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Toronto

Behind The Scenes: The Extra Plate

Save the Children is an international NGO committed to advocating for children’s rights and supporting children in developing countries. When Save the Children Canada’s PR manager Kirsten Walkom tweeted that she needed an extra set of hands for a video shoot, I responded immediately and spent the day with their production team a few days later.

Many local celebrities donated their time to appear on camera, including fashion designers Adrian Wu and Jessica Jensen, nutritionist Joy McCarthy and Kiss 92.5’s Devo Brown. It was fun to hang out with them in between takes in Liberty Village.

Running into Madiha Aziz, a fellow volunteer and competitor at QMAC 2013, was a nice surprise! She says that helping out on set proved to be a good learning experience. “Before arriving on set, I did not know how much the impact of each dollar donated is to the children of Syria. I felt very blessed to get the chance to assist with the production of this video because it will create the much-needed awareness of the critical situation in Syria.”

Madiha Aziz and Wayne Smith (Toronto Argonauts)

Director Ian Barnett’s final product looks great, as it effectively captures stories about children’s fears to inspire viewers to support Save the Children. One key takeaway from the video is that donating only $40 to the charity can go a long way. Check out the video for The Extra Plate below and share your childhood fears on Twitter for a chance to win a prize!

November 7, 2013 by Sarah Prince

This Place Is Like A Zoo

Sign

After having so much FOMO as a Western student, I’m on a mission to explore Toronto like a tourist in my own city. So far, I’ve gone to TIFF, Honest Ed’s, City Hall and The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and I’m just getting started!

One of my favourite tourist destinations is the Toronto Zoo and it’s nice to go back with a digital camera and reminisce about childhood memories. Without the temptation to buy stuffed animals and toys at every gift shop, there’s a lot more time to explore. If you don’t mind braving the cold, add this outing to your to-do list. It’s a beautiful place to see the leaves changing colour!

Elephant

I convinced my friend Sarah to go back with me so we could see the elephants before they were transported to California. Elephants have always been my favourite animal. Now that they’re no longer in Toronto, I want to return to African Lion Safari for another elephant ride!

We spent about six hours at the zoo and it went by fast. It was frustrating to see signs for seasonal attractions that are closed in the fall and winter, but there was still plenty to see. Aside from watching the elephants one last time, another highlight was the panda exhibit, which opened in the spring. The pandas are named Er Shun and Da Mao and they’re quite adorable.

Panda

November 2, 2013 by Sarah Prince

Fashion Blogger By Day, Author At Night

Hot On The Street & Man Repeller

Leandra Medine and I have a few things in common: we’re both brunettes with blogs who love New York. We also celebrate the same holidays, but that’s an inside joke between us.

On Thursday afternoon, I went downtown for a meeting (read: interview) and then created a workspace at Aroma. Meanwhile, Leandra appeared on The Social and chatted with fashion journalists about her new book, Man Repeller: Seeking Love. Finding Overalls.

Eventually my battery drained and instead of finding a new seat with an outlet, I dashed to Holt Renfrew. As for my outfit of the day, my Michael Kors trenchcoat protected me from the rain and helped me look polished and colourful. Have I mentioned that sometimes you can spot me as the girl in the red trenchcoat?

Anyway, FASHION’s online editor Randi Bergman interviewed Leandra and then the book signing began. I was grateful for a fast moving line that still allowed for ample face time with the author. While she wrote a personalized autograph with a gold Sharpie, we talked about Instagram and The Coveteur. It was just another conversation about social media and style. No big deal.

October 21, 2013 by Sarah Prince

Live From Queen West… It’s The Social!

I’ve been eager to attend a live taping of CTV’s The Social since it premiered in September. The Social is like a younger version of The View with a stronger interactive component, as viewers’ social media engagement is integral to the series.

The Social takes the second screen experience to a new level because it’s filmed live and selected Twitter and Facebook posts are displayed onscreen. Offering opinionated viewers an opportunity to gain exposure on national television is definitely a better incentive to follow the show’s social media accounts than simply for the sake of entering contests or seeing behind the scenes photos.

Interestingly, the invitation to live tweet the show is extended to audience members as well, so I think Bell Media should install a mobile charging station in the audience waiting area. That would be a cost-effective way to ensure more fans can post on social media with the show’s hashtag. If iPhone chargers were available, then I would’ve taken more pictures and tweeted more commentary. Nevertheless, I preserved my battery as much as possible and was able to take photos with the hosts after the cameras stopped rolling.

I was so excited to see Wednesday’s special guest Jessica Alba that I didn’t care what brought her to Toronto. The fact that Jessica booked interviews with Canadian media outlets to promote her new line of eco-friendly baby products rather than a new movie didn’t matter. Plus, I’m certainly not complaining about getting a free copy of Jessica’s book, The Honest Life.

October 10, 2013 by Sarah Prince

Concert Review: KT Tunstall

TIFF might be over, but Toronto remains a star-studded destination. On Friday night, Avicii, Sarah Silverman and Serena Ryder all had events I would’ve loved to attend, but thanks to Nokia & Live Nation, I saw KT Tunstall. Twitter for the win, once again!

Tunstall kicked off her North American tour at the Danforth Music Hall and it was obvious that she was a little bit rusty. The apologetic singer repeatedly said “sorry” so many times that it became a running joke and the audience started counting. The Danforth Music Hall is a small enough venue that each time a fan shouted something at her, everyone could hear. This lighthearted banter created a laidback vibe that made the evening more enjoyable.

It was fun to hear Suddenly I See, Funnyman and Black Horse and the Cherry Tree live, but I wish she played more of her early hits. Instead, Tunstall focused on playing newer material. At some point between performing songs from her latest record Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon, Tunstall said she liked writing tracks in Arizona because “it’s the perfect place to meditate.” This album marks a transition in her career because after making upbeat pop-rock songs, she became interested in darker subject matter, including death.

Overall, I thought the sound quality was good, but the concert was short and there wasn’t anything too memorable. Though I’m grateful for having amazing seats in Row F, KT Tunstall’s performance didn’t top my first experience at the Danforth Music Hall when Sam Roberts rocked the house in 2008.

September 22, 2013 by Sarah Prince

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