Alessandra

Alessandra's cool street style recently appeared on the blog. This time, she shows off her latest look in a rainy Graffiti Alley.

Coleman

Sasha

Sasha: My style is classy and grungy. Sophistication with an edge.

TorontoVerve: What's the best advice you've received in life?

Sasha: It's clichéd, but "go after your dreams." I want to become a tattoo artist. I've been told that I couldn't do anything in the arts, but I refused to believe that. Now I have my choice of apprenticeships in November. It's all good.

Follow Sasha on Instagram.

Dana

Dana: My style is grungy and bag lady inspired.

TorontoVerve: What's the best advice you've received in life?

Dana: Stop getting tattooed [laughs].

TorontoVerve: What do the tattoos mean to you?

Dana: They make me feel like myself. If I didn't have them, it wouldn't feel right. I get a lot of people on the street who give me dirty looks and other people who are stoked about them. My dad hates them. My mom hated them, but now she thinks they actually look cool.

Follow Dana on Instagram.

Annie

TorontoVerve: What's the best advice you've received in life?

Annie: My sister once told me, "When you dress to go out, show either your butt or your boobs. You cannot show both. [Laughs]

TorontoVerve: [Laughs] Why did she give you that advice?

Annie: She didn't want me to look too slutty. [Laughs] I don't think you need to show off your body to dress fashionably. At the end of the day, you should dress the way you feel. It's OK to dress sexy and show either your boobs or your butt, but never both. I feel there's a stigma when you show both.

Laura

Laura: I love black because I don't have to wash it very much and it matches with everything.

TorontoVerve: What's the best advice you've received in life?

Laura: My dad told me that we're all just big bugs waiting to get squished. When I'm stressed out about stuff, his advice reminds me that in the end, it won't even matter.

Ali

Follow Ali on Instagram.

Emily

Emily: My style is a moon-child, hippie sixties-type of thing. Sometimes I'll be wearing a lot of black and other times I'll be wearing super colourful pieces. Strong feminine personas like Janis Joplin and Winona Ryder inspire me. They really kill it with their style.

TorontoVerve: What's the best advice you've received and from whom?

Emily: A friend told me to not keep things bottled up. Talk to as many people as you can. I was kind of like in a weird place with school and everything -- trying to figure myself out. Talking to a friend really helped me.

Follow Emily on Instagram.


TorontoVerve made #8 on Street Style News' Daily Most Popular Chart!

Laural: In Her Own Words

"I wanted to tell the archetypal story of reaching into the deepest corners of our psyche, confronting the shadows, and emerging strong and radiant after finding the well of internal power there."

I had completely lost the will to live and grow during an awful relationship, and when that ended I was suddenly on my own trying to figure out how to live and function and dream up a new future. I was absolutely crushed and reduced to a blank slate, but in that place I started rebuilding and rewriting my narrative.

I've been able to confront my darkness and fears through both ruthless and compassionate self-exploration. I saw how I had adapted to painful circumstances by creating patterns of coping that were destroying my life. And I started taking responsibility for them so I could start consciously acting outside those patterns. It's been years of grueling self work, reflection, and exploring boundaries. Oh, and therapy. Lots and lots of therapy.

It's the myth of Innana's Descent into the Underworld. She is a Sumerian love and fertility goddess, and she descends into underworld to comfort her sister who is mourning and heart broken. Inanna reflects her sister's experience with so much empathy that she dies in the depths of the underworld. Her allies come to seek her out, and she is resurrected with their help. She arises renewed and more powerful for having confronted, accepted, and befriended her dark side. I've been doing that for the last three years (as part of my Saturn Return in Scorpio - it's an astrological coming of age), and this summer has been my rebirth. The work is nowhere near over, but I am finally emerging from the hell of recent years.

A big part of this summer has been reclaiming my sense of personal style, which I'd lost to appease the controlling ex and fit into a construction job. When I felt lost and disempowered I saw no value in taking care of myself, style, or aesthetic pleasures. I found out that it's crucial to my well-being to express my internal landscape through style. I finally feel confident enough with where I'm at and who I am to express it. These photos are me returning to a place I used to explore with that ex, reclaiming it as my own. I feel empowered, fierce, independent, and tough. I feel like myself.

Finally.

Follow Laural on Instagram.

We previously captured Laural's street style earlier in the summer.

