Nightshades love...

Things made by hand, and blogs about things made by hand.

Because you can change the world with your own two hands...

Recycling + Photoshop + Cute Old Shoes = Heaven!!!

We got new shoes in the other day at work... We got in six GIANT bags of them and then we tossed them in a big pile and started sorting them out... It felt like Christmas. I couldn't believe how many great old shoes were in the bag!!! There was even an old pair of Lanvin's that were a heart-crushing size too small for me... you can see more pics of them at the 69 blog here.
The best part is that they cost $8~ a pair and you're recycling if you wear vintage. I love my job.

the best and worst of toronto's nuit blanche....

...from the perspective of living halfway across the country, and looking at other peoples pictures on facebook. Which,I am fully aware, is an unfair way of judging the events, but i'm just going to roll with it. Big thanks to Wendy Ng for giving me no permission to use her lovely pictures (other than a non-private profile setting). Cheers!

Best Number 1 goes to this little knit piece of love, who fanatastisimalness has forced me to actually post a blog after a long hiatus.


Best Number 2 : giant snowman. I like this one because I get to make up the whole story. "My inspiration was the inevitability of the change of seasons juxtaposed with comodification of religious holidays" blah blah blah...GIANT SNOWMAN IN OCTOBER!!!!

Worst: ekk garr... performance artist take themselves way to seriously.

ON A HAPPY NOTE...

The Petition

There is a petition out there (again) asking for Ms. Kay's resignation.

Thoughts?

I still think the person who is doing this should out themselves in all fairness.

Lucinda McRuvy from Rags and Mags has a great take on the situation.

Fahion week in short...

Alright... here's my wrap up for the fashionable fashion week!

Day 1:

Catya Revanko
from Desperatly Different is fucking amazing! Her modern boho made me almost want to give up the rocker-chic that is me... until it meant i had to give up black and zebra. But i do suggest it for all who love being covered in silky smooth and stretchy jerseys!

amazing photos from Visualbass Photography

Meg and I had quite a night at her after party! Which aslo happened to be TFI's fashionable way to get the world ready for fashion week!

p.s. GO GAIL. GO GAIL!

To much Vodka leads to our own afterparties full of 'dancing' hehe. ( don't worry Meg Oh! I'll never tell how this night ended ;)



We weren't the only ones who had to ended the night in a blur... Ms. Robin Kay put on quite a show right before the Mango Show. Lets be honest, who hasn't been a little over-zealous while giving a speech in front of a photo-pit and rows of media. (oops!) Thank goodness that 'good friend' dragged her off the stage, or was it the presedent of Mango? The show must go on!

DAY 2:

Phil and I played hookie from the studio and 'tented it up'. It wasn't easy getting past security even though I had a Philip Sparks on my arm, but once a lost and found media pass came to me (like a moth to a flame) my world was opened up to free mini quiches and Halloween candy! Yeah!

JASON MYERS.
- Pretty, really nothing new... too many flowy dresses make me nauseous.

amazing photos from Visualbass Photography

KARAMEA.
Beautiful and well presented, but not really my steeze (Congrats Michelle!)

amazing photos from Visualbass Photography

NADA.
Anyone know how to make plaid-ish tie dye?

JOEFFER CAOC.-
Innovative fabrics and folds.

amazing photos from Visualbass Photography

-GIN BREAK-

BUSTLE.
Ahem. I think i tried to miss this one, and still saw it?

amazing photos from Visualbass Photography

DAVID DIXON -
Great job, great to see some real inspiration this year David!

amazing photos from Visualbass Photography

Wow. what a day!

Day 3;

Back to some real work, until...

EVAN BIDDELL

thank you, pic from Joseph Fuda

EVAN BIDDELL's after party at the Burrow's Building

thank you, pic from Joseph Fuda

By the pics I'm sure you can see it was an intsensly drunken night...

thank you, pic from Joseph Fuda

Day 4:

Showed up late for work... but i wasn't the only one...
HANGOVER CENTAL- No public appearances today.

