LG Fashion Week’s most buzz-worthy shows

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10:53 am

Yanked from its former edge-of-the-earth location, LG Fashion Week has taken up residence at David Pecaut Square, a spot far easier to trill about than the Exhibition grounds. The spring 2012 collections take place from Oct. 17 to the 21, with the theme “Canada Cool” showing off the Fashion Design Council’s alliteration abilities. Below, the shows we’re anxiously awaiting.

Juma. Alia and Jamil Juma — the sibling team behind this label — are known for their instantly recognizable prints; a standout look from their fall collection includes this dress. Miss Nicki Minaj already took note.
Oct. 17, 8 p.m.

Amanda Lew Kee. Lew Kee’s last showing was admittedly disappointing, especially given all of the hullabaloo surrounding it. Though we admire a girl who takes a risk, we hope she returns to her forte: black, black and more black.
Oct. 18, 1 p.m.

Chloé Comme Parris. With folks at the big mags taking note, sister act Chloé and Parris Gordon are more than likely to treat us to highly covetable clothing and accessories (though we’re not sure how they could top a certain three-buckle backpack we spotted last year).
Oct. 18, 7 p.m.

Marie Saint Pierre. It takes a certain type of woman to wear Saint Pierre’s bold, architectural pieces; fans of the Montreal designer include the likes of Joni Mitchell, Michaëlle Jean and Adrienne Clarkson, with Clarkson having a real thing for the dramatic dress.Oct. 19, 4 p.m.

Pink Tartan. While we weren’t overly thrilled with Kimberley Newport-Mimran’s fall/winter showing of military-soaked goods, there were still plenty from Team Kim, including many notables in the good ole front row. Either way, we’re curious what one-half of Canuck fashion’s couple extraordinaire will be dishing out this season.
Oct. 19, 8 p.m.

Krane. Last season’s high-energy show involved meat hook-aided dressing and limber (not to mention winsome) models doing a backflip or two. As for the look, it was urban yet polished, with coats created from restored Italian military blankets from the 1940s. What will designer Ken Chow — an F.I.T’s menswear grad — bring forth this time?
Oct. 20, 6 p.m.

Fashion Environment Kellogg’s Special K Presents Cynthia Rowley. Well, we’re pretty excited about all the free Kellogg’s Special K products we’re bound to get.
Oct. 20, 6:30 p.m.

Adrian Wu. Recently dubbed one to watch, this Wu-nderkind has influences as varied as Freudian theories, the German Bauhaus movement, Mayan civilization and, of course, chewy berry chocolates. Perhaps Kellogg’s should have approached him instead.
Oct. 21, 1 p.m.

Denis Gagnon. Showing in the evening as opposed to last season’s puzzling afternoon spot, this bespectacled Montreal designer will hopefully get the crowd he deserves. A true artist, Gagnon specializes in leather and was the first Québécois designer to hold an exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.
Oct 21. 9:30 p.m.

The Breakfast Hub: the world’s oldest hockey stick, the electric bike conundrum, selling off Toronto’s buildings

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Tip of the day: buy a hockey stick. It could turn out to be the world’s oldest. A hockey stick purchased by a Nova Scotia resident for $1,000 is now valued at over $2 million.
[Toronto Star]

Looks like cyclists have a new enemy: cyclists. More specifically, e-cyclists, who are taking their electric bikes on bike lanes.
[National Post]

Have an expensive repair bill? Why not pawn some buildings? The TCHC wants the city to sell 706 properties in order to pay for repairs to other buildings.
[Globe and Mail]

Another piece of Toronto history lost to Loblaws. The grocery store giant has apparently taken possession of a time capsule found at Maple Leaf Gardens.
[CBC]

Urbanites prove camping is possible in the concrete jungle as OccupyTO continues.
[Toronto Sun]

Church Street’s highly-regarded Kaiseki Sakura is closed, with a new Japanese resto-bar in its place

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Five years ago, Kaiseki Sakura brought Japanese food that wasn’t based around sushi to Church Street. Then Guu Izakaya came along, and everyone went gaga. But critics have long admired Chef Daisuke Izutsu’s approach to Japanese cuisine, and unfortunately, his restaurant is now closed.

A mass email sent out recently — graciously forwarded to us by The Star’s Corey Mintz — says that the restaurant officially closed on Sept. 25. In the email, Izutsu says he’s looking forward to “a new challenge and experience.” A new venture is in the works, apparently, but it’s too early to announce it, the email says.

We checked out the site yesterday, and the signage has already changed. It’s still a Japanese bar and restaurant, but it’s now called Oishii. An employee who was at the restaurant didn’t elaborate on who is behind project.

