Confetti & Coffee Shops

I first met Dallas when I was a nervous, witless freshman during my first week of university.

She was a soph (translation: leader of witless freshman for the largest Frosh Week in Canada) and while she wasn't assigned to me, she was kind enough to chat me up when she saw me confused, or sitting in a large group probably nervously fussing with my hair.

I remember her telling me that she was heading to Africa on an internship that the media program I was about to embark upon, supported. I was away from home for the first time, and this cool girl with the coolest name was leaping off to Africa, while I felt that moving two hours away from home was a huge deal.

I stumbled upon her original blog (before blogging was even a thing) and was excited to read about someone I admired who seemed to have it all together, four years ahead of me (note: best friend husband, creative career, a life in different cities).

We kept in touch via reading about each other's blog adventures and the occasional email. I was delighted when she asked me to be in one of her portrait sessions when she was visiting over the holiday break. We went for coffee before the shoot and she once again gave me just the right dose of life advice to shake me back to something better.

We threw around colourful paper confetti like we were making a Pinterest board despite the rainy, frigid weather and my nerves dissipated. Did I mention she is also a self-taught make-up artist?

Below are photos from the shoot, but head over to her site for the rest of the photos and a fun .GIF she created. Also, stop by her full blog for lovely photography and daily inspiration. You won't regret it!

x

 

Skirt & Top - J.Crew | Jacket Mango | Boots H&M
Credit: Dallas Curow 

Not A Model Weekly Mantra - Iris Apfel

I first noticed ninety-year old interior designer and fashion icon Iris Apfel in the Bill Cunningham New York documentary.

I was immediately taken with her daring style sense and positive attitude. This definitely wasn't how my grandmother dressed. It seems I'm not the only one taking notice. MAC cosmetics recently collaborated with her for a vibrant new makeup line (available in stores now) and she will appear in the documentary "Advanced Style," that highlights the outrageous fashion choices of older women.

It appears that the "fashion world" primarily focuses on the pre-pubescent girl. Designers hang clothes on teenagers with gangly limbs and baby faces and women feel more pressure to stay young. While I know it's unrealistic to expect Iris Apfel to strut down a runway, I do celebrate her views on beauty and life.

Oh, and don't get me started on those glasses, I can only dream I'm as cool as her in 70 years. This week's Not A Model Mantra comes from the dame herself. 

"I think you can be attractive at any age. I think trying to look like a spring chicken when you’re not makes you look ridiculous. I think if women put some more of the time and money they put on their heads in their heads, they’d be better off. "(iris apfel, as told to into the gloss)

The Vacationer

Imagine winning the paid opportunity to travel to a new place every month for an entire year?

Kate McKenna knows what it’s like. Kate won the Transat Vacationer contest and the chance to travel for a year, spending two weeks away of every month exploring a new place, and the other 2 weeks back at home.

When I sit down with Kate, she instantly tells me that she has a fear of flying, an odd characteristic for someone who applied to be a professional vacationer. She remembers crying her eyes out on a plane with her father right after she was short-listed for the contest. "He asked me what I would do if I actually won?" she says. The competition's main component was a video application, highlighting the person's qualifications that would make them the ultimate vacationer. "I really didn't think I would win," she says.

The thing about Kate is that despite her radiant appearance, (shiny, healthy hair and those bright, clear eyes), she's really earnest. You believe her when she says that she didn't think she would win, even though it's clear why she did.

Her destinations for the year included: Mexico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, the United Kingdom, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey. It would be easy to assume that she was followed around with a camera crew during her journey, but she created all of the 111 videos herself. “My photography skills really improved. I was proud of the videos I made. It was a form of storytelling for me,"she says.

Kate explains that she loved reading the comments on her videos and blogs and was surprised by the large response she received from fans. Every adventure she participated in (from hot air ballooning in Turkey, to Edinburgh castle touring in Scotland) could be purchased through Transat.