Day 5:

Isn't that today? Better find something to do!!!

ps... found this adorable puppy in the studio.

Missed Connections

To My Beautiful Stolen Bike

Midnight Ridazz Ride On!

From the midnight ridazz website...

The Midnight Ridazz is formally described as a group of bicycle enthusiasts who have been riding together on the second Friday of every month since February of 2004. Originally conceived and founded by SKULL and lovingly cared for by MABELL, MUFF and a small group of planners and care takers, the rides quickly grew from the original 8 "Mammas and Papas" to current ride counts of 1300+ Ridazz.

Skeptics may scoff at the irreverence of this alleged "Party on Wheels." But the party atmosphere just might be what has made this simple bicycle ride so popular in a city like Los Angeles where people barely get their mail without hopping in a car. Some attribute the movement to the high assed gas prices, or the frustration of LA traffic. Still others simply write off the Midnight Ridazz as a bunch of bored art school students. It's all of these things and more!

Consider: Riding a bicycle is a sensual alternative to the "boy in the bubble" car voyages that hide everything good that a city has to offer. It is an experience in sights, sounds, thrills, physical activity, and local economy that could never be replicated by a night out at (Sh)City Walk. Midnight Ridazz is about riding bicyles, hanging out, acting silly, being whimsical, speaking up, and having a good heart. Come out and enjoy a relaxed pace bicycle ride at the end of a week of computers, dispatchers, rude customers, corporate politics and all the other crap that comes with living in a world of sad clowns. Banish the clowns! Send in the Ridazz.

The most money I've ever seen...

So, last thursday Anika and I were supposed to go down to the Drake for the Art of Fashion reception. They were announcing the winners from the competition we'd entered a little while ago.
You can see pictures of it here.

Somebody had told me I had to be there by 6:30, so I was about to book it down there on my bike after work when Anika called and told me they'd announced the winners already and we'd won. I was so surprised that my gum fell out of my mouth and Anika thought I'd hung up on her. I was speechless for about thirty seconds and then I got really excited. Anika was totally like "yeah, whatev's", cause she's chill like that but I was jumping up and down and yelling and I couldn't stop smiling the whole way down to the Drake. Then I saw a guy on the sidewalk, walking a tiny little puppy pug and I stopped to pet it and I was like "Oh my God, I'm holding a puppy pug and I just won a thousand dollars. This is the best day of my life." I was so happy I forgot how to talk for a few seconds, and just sat there grinning until the guy was like "okay, well gotta go..."

So anyways, I get there, and they've already done all the embarrassing stuff like making you go up on stage and accept your prize, so all we had to do was to talk to Inside Fashion for a little bit, and then they gave us this huge basket of Jergens lotion and self tanner which we mostly gave to Joelle and Alex for coming to see us there, and then I had to go home an essay! So much for the glamourous life of a fashion designer...

I heart bike messangers

I may have been quoted saying that 'no one wants to look like a bike messenger' in a certain national newspaper, ( I totally didn't say it like that!) but I totally love the bike messenger boys and gals of Toronto. This is a neat video of Bike Messengers in New York. Enjoy.



"Freedom from hard physical labour is considered by some to be one of the triumphs of the developed world. Yet in the heart and lungs of the white collared marketplace, the dependence on the blood and sweat of the bicycle messenger is clear."

IT"S A BIRD, IT'S A PLANE!!!

NOT WAIT.... It's a Deadly Nightshade here to save the day!

The people over at Now Magazine have been gracious enough to declare us as one of Toronto's Fashion heroes of 2008! We plan to plan a way to fulfill this title on Saturday night at a secret deadly nightshades gathering that will end with either nakedness or dancing...

"The Deadly Nightshades
Fashion bike gang

When fashion bike gangs rule the world’s runways with shit-disturbing bedazzled brass knuckles, you’ll remember these early days of the Deadly Nightshades. The seven-member crew spread their message of sustainable fashion from Critical Mass’s street rallies to Fashion Week’s runway (which they hijacked last season to film the climax of their Night Out With The Nightshades short).