We tried calling Kaiseki Sakura’s phone line multiple times to get further information, but the calls went unanswered, and the answering machine is full.

We’re looking forward to seeing what Izutsu has up his sleeve.

Oishii has taken the place of Kaiseki Sakura (Image: Feria Kazemi)

Flipping your wardrobe: a guide to Toronto’s best consignment shops

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Andrew Mannsbach

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The notion of a wardrobe flip has proven so popular among Torontonians that it has spurred the openings of consignment shops throughout the downtown core. Flipping your wardrobe for fall (think of it as spring-cleaning, only in colder weather) will not only allow you to make room for heavier pieces to come, but also score you some eco-friendly points while you re-vamp your look.

Unlike vintage stores, consignment shops can carry old and new pieces, from Levi’s to Louis Vuitton. What they take and what they offer varies from shop to shop, but most often you can get rid of gently pre-loved items from your wardrobe in exchange for cash or credit. Whether you plan to put cash back into your bank account or walk out with a new outfit, just remember: one person’s trash is another person’s treasure. So grab those shoes you’ve worn once, the jeans that still have tags on them and the shirt that doesn’t fit quite right, and go out and flip them for something you’re really going to love.

Here’s our guide to flipping your wardrobe at three of Toronto’s top consignment stores.

Common Sort

What they want: Trendy and fashionable items for men and women that are suitable for the current weather season at time of sale (i.e. they won’t buy your sundresses in mid-October). Premium brands, designer and vintage are all accepted but must be only lightly worn, clean and free of stains, rips and odours.

What they’ve got: A handpicked selection of new, used and vintage clothing and accessories offered at low-prices for men and women. Items are presented in clean and well-organized environments at their Queen East and Queen West locations.

What they offer: A 25 per cent cut of Common Sort’s determined retail pricing of your items, giving you cash or check for what they take on the spot. To double your money, you can opt for the 50 per cent store credit and trade in your old duds for new ones.

How it works: Go into one of their locations with your pre-loved items (and a few minutes to spare) and one of their buyers will go through your pieces and determine what they’ll take. Note: If you want cash, you must be at least 18 years of age to buy or sell and show valid ID.

Donations accepted? Yes.

Common Sort, 1414 Queen St W., 416-463-SORT

Fashionably Yours

What they want: Contemporary designer clothing for men and women, footwear and accessories, especially vintage or new luxury handbags by Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Hermes, Gucci or Balenciaga from anywhere in the world (Fashionably Yours will pay shipping cost)

What they’ve got: An extensive selection of luxe handbags and accessories from all over the world by Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Tiffany & Co., Gucci and Hermes. Runway apparel from Alexander Wang, Marc Jacobs, Chloé and Christian Louboutin, plus designer brands such as Marc Jacobs, Hugo Boss and Michael Kors. New and used designer sunglasses.

What they offer: Consignment prices are agreed upon between shop and consigner, based on style, condition, original price, age and demand. Consignment split or purchase outright is negotiated per item; however, a 50 per cent cut of sale proceeds is custom.

How it works: Consigners should book an in-store appointment or visit the consignment area of the online store. For consigners with large selections of high-end items, Fashionably Yours will arrange a house visit.

Donations accepted? Rarely, but items that don’t sell and aren’t picked up are regularly donated to various charitable organizations.

Fashionably Yours, 632 Queen Street West Toronto, 647-802-9687

Lab Consignment

What they want: Gently used designer and vintage ladies clothing and accessories that are in season at time of consignment. All items must be in excellent condition, clean and pressed, on hangers or folded neatly — no garbage bag drop offs here!

What they’ve got: Women’s vintage and contemporary labels such as Marc Jacobs, DVF, Jeremy Laing, Topshop, YSL, ACNE, Wilfred, Alexander Wang and more.

What they offer: Consigner receives 40 per cent of proceeds from sold items. LAB sets prices and determines markdowns; consigned items are sold at appraised price for up to 30 days and marked down by 20 per cent for an additional 30 days, and another 20 per cent for the following 30.

How it works: Interested consigners must email [email protected] to receive their guidelines and contract; no walk-ins allowed.

Donations accepted? No, however, donations made if consigner has not picked up items after 90 days.

Lab Consignment, 15 Ossington Ave., 416-302-6739

Tony Aspler’s Wine Pick of the Week: Schloss Schönborn Klaus Riesling Kabinett 2009 Rheingau

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This is old style German Riesling that swaggers with style. Very pale lime in colour, it exudes aromas of lime and honey with a mineral note. It’s light on the palate with good fruit and a fine balance between honey flavours and citrus acidity. Food match: Thai dishes, blue cheese.

