Heather

"Whenever life gets you down, it's important to remember to face the darkness -- instead of trying to run away from it. Because you can never really run away from it. It'll only get worse. Turn around and face it head-on."

Heather is a musician who sings old country and blues cover songs. "Someone once said I sound like Joni Mitchell. That's a pretty big compliment. I started playing guitar because I wanted to jam with my friends around campfires, but now it's taken on a life of its own."

Her first solo show is happening tonight at Cafe Embargo in Parkdale.

Mark

Mark: My style can be described as everything from stag films to rodeos. I really like to take the imagination and push things as far as I can. 

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

Mark: My father told me: "you can't save your face and your ass at the same time." 

TorontoVerve: Why did he offer that to you?

Mark: 'Cause I was always trying to save my face and I just needed to save my ass.

Follow Mark on Instagram.

Davide

You must be brave in life. I came here from Italy to find a job. It was always a dream to come to Canada. I applied and thought I'd never be accepted, but I was. And I found a job in my field. Things always appear difficult than what they really are. Be brave and try to make your dreams happen.

Olivia

Maria

When I was a teenager, my grandmother saw me leaving the house wearing a halter top and a mini skirt. She told me, "You know -- you either show your legs or your cleavage. Never both at the same time. Men only want what they can't see." Of course, I went out dressed the way I was, but I never made that mistake again. There's no need to try so hard. 

Maria is a visual artist. Check out her eclectic creations on her website.

TorontoVerve made #9 on Street Style News' Most Popular!

Naro

Naro is a fashion model and is no stranger to TorontoVerve. I've captured her impeccable street style three times before. Yesterday, she walked passed me on Bloor Street West and I called out to her. She turned, smiled and responded: "That's not my name."

Aw, geez. I felt so stupid. Turns out that I've mistaken Naro for another fashion model who's also appeared on the blog several times. Seeing my embarrassment, she gracefully let me off the hook. "That's OK," she said. "It happens all the time. She's my doppelgänger." Wow! She wasn't kidding. With shades on, their resemblance is startling.

After a few quick snapshots, I asked her to share the best advice she's ever received: "My surrogate mother once told me don't make assumptions. Communication is key. You never really know what the situation may be unless you ask. It's helped me grow as a person and have better relationships."

TorontoVerve made #10 on Street Style News' Most Popular!

Follow Naro on Instagram.

Naro was featured in Winner's Spring fashion campaign:

Olga

Olga's street style previously appeared on the blog.

Girlie

Olivia

Olivia: My style is a mix of old goth and new urban.

Olivia is a make-up artist and you can check out her work on her website.

Tiera

Tiera: I don't want to walk into a room and look like everybody else. My style expresses my personality. I want to be memorable.

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

Tiera: I got this great advice from theatre school: "When you go out for auditions, know that you are enough. Nothing that anybody else does is going to effect who you are or your performance." That's my mantra. It helps me remember that other people's successes are not my failures.

Follow Tiera on Instagram.

Nadine Part 2

Here's Part 2 of my shoot with Nadine at Glen Stewart Ravine.

Nadine: A good friend once told me, "Why not be yourself because everyone else is taken." I find that very poignant because when you're young, you tend to latch onto other identities that are not truly reflective of who you are. It's just a frank and witty way of saying that there's no point in trying to create your identity through others because literally you're true identity is the only one not taken.

See Part 1 of our photo-shoot.
  
I previously shot Nadine's fall street style in 2013 and collaborated with her on a TIFF tribute shoot in 2014.
 

Natalie

Emilia

Emilia is currently touring across Canada with her musician boyfriend, Casper Hollands. "We just drove in from Edmonton in a camper van. We have a mobile stage with lights. People can come. listen, hang out and do what they please. We've been in Toronto a week now and we're heading to Ottawa next and then Montreal, PEI and finally the States."

Emilia: When it come to style, I would describe it as 'hipster urban hippie.' People think I look like Audrey Hepburn when I wear this big hat. She's a role model and not just for her films, but for what she has done for the world. She was a great humanitarian.

