I must say that I thought slam poetry was dead in Toronto but I guess I just wasn’t looking hard enough. Much to my surprise and delight there are those who are keeping it alive and well and making it better than I remember. I used to frequent a lot of poetry slams but I somehow… lost interest. Acoustic Soul organizer Hajile Kalaike has successfully re-kindled my appreciation of spoken word through his organization Black Lotus Media. Acoustic Soul takes place every Tuesday (rain or shine, according to Hajile) at Trane Lounge at College and Bathurst. If you’re looking for a very chill environment combined with moving performances and delicious food, I highly recommend this event.

Before we get into the evening’s pics we have to talk about the boots below

Before Marjorie and I went Acoustic Soul she quickly had to get fitted for a dress. While I was waiting for her I couldn’t help noticing this young lady’s boots. Her name is Shannel and she was one of the models who was patiently waiting. Couldn’t help it.. They are just too fly..

And Now, Pics from Acoustic Soul

Organizer Hajile Kalaike

MELLOW DEE on the Keys

This young lady blew me away. I would have gotten some pics of her while she was performing but I was to entranced by her song and voice. Check out Michelle Mondesir and Poetic Groove Productions.

Flautist Jeff Kearns had the crowd grooving to his rendition of We Belong Together

One of the biggest challenges when photographing street fashion is lighting. Usually when I see someone I wanna photograph I only have a few minutes to get a photo cause I don’t wanna take up too much of their time. I mean I would love to do a whole photo shoot with the person, using different scenery and telling them how to pose but that might freak people out you know?
Sometimes I have to deal with lighting that could be better but thankfully the people that I pick have something special that shines through the photograph. They have great style and even bad lighting can’t hide that.

This young lady bought a lot of her pieces overseas. Korea provided her funky, phly dress and she got her jewelry in Paris. The sun was a little bright but she still looks mad stylish in the pic.

I LOVE this tie. The chunky, wrapped up, frayed scarf is OVER! The new accessory for the neck is the tie. The pic is a little dark but his outfit makes him shine!

There is no doubt that L’Oreal Fashion Week is one of the most exciting fashion events in Toronto. This is my first Fashion Week so I can’t help but feel a little bit giddy! I used to think that Fashion Week was an event that only the upper echelons of the Toronto Fashion industry could attend but that is not altogether true. Although some of the official events are by invitation only (or BIO as they are listed in the schedule) many are open to the public and there are tons of unofficial fashion events that take place all over the city. Ultra Nightclub is hosting Ink Fashion Week, which features some amazing designers, Brandt House featured a Betsey Johnson show earlier this week and there are many, many more opportunities to get a Runway fix without heading to Nathan Phillips Square.

This site is dedicated to street fashion so I thought it would be cool to capture some of the fashionable people around the main event. I realized that there is more than one way to photograph a model.

(Below) Models from the eugenia show that took place today

Splendid Boots from the fashionable lady below.. Had to capture them. Can you tell I love shoes?

A funky-fresh pair of John Fluevog shoes

Just a pic that I took while strolling around. What can I say? Real people are my passion