Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: June 24-30

Posted on by jbelleisle
Colourful textiles at a clothing shop in Eglington station, Yonge and Eglington, June 13, 2015
Colourful textiles at a clothing shop in Eglington station, Yonge and Eglington, June 13, 2015

Happy first days of summer and Pride Toronto! It’s time for fun patterns (I’ve been seeing a lots of pink flamingos on tees and bags), breezy fabrics, and light footwear. Throw your hair up in a top knot, slip on some sandals, and get outside! Walk around Kensington Market, check out Pink Market 2015 at Artscape Youngplace, have a picnic in High Park, watch Iris at Hot Docs, bike the Leslie Spit, hop on the Toronto Islands ferry, check out All Hopped Up!, explore the Evergreen Brickworks … there’s so much to do! So what are you waiting for? Woohoo, it’s summer!

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Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: June 17-23

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Outdoor display at Dancing Days in Kensington Market, Kensington and Dundas, June 16, 2015
Outdoor display at Dancing Days in Kensington Market, Kensington and Dundas, June 16, 2015

Fashion inspiration can come in so many forms. This evening, a few friends and I caught Dior and I  at the Bloor Hot Docs Cinema and it was love! I just wanted to walk into the screen and inhabit the beautiful, haute couture world of the house of Christian Dior. I highly recommend the documentary, which runs till July 15; it’s lush, gorgeous, and warm, with surprisingly touching moments of humanity.

Some people like to look to other eras for their style inspiration. If you’re into the pin up and rockabilly look, I’d suggest heading down to the opening party for the photography exhibition All Hopped Up! A Celebration of Rockabilly & Hot Rod Culture. Local photographer Liisa Morton travelled North America, capturing images of the vintage style seen at rockabilly weekenders. The exhibition runs till June 24, so put on your best red lipstick, pin curl your hair, and get down to the Black Cat Gallery!

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Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: June 10-16

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Window display at m0851, Avenue and Bloor, June 7, 2015
Window display at m0851, Avenue and Bloor, June 7, 2015

Last week, tickets to Spadina Museum’s wildly popular Gatsby Garden Party sold out in a hot minute. If you’re one of the lucky ones who nabbed tickets, you might want to sign up for their Make a Fascinator! workshop happening this Thursday. A fancy, handmade headpiece could be just the thing to make you all hotsy-totsy!

If the Roaring ’20s ain’t your thing, there are plenty of other events to choose from. The Textile Museum will be opening their Frida Kahlo exhibition, featuring 50 photographs of the artist highlighting her iconic, colourful style which included traditional Mexican dress. Local shop Coal Miner’s Daughter has recently unveiled their new logo and website and are hosting a soiree to celebrate. And with all this rainy weather, a movie might just be the thing. Bloor Hot Docs will be screening Dior and I for the next few weeks.

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Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: June 3 – 9

Posted on by jbelleisle
Window display at House of Rinka, Bloor and Palmerston, May 30, 2015
Window display at House of Rinka, Bloor and Palmerston, May 30, 2015

Happy first week of June, style lovers! There’s a nice variety of fashion fun in the city this week! For the fashion academics, the Textile Museum will be presenting a lecture by Dr. Blake Gopnik, an art historian and critic, at Northrop Frye Hall.  Dr. Gopnik will be speaking about Warhol’s connection to textiles, as an artist and collector. If you prefer a bit of pampering, ELLE Canada and Gap are teaming up for a free summer fashion event complete with outfit inspo, gourmet popsicles and a braid bar. Those looking to spend some dough might want to head to Fortnight’s Annual Studio Sale. With discounts of 50-70% off, this is an ideal opportunity to refresh your lingerie drawer with some made in Canada goodies. And if you’re looking to do a bit of good, Casa Lovina is hosting a pop up charity event. 10% of all proceeds will be going to the Nepal Earthquake Relief via Red Cross.

Have a great week!

