Gary Lamkin, age 28, did his first stand up set at the age of 16 in “The Great Canadian Laugh Off” and he’s been going ever since. Now based in Toronto, Gary continues to make audiences laugh with his effective blend of material and improvisational crowd work. He was featured for the first time on television when he was 18; on the show “Comedy In The City” and has headlined and toured in various parts of Canada. He has also completed 2 years of training at Humber’s “Comedy Writing and Performance”’program. He hosts his own podcast “The Hump Day Podcast” which is available on iTunes/Spotify.
As hosts of these Humpday Wednesday YYZ events, Matt and I try to step it up with a little #casualcosplay as a nod to each film we’ve chosen to screen.
I got a chance to reuse part of my nun costume worn for the sound of music cosplay a few years ago. Just paired my homemade-sewed-by-moi nun’s habit with a black short sleeved frock from Shein…the delicate eyelit hem just gives this simple dress oomph!
Your Hosts of The Comedy Cinema: Luchador Announcer Matt Duffy and Sister Mary Irene
We still have tons more funny flicks lined up next week and beyond for the rest of the year – hope you’ll come join us for one, some or ALL of our Humpday Wednesday fun with the.ComedyCinema! Get your tickets now!
What I Wore: This lace and mesh duster overtop of an Ashley Gram slip-dress with little brown bootiesCheckout my Popcorn 🍿 earrings!
Super fun time coming up with Casual Cosplay for this classic funny flick
We still have tons more funny flicks lined up next week and beyond for the rest of the year – hope you’ll come join us for one, some or ALL of our Humpday Wednesday fun with the.ComedyCinema! Get your tickets now!
What’s old is new again and all that. The last concert of the summer, I took it to another level when I attended the Toronto date of Aqua, Prozzak and Whigfield’s Rewind Tour at Echo Beach.
Prozzak!
That’s Whigfield….singing about Saturday Night
It was a Saturday night so I now have had the delightful experience of hearing Whigfield’s famous song, Saturday Night, on a Saturday night!
I couldn’t go back in time without the look to match it, now could I?
Why yes, that is a little bit Britney influenced 🙂
Although the September air was little chilly, I rocked this baby blue Gingham checkered two piece. The concert was on a beach so I was damn well going to wear a beach outfit, 16° temperatures or not!
As it was a ‘90s bra look the bra, from additionElle was peekaboo-ing out the front to really add to the fun, sexy feel of the outfit.
The jelly shoes were purchased in Malaysia. You can read about those shoes and that trip here. The white purse belt was from Forever21.
Topping off the look was the Pom Pom accessories in the hair. They were re-purposed clip-on shoe embellishments from Aldo’s end of season sales.
The look proved to be a real head turner, which all kinds of folks asking for a photo with Brit during the evening.
How’d I Get The Look: 2pc gingham set from Forever21+, jellyshoes from travels in Malaysia, pom poms from Aldo, white lace bra from AdditionElle.
All and all it was a fun, throwback night with a fun retro look to match. With ‘90s retro becoming more and more popular you should shop your closet to find the gems ready to make a re-appearance!
You really can’t ever dress properly to keep it cute and combat the weather you’ve got to endure in The6ix these days. A few weeks ago I was invited to a birthday party — a Joggers Soca Winter Boat Cruise upon the Empress of Canada.
The boat wasn’t as um, Empress-like as its name implied… but the event did have 2 floors of dancing DJ’d fun to be had… AND apparently everyone’s ticket came with food (which they ran out of before our birthday loving toop could get any)
Um, looks like this empress needs a wash and paint job.
Those ominous clouds above held off for the most part … buuuut there was a sudden 7-min storm that totally wrecked some parts of the city. Including the party guests on the top deck of the boat…like US!
Once that was behind us, it was lit on the top deck as we floated around the lake catching views and busting moves!
Below are the many looks that took place as the weather and dancing lead to removal of layers and drowned-wet-rat hair. 😀
There were surprisingly a ton of people on this boat that were “blasts from my past” … gotta love those unexpected catch-ups of faces you haven’t seen in more than 10-15 years!
The day was pretty great dancing, drinking and floating with the birthday girl and the team that love her.