Natasha

Natasha: "My style is laid back. Skater."

TorontoVerve: "What has surprised you the most about yourself this year?"

Natasha: "How much I love sweatpants. Sweatpants with heels. I like to be comfortable, but dress it up a little bit."

Follow Natasha on Instagram.

Laural

Laural: "I would describe my style as summertime metal. I just got my haircut today, and to get inspiration for it, I googled '1980's metal hair Slayer fans' (laughs)."

TorontoVerve: "So what was the inspiration for your tattoos?"

Laural: "She (pointing to the tattoo on her left leg) is the guardian of my unconscious. She's like a dragon and just like dragons, she protects treasure, and the treasure that she protects is the depths of my vulnerability."

TorontoVerve: "And what do you need protection from?"

Laural: "Myself, probably (laughs)."

Laural is an astrologer who does readings for self-development and empowerment. Follow her on instagram: @Uranical_Astrology.

Kellie

"My style is all over the place. Somedays I dress comfortable and somedays I dress up like a pin-up girl. Whatever the weather allows."

We previously captured Kellie's street style last year.

Follow Kellie on Instagram.

Chrystal

Chrystal: My style was just thrown together.

TorontoVerve: What's your inspiration for your tattoos?

Chrystal: They're my life. Every single one of them tells a story. A very long story and I'm not done telling it yet.

TorontoVerve: What's your favourite memory of summer?

Chrystal: My favourite memory was actually in Spring. It's when all the women go crazy and don't care about style. They're so happy it's warm that they just want to be naked outside. It's my favourite time.

The Evolution of Tanya Grossi's Salvador Darling

During the last 9 years, Tanya Grossi (39) has transformed Salvador Darling into several profitable business ventures: a vintage boutique, a trendy café and a hip bar. What’s more interesting is that she did it all at the same Parkdale address. Indeed, no one can accuse Grossi of lacking vision.

She’s a woman who fearlessly follows her desires rather than the rules of conformity, and last month, she celebrated her sixth-year anniversary as a bar owner. I recently dropped by 1237 Queen Street West to talk to Grossi about Salvador Darling’s impressive evolution.

TorontoVerve: How did Salvador Darling start? 

Tanya: My background is in fashion. I first worked in wardrobe styling and then I was a buyer at Le Château. When I left Le Château, I knew that I would inevitably open a vintage boutique of my own. I bought this location when there were no other boutiques in the neighbourhood. It eventually became a café, but when more coffee shops appeared, I decided that it was time to do the bar thing. I live around the corner and I was tired of leaving the neighbourhood to go anywhere. I wanted to open a place where I can shop, drink coffee, and hang out. And hopefully, people would come.

TV: So why did you close the boutique to open a coffee shop? Was business not working out? 

Tanya: It totally was, but being a creative person, I get bored easily. I’m always looking for the next project. It’s all about timing. I always move on when I’m on top.

TV: Did you completely stop selling clothing when you opened the café? 

Tanya: No, I continued to sell clothes in the back, but then a couple of other vintage stores opened up so I decided to go full-café. I love to entertain and cook. I sold Panini and salads, and it was a lot of fun until it was time to do the next thing. People still tell me that I sold the best sandwiches. Some clients ask me: “why don’t you do the café in the day and the bar at night?” I tried that and it was just too much. I wanted to really focus on the night business and it was hard doing both and having a life.

TV: How hard was it to establish yourself as a bar in your first year? 

Tanya: It was very hard and, still to this day, people walk by thinking that it’s a furniture store. I don’t have the money to advertise. Word of mouth has kept my business going. Basically, I make sure that the people who walk through my door come back. I want people to have a good time.

TV: How would you describe the vibe at Salvador Darling?

Tanya: It’s like being in a really cool person’s living room. I collect a lot of art, antiques and weird objects. Everything here has a warmth or a story behind it. The concept was if Salvador Dali owned a bar, what would it look like? His whole surrealism movement was about having fun with art and not being so serious. When I go out, I want to be visually stimulated. I love watching my customers look around. I provide them with an experience.

TV: So you were inspired by Salvador Dali’s vision. How exactly did you come up with the name, Salvador Darling?

Tanya: It just came to me on a sleepless night. Dali saw things as dreamlike -- an adult playground. He also said that some of the most sophisticated people he knew were children inside. That’s my favourite thing. I always say: “never grow up, never be boring and never let the man get to you.” Why can’t I have fun when I reach a certain age? That’s why I have hula-hoops and a rocking horse here (laughs).