While her whirlwind year-long adventure would leave any person reminiscing about sandy beaches or volcano climbing she explains, “Destinations are amazing, but it’s about the people." Finally, I ask her (warning: cliche interview question alert) to describe her entire experience in one word.

Kate waits a moment, swishes the question around in her head and responds, "Decadent."

To read all about Kate's adventures, head over to vacationerwanted.com and check out some of her photos below.

Streets in Havana, Cuba

 Dancers in Dominican Republic

 Fishing village in Puerto Morelos, Mexico

 Hot air balloon ride in Cappadocia, Turkey

The Lamb - Not A Model Photo Shoot

Meet Navi, my latest non-model!

We met almost a year ago, and bonded over the fact that we were both bright-eyed interns at new corporate jobs. Navi can be described as a social media guru/music journalist/scourer of all things vintage/and all around hilarious person to be friends with. She always has the latest music trend on-beat, and somehow manages to bring up her love of cats in every boardroom brainstorm.

Since I haven't done a shoot in a really long time, I was ready to get back into it. Navi has great style and not to mention a pretty cool bike, so I couldn't wait to photograph her. Her clothing credits include: top: vintage, trousers: the gap, shoes: joe fresh, watch: casio, bag: h&m.

It felt really good to get back to shooting and I'm excited to feature some new faces. If you know someone that you think should be on Not A Model, or if you'd like to be featured give me a shout at: write.notamodel[at]gmail.com

Lastly, you can keep up with Navi by following her on Twitter.

Enjoy!

Brunettes & Baubles

Meet my latest non-models!

I met Marissa when we interned together at FASHION Magazine a few years ago and I met Amanda in our media studies program in university. It's been awhile since I did a Not A Model photo shoot so I thought I'd combine a cafe catch-up and a shoot in one. Marissa and Amanda are best friends and stunners with natural never-dyed hair, dewy skin and contagious laughs. I couldn't resist the opportunity to photograph them for the blog and get back to shooting since I've been slacking in that department lately.

So check them out! I'm happy with the results and these photos make me want to cut the fingers off my gloves, buy 100 rings and never dye my hair again.

Note: Please forgive the lack of a Not A Model sign, it got crumpled under a pile of magazines and I haven't had the chance to make a new one. xx

[Amanda left, Marissa right]

Carlucci Designs & My Favourite Dresses

Are you intimidated by that upscale department store? Do you have a big event coming up and can't afford that 4 digit price tag?

Not A Model sat down with Canadian fashion designer Juliana Carlucci and stylist/boutique-owner/dress guru Trisha Mishich to talk gowns and girls. 

Mishich is the owner of My Favourite Dresses, a luxury dress rental shop that offers clients the option to rent international and Canadian designer evening gowns for special events. Trisha dubs her business, "luxury on loan." The shop offers online dress rentals or in-person appointments at her condo in Toronto. The cost of a rental ranges from $50- $300 for 4 nights. "Even if a woman can't afford a designer dress, I want to be able to give her the experience of wearing one," she says. My Favourite Dresses boasts evening wear from Canadian designers such as Marika Brose, Joeffer Caoc and lastly Carlucci.

Carlucci by Juliana Carlucci is an evening dress collection designed by Ryerson fashion design graduate Juliana Carlucci. Carlucci uses imported fabrics for her designs and creates each dress by hand. Her attention to detail varies from hand-sewn silk flowers to Swarovski crystal beading. Her latest gown collection can be rented at My Favourite Dresses or purchased by contacting her directly. The collection (below) is named after all the important women in her life. Carlucci explains that she wants to, "dress the average woman and eventually provide a really good size range so women don't feel left out when shopping."

 

Carlucci (left)

Trisha (left) Juliana (right)

After the interview, we all thought it would be best for me to try on one of the dresses to get the full experience. I chose the "Leah" (rental $155) which is named after one of Juliana's best friends.

