Archive for the ‘Videos’ Category

We can’t believe that we’re thinking forward to Fall 2011 already, but orders must be placed and we’re always happy to drool over new things! Check out this video preview of Eve Gravel’s Fall collection! Don’t tell anyone, but in a way I can’t wait for September.

Eve Gravel Fall-Winter 2011-2012 from Pierre-Simon Lebrun-C on Vimeo.

Recently there has been lots of talk at the shop regarding the green fashion movement. After a quick inventory we realized that most of our designers fall under some sort of eco-criteria. For some it’s the fabrics or the process and for others it’s simply by sourcing locally and producing in Canada. So with a stroke of incredibly good timing one of our favorite stylists popped in looking for pieces to feature in an upcoming Marilyn Denis Show feature on green fashion.

Check out the outfit second to the left. The Chartreuse Biker jacket by Stacey Zhang is matched with a tank by The Paddock (a collection by Carrie Hayes exclusive to Shopgirls!)  They don’t talk about the accessories too much in the segment but note the orange and grey necklace by Ashen Drift made from upcycled tshirts, the bag by Anna Zigowski, the silver necklace by Norwegian Wood, and the blue crochet earrings by This Ilk.

So click the photo to watch the segment & then come in and try it all on!!

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!

Love this bag! Clean and simple design, beautiful vegan leather and at a great price, no less! Nella Bella has done it again…

Check out all the ways you can wear a London Bag, and come into the shop to get yours before they’re gone!

With our annual fashion show and fundraiser behind us the Shopgirl’s crew is already busy planning the next event. Sometimes in all the craziness we forget to step back and reflect on what has just passed. Luckily there is a video to remind us.

Special thanks to everyone at cliptheory for putting it all together!

With 4am last calls around the city, the TIFF time of year usually finds me at the parties rather than the cinemas. This year I’m happy to say I actually caught a collection of shorts at the Toronto International Film Festival.  Part of the Shorte Programme 3, The Adders Bite  was the grand prize winner at Fantasia International Film Festival and officially selected to TIFF  2010. I must admit my reason for attending was the fact that I live with the director but I can honestly say I was blown away  by the surrealist thriller. Midnight Madness called it a “striking, haunting piece” and I couldn’t agree more, just looking at the images gives me goosebumps. I’ve heard him speak of a feature in the works so keep your ears open for more films by Firas Momani.

See the trailer & spread the word!

Self-explanatory:

Marilyn Monroe wasn’t the only one to use the subway system to make a statement. New York artist Joshua Allen Harris, has been creating exotic animal scenes with plastic bags and a bit of tape, and subway grates since 2008. By playing with the movement of air from passing subway cars, Harris makes polar bears and giraffes and more inspired creatures come to life on the streets of New York City. His masterpieces may look like garbage on the sidewalk until a subway passes under the grate, breathing life into his ghostly creatures.

Click here to see an interview with the artist and New York Magazine.

This is the first in a series of posts we’ll be writing about our lovely customers. “Really,” you say, “You’re going to write about the people who shop there?” Yes! All of our staff have commented that the people who come into the shop are the most interesting, smart, funny and creative people we meet anywhere in the city. They are writers, artists, teachers, filmmakers, moms, bloggers, and just about anything else you can think of. They are forces of nature, women (and men) who consistently support what we’re trying to do (promoting the work of Canadian and local artists and designers) and who are constantly doing amazing work that in turn deserves our support. This is where we’ll spread the word about the wonderful people around us.

The first of our featured customers is Summer Love (what a name!), who lives right near the shop and has been dropping in ever since we opened in December 2007. We have learned gradually over the years about Summer’s film projects, and the one in particular we want to tell you about has been in the works for 7 years. 7 YEARS! She is nothing if not dedicated. Of course, she is much more than dedicated; she’s smart, funny, fiery, and passionate. We love her visits to the shop.

So a week ago, some of the Shopgirls staff attended the NXNE launch of Sounds Like A Revolution at the NFB, directed by Summer Love and Toronto-based Jane Michener. We squeezed into a packed-house theatre with over a hundred other people to catch this pro-active and energizing documentary about a new generation of activist musicians who are living proof that music is an important and powerful tool in the ongoing struggle for social change (we never doubted it!). They’re not anywhere as mainstream as dissenting musicians in the 60′s were, but the doc features people from the pop country Dixie Chicks to Michael Franti to the punk band Anti-Flag, artists from all ᠋across the musical spectrum – so important for engaging a diverse audience in this important dialogue about the role of artists in society, freedom of expression and democratic participation.

Anyway, the film is outstanding. It will at times make you laugh, and at others give you shivers. But it is always provocative, and totally relevant. GO SEE IT!

Sounds Like a Revolution – HD Trailer from Deltatime Productions on Vimeo.

And to check out CityTV’s coverage, and short interview with Summer, click here.

Check out the Facebook page to connect and share the film with others! Spreading the word through channels like these will help grow awareness of the film and get it the audience it truly deserves!

Sounds like a Revolution is playing all week at The Royal (608 College St. Toronto, ON). Here are the dates!

Friday June 25
7pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Introduction by Alan Cross + Q&A with filmmakers)
9:15pm –Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers)

Saturday June 26
7pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers + acoustic performance by Justin Sane)
9:30pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers + acoustic performance by Justin Sane)

Sunday June 27
4:30pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers + acoustic performance by Justin Sane)
7pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers + acoustic performance by Justin Sane)
9:15pm – Sounds Like A Revolution

Monday June 28
9:30pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers + acoustic performance by Jessica Stuart)

Tuesday June 29
7pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers) Mac Graham special appearance!

Wednesday June 30
7pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers)

Thursday July 1
9:15pm – Sounds Like A Revolution (Q&A with filmmakers)

If you miss out on the Royal dates get to the Carlton Cinemas from July 2-8, 2010. There will be a Q&A with the filmmaker most screenings.

FOUR STARS – NOW Magazine! “Terrific energy. But it’s the interviews with the articulate musicians that are most inspiring.” – Susan Cole

Check. this. out. Installation by Viennese/Croatian design collective For Use/Numen.
I kinda wish this could be permanent.

I love work that uses unexpected materials, and packing tape is a perfect one for play. I used to use it as a cheap and easy way to laminate collages and other projects, but to work at this scale and create something strong enough and big enough to be interactive – so you can invite visitors inside the structure itself – is so bloody amazing. I also love that the inspiration for the idea comes from dance. More on that here:

[...] Inside Odeon, a former stock exchange building in Vienna, the group used nearly 117,000 feet and 100 pounds of tape. “The installation is based on an idea for a dance performance in which the form evolves from the movement of the dancers between the pillars,” explains For Use’s Christoph Katzler. “The dancers are stretching the tape while they move, so the resulting shape is a recording of the choreography.”

Here is a video showing how the piece was installed:

Catch some more amazing photos of the exhibit on industrial design site DesignBoom.