Me and the Birthday Girl as the sunsets on Toronto
Now that you know what I did, curious about what I wore to this Soca Joggers Winter Boat Cruise?
What I Wore
Y’all know I’m the biggest sports fan … and dressing “sporty” is a piece of cake for me. (**written dripping in sarcasm** ) #gosports
I really didn’t want to have to be worried about a jacket while on this boat. So layers was the name of the game for outfit strategy!
I found this cropped TFC sweatshirt from Winners a few days AFTER having attended my very first soccer game. So I was thrilled to have an excuse to wear this top somewhere where I’d stand out more than among crowded stands of similarly dressed fans.
Photo credit: Joel Colbourne
I wore a simple ribbed black tank underneath a plain white tee to give me warmth layers.
My bottoms are my very first pair of jeaggings (jean leggings) … in black…rolled up cuz I’m short. With my wedge high-top black kicks and red mini-crossbody that’s just large enough for my cellphone, money, sunnies and lipgloss. Keeping me free to ‘jump up’ for all the soca fete ‘big chune’ goodness. **insert loud horn noise here**
When you’re trying to take pictures for the blog…and swarm of handsome men come photobomb you. 🙂
How I Got The Look: TFC cropped hoodie, Winners; Round sunnies, Public Butter; Thin Cross-body purse, Necessities; Jeggings, Penningtons; High-top kicks, NineWest (layers of black tank and white tee both from Old Navy)
Photo credit: Joel Colbourne
Would you take a Winter Boat Cruise around the Toronto Harbour?
What did you think of my outfit strategy for this event?
Use the comment section below and tell me your thoughts!
Recently, there’s been news of a Harry Potter themed bar and restaurant in TORONTO called The Lockhart.
So a bunch of us tried to pay this spot a visit earlier this month.
Which meant…I needed an outfit to pay homage to the series.
I rounded up all the pieces I had with OWLS on it…complete with tee, socks and earrings.
And here’s what I came up with:
How I Got The Look: Striped sweater & skirt, Reitmans (click here for other looks); Owl-Night-Long tee, La Vie En Rose; Owl socks, Ardene; Shoes, Winners
Sadly, this was the best I could do from my current closet of offerings for a “Harry Potter Look”. 😦
However, click here to find some fabulous Harry-inspired pieces that you might need in your life.
For some reason my iPhone self-timer was not cooperating …and my iPhone case kept causing the phone to fall over mid-picture taking.
So here’s a series of ‘oops’, while I tried to showcase my outfit for ya 🙂
It was a perfect night to be sans jacket … so instead I just grabbed this foxy scarf I picked up on sale at Suzy Shier many moons ago, instead…to add some warmth if needed.
And now… for THE LOCKHART!
The below picture is as close as I got to experience Hogwarts in Toronto. The line up was crazy! And after an hour of waiting … we gave up for libations elsewhere.
But I was definitely curious about what I missed … so here’s a bit of research I found for your reading pleasure:
After AN HOUR standing in this line…this was as close to The Lockhart we could get. We decided to quit waiting as soon as a few of us felt rain drops on our heads.
THIS was the ridiculous lineup for Lockhart…an entire city block. Guess this city houses way more Harry Potter nerdy fans than we thought 🙂
Unfortunately, we never did get a seat at The Lockhart that night. Nor have we made our way back again.
Can you believe we’re at the beginning of September already!? Geez….
And with the end of the month comes another culinary blogpost sharing my mis/adventures in the kitchen 🙂
My main mission for 2015 is a simple one: Getting and Staying Happy. In order to achieve this lofty goal I applied a START-STOP-CONTINUE approach. And so I’ve decided to START cooking more.
Earlier this month, a gf of mine told me about a little service called CHEF’S PLATE – a fab service that has fresh ingredients & delicious recipes delivered weekly to your door!
As much as I love cooking, it can sometimes be overwhelming never really knowing how much of an ingredient to buy and have it go bad in your fridge before you get to use it all up. And if you’re like me, often you fall into a rut of always cooking the same ol’ thing.
Chef’s Pate gets you unique dishes already planned out for you, with zero wasted food!