$18.95, (Vintages #239905).

Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards. He can be heard on 680News.

The Breakfast Hub: Sundays at the library in jeopardy, protesting corporate greed, the TTC reaches out

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Toronto libraries are safe for now, but hours and services may be reduced to meet Rob Ford’s demand for a 10 per cent budget cut. Libraries could potentially discontinue Sunday services.
[Toronto Star]

Toronto’s financial district is about to get occupied. Around 2,000 demonstrators are expected to gather there tomorrow to protest corporate greed.
[CityNews]

The TTC is looking to foster better customer service by holding several meetings to hear opinions from the ridership. Now this could take a while!
[Toronto Sun]

Rob Ford has yet to confirm whether he will partake in the handover ceremony for the Pan American games in Mexico. Do vacations to Mexico count as gravy?
[Globe and Mail]

Hope still remains for one polar bear cub at the Toronto Zoo after mother Aurora rejected her litter last week.
[Toronto Star]

The Rock ‘n’ Roll Revival Hour: C’mon’s last few shows, The Lemonheads make a comeback, the Forgotten Rebels tribute album, Nirvana nostalgia

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3:17 pm

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Hey ho, let's go!

The coolest thing about this past Tuesday’s Fucked Up show at The Mod Club was the appearance of C'mon — Ian Blurton's killer three-piece outfit with his girlfriend Katie Lynn Campbell (ex-Nashville Pussy) and Dean Dallas Bentley — opening up the show. C'mon is calling it quits, but not before playing a few shows around town this month, including one on Oct. 20 at Cherry Colas and the big one on Oct. 22 at The Bovine Sex Club. They are also doing a live recording at Chemical Sound on Oct. 17, and you could be in the audience! Go to https://www.thisiscmon.com for details.

Below, a video of Blurton and some Toronto indie dudes covering Fucked Up’s “Generation” during last spring's Juno Awards anniversary party at the Horseshoe Tavern.

Nevermind the Sex Pistols, here's Nirvana:

The recent 20th anniversary re-release of Nirvana's seminal grunge album Nevermind had us combing the archives for early footage of some of the band's super-charged Toronto concerts back in the day. Big thanks to a YouTube poster named Curmodgeon who put an entire 1991 concert at The Opera House online. These dudes were so fierce and angry, like so many young rockers, but had the talent to make a lasting mark on music history. The new two-album set is sweet with some seriously grungy early demos of classic tunes recorded on a ghetto blaster. Love it!

Broken Social Scene to split… what, again?

Seminal Toronto indie hipsters Broken Social Scene are breaking up, sort of, in a way, according to one band member, without any formal announcement as of yet. According to a story on The Huffington Post, one of the band's founding members, Kevin Drew, made some remarks that make it sound an awful lot like the end of the road for the musical collective. How ironic, given their latest record seemed to have the most cohesive unit behind it, with on-again, off-again members such as Leslie Feist, Emily Haines and others acting more as guests on a song here and there. Drew is quoted as saying of the break-up: “This is the healthiest thing we can do. There's no bad blood, no problems, everyone is at peace. We've had a lot of inter-relationships, some have worked, some haven't. But we all loved what we were doing. And I think we were always fair.” At press time, there was nothing posted on the band's website, and there are four more South American dates on the band's current tour and that's it. A spokesperson for the band's lab, Brendan Bourke, says, "BSS will never be officially over. Everyone just has other projects they want to concentrate for the time being. No "final" anything to report at this time." Ha! Vague until the very end. You gotta love it.

Just announced: Patrick Watson and Amy Millan team up for climate concert

The closing night finale to the McLuhan100 conference will feature music by Polaris Prize winning group Patrick Watson and The Wooden Arms, with special guest Amy Millan of Stars fame. Patrick Watson and The Wooden Arms, easily one of the most creative groups to come out of Canada in some years, hasn't played a Toronto show in a while, so this one will be a hot ticket. Add the whole McLuhan cool factor, plus the fine acoustics of Koerner Hall, and you've got the ingredients for a very cool night of music. Date is Thursday, Nov. 10, $35. Check out www.rcmusic.ca for tickets.

Flashback … Monday? Evan Dando and The Lemonheads back into our arms

Music from the '90s has been a big draw as of late with many big Toronto acts getting back together to play a few shows, pocket some coin and comteplate what could have been: The Watchmen, The Doughboys, The Tea Party, Big Sugar and Lowest of the Low, to name a few. The pattern is repeating south of the border with the revival of The Lemonheads as Evan Dando slowly emerges from the drug-induced haze of the past decade or so. But here's the thing: the latest Lemonheads disc might be the best thing the band (well, Evan Dando) has done in a very long time. The Lemonheads check into Lee's Palace on Monday night, so before you start shouting “Into Your Arms” until you go hoarse, give his new stuff a listen. And the dude has style — Kate Moss and Liv Tyler both sing on Varshons.