As soon as I tried the dress on, I felt glamourous. While it looks 'cutesy' and sweet on the rack, it is anything but. The back is much lower than I anticipated, and it hugged my body like it was made for me. My favourite part is the large fan accent on the front. Below is my gala moment. (Keep in mind I went from schlepy writer mode to red carpet ready with little prep in-between)

You can check out more rentals at My Favourite Dresses on Facebook and for more photos and the full collection check out Juliana at http://www.julianacarlucci.com/

Not A Model - Men's Style

Meet Daniel.

Daniel is like no other family friend my parents force me to be polite to. I've known him since I was a little girl, and my sister and I cancel plans if we know he's coming by. He can pick the perfect bag for you, gives great dating advice and dreams of running the streets with me in NYC. He can bust a move to Single Ladies and holds his own in any social soiree. 

He said it best over dinner recently, "Everyone should be like a rubik's cube, complex and colourful."

His sense of personal style is always spot-on and can never be duplicated. He's a natural in front of the camera, and while he's modeled before it's his spirit that makes him special. Check out those combat boots, baby.

Shoes- Wayne Cooper

Pants- Extinct
Sweater- Topman
Scarf- Mayday Market

Not A Model Street (uhh Subway) Style

While waiting for the subway, I noticed 20 year old Ting Zhang, as she brushed by me. Her cozy ash grey sweater, mismatched tights and stunning facial structure caught my attention.

I'll admit I'm still not used to approaching strangers for photographs, and Zhang was super shy and a bit apprehensive. I told her she could say no, as I handed her one of my mini- business cards. Zhang is from China and moved to Toronto to study first year management at The University of Toronto. 

When she finally agreed, she sweetly said, "Well, if you think I'm beautiful enough to have my picture taken, then sure." I think her photo speaks for itself.

Sweater: from China

Tights: American Apparel

Shoes: Birkenstock

Purse: Zara 

Start FRESH

Ruth Tal kicks tradition to the curb, one vegetable at a time.

Owner and creator of Fresh restaurants, and the co-author of three bestselling cookbooks with a fourth on the way, Tal knows a thing or two about staying healthy without sacrificing flavour. I sat down with her to talk vegetarianism, travel, entrepreneurship and life.

"I want people to feel energized, satisfied and fueled up without feeling heavy. I want them to leave knowing they did something good for themselves and the planet," she says.

Fresh restaurants offers gourmet vegetarian dining made from all natural ingredients. Tal switched to veganism when she started dating one. She noticed she wasn't feeling her best, so she cut dairy, meat and wheat from her diet. She suddenly had more energy and her body began to transform. While her and the beau didn't make it last, she remained a vegan and has been one for almost 20 years.

The results are evident. Tal's body is toned, trim and sculpted. She exudes all the signs of good health like bright eyes, clear skin and healthy hair. It's hard not to be envious. Tal's beauty also stems from her diverse background, she comes from Morrocan, Israeli, Spanish and French parents. She explains how her family trips took her all around the world at an early age. Tal sees herself as a, "citizen of the world" and everything about Fresh is inspired by her travels from the colour schemes to the names of items on the menu.

As a young traveller, she believes that all people should see the world and get out of their "comfort zones." At 16 years old, Tal dropped out of high school and at 18 she left home to travel the world for 7 years before returning to Toronto.

"Travelling keeps it fresh," she fittingly says, no pun intended.

At 25, she was ready to start her university career but ended up using her student loans to buy juicers. The rest is history as her juicing business slowly turned into opening her own restaurant.

"If you have a passion, you can afford to take the risk," she says.

At the time she thought,"So what if I fail? I have time to make mistakes, I'm young. I'm supposed to be stupid and crazy."

Years later, her gumption paid off as she has three thriving restaurants, published cookbooks and an outlook on life that is contagious, carefree and should be bottled up and sold to uptight cynics everywhere.

Her life motto? "I just want to be happy and be myself. Live my life authentically, honestly. Oh and I want to stay young forever." 

So far so good.

[photo cred: Stefania Sgambelluri]

Check out the three locations of Fresh located at Spadina Ave, Bloor St W. and Queen St. W in Toronto.