TV: I read that one of your loyal customers is none other than actor Geoffrey Rush. How did that happen?

Tanya: That’s a funny story (laughs). About 7 or 8 years ago, my sister and I were in the Bahamas, and we saw him come out of a convenience store. Apparently, he was there shooting one of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I had always been a fan of his independent films like Shine and Frida so I told him that I love his work -- especially his art film, Lantana. He was surprised that I even knew about Lantana. After we chatted for a bit, he said: “I love you two. I’m sending you a limo and you’re going to visit us on the set.” And the next day, we were on the Pirates set and we met Johnny Depp, Keira Knightley and Orlando Bloom. Plus, we got to hang out with Geoffrey. Whenever he was in town for the Toronto International Film Festival, he would drop by and give us tickets for his film. We still keep in touch. It’s kinda cool.

TV: On your fifth-year anniversary invite it says, ‘you’ll never forget that a woman owns a bar.’ What did you mean by that? Is there a difference between male and female bar owners? 

Tanya: My ex-boyfriend at the time wasn’t proud that his girlfriend owned a bar so he was telling everyone that the bar was his. I also had a guy working for me and everyone assumed that he was the owner. And that always bothered me because there’s this assumption that a woman can’t own a bar. People who knew my ex would come in and ask: “where’s the guy who owns the bar?” And I would respond, “the guy who owns the bar? I own the bar and I worked my f@$king ass off for it!” So that’s why I said that on the invite. Owning a bar is not all fun and games and being in this business as a woman is rare too. Sometimes, I have to be a bitch. People come in and order booze and don’t pay. As a woman, I get taken advantage of. So I have to be a tough ass. It’s a fun business, but it’s hard finding a partner who’s secure enough having a girlfriend whose business is entertaining people. I’m kinda seeing someone now who gets it.

TV: Why did your ex have a problem with you owning a bar? 

Tanya: Jealousy. I tried to make him a part of all this. The reasons why he liked me -- I’m independent and have my own business -- were the same reasons he resented me. That’s not a partnership.

TV: What is the biggest misconception that people have about you? 

Tanya: There’s this assumption that I live this crazy life. I don’t go out to clubs. I love staying home. I have a dog. I read. I live a healthy lifestyle. I’ll be going to the Bahamas soon for a month and I’ll be doing a lot of deep-sea fishing -- it’s one of my favourite things to do in the world. I also love training hardcore.

TV: How do you train? 

Tanya: I love shadow boxing. Sometimes I do yoga. I can do almost every yoga move. I’m not a gym person. I don’t lift weights, but I do lift a lot of beer cases (laughs). I’m a hand-ons person.

TV: What other talents do you have? 

Tanya: I love music. I also DJ here and every second Tuesday at The Beaconsfield down the street. I love hip-hop. I consider myself a f@$king classy girl who loves hard hip-hop. I’ll often DJ in a dress and high heels. It’s hard to label me.

TV: How would you describe your style? 

Tanya: I love being a woman with a bit of an edge. I love dresses. I think I only own two pairs of pants. My edginess usually comes from my accessories or shoes. I’m confident and comfortable in my skin so I know the kind of stuff that’s going to look good on me.

TV: Where do you like to shop? 

Tanya: Mostly in vintage stores. My inspiration comes from my parents and they always dressed cool. My dad comes from a very big Italian family and he married a non-Italian. My mom is Eastern-European. She’s tall and looks like Marilyn Monroe. She always walks with an air of confidence. There’s a passion with the way that I dress and I think it comes from my background. If you have to think too hard about your style then it’s not you. To me, style is instinctual. It comes from wherever your inspirations are.

TV: Salvador Darling has been a bar for six years now. Are you getting bored? Will there be another evolution? 

Tanya: I’m definitely on for another couple of years, and then I want to do something else. Maybe a bed and breakfast someplace where it’s warm all-year round, but before that happens, I think there’ll be one more evolution (laughs). Then I’ll go when I’m on top.

