of the store. That's one of the things that I love about Kensington, most stores lay out their wares on the sidewalk. It hearkens back to the old days of open air markets that served as gathering places for the community. One is reminded of Paris, Bangkok, Marrakesh. Kensington is a perfect example of how that model can work in a cosmopolitan city like Toronto.


Chloe found this terrific buffalo plaid shirt. She saw it first and we nearly came to blows over it. It has the perfect fit, it could be described as a flattering boyfriend cut. It's not cut along feminine lines but it's not overwhelmingly baggy like most men's plaid shirts. Can you tell that I'm still bitter?


These floral dresses outside Exile caught my eye. I tried on the yellow one but it was too big. One of the downsides of vintage is that the sizing can be wonky depending on the decade and region that the garment was made in. Some of the pros of buying vintage is that it is easier on the environment and it is often easier on the wallet too. Fast mass-market fashion uses an astonishing amount of fibres, water and oil.


Incense sticks, tea and dim sum in nearby Chinatown, flowers on a truck hood, Mona Lisa mural.

Sunglasses

I looooooooooooove sunglasses. I think this is due to the fact that I spent most of my life as a bespectacled girl. I'm always jealous of people who can throw on a pair of sunglasses and look pulled together and breezy at the same time. For a such a lowly accessory, sunglasses have left their mark on pop culture. Think of Tom Cruise in his Risky Business wayfarers. The period of Jackie that was called Onassis favoured round, bug eye frames. Even Lady Gaga has added her own spin on the classic with her signature pair of space age frames.




Here's a of picture Canadian actress Shanae Grimes looking fresh in some classic club masters. The fabulous studded leather jacket doesn't hurt either.

Prada has been killing it with the sunglasses lately. The fashion community has gone bananas over the sunglasses from the last couple of seasons. First it was the retro lucite frames that came in a wide array of candy colours. Perfect for paining with a whimsical bikini, every Prada fan saw herself by the sitting by the pool in these shades. Images from FW 2010 RTW.

How do you top a previous fashion triumph? Do it again, but go all the way. These cartoon baroque frames wouldn't look out of place in a Dr. Seuss book.

Horton hears a trend?