Christine & Saira

Christine: "My sister really inspires my style. We tend to bounce fashion ideas off each other a lot."

Saira: "It depends on our mood."

Christine: "Yes, it's definitely mood-based. I don't even look at fashion magazines anymore to get inspiration."

Saira: "She'll come up with something and I'll go "ohhhh" and then I'll come  up with something and she'll go "ohhhh," and then we build on that. We have a whole bedroom…"

Christine: "Ok, we have a 2-bedroom apartment and one of the bedrooms is our closet (laughs)."

Saira: "We collect a lot of clothes (laughs)."

Christine: "We're hoarders (laughs)."

Saira: "No, we appreciate interesting things."

Like her sister, Christine is an artist and paints portraits and flowers. "But they're not normal portraits," as Saira says. "Christine has a definite style. When she captures a person, it's not realism or boring at all. It's very interesting."

Christine: "Ok, stop it (laughs)."

Saira: "She's also moving to Dubai."

TorontoVerve: "When are you moving to Dubai?"

Christine: "Next month for just a year. I'm going to be a flight attendant."

TorontoVerve: "So what inspired you guys to wear what you're wearing today?"

Saira: "This actually wasn't what I was going to originally wear, but my sister changed her outfit because of her mood. So then we decided to wear something similar."

Christine: "I was a little bit moody today."

Saira: "She's wearing pink eye shadow. She didn't want to wear it."

Christine: "She totally talked me into it (laughs)."

TorontoVerve: "And what are you guys up to tonight?"

Saira: "We're going to see a musical artist called Mo Kenney at the Horseshoe. I just styled and did her make-up for her to take press release photos."

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

Saira: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

Christine: "And we were talking about this before: if it happens once, ok -- if it happens twice, then it's going to happen a third time. So watch out (laughs)."

We previously captured Christine's Spring street style in 2012 and Saira's street style 3-times before. Until this day, we didn't know that they were sisters. Small world.

* * *

WorldPride 2014 Toronto Street Style

Toronto's 34th annual WorldPride festival draws to a close today and to mark the occasion we're showcasing some of the extraordinary street styles that have graced Church Street.

Gabby

Gabby: "When I was a kid in Guatemala, I always wanted to be a woman. It was really hard to live there because it's all about being macho. My brother would beat me up a lot. I couldn't wait to turn 18 years old and move away from there to live my own life."

TorontoVerve: "Do you dress like this often or is it just for Pride?

Gabby: "It depends on my mood in the morning, but inside I feel like a woman. I am a woman. It's very hard for trans people because we get harassed every single day. You have no idea how many men I have to fight. They call me 'faggot' or 'freak.'"

TorontoVerve: "Is there a particular woman who inspires you?"

Gabby: "I would have to say Jennifer Lopez because she's very hot and sexy."

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

Gabby: "From my mom. She said do whatever you want to do as long as you don't hurt people -- just be happy."

TorontoVerve: "Are you happy now?"

Gabby: "Yes, I'm very happy."

Brandon & PJay

Brandon: "This is my every day look. It's androgynous. Model and designer Jeffree Star inspires me. He's original -- a rocker with pink hair and tattoos everywhere."

PJay: "My style is eccentric and out there like Lady Gaga. She's not the same every day. Her look is different, her albums are different and her perception of the world is different. I love her."

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

Brandon: "Every queen I've ever met from New York, London and Paris has told me 'never fucking give up.' I've never given up and I've been the most successful at the age of 22."

PJay: "Be yourself. Don't try to be something you're not. The world will see you as you see yourself."

Gracie

Gracie: "Someone once told me that my style is 'sparkle punk,' but I think it's more alternative goth-chic. I'm actually visiting here from Vancouver."

TorontoVerve: "You came down for Pride?"

Gracie: "Yes, I love it. It's just so beautiful to see so many gays and happy people. It's like the Olympics for gays. Everybody is loving everyone. People only have good things to say to one another here -- it's awesome."

Gracie owns a hair salon called Sugar Skull Studio in downtown Vancouver. Check out her Instagram @Lickrish.

Ronaldo

"I'm so happy to be here. I've been coming for 14 years. This year I'm wearing my cowgirl outfit."

Hannah

Hannah: "I just put on stuff that looks good and isn't too bright."

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

Hannah: "To always stay outside of your comfort zone because that's the only thing that's going to help you grow."

TorontoVerve: "Is that working for you?"

Hannah: "It is working for me. I was able to start up my own business and become one of the top North American District Managers in my industry."

Xavier & Christoph

Xavier: "This is my new revamped style. I call it 'preppy tourist.' You want to look like you're not from the place, but you also want to look educated and smart."

Christoph: "My style is a mixture of punk rock, preppy, glam and sequins -- I love to shine. I'm inspired by Michael and Janet Jackson, Aliyah and Rihanna. They're all edgy and I love their fashion."

TorontoVerve: "What is the best advice you've ever been given?"

