Good Taste

Fashion and me have a longstanding relationship, I have loved clothes and style since my mom started letting me put together my own outfits as a wee tot. 

When I was a little girl I loved combining colours, textures and accessories. 

My fashion motto is, you only live once, so you may as well look good... photo's are eternal. 

In the last decade or so, the term 'label whore' has developed in the fashion world. 

To me a label whore is someone who is lost in the world of fashion so goes directly to the labels all the time to serve as an easy guide of what works and what doesn't. However, I wouldn't call them 'label whore' as they depend on these labels to help boost their fashion confidence, maybe a more positive spin would be 'fashionista in training'?

Note to readers

Label whores do not equal style. 

Why I like a balance of great fashion designers (they got well liked for a reason...) I stand on the side of the fence where good taste doesn't mean expensive or marked with a label. 

Fashion to me is like a form of art, except instead of hanging this piece of art on the wall, you love it soooo much that you take the ultimate stance and wear it. 

I have never been a fan of labels like Louis Vuitton or Coach, as I do not understand why a beautiful purse needs to have acronyms scribbled all across it. 

To me it is just like buying a Picasso piece of art where he decided to scribble his name all over it to remind the art lover who painted it...strange....but that is just my opinion. 

It is not about  the letters on a shirt, purse, belt... it is about the structure, the combination of fabrics that make a fashion item amazing, not always the name behind it. 

That is why it is important to always remember that good taste doesn't mean expensive (yes I said it again). Good taste means having an eye for great pieces of clothing, shoes, accessories and combining them. 

Support local designers

Support commercial designers

Support thrift shops

Support the whole aspect of it

Support what works best for you - you are after all the one wearing it. 

Now I am not saying I have the best taste out there, but I do have fun with it and I know what works for me. 

Fashion is fun, just do not put yourself in that 'label whore' box. 

xo

M

A Fallen Hero

For the last two yeas I have been volunteering at a probation office to work with youth who have been put through to an extra-judicial sanction (i.e. programs rather than custody).

So I was wrapping up a session last night with the youth I was working with and part of the homework I gave him the week before was to research 3 different news articles and discuss the type of impacts and victims that were involved...this is a Victim Impact Awareness Program....

Let me just say most of the kids I work with are good kids that made a bad choice... and this poor guy was in the wrong place, wrong time, wrong people type of situation.

Anyway, one of the newspaper clippings that he researched really had an impact on me.

An anti-violence/gun/gang activist named Kenneth Mark, age 29 was shot in the back of the head and killed on

December 29th 2009 about 5 minutes from where I live.

The emotions that came over me were too many to count.

This guy did amazing things for his commnuity and the fact that he was killed by gun violence via a 19 and 16 year old, is just disgusting.

Naturally my mind goes to wanting to know more about the accused - the back story, etc.

As much as I would like to think the world is capable of love and that hate stems from circumstances most of us would not even be able to understand or sympathize with - this to me was apalling and extremely cold-blooded.

It would be like killing Mother Teresa because she was "too caring" - unbelievable.

Please read this article.

National Post

I too am a non-violence, anti-gun supporter- and as the obstacles seem to get larger and more complex - to me it is a battle always worth fighting.

There is no need for these instances to happen AT ALL. We must look into our gun policies, we must educate through progarms and get to the core issues of people... we must CARE MORE, DO MORE.

Our government needs to put more focus on these issues - so the playground is not a catalyst for gang formation, for gang wars, for unneccesary territorial hate etc.

This is just one instances of many - I am so infuriated by this murder that words cannot do justice to my feelings.

Kenneth Mark - you are in my thoughts - you did great things - and your memory will live on past your too short-lived life.

I will keep that positivity torch lit for you always.

xo
M

The Curse of being TOO critical in the Big Smoke

Maybe my patience has run out for the critical, judgmental and "all too knowing" individual's out there, or maybe I am just noticing more that people feel this false sense of entitlement to be so critical and judgmental towards others.

I support opinions and points of views, but personal distaste and dislike for a person who is inflicting no harm on themselves or others, but just views things through a slightly different "looking glass" is just plain shameful.

Now maybe I am being critical and judgmental (or ahem preachy)of these people, but I get this sense that Torontonians esp. Downtowners have this urge to try so hard to be something, anything, call it different, that instead of genuinely enjoying these qualities in others (which should be organic in nature), come out in a green eyed monster type of play.

Critisicm is good when it is constructive and meant to better a person you care about, criticism to display hurt out of jealousy or dislike, is not an admirable quality.

Love one another (the best you can), appreciate the differences, if something bothers you confront those issues, but realize not everyone in this world is going to agree with your point of view or even believe in it...and guess what?

That is okay.

xo
M

Don't sacrifice your long term goals and dreams for short term impulses

(m.clark)