Here’s how it works…
They create 6 weekly menu options and put all the pieces you need to create them for you..
You pick out how many meals you want delivered: 2, 2-servings meals OR 3, 2-seving meals.
They deliver the exact ingredients you need to your door.
You cook the food and eat the food.
It’s Freakin’ Brilliant!
A recap of my very first order on the last week of August…
My First Order
I used a referral code from a gf …which gave her 2 meals for free….. and it got me 4 meals for FREE!!!!
(Do YOU want 4-free-meals too? Use this Referral Code: #PETITEPLUSMEOW and Click here)
On Monday afternoon, a delivery man came right up to my apt door and delivered a refrigerated box of food:
Inside my box was the exact ingredients to make 3, 2-serving meals. Here’s what I ordered and cooked up my very first week:
MEAL 1: CHARRED AVOCADO AND CUMIN SPICED QUINOA SALAD with kidney beans and red bell peppers
The prep. READ the entire cooking card fully before you being. This way you can get all the pans/knives/bowls ready to roll before you get your hands dirty.
This meal was rated “EASY” …and I have to agree, it was. Took less than 30-mins to get all the pieces prepped and ready. It was perfect for lunchtime, with leftovers for another meal during the week.
Total calories per serving: 725
The Final Results – Platted!
MEAL 2: PISTACHIO CRUSTED STEAK with smashed fingerling potatoes and dino kale
Now this meal was a bit more difficult than the first. It required both oven and stove, and my slap-chop for chopping up the nuts.
But in the end … look at how beautiful this steak turned out.
THIS was my favourite meal of the week!!!! So delicious! And the leftover portions were just as tasty!
Took just about 30-mins also … and was 730 calories per serving 🙂
The Final Results – pictured perfect, right? Soo good!
MEAL 3: PAN SEARED SNAPPER over THAI BLACK RICE served with steamed broccolini
This last one was a bit more challenging also – but so long as you read and follow the steps as the card says, you’ll be fine!
This was my first time cooking Thai Black Rice. Cooking it in the rich coconut milk added such amazing savoury flavours to the fish and broccolini.
This one was also about 30-mins from prep-to cook-into my mouth and was 830-calories per serving. 🙂
The Final Results. Check me out …getting much better at the platting huh, like a REAL Chef 🙂
Curious to see how much do you ACTUALLY save with Chef’s Plate vs. Buying your own groceries?
You can visit my Instagram page and look for the hashtag #PPMeowCooks for more adventures in my kitchen.
I just got THIS week’s refrigerated box delivery with brand new meal ideas within!
Can’t wait to get cooking – stay tuned to my Instagram channel to see how they turn out
So, you think YOU wanna try it? Get your 1st FOUR meals for free by usingthis linkfriends! You’re Welcome!!!
I’ve also created a sub-menu on my homepage under REVIEWS on the homepage for you – my readers – to find them easily…and hopefully try a few yourself. 🙂
Oooooo! This summer has been filled with mini travel adventures.
There was an excellent seat sale on Porter.ca … So I decided to spend a little over a week in Ottawa, Canada’s capital city over…
Canada Day Long Weekend!!
Here’s a recap of what I didANDwhat I wore …when I remembered to take pictures 🙂
Oh, Ottawa…. so many monuments, buildings, pretty views and beavertails to enjoy. For outfit deets in these pics…click here 🙂
Things To Do In Ottawa!
This may have been my first visit to this Big-Little City as an adult. And I have to say it is beautiful in the summer!!!
The first half of the week I stayed with friends right in The Byward Market. Within an area of roughly four blocks, you’ll find museums, cafés, specialty food shops, boutiques, galleries, restaurants, pubs, salons and more! Often there are musical buskers performing and so many patios to sample! I did my fair share of sampling a few afternoon pints and bites throughout my week there.
There was one spot that had a fabulous Brunch menu – called Lieutenants Pump Pub. For my food review click here.
Brunches were meant for mimosas, eggs benny, babies and old friends 🙂
And I finally got to wear my flamingo summer frock I picked up from Tatyana Boutique on WQW, Toronto.