Forgotten Rebels tribute album a go?

“Let's bomb the boats and feed the fish.” Recognize the lyrics? If so, you'll be happy to learn that seminal local punk rock band Forgotten Rebels will soon get their own tribute album. Brad Pine of Brado Creamed Corn Recordings says the album is basically done and ready to be released worldwide. But, he's tight-lipped about the final lineup pending approval from the powers that be. The band, originally from Hamilton and fronted by the one-and-only Mickey De Sadist, has been one of the country's longest lasting and most successful punk rock bands, known for such catchy tunes as "Surfin' on Heroin" and "Little Girl."

Album of the week: Increase the Sweetness by The Golden Seals

Ottawa-based singer/songwriter Dave Merritt hasn't put out an album since 2003, so Increase the Sweetness, released last month, (Zunior) has been a long time coming. The new effort shows Merritt at his best, crafting old-school pop songs of a bygone era influenced by the likes of Nick Lowe. He's a solid songwriter with a strong voice and smart, inventive lyrics. Although ancient history now, some may remember Merritt as the frontman for London, Ontario band Adam West that turned out a couple of good albums in the early '90s, including Brunswick Hotel. They made some noise here in Toronto when their song "Things" caught the ear of some of the guys down at CFNY-FM back when they were still playing good indie tunes. Go here, buy the album, and good karma will come your way.

Go here to listen to Brunswick Hotel in its entirety.

Grab of the Week: a pair of suede boots from Aldo. It’s a dead ringer for Isabel Marant’s iconic Dicker boots

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This season, you need a little black boot about as badly as you need another little black dress. Stop yourself from reaching for what has been tried and tested and opt for something new. That something being a suede boot that comes in a neutral colour, one that has hints of cowboy about it and one that has been approved by the queen of effortless Parisian cool: Isabel Marant (and what she says goes, don’t you know).

Now, if the original Marants are out of your budget, don’t fret. Aldo’s Qualheim in cognac is a doppelganger for her Dicker boot and rings in at a mere $100. At that price, you might as well go ahead buy the black ones too!

$100. Aldo, various locations

The Breakfast Hub: getting creative with gridlock, licensing massage parlours, the worst tip ever

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It’s time to start getting creative with Toronto’s gridlock problem. Maybe gondolas, or even mimes, would do the trick.
[Toronto Sun / CBC]

While the people may want a beautiful Toronto, is it even possible? The topic was a subject of debate earlier this week, in which experts such as architect Jack Diamond and writer Stephen Marche tried to determine whether “beauty” and “Toronto” are mutually exclusive.
[Toronto Star]

City council’s healthy drinks policy has Doug Ford all riled up about lost profits and nanny nation.
[Globe and Mail]

Is this the worst restaurant tip ever?
[Toronto Star]

Licensing massage parlours would make them safer, says one expert.
[Toronto Sun]

The longstanding Pearl Harbourfront set to open a new location in Bayview Village

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Bayview Village has a new jewel opening up in mid-November, and it’s a Pearl. Owner Kim Mak and his partners are bringing a new incarnation of the decades-old Pearl Harbourfront Chinese Cuisine, one of Toronto’s best Chinese restaurants, to the trendy Bayview neighborhood.

Having worked in the restaurant’s kitchen since 1989, Mak — along with his business associates — purchased the restaurant last year after the previous owners decided to take a step back from the business. The decision to open up a location at Bayview Village was based entirely on demand from guests, Mak says: it’s a great location, and many of Pearl’s current patrons are from the area.

So what can we expect from Pearl Bayview Village? Pretty much the same standards we’ve become accustomed to at Harbourfront (that includes dim sum). Some staff from Harbourfront will be placed at Bayview to ensure consistency, and the menu will be the same, though the interior design is still a work in progress, says Mak.

It looks as though there won’t be any dramatic differences between the two, except for seating capacity. With only 90 seats, compared to 250 at Harbourfront, we’re making our reservations early.

Pearl Bayview Chinese Cuisine, 2901 Bayview Ave.