Christoph: "To be comfortable with myself because at one point I wasn't and I needed someone to tell me that."

Xavier: "I was told not to be an attention whore and always speak my mind. It's a negative thing, but I always try to make it a positive."

Check out Xavier and Christoph's Instagram.

Laura

Shahir

"My style manifesto is to combine androgyny and mysticism. It's divine chaos. I get inspiration from queer films like Lucifer Rising. It's a problematic film, but it's aesthetically gorgeous. It merges underground queer paganism with Egyptian culture to create psychedelic and ancient art. It's very elegant and androgynous."

Steph

Steph: "I love vintage clothing. I'm wearing a Fever London dress. They're like modern-vintage. I bought it at a Goodwill for $6, but we sell it at our boutique for like $200."

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

Steph: "I guess from my sister. She told me not to always worry about what other people are thinking."

Anne & Chinny

Anne: "My style is easy-going and androgynous."

Chinny: "My style is eclectic, fun and comfortable. David Bowie and Grace Jones inspire me. I just love their hair and make-up."

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

Anne: "My mother told me to live a happy life."

Chinny: "Trying to please anyone or everyone is the key to failure."

TorontoVerve: "And who told you that?"

Chinny: "Bill Cosby."

Stephanie

Stephanie: "I've been once told that my style is 'ghetto elegance.' I'm not 100% sure of what that means, but I'm guessing it's a little bit of like…I thrift, but I also shop at H&M. I have some style and class. I also like to skateboard. Rapper Kreayshawn inspires me. She throws things together not necessary matching in colour or patterns. They can be completely contrasting things, but they still work."

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

Stephanie: "I can't even answer that. I got my style down, but advice? None that I've taken quite to heart and maybe I should have. So that advice might click sometime in the future."

Check out Stephanie's Instagram.

Stephanie: "It's @8_8Incognegro because I'm black, but you wouldn't notice. My dad's from Haiti -- like legit."

TorontoVerve: "You're bi-racial? I wouldn't have noticed."

Stephanie: "Yeah, exactly -- incognegro. As much as like some people say that my Instagram handle is slightly offensive, I'm like, 'not really -- not in the way that I'm saying it.' My Instagram is filled with my art and a lot of cats. I have multiple creative disorders. I dabble in just about everything. I paint, I do video and I also like going out with my camera to shoot."

Ella

Ella: "I try to wake up in the morning and only put on things that I would want to wear while walking in the streets of Paris."

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

Ella: "It's definitely from my dad because he's the wisest person I know. He said even though I'm in a lot of debt from school, I should go to Paris for 5 weeks this summer or probably not even come back."

TorontoVerve: "Are you going to follow his advice?"

Ella: "I'm going to. I'm leaving July 25th for London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid and Sicily."

TorontoVerve: "Wow! So you're really going to be in debt when you get back."

Ella: "Yes, I know and that scares me, but he told me to just do it and not even think about it."

TorontoVerve: "Well, you gotta do what dad says."

Ella: "Especially when he gives you bad advice like that -- you have to take it (laughs)."


TorontoVerve made #9 on Street Style News Daily Most Popular: http://www.streetstylenews.com/most-popular-june-29-2014/

Linda

"My style is very minimalistic and elegant. I prefer flowy and timeless pieces."

Lindsay

Lindsay: "I've always been super open-minded to different things so I can never really fully define my style. I love being grungy, but I'm not committed. Singer/model Amber Rose inspires me because she's bald and beautiful and I love her."

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

Lindsay: "Probably to take out my piercings. One day I'm going to follow that and take them all out."

TorontoVerve: "And who gave you that advise?"

Lindsay: "Some man at Value Village. He said if I do that I'll be successful. I take that stuff seriously."

TorontoVerve: "So when are they coming out?"

Lindsay: "When I get out of school and get serious with my life."

Scott

Scott: "There's a Steampunk Fair going on so this is my Lazy Goth Pride look. I'm all about Steampunk and Goth. I see a lot of people do them really well and I'm impressed by their efforts. I usually throw together my own ideas."

TorontoVerve: "What inspired you to put the tutu on today."

Scott: "My friends. I have a lot of queer friends who are awesome and I like being an ally for them. And I like dancing. There's going to be a lot of dancing during Pride Week. My friends will often say, 'obviously you have to wear the tutu,' and obviously I do because I'm an exuberant dancer."

TorontoVerve: "What has the reaction been so far?"

Scott: "Super awesome. It's Toronto. It's really good."

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.

***

Aurelia

"I'm definitely into second-hand stores. I shop at Plato's Closet in Hamilton or Burlington so I pay no more than $8 for anything. I don't really look at sizes, prices or styles -- it's all about what floats my boat."

Check out Aurelia's Instagram to see her art, which she describes as "the inspiration between the geometric shapes of natural objects. I use a lot of nature-inspired topics and I do a lot of welding. I'm really into metal-art sculptures."

