I <3 Madsen Bikes

Dear Madsen Bikes,

Would you like to partner with eight up-and-coming artists to promote your bikes through a fleet of seafoam DNS bikes? Artists, photographers and designers need to haul around a lot of stuff to make creativity happen. And a cargo bike would have been nice when we had to return all the empties from Snow White's birthday party.

I'm just saying you should think about it.

Sincerely,

~MegO!

Not Just a Label...

A few months ago I was checking out stores in Europe that carried sustainable streetwear and I stumbled upon www.notjustalabel.com... it's an online shop that carries one of a kind pieces by smaller labels and even students from across the globe. After spending a few hours trying to digest the scope of the site, I sent them our lookbook and got an account with them in a few hours! The site makes me happy for a few reasons - one, they support indie designers by connecting smaller labels with fashionistas all over the globe. And two, they offer one of the best selections of fucking amazing clothes I have ever seen in one place. Seriously. You cannot call yourself a fashionista and not check out this website. If you haven't been - go now. Don't keep reading just click the link - but make sure you don't have to be anywhere for a few hours because you will be on this thing forever...

Here's just a few of the handpicked pieces from their new store, simply called "The Shop". The bottom two are Jiwon Jahng and the top one is Seelenkleid.
Check out www.notjustalabel.com/deadlynightshades to see our online shop!

We love Charlie

Be there.

Chelsea, last summer...

Missed Connections

One of the many awesome things about bikes is how it lets you connect to your community.

One of my favorite internet things is Craigslist's missed connections. (Okay- I'm actually obsessed with this social experiment.)

Here are my Favorites from combining the two:

Give her a chance
Baby Blue Surly
"Hey A**hole!"
Clumbsy Bikers <3 Paramedics
AM Skids
Plastic Daisy

My question is... has anyone actually made a connection with Craigslist?

More Cats we love.

Happy Birthday, Cat!!!

Cats we love.

Here is an image of a Cross Stitch sampler of a character from the musical Cats. Why is this not already in my possesion? I don't know. What I do know is that I was clearly robbed as a child, as no one ever took me to see Cats.
Also - If someone could please tell me whatever happened to this tiger-print one-piece, I can pretty much guarantee that they would become a Nightshade.
I think the Nightshades need to do a Cats themed photoshoot on bicycles... any photographers interested?
I'd like one of these too if someone knows where to find one!!!

Keds show Auction at the Bata Shoe Museum

The Deadly Nightshades were invited to reinvent a pair of Keds running shoes for Worn Journal's magazine launch party on June 6th at the Bata Shoe Museum. The shoes will be auctioned off at the party to raise money for Fashion Cares and Worn Journal, and tickets are available at Left Feet (88 Nassau), Winkel (1107 Queen St. E) and Frou Frou (1616 Queen St. W) for $28~

Texting

I like it when activists cater to the real world. The Go Green Foundation has a mobile text petition going on to try and get major fashion players to stop being so environmentally crappy. This is their blurb about it:

The apparel sector has some of the best corporate performers on climate like Nike, as well as some of the worst. Go Green’s partner Climate Counts has scored seven major apparel companies representing brands like Gap, Juicy Couture, Banana Republic, Hurley, Abercrombie & Fitch, Converse, and Old Navy. Of the apparel companies scored by Climate Counts, two -- VF Corporation and Jones Apparel Group -- are in the "stuck" category. VF owns well-known brands like Lee, Wrangler, Eastpak, Vans, and North Face. Jones Apparel owns brands like Nine West and Anne Klein.

It's time for all companies in the apparel sector to rise to the challenge and reach for the bar that's been set by Nike and others. Your cell phone is all you need to send a message to the world's largest companies that climate change matters to YOU.

Sign our petition to tell the apparel industry to get serious about global climate change.

To take a stand, text "GOGREEN" to 66937

In Europe text messaging activism is prevalent, it helped bust a cover-up and win an election in Spain a few years ago.

BOOGIE FOR BIKES!

Come shake a tail at our party this thursday, and help provide carrier bikes to farmers in East Africa. For more information on the coffee bike initiative, check out Project Rwanda!

Boogie for Bikes! at The Augusta House
152 Augusta Ave.
Thurs., May 21st, 10 pm
$5

"Old Men Knitting Sweaters" by Willow Rutherford

Willow is a friend of mine, who just played a show over at my store, 69 Vintage Buy the Pound. I've known her for a while but last night I got to see her play her beautiful accordian for the first time. Here's the video for her single "Old Men Knitting Sweaters".

WAR

I love my bike. It is a very big part of my everyday and makes me feel a special all the time. Recently I and my bike have started to be targeted by an unknown ASSHOLE on college. Two days ago this ASSHOLE let the air out my tires and yesterday stuck appoxy in my lock! Ruining my 85 dollar lock. Now I am sending a plea to anyone who may have been at Croft and College, Borden and College area anytime over the past three days who may have seen someone fucking with my stuff. Because when I catch the asshole I will sew there's up. Here's the o'l girl in a photo shoot!