The Breakfast Hub: Toronto’s $140 million surplus, Les Misérables is coming back, amusement park operator eyes the zoo

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Toronto’s cost cutting measures and tax windfall may mean a budget surplus of $140 million for the city in 2012.
[Toronto Star]

Plus more Toronto headlines after the jump

After six years, Toronto theatre lovers can enjoy Victor Hugo’s Les Misérables, again, at the Royal Alexandra Theatre.
[National Post]

One of the world’s largest amusement park operators has apparently expressed interest in buying the Toronto Zoo.
[Globe and Mail]

Zombies have been injured on the set of Resident Evil.
[Toronto Sun]

What did one BBM user say to another? Nothing. Blackberry maker RIM is struggling to fix a failure in its private network.
[Huffington Post]

Q&A: Morris Panych, director of Soulpepper’s new adaptation of Ghosts

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1:32 pm

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Alberta native Morris Panych is a veteran of all trades in Canadian theatre: he’s had over eighty of his productions and two-dozen plays shown across Canada, Britain and the United States. Now, the playwright, actor, director and winner of two Governor General’s Awards seeks to delight and enlighten audiences with his own adaptation of Henrik Ibsen’s masterpiece, Ghosts. We caught up with Panych, who opened up about what it’s like to take on such a famous work.

What translation of Ibsen’s work are you using? Why did you decide to go with this particular translation?
My own. We hired a woman to do a straight across, like word for word from Norwegian to English, and then I wrote from that translation. So that’s why it’s billed as an adaptation by me, but essentially it’s a translation because I’m translating directly from word per word Norwegian, which is very strange.

What made you decide to adapt Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen? And why now?
To my knowledge there are no really strong Canadian adaptations. Most of what we get are British translations. So I felt that given that we were doing a new production, and that we were starting from the beginning and we are a Canadian company, that it was worthwhile to come up with our own version.

I think they [Soulpepper] are out to present classics in theatre. I don’t think they follow any contemporary current events agenda; there is no particularly impounding historical reason to do the play right now. The deception and hypocrisy [in the story] is always relevant. I mean, it may be more relevant in certain periods than others. And maybe they chose it for those reasons that I cannot speak of. Basically, it’s a great play, so that always has resonance for people watching it at any given time.

What did you find the most challenging about adapting this work?
I think the most challenging thing was finding a voice for the play that was authentic, modern, but still captured the feeling of the period because it was written in 1880. So to find a kind of English-Canadian voice that had a contemporary modern feeling, but still paid homage to the period that it’s written in. Certainly that was the most difficult thing. It is not written in my own particular style of talking, or anybody that I know; it has to be written in a certain way that is more formal and suited to the play and the period.

Originally when Ghosts was written, there was much outrage and controversy surrounding its debut. Will it be controversial today?
No, I don’t think so. I think that people just find it fascinating and probably a little sad that people ever were compelled to be that oppressed in their lives. Social restrictions were such that people had to keep themselves as tightly closeted as they were. And, I think, in a way, [the play is] a kind of a warning, a challenge to modern audiences and to modern society, to keep things open and to not go back to the way things were at that time — a cautionary tale, I would say.

So the themes in Ghosts are able to translate into modern-day society?
Yeah I think so, I mean, you’re talking about a man who cannot talk to his mother about a disease that he got while he’s been in Paris. The parallels are obvious with AIDS and the ideas of repressing information and being afraid to talk about things. We have the whole silence is death campaign with AIDS that I think has a huge resonance with this play. AIDS is not as much of an issue as it was 10 years ago, but it’s still with us. The issue has never been about AIDS but how do we as a society remain open and frank about discussions about sexuality and that the state and religion don’t interfere in the lives of individuals to the degree that they did at the time.

In a previous interview with the CBC in 2004, you had stated that what fascinates you is the daily struggle of ordinary people with life’s bizarre minor annoyances, rather than the major political or social issues of the moment. Is your adaption of Ghosts reflective of that?
No, I don’t think so. I think that I was talking about my own writing when I talked about that particular thing. I am not really a person who goes after social issues as a writer. As a director it’s different because if you’re not working on your own plays, you’re working on plays that other people wrote, obviously. Ibsen is fascinating to me as a directorial subject because he is a good writer, but also because the themes are essentially human. When we’ve stripped down all the social structures the heart of the story is about a mother and her son and the truth — the family truth — and those are universal and relevant. But as I said, my choices directorially are vastly different than my choices as a writer. I wouldn’t have chosen to write this play, but it’s fascinating to direct.

What’s next?
I am going to Los Angeles to do Vigil at the Mark Taper Forum, and then I have a new play opening in Montreal. [Following that] I have a new project in Vancouver. Then, I’m in Stratford for next season directing a musical based on Robert Service.

Ghosts, Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts, 55 Mill Street, runs until Nov. 18