The group evolved from kNOwdresscode, a collective of Ryerson fashion kids that boosted newbie designer talent. With chapters planned for Vancouver and New York, it won’t be long before the sight of their designer low-riders signal a new era of eco fabulousnessness. Follow their rise at nightshadesbikecrew.blogspot.com."

IN OTHER NEWS....

Our own Irene Stickney, Ms. Fierce Bambi herself, along with designer pal Anika Kowalski, won Art of Fashion! A fashion competition that was on display at Wrong Bar during Nuit Blanche. Did you see it?

YEAH!! CONGRATS!!!

I would love to show you pics... but they are being held hostage... (Ahem...;)

Life Drawing for Fashion Designers at 69 Buy the Pound

October 14th
1234 Bloor St. W
7-10pm
$5~

No attitude, no art snobbery, just fun, fancy and funny clothes!!! Bring your pens, pencils, a mixed cd and a smile!!!
Cheaper than a latte, better for you!
See you there!
xoxo!

After you've voted...

Relax by reading this cute website!!!

Eco Fashion World produces monthly magazine all relating to eco-fashion. The latest one was about the big C... CHINA! You can also brows a list of sustainable fashion lines, glossary of terms, get news, and generally love the website.


p.s. if you didn't vote, or if you belong to a copy-cat bike gang called the Friendly Lampshades (as if!), you are dead to us!

hey
go
vote

Miss Danielle Meder Re-creates Earth...

Wouldn't it be absolutely wonderful to live in a world where The Nile is a 5" gold Ykk zip? Danielle meader (finalfashion.com), meticulously smocked mountain ranges to texurize the World. Ain't she RAD?

Thanks for the pic... Raymund Galsim (- until i find the cord for my camera.. opps!)

This Nuit BLanche party is still going! Go Visit Indigo Planet in the window of Over the Rainbow in Yorkville.But watch out for Typhoons!

Are you reading this on Firefox?

Then download this.

Firefox has partnered with Knowmore.org to bring you the easiest way to know if the company you are looking at is kinda crappy in the the sustainable/political/human rights field. It works like this; when you go to a page of a company, a small bar pops up on top of the window to tell you if the company in question has areas of concern.

Check it out. It's really neat.

Deadly Nightshades love Evan Biddell!!!

The Nightshades hit up Evan Biddell's studio opening party last week!!!

Nuit Blanche at the Gladstone

BAMBOO BANGA.

So, one month ago I made a pact with a friend of mine, not to buy new clothes for one year, unless they are:
a)eco friendly & fair trade
b)second hand, or
c)made by me (attempting to follow the above two stipulations)

While this is stuff I try and do anyhow, it's nice to have someone else holding me accountable. And gets to be tricky when cute new fall clothes are popping up all about. Thus, in an attempt to distract, I have begun to design a new snowboarding jacket for myself. My old one is circa the late 90's, and is ripped in too many places to remain socially acceptable, let alone waterproof.

So far, I've been doing alright figuring out recylced fabrics to use, but I was getting stumped regarding batting for the inside of the jacket....UNTIL i discovered (visiting Texas of all places) BAMBOO BATTING! Made by Fairfield, it's 50% bamboo & 50% organic cotton, AND a portion of their proceeds go towards ecological & environmental initiatives. Go team.

I suppose selling bamboo batting in Dallas, is a half hearted (although appreciated) attempt to make up for every second car being an Escalade, no public transit, no bike lanes (sidewalks?)... and well.... this:

Trick or Cheap Clothing Swap!!!

Oct 23rd
1234 Bloor St. W
6pm-9pm
Max five garments
Good Quality Only!

It's what we do best.

PARTY!
This Monday- Augusta House. It seems like it's an early party? Can anyone out there clarify?
The contact link takes you to a sassy 'chick-hopper' Sunny D the Red Sonia who rhymes about bikes! "Leave a little room on the right for me..." Amazing.

GO JESI!!

Final Fantasy's Video was just released...

Created by fellow Nightshade... Jesi!!!

This is what I feel like when I ride my bike

More awesome vintage bike posters...