Follow Tanya & Salvador Darling on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

* * *

TIFF Inspirations: Toxic

Giftig*
Toxic

Contemporary World Cinema

Germany, 2014

German/English Subtitles

North American Premiere

87 minutes - Colour

Cast: Thea Geurtsen

Franka Jäger is one of Berlin's most promising DJs in the techno underground scene, but things take a turn for the worse when her junkie-husband steals her electronic gear to sell for his next fix. Tonight, she'll have only one hour to stop him if she's got any chance of performing at the biggest gig of her life.

Told in real-time, Toxic will have audiences at the edge of their seats while they stomp to the beat of an electrifying soundtrack.
 
* This is my tribute to the Toronto International Film Festival. It is not a real film.

Click here to see last year's TIFF Inspirations.

Thea

Thea: "My style today is inspired by the comic book movie Tank Girl."

TorontoVerve: "That's right -- with Lori Petty. Is there something about that movie that you can relate to?"

Thea: "Her (laughs). I love her funky style and tough attitude."

TorontoVerve: "Can you share what your tattoos represent?"

Thea: "My left arm is just black. There's no colour. It's almost tribal. This is the Japanese symbol for woman. I always feel like a strong and powerful woman. And just below it is a wampum belt used to symbolize a great birth or great death. My uncle was Mohawk and when he died I had it done. And on my wrist, I have 3 lines because I was born on the third day of the third month."

Thea: "My right arm is very colourful, fun and happy. These characters were a design on a toothbrush cup and they made me happy every day when I saw them. This arm has all the things that I love: bunnies, vegetables and milk bottles. Every character has a personality."

TorontoVerve previously captured Thea's cool street style earlier this summer in Kensington Market.

Thea is DJ Sausy Miso and hosts an internet radio show Wednesday nights from 7pm to 10pm EST on Eve-Radio.com. "I play everything: industrial, noise, witch house and techno."

Follow Thea on Instagram and Twitter.

Tara

Tara: "I don't even know what my style is. Actually, I'm not wearing what I usually wear. Right now, I'm wearing a nightgown. I usually wear a lot of fluorescent because I live in New Orleans and there's a lot of colourful flowers there."

TorontoVerve: "What's your biggest regret in life?"

Tara: "I don't know what my biggest regret is. I generally do what I feel makes sense. I can't even be like 'I wish I had dropped out of school earlier and travelled the world.' No, I already did that. 'I wish I took more risks without fearing being poor.' Already did that. I think I'm doing pretty good. I have few regrets. I just follow my intuition and it hasn't led me astray yet."

Chris & Rachael

Chris: "My style is a mixture of vintage and new. I'm inspired by what I see all over the world. I pick up pieces everywhere and just roll with it. It's eclectic."

Rachael: Definitely eclectic. My husband and I are inspired a lot when we travel. Like when we were in Guatemala, I saw a baby shirt and it looked like a cropped top on me. It was all hand-stitched.  All the women laughed at me because I bought it (laugh)."

Chris: "And even my bracelets here -- they're from Thailand. It's cool eclectic shit."

TorontoVerve: "What's the best advice you've ever received?"

Chris: "Well, it's kinda clichéd, but just be yourself. When you put something on before you leave, you got to feel comfortable because if you don't feel comfortable, you can't rock it and you're definitely not going to exude the energy that you're trying to exude."

Rachael: "My style is determined by how I feel any given day. Today, my outfit is inspired by the Kardashian Collection."

TorontoVerve: "What is the best advice you've ever received and from whom?

Rachael: "Interestingly, the best advice I've ever received came from both my dad and my husband. They said, 'just be yourself and not be scared or ashamed of who you are.' That's what I do."


Check out Chris' personal and professional blog here and Rachael's YouTube Channel here.

***

Tara

"My style is Rock 'N' Roll. Punk rocker Wendy O. Williams inspires me. I'm into her music."

Tara is a tattooer at New Tribe on Queen Street West. She plans on getting another tattoo this month.

"My best friend Nina and I will be getting matching tattoos -- probably something related to South Park."

Coincidentally, we shot Tara's street style 4 years ago when she was blond.

Thea AKA Saucy Miso

Thea: "My style can be described as army brat meets Little Orphan Annie. I'm wearing army mechanic overalls and a wife-beater shirt."

TorontoVerve: "I love your tattoos."

Thea: "Thanks. My tattoos on my right arm represent happiness meets Armageddon."

Thea AKA Saucy Miso is a freelance DJ specializing in industrial and electro beats. Check out her sound on her website.