It got oh-so many compliments from strangers all throughout the meal and beyond 😀
Flamingo dress from Tatyana Boutique
I found a delightful shop called Workshop Studio & Boutique – who had so many fab unique pieces!! I definitely wanted to support the local handmade loveliness.. ❤
Check out a few trinkets I picked up for myself 🙂 If only the frocks they carried were larger I would have spent a fortune in there. Le sigh… #plussizeplease
Oh Yeah those are flamingo ceramic earrings you’re looking at…and button earrings and pins…the cutest!
I had excellent summer weather the first half of my trip…which meant there needed to be a dedicated Lazy, Hazy, Beach Day!!! 🙂
Mooney’s Bay Parkseemed to be a super popular summer destination for swimmers, rowers, and volleyball players.
The beach is located on the east shore of the Rideau River just south of Carleton University. There appeared to be a lots of set-up happening for Dragon Boat Racing when I was there too.
Outfit deets: Swim coverup, Old Navy; Hat picked up in my travels to Malaysia earlier this year.
If you’ve been following me on Instagram, then you know that I’ve been on A BABY TOUR the last few months.
Nearly all of my long-time friends have coupled off, started having babies and often moving far, far away.
Baby Bonanza of a Summer!
The first half of my trip was spent catching up with a gf AND her adorable little fella ❤
Mornings were spent with Dora the Explorer. The Wiggles. Elmo & friends. Thomas the Tank Engine. Bubble Guppies.
Bubble Guppies…Bubble Bubble Guppies.
Oh yes…that tune was my jam … this song kept playing in my head all week and beyond friends. It’s so freakin’ catchy 🙂
And I was lucky enough to have him as my beach date!!
Look at him in his stylish swimwear and whale-printed matching sun hat ❤
OK…if you haven’t had one of these PalmBay frozen cocktails yet this summer…get yourself to a LCBO stat!!!! WARNING: Goes down way too easily **hiccup**
Swing Dancing. You know I needed to checkout the lindy hop scene in this city! There seems to be two big nights of swing dancing weekly in Ottawa:
Hosted by Swing Dynamite, SNS features two lessons (an introductory lesson and a specialty lesson) and social dancing till 1:00 am. Doors open at 8:15 pm, lessons start at 8:30. Social dancing starts at 9:15 pm. For more info please visit http://www.saturdaynightswing.com/
This is what I wore for Friday night dancing, click here for outfit deets
This is what I wore Saturday night dancing. Outfit deets: Dress from Old Navy , Jellyshoes from my Asia trip
Did you know that there are many FREE passes to various Ottawa sites and museums that can be checked out at the local library?
Want the experience of flight but prefer to keep your feet on the ground? Here is your chance to sit at the controls of an aircraft without taking off! Friendly, knowledgeable Museum staff will assist you in boarding one of three cockpits:
the Tutor (CT-114)
the CF-18
the MIG-21
Don’t ask me which one is which. I have no clue. I just wanted to sit in as many cool planes as they’d let me!
We chose to explore the Museum’s amazing collection at our own pace and moved from aircraft and exhibitions as throughly as we wanted. Which meant we had plenty of time for cheesy tourist photo ops like the below shot 😉
You really do need an entire day there.
So maybe the below plane was in a roped off section … but I managed to sweet talk one of the volunteers to let us into the area 😉
I really, really, really wanted to sit in this wee plane.
Learn how an ejection seat can save a pilot’s life. Listen as the Museum’s enthusiastic guides describe the ups and downs of ejecting from a fighter jet.
Then, sit in an authentic ejection seat and learn how pilots use this essential piece of equipment. Like I did below 🙂It was pretty cool discovering Canada’s contributions to aviation from the days of early aviation to the jet age and on into space exploration.
I highly recommend visiting this museum if you get a chance!
No “Irene vacation” is complete without a day-o-SHOPPING!!! 😉
With the Canadian Dollar doing so poorly these days, I’ve been avoiding my cross-boarder shopping trips.
But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that Ottawa has an outlet mall: Tanger Outlet
Now…the shops selection was decent, but there weren’t too many “deal-deals”, if you know what I mean.