*After talking to Ruth I left inspired to go after things that I've been putting off for months, years even. If there is a time to do anything it's now. Everyone who is hesitating going after a dream, don't think just do. We'll rise or fall together. Either way, we tried*

Admit it, your neck is lonely

Elena Tari will make the world colourful again.

Tari is a Fashion Design student at Ryerson University, heading into her third year. At 20 years old, Tari explains she was first into drawing and painting before she got into fashion.

"Fashion is like art, you have an idea and sketch it out in the same way," she says. 

She enjoys pop art (as I could tell by the giant mural on her wall) and her favourite designers are Betsey Johnson and Gwen Stefani. She started creating her own designs when she took a sewing class in high school. "I like designers who use lots of colour," she says.

Despite her talent Tari is a little too modest, "I'm not interesting enough for an interview," she insists. I beg to differ. Her positive demeanour (she's always smiling) and bright outlook on her craft is inspiring. My eyes didn't know where to look as I wandered around her basement studio.

Her most recent project is a scarf line that came about from her desire to use up all the extra pieces of fabric she had lying around. At the interview, I explained to her how I recently tried on a scarf made from the flimsiest material priced at $98.00! Tari's scarves are fun, handmade and best of all they come at a price that is economical. For only $10-$15 you can own one of her designs.

 

That's less than a week's worth of coffee!! I scooped up the army green t-shirt material one with the beads. I can't wait to bust it out for fall.

If interested in owning one for yourself, or for more information or customization contact her at: elena.tari@ryerson.ca. 

Trust me your neck will thank you! 

Sixteen & Definitely Sweet

What happened when I sat down with five high school girls and talked beauty, body image and style?

Alas, I'm getting ahead of myself. Last week, I was interviewed by 16 year-old Bronte Martin for the fall issue of Off the Map (OTM) zine. I couldn't believe this confident, long legged girl wasn't even out of high school. After the interview I thought it would be a good idea to ask Bronte if she and a few friends would want to be featured on Not A Model.

I met with Nicolette, Cassie, Sophie, Stephanie and Bronte at a cafe in the Toronto Beaches to start the interview. I was impressed with how relaxed, confident and happy-in-their-own-skin they all were. I don't remember looking that stylish or put together at 16.

When I asked the girls about the pressures they feel to look a certain way, they all had different but similar answers. Most of them agreed that while there is pressure, it is mostly external and comes from friends, boys or other people's commentary. Nicolette said her two biggest pressures are the media and school. Stephanie said that she finds she can put pressure on herself. They all agreed that while they have flaws, they try to focus on the positive, and as they get older they gain more confidence. (It's only going to get better, I told them).

One of the best things I noticed was that they seem to feed off each other to build confidence and stay grounded. They all cited their friendship as the reason why they don't spend too much time worrying about their looks. I asked them to write down one thing about themselves physically that they liked, and one thing about their personality that they liked. They were stunned, nervous and no one wanted to play this game. I then asked them to say the exact same thing about the person sitting beside them. They found that super easy. I took out large sheets of paper (like in Kindergarten) and coerced them to write.

I told them that the same nice things they could say about their friends were probably true about themselves. No one was going to think they were conceited. Everyone should be able to point out things about themselves that make them special, because (as cheesy as it sounds) everyone has something that makes them great. 

So I ask you to find the words they chose in *drumroll* Not A Model's first video blog!! Shooting videos and short films could be something that I start doing in the future. Although this video is a little shaky and forgive my cliche "rough around the edges," I had a great time filming it. I promised the girls that I would try to make something of the footage... so enjoy! 

Not A Model- Sixteen Video from Amanda DiPaq on Vimeo.

I want to thank all the girls for a fantastic day. I am passionate about mentoring and talking to young girls. Eventually, I want to start my own Not A Model program and be able to travel to elementary or high schools and speak to large groups of girls. I would love to write a book and have an army of non-models who want to express how they feel about beauty, life and self-esteem. Until then..

'Not A Model' is a state of mind. Live it. Embrace it. Be yourself.