Don't Miss This Show: Robyn

Oh, I remember Robyn when she released her first single, Show Me Love.

Over a decade later - the hair hasn't changed much, but her music has. Her new album is filled with cheekier lyrics with some fantastic and imaginative videos.

Get your tickets - she plays at the Phoenix on Monday. See you there.

iYawn

Rogers announced that finally the iPhone will come to Canada by the end of 2008.
Took them long enough. The only good thing about it according to the techies is that it will make Canada's wireless services more competitive and affordable - so thank you Mr. Ted for that.

And The Winner is...

Eugenia Designs won the TFI New Labels Competition last night at the opening of the ELLE Show. Congratulations!

Eugenia (centre) with models in her designs.

Italian Vogue Goes All Black

The industry is all a-buzz about Vogue Italia's upcoming issue featuring all black models photographer by Steven Meisel. With the industry being blasted for the lack of non-white models on the runways and advertising campaigns of late I'm so interested how this will be played in the media. Living in such a wonderfully diverse city such as Toronto, I would have preferred there to have been an "all ethnics" issue to truly drive the issue forward, rather than focusing on one ethnicity, but this is one giant, bold step and for that I hope this opens the industry's eyes to include all the beautiful people in this world of ours.

Beverley Johnson: The first African-American on the cover of US Vogue in 1974

Ur So Gay

I can't stop loving this song:

Thanks to Madonna and Perez Hilton - this girl's gonna be big!

I'm slotting her in my Cute and Sassy Girls with Cheeky Lyrics folder with Kate Nash, Lily Allen, The Pipettes and Lykke Li.

Don't Miss This Show: Yelle

Wednesday, Apr 30 at The Great Hall, 1087 Queen Street West, Toronto. Get your tickets while you still can.

Don't Miss This Event: Buy Design

Dust off those platform shoes and bring out the glitter eyeshadow!

BuyDesign for Windfall is going disco this year for their 5th annual charity gala on Saturday, April 26th. (I thank them for holding an event on a Saturday rather than a "school" night.)

Fashion File's Adrian Mainella, who seems to be everywhere these days, will be our host for the evening - which includes a silent auction, a fashion gallery, a shop and - of course - food, drinks and disco dancing!

Tickets are $75 - a great deal for a great night of cocktail drinking, people watching, swag bag toting, and doing the hustle. Of course, it's all for a good cause: the Windfall Clothing Service, Canada’s only new clothing bank. See you under the disco ball!

We're gonna party like it's 1978!

Shameless Promotion: TFI News

The non-profit organization for fashion entrepreneurs, Toronto Fashion Incubator (TFI) has a great industry newsletter, TFI News, which is now in it's 16th year. I've contributed in the past, but this issue was my first as Managing Editor. (Subscribe and get all the insider info, fashion show reviews and upcoming events directly in your inbox.)

In case you haven't noticed, I do mention the TFI quite a bit in here. (I'm a huge supporter.) I took a course at the TFI with one of their resident members when they were located on Adelaide Street West - that was in the mid-nineties. Then I worked there full-time for a year in the early naughties and have been involved with them ever since.

Don't forget the TFI New Labels Gala is coming up April 24th! Get tickets here. (Shameless, aren't I?)

How to Get a Job in Fashion

All I can say is if you want to truly break into this industry: Network! Network! Network!

Volunteer everywhere and anywhere you can. (The TFI is looking for volunteers for their upcoming New Labels show.) Talk to the people you meet in the industry - find out what they do - get their business cards. Print your own business cards and keep them handy at all times. (A customized fashion figure by Danielle Meder on Moo cards would be perfect! See mine on the left.) Make a list of the careers you are interested in and contact those people - ask if you can job shadow them for a day or have a ten-minute information interview.

You may also want to pick up Jeanne Beker's new book Passion for Fashion. (Yes, it is the most over-used term out there, but it gets the point across.)

As noted on Amazon.ca: The dynamic author-illustrator team of Jeanne Beker and Nathalie Dion again work their magic in this comprehensive career guide, with a detailed resource section at the back, for those who dream of working in fashion. The famous Coco Chanel said that fashion “is something in the air … you feel it coming,” and this book captures the excitement, inspiration, and passion of the whole industry. From agent to designer, model, photographer, stylist, makeup artist, retail fashion director, publicist, journalist, fashion illustrator, creative director, editor-in-chief, trend forecaster, fashion show producer, color specialist, and personal shopper to all the people behind the scenes, Jeanne Beker informs, entertains, and inspires. Discover the ins and outs of fashion production, the players, and who deciphers what’s hot. In this common-sense career guide, Jeanne Beker’s down-to-earth approach, peppered with quotes and mini profiles of successful fashion people, lets us explore what we love about fashion while receiving practical advice on how to break into this diverse and creative industry.

Happy fashion networking!