But I did find a few gems that followed me home:
Fringed purse, with option cross-body strap was from Aldo for $20!!! BONUS: They shipped it to my home in Toronto for FREE!
These crisp white loafers with gold piping detail were from Naturalizer, for only $20!!!
CANADA DAY-o-Fun!
Oh man! As a proud Canadian…I was super excited to be spending Canada Day in my Nation’s Capital!!!! The crowds and crowds of people dressed in all kinds of patriotic get-ups ALL DAY LONG. The concerts on Parliment Hill. The close up fireworks! It really is something to see and be apart of ❤ ❤ ❤
Naturally, that meant there was outfit planning to be done…and here’s what I put together for my Canada Day look:
Outfit deets: T-shirt, Old Navy; Headbands and Moose Earrings, Ardene
Now….it should be noted that the below look lasted exactly 22-mins 😦
As soon as we got out of the car, picked up our Starbucks and began heading for Parliament Hill —- it began to POUR!!! Raining cats and dogs, and squirrels and raccoons and the like. It was madness.
We did our best to get ourselves back and hid under a giant patio umbrella, until my gf’s hubs could turn the car around and pick us up again. #wettshirtcontest
Did you know that on Canada Day, entry to museums are free? Thank goodness for that…cuz we needed somewhere to spend the day drying off so we could be ready for the evening fireworks!
Three proud patriotic, rained-on Canadians, ready to explore the War Museum on Canada Day
There was a special exhibition called:Gladiators and the Colosseum – Death and Glory.
What would you have seen at the gladiatorial games, nearly 2,000 years ago? Maybe you would have seen an emperor, a helmet, or a crocodile?
You can see it all in this special exhibition, complete with a guidebook to help you find all the stops along the way and collect the stamps to discover what you would have seen at these ancient games.
Introducing Gladiator Ireneus!
For dinner, we stopped for a proper Canadian dinner: POUTINE from Smoke’s Poutinerie
I splurged with the Prime Beef Deluxe Poutine …mmmmm
As dusk approached, we made our way to Parliament Hill, to be amongst the crowds …
We even got to watch a few musical performances Canada Day Concert on the Hill. Pretty good sightless, considering 🙂
And last but not least, there were fireworks and impromptu group singing of O’Canada ❤
Happy Birthday Canada!! 148 Years Young!
Are you following me on INSTAGRAM? If so, you’ve likely seen a few more pics and video clips as I took them during my trip.
Search for the hashtag: PPMeowTravelsto see more of my adventures there. Thanks for following and reading 🙂
What a pretty view…even with overcast skies. The Ottawa river’s Gatineau shore
If you’re planning a summer city getaway, hope you’ll check out this beautiful city!
TOMORROW – Tuesday June 2nd – Toronto’s Bean and Baker Malt ShopOFFICIALLY open their doors for business!!
Owners Liezel and Brennan Anderson, a husband and wife team, invite you into their mom n’ pop style establishment for an experience that is nostalgic as it is charming.
Team Bean and Baker decided to move the Grand Opening to early June, when the massive demand during their soft opening week SOLD OUT of their entire supply of ice cream without making it through an entire business day. 🙂
Clearly, a good sign of things to come … Torontonians know what they want. And they want what Bean and Baker Malt Shop’s got!
Me with the delightful owners Liezel and Brennan Anderson, of Bean and Baker Malt Shop and the lovely leggy Liz, of The Vintage Inn Blog.
I was lucky enough to be invited to an exclusive blogger sneak-peek event last week, along with friend and fellow blogger Liz, from The Vintage Inn.
So here’s the inside scoop on what you can expect from this lovely little gem-of-a-spot in a great neighbourhood of Toronto.
How thrilled was I to finally have a reason to wear my pink felt poodle skirt?! Yippee!!!
The 16-seat establishment is charming and decorated in a retro 1950’s style. Customers can sit inside or grab-and-go.
Also, there are rumours that a few picnic benches may pop-up over the summer too. 😉
It features an open-concept kitchen and Soda Jerks behind the counter complete with a bowtie and a smile, as they provide good, honest food and drinks with top-notch quality ingredients.