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

Emilia: Don't collect too many things because you never know when you have to suddenly go. That piece of advice has impacted my priorities in terms of material possessions and what I consider important and valuable to me.

Follow Emilia's travels on Instagram and listen to Casper's music on Soundcloud.

Bethany

Bethany: I only wear dresses and skirts so my style is pretty, classic and girly. My mom inspires me. Since I was born, she's been wearing really classic things. Like her, I wear outfits that will still be in style twenty years from now.

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

Bethany: My grandmother told me that every generation should be better than the one before. I try to build on what my parents have done as immigrants, and I hope that my kids will be able to do that same and be even better than I was.

Follow Bethany on Instagram.

Michael

Follow Michael on Instagram.

Tatjana

"There are many dark things that speak to me. But for the most part, I think the most twisted, sinister and yet sublime thing that both repulses and yet seduces us and of course myself is human nature itself. This is a very broad thing but, to sum it up, we are capable of great things. Both terrible and beautiful. It never ceases to amaze me how cruel and destructive humans are for a variety of reasons. The passion of any human being, whether it may be for an act of kindness or an act of hatred, is a stunning thing. You can never fully predict the length at which we will go to get what we want. This is a rather debatable thing seeing as people can be more enchanted by our nature or put off by it."

"Why I see it as dark is because my fascination lies in the twisted and at times perverse minds of some individuals. Of course, what they do is horrendous. But the intricate web that is their mind and the nuances within them can sometimes hold the mirror up to you. Not only that, but one gets such and adrenaline rush just to see the horrors we concoct.

Whether we find it beautiful or not really depends on each individual. I can only take on the role of a distanced spectator and watch in awe at the sublimity that is humanity."

"Who knows? Perhaps my views may change when I experience such events. You never know and that's both a scary and wonderful thing all at once."

Follow Tatjana on Instagram and Facebook.

Tim

"My dad once told me, 'always trust yourself.' That was his advice after I dropped out of university and was trying to figure out what the f@%k I was going to do with my life. I remember him saying, 'you made this choice, now it's time to find your own path.'"

Follow Tim on Instagram.

Heather

Heather has recently written a book entitled Of Being Underground and Moving Backwards -- a collection of dark and gritty short stories dealing with addiction and loss. She shared why she wrote such an intense piece of work: "In 2011, I experienced a significant loss. My sister passed away and it really affected me. I couldn't write about my feelings directly so I started writing about them in fiction to work through the pain."

Click here to purchase Heather's book, but hurry! There are less than 50 copies for sale!

We've featured Heather's elegant vintage street style before.

You can also check our her Tumblr to read her poems and find out about her upcoming poetry-reading shows.

Madge

If you're guessing I captured Madge's street style because it recalls Jodie Foster in Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver, you guessed right.

"My style is easy, breezy summertime. When I was 12 years old, I wore this big sun hat and denim jacket and my mom said, 'you're doing a Taxi Driver thing today.' I didn't know what she meant. I wasn't allowed to watch the movie because I was too young, but when I eventually saw it, I totally understood what she meant. Fashion and music had the most freedom in the late 60's to mid-70's. Back then, Gays, Blacks, Whites and Latinos came together and partied. I would love to wake up tomorrow and find myself in 1973. People were more accepting of each other then."

TIFF Talk 2015: Kwame, "The Man Who Knew Infinity"

Name: Kwame, Toronto

The Film: The Man Who Knew Infinity (UK)

What's it about?

A man from India finds his way to Cambridge where he works with a professor to publish material. It goes into all of the challenges like racism and World War II. He grinds himself to the bone to get published and make it back to his wife in India.

Did you like it?

I thought it was an extremely moving, touching and exciting movie. I like the universal story about race and class. People who like stories about human growth and love and loss will definitely enjoy it. It's a bit of a tear-jerker too.

Next screenings:

Thursday, September 17th at 6:30pm, Roy Thompson Hall
Friday, September 18th at 11am, Elgin Wintergarden
Saturday, September 19th at 9:30am, The Bloor Hot docs Cinema

Follow Kwame on Twitter and check out the Ryerson website where Kwame and others "explore the future of storytelling."

The Man Who Knew Infinity Clip