Archive for the ‘Totally Inspired by…’ Category

I was first introduced to the thoughts of Ingrid Mida in a lecture hall. But do not fear, the most refreshing aspect of that lecture was learning about the academic side of fashion. Ever since that power-point, I have kept Ingrid Mida’s ideas and connection between art and fashion logged in my memory. Soon enough, her blog was dug up. Seriously, keep her blog bookmarked and slowly start to peel through her history of work. This includes an interview with Jeanne Beker about fashion and art, several reviews of exhibitions, creative processes of her work, and more more more! While you’re at it, her website is a destination to further look into her art work.
While further surfing the cyberspace wave, an article by Mida entitled “When Does Fashion Become Art?” caught my eye. Ingrid edited the overwhelming topic, is fashion art, down to “when does fashion become art?”

(Revolutionary Fashion Plate #3 by Ingrid Mida 2010)

DIY, How-to, Before and After, and Decorating ideas are housed on Shelterness.com.

The article that first caught my eye was “20 Cool Home Library Design Ideas”,  a book collector’s dream.

Navigate through all of the sites features whenever you’re looking for a DIY project, home edition.

You may find a side table with a leg made of tableware, or a camera lens mug, or a tour of a toilet shaped house.

Be sure to check out the site around Holidays too, because this Halloween Shelterness was full of last minute decor ideas.

For further reading, Shelterness also has a list of sites that they recommend, which can be found on the right hand column.

Now go get inspired and indulge in this design dream.

With the amount of street style blogs emerging onto the web, I can’t help but take notice. Because ultimately, we most admire stylish regular folk. Experiencing an amazing look beside you on the subway or street is much more exciting than questioning whether or not someone’s personal stylist put together their look in the morning.

From the big leagues: The Sartorialist and Street Peeper, to my personal favorite up and comer Canadians: Street Scout Me and Steel Oneself, it’s time to acknowledge the styles of you and me. Keep an eye on those photographers scouring the streets of your town, street style enthusiasts are here to stay!

LG Fashion Week. Mondays first show. Denis Gagnon. Black. Leather. Vests. Gloves. Faux Fur. Zippers. Colour. Knits. Bags. AMAZING!!

A few of us are thinking about pooling our funds for a joint purchase…

…you in?

Photos: George Pimentel Photography via sweetspot.ca

Rob Dyer had a vision that some people deemed “impossible”.  He was going to skateboard from L.A. to his hometown, Newmarket, to raise awareness for Cancer. After losing loved ones to the disease he hit his deck and the winding roads and Skate 4 Cancer was born.

Skate 4 Cancer- through their involvement with youth and  free events- work on spreading a positive message . Working together will hopefully drastically reduce the presence of Cancer. We at Shopgirls are totally inspired by Rob Dyers dream. Check out the website for the full history, mission, merch and volunteer info.

The cure is knowledge!

Like all of you, I love to laugh, and if you haven’t discovered it yet, Portlandia is hilarious; it’s like laughing at a caricature of myself! Sending up the DIY urban hipster veggie types we all know (or identify with in our frank moments), they have perfectly captured a little bit of craft, too. In today’s handmade world, it can seem like every other hip ware is adorned with a bird, and most often the silhouette of one. Check this scene:

Now, despite birds on everything, I can’t help but love them perched at the ends of these spoons! So says the awesome design blog Dezeen, “Japanese designers Nendo have created these spoons with a bird profile on the branched handle, designed to resemble a forest when grouped together.” Truly smart!

When you think about balls of yarn it usually brings up images of grannies crocheting by the fire. This is exactly the type of stereotyping Nathan Vincent is commenting on with his work. Vincent uses crochet to construct objects that are traditionally seen as masculine; from guns to cigars and even urinals.

“My work explores gender permissions and the challenges that arise from straying from the prescribed norms. It questions the qualities of gender by considering what constitutes masculine and feminine. It critiques stereotypical gender mediums by creating “masculine objects” using “feminine processes” such as crochet, sewing, and applique.”

Vincent is currently working on a locker room installation sponsored by Lion Brand.There’s tons of buzz about this guy, so keep your ear to the ground and I’m sure you’ll hear more. Even Martha Stewart digs it!

Ever since we showed up at my cousins high school graduation wearing a version of the same outfit, Marley Blair Wilson and I have been BFF’s. She has been inspiring me for years through her artwork, fashion, and hairstyles. When she made the choice to follow up her fine arts education with a stint in the makeup program at the Blanche Macdonald Centre in Vancouver we bid her farewell, anticipating what was to come.

Last weekend I was blessed with a visit from Marley and her sister Leigha who flew in from Edmonton to compete in the Toronto’s IMATs. (For those of you who don’t know the International Makeup Artist Tradeshow is the only trade show for makeup artists around the globe. Once a year in London, Sydney, LA, New York, Toronto, and Vancouver, “thousands of make-up artists, vendors and enthusiasts discuss, display and collect the best the industry has to offer.”)

Sponsored by Makeup Artist Magazine one of the highlights of the event is the student competition. Eight finalist are chosen from around the world to compete for cash, prizes, and a profile in the international magazine. This years theme for the beauty/fantasy competition was Tim Burton’s rendition of Alice in Wonderland in which Marley transformed her sister into her own version of the white rabbit:

Mucho congrats to Marley Blair for winning second place & inspiring us all!! For more info and photos of the other finalists check out the IMATs Toronto photo gallery. And ‘like’ Marley’s online portfolio here.

In a few short weeks British singer/songwriter Bobby Long will be playing at Toronto’s Kool Haus supporting Michael Franti.  His music is not the typical run of the mill pop.  This talented musician plays folk/acoustic/grunge that he describes as “A clash in the woods when it’s raining.”

Not only can the 25-year-old Bobby Long sing, but he also plays the guitar and harmonica. (Check him out on youtube here, here, and here)  His astounding lyrics and melody have inspired me to pick up a guitar and start jamming. Unfortunately for me, it’s not as effortless as he makes it look.

The up and coming artist has had many recent successes. Bobby Long signed with ATO Records to record his album “A Winter Tale” at the Toe Rag Studio in London (coming out February, 2011). Before the label picked him up his single “Left to Lie” had already topped the ITunes unsigned Chart. Along with recording, Long has been touring all over Europe and North America with the Kalob Griffin Band (KBG).

(Playing in Toronto at Kool Haus on November 12, 2010. Tickets are available at Ticketmaster)

…and it’s shout out to things Canadian

I stumbled across Colette on one of my excursions in Paris with my BFF way back in the nineties (I know I am aging myself!) I had never seen anything like this…3 floors of gorgeousness! Fresh new fashion designers merchandised next to Chanel and YSL and Balmain, mixed in with innovative home decor collections and a fabulous water bar featuring H2O from around the world oh and a kickass DJ spinning some tunes! Colette is the type of space you can easily spend an entire afternoon taking it all in. It’s next to impossible to visit and not feel inspired. This month, the Colette newsletter and podcast features Canadian collaborations and works so I thought I’d share. Enjoy!