Don't mess with another person's property.

May 14th - Deadly Trunkshow

Drunk in the Trunk is today!!!

Today, May 14th at 1234 Bloor St. W, from 6-9pm.

She's so cool...

Even on the other side of the globe... girls like to take pictures of themselves with their bikes. This chick must own a bike shop or something because she has a seemingly endless supply of cute bikes to take pictures of herself with.

Yet another reason to stop by Drunk in the Trunk...

Thursday May 14th at 1234 Bloor St. W, from 6-9pm, come and try on Big Red's Bike Riding Hood - and show Mr. Wolf who's boss!!!

Bonjour Montreal

I've been in Montreal since Sunday for the 5th World Environmental Education Congress. I'm here for a nice little mini-vacation. (That kinda shows what level eco-nerd I am.)

I'm not alone, I'm here with my sweet heart... my bike! VIA makes it supper easy for you to take on the train. You can just hand it to the baggage guys, but they recommend you put in in their free bike boxes- you have to remove your pedals and handle bars to fit it in, and I actually went out and bough my very own 13 and 15 mm wrenches to do this!

(I didn't bring my camera, so I googled "montreal bike lanes" and somehow google gave me this photo... FAIL)

Montreal is a bike friendly city, with a well established bike-line system laid by bike activists back in the 70's. THANK YOU GUYS! I'm on Rene-Lavesque, which has amazing double bike lanes that have concrete barriers on each side. It feels strange being so safe on a road. For bicyclists in Toronto in 30 years, I promise to be a more proactive bike activist.


Montreal also loves bike style, and this week's edition of THE HOUR has a tattooed, fashionably punky babe on the cover, promoting BIXI Bikes. Something tells me the stylist of this shoot saw photos of our show. Now, my bike is supper happy I didn't know about this before I came to Montreal, or I may not have brought her on the trip. When I learned about this I couldn't believe it- as of today, Montreal has 3,000 high-tech bikes ready for shared city use. They are one of the most well built, indistructable bikes with encased chains and nitrogen filled tires. Day membership passes only cost $5. Year memberships are $78. There is a station right outside my hotel, and I salivated over them last night.

Congratulations on kicking Toronto's butt Montreal!

And now... one of my favorite French/Montreal/Bike videos...

Bike Gang Instruction Manual: Lesson #195 - Matching Jackets

...and reason number one to visit 1234 Bloor St. W on Thursday night!!! Come pick up your Deadly Nightshades biking jacket and get 20% off retail price! Drunk in the Trunk starts at 6pm and goes until 9pm.

Drunk in the Trunk - Part II

Media Round-Up

So, our show at [FAT] got lots of love!!! Here is a recap:

Toronto Street Fashion loved us. Editor Rachel was a huge part in developing the documentary "A Night Out With the Deadly Nightshades" with director George Browne that debuted at [FAT] last year.

Final Fashion loved the high energy show. Danielle then swung by our trunk show to show off a rad new cut!

I Want- I Got loved our colour scheme and use of man meat.

The Torontoist gave us two shout outs, pre-show and post-show.

Blog TO showed some of their favorite styles here.

Experience TO thought we had the right amount of attitude!

As mentioned previously, MONDO thinks we're rad, and we think it right back. DJ Daniel Wilson gave us a shout out too! He DJed for the Fashion Show Down at Vintage 69, and I think GirlTalk needs to start worrying- he's got some skills!

I just discovered this amazing bike blog outta OZ, - Double Oh Two. We rock his world, and after reading his blog he totally rocks mine.

That's all for now folks! If you find anything else, send it my way!

Everybody say "Andrea Crews"!!

So we all have those moments when we see something or hear something and we just have to find out more. But so often those things that grab you start to look a bit flat the more you google. THIS IS NOT WHAT HAPPENED WHEN I STARTED LOOKING INTO ANDREA CREWS.

I found all this remade craziness the other day, and you know how remade gets me all worked up, so clearly I was pumped.





It turns out that Andrea Crews is a performance art crew / fashion collective/ studio-store-art space / garbage activists / completely amazing. They are from france (of course) and their mission is to revalue disgarded clothes into innovative fashion statements, with the higher intention of giving ethical alternatives to the fashion industries inherent wastefullness. They often show collections by making outragious videos, and are active in the international art scene.

One of their resent shows had around 25 'models' playing musical chairs while another lay face down in the middle of the circle!!!!!

Here is how they describe themselves : "it touches everything, fashion, art, music, likes partying and gets wet without complex." Franglais. Delicious.


I think I'm in love.

GO AND CHECK THEM OUT.

nam

Nightshades at 69 Vintage's "An Old Fashioned Fashion Throwdown"

Many thanks to Paul Sergeant for taking pics!!!

the ideal car.

remember this? oh, how i love toronto.