The smiling Soda Jerks and open-style kitchen
Being a blogger definitely has its perks 😉
We were offered a sampling of all the amazing treats which included savouries like Wisey’s mini mince beef & cheese pies, veggie savoury pie and the veggie quiche.
Then came sweets! ❤
There was the warm cherry pie pocket, dark chocolate eclair, and the old school PB&J pie.
And last, but certainly not least, the Hello Dolly Square – O.M.G. so good!
The menu also features premium coffee, ice cream, floats and milkshakes.
Ice Cream Sundaes made anyway you like and with any kind of Ed’s Ice Cream.
It was this evening that I discovered the Burnt Marshmallow flavour. And let me tell ya folks, it is life changing! I have no idea how I’ve gotten through 30+ years of living without knowledge of this ice cream flavour …
Viva la Burnt Marshmallow! Mmmmmmmmm!
Is it just me, or is anybody wondering what the heck ‘malt’ actually is?
The term malt comes from the malted milk that made the shops famous. Brothers James and William Horlick invented malted milk in the 1880s. The concoction is a mixture of malted barley, wheat flour, and whole milk that is dried to a powder form. It was originally invented for use with infants and invalids to be an easy source of nutrition, something akin to powdered baby formulaor milk. The taste found popularity in soda shops, and even greater popularity when mixed with ice cream.
Here they are – Malt Shakes made with whatever ice cream your little heart desires! These were in mini form for the blogger event – yours will come in the traditional size 😉
One of the coolest things about Bean and Baker is their handmade sodas made by authentic Soda Jerks, with flavours ranging from Root ‘n Cola, Gramp’s Ginger, Real Orange, and Hibiscus.
Ever wonder what those long swirly spoons were for? Watch the video below and wonder no more friends 🙂
Thank you to everyone at Bean and Baker for making this event so delicious and so much fun!
If you’d like to read the Bean and Baker Malt Shop official news release and The Vintage Inn’s review, click here.
Mmmmmmm…..House-crafted Soda….delicious!
“10 Most Anticipated Restaurant Openings of 2015” This retro malt shop is slated to open this spring at 326 Harbord St., the address formerly occupied by the Bickford Flexitarian (and before that Linuxcaffe). The shop to be stocked with old school soda fountains, ice cream, baked goods and confections. – Blogto.com
What a cool, fun addition to the TO vintage landscape!!! You got to get to there!!! 😀
Bean and Baker Malt Shop is located at: 326 Harbord St, in Toronto
Hours of operation are Tuesday – Saturday: 11 am 9 pm, Sunday: 11 am 7 pm, Monday Closed.
Oh man – this past weekend was a fun one! I had the pleasure of celebrating a stagette Salsa style!!!
The Lula Lounge (Dundas W/Duffrin Sts) in Toronto has a number of party packages, which makes celebrating a special event easy-peasy.
A gaggle of us -some more tipsy than others- with flowers in hair and penis-staws in hand …. visit my Instagram for that one friends 😉 … arrived for dinner (any appetizer + any main + any dessert), a beginner salsa lesson and then got to dance the night away to three sets by the live salsa orchestra (with a DJ in between sets.) And before the night was done, we were served up a round of Blushing Bride shooters!!! T.R.O.U.B.L.E. 😀
My Entree: Red Snapper over Polenta, with zucchini-corn-bean salad ~~~~~ My Dessert: Poached Pear. Delish!
Much thought had to be given to outfit choice for the evening. The MOH (matron of honour) assured us that there was no ‘theme’ requirement in the dress-code for the party she had planned, which naturally translated to:
Saturday Night Titty CityAttirewas encouraged and welcomed!!! 😛
I couldn’t find a hot pink hair flower …so feathers had to do 🙂
‘The Girls’, who too often are forced into hiding in an effort of making others more comfortable in their presence, extra precautions always need to be taken to keep them at demure levels of exposure.
But not tonight.
Tonight, “Thelma & Louise” (aka…’The Girls’) were coming out!!! STAND BACK!
All Black Everything – jumpsuit style!!!
The pants are a bit on the long side on my 5’2 bod. So this outfit only really works with a significant heeled shoe.