Dani Kagan: Summer in the Distillery

It’s finally summer!!! That means we can finally capture that summer street fashion that you’ve been waiting for. And to kick things off this season, dancer/choreographer Dani Kagan shows off some of her summer street style at one of our favourite places -- The Distillery.

Kagan (23) is the co-founder of Raise the Rhythm, a non-profit event that showcases dance, fashion and art -- all in the name of charity. “I started the fundraiser with my friends, Victoria Marshman and Jessica Domingo, because I wanted to give back to the community,” she says. Last year’s show was held at the Isabel Bader Theatre and featured many dance talents, including So You Think You Can Dance Canada’s Jordan Clark. The sold out event raised nearly $10,000 for Autism Speaks Canada.

This year’s charity is the Panov Program: Precision Chemotherapy. Precision Chemotherapy is an innovative cancer treatment that enables doctors to personalize each patient’s delivery of chemotherapy, which could greatly increase their odds of survival. The Panov Program is named after Yaron Panov, who was diagnosed with abdominal Sarcoma in 2010. At the age of 55, he was given only a few months to live, but with the help of his wife, Dr. Rochelle Schwartz, he began this new personalized cancer treatment that was developed in Baltimore and Israel. It saved his life. Now Mount Sinai Hospital wants to bring Precision Chemotherapy to Canada to treat Sarcoma cancer patients, and they hope that the Panov Program will raise awareness and funds to make that a reality.

So what is Raise the Rhythm's personal connection to the Panov Program? Yaron Panov is Kagan’s uncle. "This year, I have set even higher fundraising goals," she explains. "[Precision Chemotherapy] saved my uncle's life and I want other Canadians to benefit from the same treatment."

Kagan was one of Hedley’s back-up dancers at last week’s Much Music Video Awards and soon will be dancing on Billy Blank Jr’s (son of famed martial-artist Billy Blanks) workout DVD. And if you’re a Raptors fan, you’ve likely seen her dancing on the court as one of the Raptors Dance Pak. Needless to say, dance is in her blood. She says, “I never thought dance would be the be-all and end-all in my life. I always thought I’d be event-planning or teaching choreography, but there’s something about dance. It’s my passion. It’s a way to express myself while keeping in shape -- a lot better than just running on a treadmill at the gym.”

When she’s not performing, Kagan manages LR Productions -- a dance company that signs dancers for various events and teaches competitive dance to children at the All That Dance studio. “My favourite genres of dance are jazz, contemporary and hip hop. I just love high energy.”

With all that intense dancing, Kagan has had her fair share of injuries over the past few years: “I broke my ankle a couple of times and the same toe twice and, as I get older, I'm beginning to feel it in my back (laughs).” Hopefully this summer will be kinder to the philanthropic dancer.

Raise the Rhythm will be held at the Danforth Music Hall on October 1st, 2014.

To donate to the Panov Program, please click here.

Interested in volunteering or performing at this year’s Raise the Rhythm? Apply here.

 * * * 

Follow Dani Kagan on Twitter & Instagram. 

Follow Raise the Rhythm on Twitter & Instagram

Follow LR Productions on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Elisha

Elisha: "I like wearing vintage floral and bright prints. The tomboyish look mixed with girly-girly appeals to me. Also, I'm into minimal make-up and accessories."

TorontoVerve: "Who inspires your fashion the most?"

Elisha: "My grandmother. I really like old ladies style. It's kinda sexy -- especially from the 50s and 80s era."

Liza

Liza: "My style is a combination of every era from the 20th century. Mostly from the 20s to the 80s. It's straight-up vintage, always. Today's outfit is inspired by 70s Jodie Foster. I take inspiration wherever I can get it."

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

Liza: "My grandfather always said, 'save your money.'"

TorontoVerve: "And are you doing what your grandfather told you?"

Liza: "Not really."


We previously captured Liza's street style in winter 2011.

Dr. Cory Torgerson

Dr. Torgerson: "My style is modern classic like Tom Ford. My suit is a John Ferrigamo. It has big designs and an obvious Italian look. I love everything about it -- especially the detailing."

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

Dr. Torgerson: "Live out your design to the fullest."

Dr. Cory Torgerson is a facial cosmetic surgeon with a practice in Yorkville.

Paulina

Emily & Shui

Emily: "My style is comfy. Shui inspires my fashion. He's a designer. I see the things that he makes and they inspire me to put together something that suits me and in his aesthetic."

Shui: "My designs are casual and understated"

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

Emily: "Mother always told me to be smart."

Shui: "My mother told me to be a good person."

TorontoVerve: "And are you doing what your mother told you?"

Shui: "I'm trying my best."


Check out Shui's Tumblr, which he describes as "very dark. Sometimes I express what I think through design...mostly garments."

Kwame

"My style is a mix of vintage and new. Back in the day, I used to wear baggy clothes, but my friend Simone convinced me to wear things outside of my box. I recently bought a vest with silver polka dots on silver. It kinda looked weird to me, but I took a chance. Now people often compliment me on my fashion sense."