As the youngest of three, I spent about half my life wearing hand-me-downs – not just from my sister, but from my brother… as well as my sister’s friends, my brother’s ex-girlfriend, and my next-door neighbours. When I did finally make some friends of my own and discover some semblance of style, it was in that Kurt Cobain / Pearl Jam era, and the style we discovered was plaid shirts & striped polos from either Value Village or the back of our parents’ closets, and Converse Sneakers that we’d sometimes trade… but only one shoe at a time.
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| Kurt Cobain, Nirvana | Eddie Vedder, Pearl Jam | Darlene Conner, Style Icon |
In high school, I tried a hand at my mom’s 30 year old Singer sewing machine. I spent hours tracing pant legs, sewing rough copies, and adjusting my pattern in an attempt to make the ultimate cut of pants that I had designed in my head. And the very next year, my prized design was on every shelf in every clothing store everywhere – low-rise flares.
Then I spent the next several years wearing cargo pants and hoodies.
Style Steve, Fashion Ninja
The change came two years ago as a knight in shining armour on a noble steed: Style Steve, Fashion Ninja! Of course, I didn’t know it at the time because we met while training in stage combat at Rapier Wit, so he was always wearing track shorts and Systema training t-shirts, hence we called him “Systema Steve” or just “The Aussie”.
And the fact that he is Australian is how we broke the ice in the first place – not because I was enamoured by his Crocodile Dundee accent… but because I thought: someone’s gotta go make friends with this foreigner.
Smash cut to now: Style Steve, Fashion Ninja, is my own personal hero. And even though we spend a lot of time in separate countries, he still helps me shop online – eBay is the Green Hornet to his Kato… yep, Green Hornet should have been the sidekick.
Most recently, he assembled my ensemble for the Bounty Hunters Toronto Red Carpet Premiere pairing Alannah Hill‘s Roses Everywhere Frock and Red Leather & Swarovski Crystal Belt with Tony Bianco‘s Bohemian Snake Alicante Heels.
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Last year, he found this Blake Lively-inspired sparkley dress from Want Boutique that I wore to the Bail Enforcers World Premiere with light silver strappy sandals.
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And last November, he escorted me to the Crown Oaks Day Fashions on the Field with a unique find from Pacific Mall. We had the dress altered and a shrug made, also at Pacific Mall, by a fantastic seamstress (they’re hard to find), which we paired with Tony Bianco’s Black Danawa Heels and my very first fascinator!
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Coincidentally, it was also Sarah Jessica Parker‘s first Fashions on the Field – she loved my outfit, we high-fived, exchanged digits, and now we’re besties! Just kidding. She drove by on a golf cart, obscured by her entourage, and I didn’t even get to touch her face.
So what’s my point? I don’t really condone preening yourself for hours or indulging in vanity, but it really makes me feel good to wear clothes that fit – not just in size, but in style – because they were suggested to me through an understanding of who I am and who I want to be.
Now I can almost dress myself… almost.
And that’s what I learned from Style Steve, Fashion Ninja.
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