I picked up these black booties recently – while in search for sandals for my upcoming Asian Adventure – from Payless on sale for $33 and they work perfectly.
Now, I bought this all-black jumpsuit online, from Reitmans, just after Christmas. Buuuuuuut due to the amount of boobage I’ve avoided wearing it much. This one-piece has a sexy deep-v, back tie-up belt and nice broad sleeveless-shoulders to hide a supportive bra – requirement for fast paced salsa dancing.
And….there are pockets!!! Perfect for lip gloss, iPhone, credit card & ID. BOOM!
End of the night outfit shot — bridesmaids came to my hair flower aid 🙂
How I Got The Look: Black jumpsuit fromReitmans;Black booties from Payless; Necklace from SexyPlus Clothing; Earrings from Aldo; Hot pink feathered headband, gifted.
Salsa dancing with the Bride-To-Be + general stagette shenanigans. Fab Fun Saturday Night!
Now I wasn’t always a fan of the plus-sized jumpsuit. For more jumpsuit action on the blog ….click here and here and here.
The most familiar symbol of the “Roaring Twenties” is probably the flapper: a young woman with bobbed hair and short skirts, excessive makeup and jewellery, who drank, smoked and said “unladylike” things … and more sexually “free” than previous generations.
Some of the lovelies behind the Toronto Vintage Society
The fashions of the ’20s are one of my faves…but sadly extremely difficult to find in my size, and even harder to make look good on my body shape. The drop-waist isn’t something that I can pull off.
But I love me some fringe & feathers!!! So when I found this getup on sale at an online costume shop – it had to be mine! ❤
And there was finally a reason to wear it as Toronto Vintage Society hosted a Selfie Photo Booth at Palais Royale’s Winterlicous night of dinner and dancing!
I have to admit, this might be the most glamorous venue in Toronto!!! The Palais Royale Ballroom has been around for 92-years. This space is oh-so magical.
Winterlicious diners enjoying before the dancing begun.
Since I’m not the best with makeup application – I googled what a flapper in the 1920s would do and then tried to replicate it with what I had on hand. Here’s what I found and my results…
Volia! Me trying my hand at Gatsby makeup: base from PURMinerals, eyeshadows and blush from E.L.F., lipstick from MakeupForever, mascara fromYounique 3D Fiber Lashes (please ignore the hair curlers)
The best part of flapper wear…is all the accessories!!!
T-strap shoes from Naturalizer; feather headband came with the dress; earrings from Necessities; pearls and bracelets picked up at Toronto Vintage Clothing Show
And…with all the pieces together – TAH-DAH!!!
I was pleasantly surprised how well my hair worked out. There was a sh*t-ton of hairspray to keep these waves in. And I’m happy to report that the doo lasted pretty much the whole night…including post-event libations in the wee hours of the AM…which is pretty impressive with my thin hair, blustery winter weather and Lindy Hopping all night. 🙂
Now that I had the hair, makeup and outfit all done…..it was time to dance my feet off to the music of Alex Pangman!
Swing dancing to Alex Pangman + an excuse to get dressed up in 1920s garb – what better way to end the work week!
The Toronto Vintage Society had a fabulous Selfie Photo Booth set up, complete with fabulous authentic props!!!
Here’s a selection of moments captured “TVS-Selfie-Photo-Booth” style:
Dapper swing dancers romancing me for the camera – Giddy Up! 😉
All the fabulous vintage props at the TVS Photo Booth….
This fab pic of the Toronto Vintage Society gang – at our fab Selfie Photo Booth — tons more on Instagram #palaisroyaleballroom
It seems that the 1990s are everywhere right now.
As much as I love cooking, it can sometimes be overwhelming never really knowing how much of an ingredient to buy and have it go bad in your fridge before you get to use it all up. And if you’re like me, often you fall into a rut of always cooking the same ol’ thing.
It was pretty cool discovering Canada’s contributions to aviation from the days of early aviation to the jet age and on into space exploration.
I have to admit, this might be the most glamorous venue in Toronto!!! The Palais Royale Ballroom has been around for 92-years. This space is oh-so magical.
PPMeow! 