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Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: May 27 – June 2

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Baby Vans and Converse at Gravity Pope, Queen and Ossington, April 30, 2015
Baby Vans and Converse at Gravity Pope, Queen and Ossington, April 30, 2015

Fashion tends to be a playground for the young. Most clothes are designed to fit the body and style of an eighteen year old, trends often cater to the under 30 set, and stores tend to carry smaller sizes. That’s why I’m so much more impressed with people who aren’t skinny young things that have great style. It’s that much harder to find things to wear when the fashion industry doesn’t have you (or someone like you) in mind.

Luckily, the tide is slowly turning and the industry is opening up its horizons. You may have spotted Iris Apfel in the recent Kate Spade print ads. The woman is a living fashion icon and inspiration for the rest of us who can’t relate to models. The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema is currently showing a documentary on Mrs. Apfel titled Iris. This week is your last chance to see it before it goes. You’ll walk away knowing that the best style tip is to have fun, find the things that bring out your individuality, and wear what makes YOU happy!

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Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: May 20-26

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"Light + Shadow" by Jiwon Song at the OCAD University Grad Ex, McCaul and Dundas, April 29, 2015
“Light + Shadow” by Jiwon Song at the OCAD University Grad Ex, McCaul and Dundas, April 29, 2015

The 16th annual Doors Open Toronto is happening this weekend! If you’re not familiar with this popular event, it offers free access to cool public and private spaces around the city. Even though this year’s theme is Sport, Recreation, and Leisure, I managed to find a couple of fashion-related destinations out of the 155 participating spaces:

  1. Bata Shoe Museum: New to Doors Open, the Bata Museum building was inspired by a partially open shoe box and houses over 13,000 shoes and shoe-related artifacts! If that’s not enough to entice you, there are two interesting exhibitions to check out: Standing Tall: The Curious History of Men in Heels and Fashion Victims: The Pleasure and Perils of Dress in the 19th Century.
  2. Humber Fashion Institute: Humber fashion students come to this historic site, built in the 1890s, to study fashion management and promotions. The Institute is currently displaying fashion from the last 100 years with a focus on athletic wear. Plus their official website makes the place look extra snazzy and definitely worth the trek out west!

If your Doors Open wanderings bring you to the Distillery District, you might want to take a moment to pop into Mint Boutique. Aside from offering a great selection of women’s wear and accessories, they are also hosting an in-store contest. Try on any piece of Bailey44, take a picture, post it on social media, and be automatically entered to win that piece of clothing! My recommendations: the adorable navy blue and white polka dot skirt and the classic trench coat. Check out the entries so far #Bailey44xMint.

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Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: May 13-19

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"Wearable Sounds" by Kaja Kataliina at the OCAD University Grad Ex, McCaul and Dundas, April 29, 2015
“Wearable Sounds” by Kaja Kataliina at the OCAD University GradEx, McCaul and Dundas, April 29, 2015

Maybe this week is not the best example but May is usually when the lighter clothes come out to play (weekend weather, please come back!). Last week I did my bi-annual flipping of the wardrobe Continue reading →

Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: May 6-12

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Holt Renfrew window promoting the H Project x ela x Burt's Bees collaboration
Holt Renfrew window promoting the H Project x ela x Burt’s Bees collaboration, Bloor and Bay, May 5, 2015

Buzz buzz! I’m just buzzing about Holt Renfrew’s awesome collaboration with Toronto-based handbag brand ela and Burt’s Bees. Continue reading →

Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: April 29-May 5

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Urban Outfitters, Yonge and Eglington, April 22, 2015
Urban Outfitters, Yonge and Eglington, April 22, 2015

If you’re the kind of person who loves finding unique pieces that no one else will be wearing, then this week is for you! It all begins on Wednesday with the GradEx MAAD sale, part of OCAD University’s 100th annual graduate exhibit festivities. Continue reading →

Toronto Style & Fashion Calendar: April 22-28

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Exile, Kensington and St. Andrew, April 19, 2015
Exile, Kensington Market (Kensington Ave. and St. Andrew St,), April 19, 2015

Fashion Art Toronto (also known as FAT) celebrates 10 years with its annual FAT Arts & Fashion Week. If you’re into fashion as an artistic medium, then Arts & Fashion Week is for you! Continue reading →