I am sitting here in Vancouver, wishing I was with my ladies in Toronto...

I miss you all my ladies and their lovelyness. Don't break too many hearts tonight. xo

Boys of Paris Fashion Week SS2011 from Justin Wu on Vimeo.

I just found this, and it fondly reminded me of the days of Philip Sparks! This one is for you Cat. xo

Agents of Change

One of the best thing about DNS are the people we tend to run with. Some are truly amazing, in it's most literal sense. You, our friends, have some of the most caring and well intended hearts, and you work your butts off. This competition is for you guys. The Cente for Social Innovation has a competition for "Agents of Change", where you can win a workspace at their new Annex location. Check it out, I would have entered it and told no one about it if I was still in Toronto. You're lucky I'm in Vancouver, and Momentum has a pretty sweet office already.
The Center for Social Innovation first opened a few years ago at 215 Spadina, about the same time I moved into an apartment across the street. I went through the trials and tribulations of Ryerson, became a Nightshade, then graduated and moved to spread my love of bikes here in Vancouver with Namtron. Meanwhile, CSI was going through the trials and tribulations of a new enterprise, but then took off to incredible heights. I watched them take over the first floor of Spadina, then several floors... now they just bought a new building, and are even spreading their message of shared spaces and social innovation to the world.

I can really recommend downloading their reports on how shared spaces are changing the world. I know that sharing the computer and sewing labs at Ryerson taught me much more than what the profs were lecturing on. Being in the Deadly Nightshades, and sharing resources, knowledge, and simple love and support are probably the best things about this whole gang thing for me. That and the gold chains and shenanigans.

I'm amazed at the rapid progress of CSI, and know it's a sign that the world is going to be okay and that places like Toronto are going to lead the way. I would like to say congratulations to my former Neighbour. I've been watching and cheering from the sidelines. Your presence made a impact on the neighbourhood, and is probably the reason why Dark Horse moved in, so THANK YOU!

It's nice to see the good guys win. :)

Youth: Social innovators aged 19-29
Toronto: People working on innovative solutions to improve our city
Sector Blender: People working on solutions that cross sectors (e.g. education and health)

The winner in each category will receive:

• A one year Hot Desk-100 workspace package (worth $3000) at our new location in the Annex (CSI Annex). Hot Desks are our flexible workspace packages that give you an allotment of monthly hours towards access to a workspace in the Centre.
• Free admission to up to 4 workshop/speaker series events on social innovation.
• 8 hours of meeting room access per month
• Membership in a kick-ass community of other Agents of Change
• Amazing networking opportunities, learning and more!

Entry deadline is Oct. 15, 2010.

SPANDEX PARTY!!!

It's no secret that the Nightshades have warm, fuzzy feelings about spandex (vintage or home-made, of course!). You can run faster, jump higher and bike harder when you're wearing spandex. Come join us on Sat Aug 21st for a spandex themed Bicycle Film Festival afterparty, hosted by us and the Bicycle Film Festival. It's free with a BFF ticket stub and $10~ otherwise. Oh yeah, unless you're wearing spandex, in which case it's $5~. Our location is top-secret and amazing, so join the facebook group or keep checking back here for details on the day of.

The Cool Kids

So I love the Cool Kids. I think DNS would be very down with chilling with these guys, especially after hearing their take on fashion:



"About the fashion... this is not a thought out process.... we just dress in what we like to wear.... and noticeably, no one else dresses like us yet... now we just try to find clothes that look cool... we're just us, there is really not a trick to it.... because people who try to be fashionable, it never comes off right... if you like it- wear it, don't be scared... pretty soon- it it's cool enough, they'll be wearing it too."



yeah... we cooler than that guy....

WORKIN'

Not to credit the Night Shades with the birth of the all girl collective in Toronto but we sure revived it.

An up and coming fashion collected Powder, Pins and Pearls , headed by some of my dear friends Dyane Campbell, Jenn Rose and Jesse Crowe are taking a bar on Queen (Nyood) and many local designers (eg. Hells Bells) and mashing them together to give Queen. st some much needed monthly runway walkin'.

This collective have invited me a few times now to shoot some impromptu look books for the models, their own portfolios and the designers. A brilliant way to help cross promote everyone.

Here are some shots from the Men's show held last month.

Keep visiting their blog to see the groups updated work (as well as personal work of these talented makeup/ hair and style artists) and when you can catch some runway.

Gallery Spin: Exploring Dundas and Ossington

Megan McCabe is a gem of a Canadian painter who studied with Kim Dorland ('though her figure painting is better than his', whispered one gallery spin goer) with an exhibition on at LE Gallery. From the artists statement on the site:

Utilizing personal and found family vacation photographs as a springboard into the exploration and understanding of the notions surrounding family, nostalgia and vulnerability, McCabe focuses on how figures inhabit and interact with the spaces around them. Searching to capture the moments, gestures, and interactions which trigger a sense of familiar experience in her audience, McCabe’s expressive brushwork acts as an active element in exploring the subject in question, guiding us through a constant shift in interpretation as we discover and unfold the subtleties in the rendering of her subjects and their environments.

You can see the rest of the work here, or visit LE Gallery at 1183 Dundas St. W.

Awesome Alterations at The Make Den! Last Sunday of Every Month

Amp it up, Seafoam!

License to Ride??! No Thanks!

I'm still not 100% sure why cycling has become such a hot topic in Toronto. It's as though cyclists are an easy target that mayoral candidates like to pick on just for the sake of having a platform. How can something so simple, so healthy, environmentally friendly and so totally harmless be so controversial? It's a bike, people. It's not a two tonne killing machine that spews carbon dioxide and leaks oil all over the place. And now the Star has published an article calling for a $200 Bicycle Licencing Fee??? Of course, it's suspicious that it's written by Robert Kirsic who just happens to be employed by the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council - a private association which regulates car dealerships. It also happens to be the first regulated business sector to move to self-management. No wonder they have a vested interest in making it more difficult for people to bike to work.

A bicycle fee doesn't make sense to me. The only reason people need a licence to drive is that they can kill people with their car. It's not like you need a license to be a pedestrian, right? And what about skateboards, rollerblades, unicycles, and all of the other creative, environmentally friendly forms of transportation that people use? Do they want a rollerblading tax in effect as well? As well, I noticed that other cities don't charge nearly as much for a bike licence. The only reason Robert Kirsic would want to charge $200~ for a bicycle licence is so that The Motor Vehicle Council could profit from it. I think that's unfair, and I hope that our mayoral candidates think so too.

Joe Pantalone is starting to look like the only candidate who will stick up for bike lanes and a Bike-License free Toronto

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