Archive for Ashleigh Dempster & Amanda Blakley


Scene

The culture club: 6 expert tips for art-worthy vacation snaps

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The Culturites are currently aboard the Silver Spirit, Silversea Cruises’ newest ship. First port of call was Venice, followed by Croatia and Greece. So far we can’t complain given we have a butler looking after our every whim, 24 hour room service, Frette linens, an in-room entertainment system featuring hundreds of complimentary movies on demand, champagne around the clock and 5-star cuisine. (You can follow our adventure at thesocietyglobal.tumblr.com.)

One thing we can’t leave home without when travelling are our Canon PowerShot cameras, but what we’ve learned from past experience is that snapshots are one thing, good documentary photos from your trip are another.

So before we set sail, we asked our dear friend and one of our city’s most talented young photographers (who just shot one Culturite’s wedding in Bahamas), Tory Zimmerman (toryzimmerman.com), to give us six tips to help us capture the best for our (and your) travel photography collection:

Don’t take photos—make photos! Play around with your camera’s manual settings and get to know its pre-programmed ones.  Most digital cameras (even point and shoots) have exposure settings you can play with, have manual focus allocation points and settings that you can employ. Try the sepia toning, try underexposing, try longer exposures. Don’t let the camera be the brain–you can make your own decisions! Read more »


Scene

The culture club: 6 tips for becoming an art collector

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Noel Vasquez/WireImage/Getty Images

Collecting art can seem daunting, unapproachable and, in many cases, simply out of our reach. Yet, when you ask seasoned collectors how they started, many of them say that they bought their first piece in their 20s or 30s. So how to begin when you are young, working hard and have only a small amount of disposable income?

We asked a dear friend and avid art collector this question over a cup of coffee in Toronto. He provided us with the handy list below (and trust us when we say this is coming from a real expert): Read more »


Scene

The culture club: Top 6 spots for an L.A. getaway

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the Bar Marmont at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood

L.A.'s Bar Marmont

We Culturites are just coming off the high of a successful event in L.A. where we hosted an exhibit of Yvan Rodic’s (a.k.a The Facehunter) street style photographs in a private penthouse at the W Residences in West Hollywood with a very full house of interesting and over the top chic Angelenos.  Here are some of our favourite spots in the city:

Sleep: Sunset Tower Hotel (8358 Sunset Blvd., 323-654-7100, sunsettowerhotel.com)  Stay here for the old world charm, un-pretentious service, the chicken apple breakfast sausage and the intimate pool area and patio (jazz music included). The rooms are comfortable and well appointed, and who knows, you may even spot Jennifer Aniston (word has it that this is her home away from home). The Sunset Tower has always been a favorite hang-out for Hollywood royalty.

Eat: Pace (2100 Laurel Canyon Blvd., 323-654-8583, peaceinthecanyon.com) Named for the Italian word for peace, Pace is a unassuming little joint nestled in Laurel Canyon. Though low-key in atmosphere, it manages to pack a large punch when it comes to its customers and menu. It’s a favorite for the young celebrity set, but there’s not one paparazzo in sight–imagine that! Read more »


Scene

The culture club: Our 6 favourite Toronto restos right now

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Gus Giazitzidis and Peter Tsebelis' Italian spot, Buca

We can’t help smiling lately with the advent of so many wonderful new restaurants springing up (or old favourites refreshing their menus). When putting together a recent reco list for visiting friends, we felt spoiled for choice. Here are some of our favourites right now:

With years under his belt as a successful bar owner–does a little place called Amber ring a bell?–Toufik Sarwa recently exploded onto our radar with the launch of Cinq o1 (501 College St., 416-964-1555). We love that he is always around to greet his guests with a warm handshake or a kiss kiss.

David Minicucci and Sam Kalogiros are no strangers to the Toronto restaurant world. The owners of two of our fave local hangouts, L’Unita (134 Avenue Rd., 416-964-8686) and Malena (102 Avenue Rd., 416-964-0606) know how to create  a neighborhood bistro–a killer combination of amazing fresh food, great energy and inviting, cozy nooks. Read more »


Scene

The culture club: Top 6 things to do on a lazy Sunday afternoon

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Check out Banana Girls at the Ryerson University Film Festival

The work week is over, weekend chores are done, and if you’re one to engage in festive merrymaking on Saturday evenings, Sunday afternoons are usually reserved for repose. However, with the promise of summer sunshine peaking out from just around the bend, Fellow Culturite and intern at The Society Global, Nicole Schaeffer, has recommended her leisurely activities to get you off the couch and out of the house!

An occasional serving of even the trashiest, most self-indulgent, excessive of tabloids can be a healthy break from navigating through office memos and monstrous reply-all threads. Spending an afternoon cloistered in a book shop is a fine way to spend a rainy Sunday. Honestly, is there anything better than cracking the spine of an unopened book? If you’re looking for something meatier than US Weekly, Culturites are currently reading Vicky Ward’s chronicle of the end of Lehman Brothers, The Devil’s Casino.

One part childhood nostalgia mixed with one part sangria seems to equate to an afternoon of juvenile delights. Delving into some basement boxes should yield a variety of options to engage in a round of board games with buds. Remember Gumdrop Mountain from Candy Land? Or Miss Scarlett from Clue? In fact, we spent last Saturday night (and early Sunday morning) playing Trivial Pursuit at Julie’s Snack Bar (202 Dovercourt Rd., 416-532-7397, juliescuban.com) over a feast of Cuban food and mojitos! Read more »


Shopping

The culture club: 6 stylish spring finds

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Jewellry from Shay Lowe Design

As a follow-up to last week’s shopping post, we’ve rounded up some great spring pieces to freshen up your look.

Click the images below to read about our picks

Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakley are the co-founders of The Society Global, a social club with chapters in Toronto, New York and L.A. (and coming this month to Miami). For more info on The Society Global, visit their website, thesocietyglobal.com, or follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/culturites.



Fashion

The culture club: 6 spots for spring wardrobe cleaning

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The White Space at the Bay

There weren’t any April showers to actually bring May flowers this year, but you can still undertake your annual out-with-old and in-with-the-new regimen. Here are our 6 (mostly Toronto) spots for this year’s spring cleaning.

The White Space at the Bay Queen Street ( 176 Yonge St., 416-861-9111, hbc.com) The Bay was our little fashion secret weapon, but as of late it seems our secret is out of the bag with their new contemporary space, The White Room. With lines like Opening Ceremony, McQ, Haniiy, and Sonia by Sonia Rykiel we simply cannot get enough.

Net-a-porter.com (net-a-porter.com) If your mantra is that less is more, this is a great place to splurge on a few special articles to take your spring wardrobe to the next level.

69 Vintage Collective (1207 Bloor St. W., 416-516-1234, 69vintage.com) For your vintage staples (leather shorts, worked in denim shirts, Levi’s and clutches) let this be your first and only stop. Each piece has been lovingly selected and it shows!

Finn Boutique (1 Yorkville Ave., 416-961-0101, finnboutique.com) This shop stocks some of the cleanest and most fashion forward Canadian lines around. The proprietor, Amalie Bruun, is passionate about cut and craft and it shows when she tells you lovingly about all of the amazing goods she stocks in this white, minimalist boutique.

Gee Beauty (2 Roxborough St. W., 416-486-0080, geebeauty.com) The team at Gee have impeccable taste and personally curate the collection of accessories, products and spring must-haves. Our personal faves at the beauty spot cum lifestyle boutique: Trove Tkees flip flops and Jenny Bird leather wrist bands.

Forever 21 (various locations, forever21.com) The accessories and colours are always right on trend, and an easy way to update any spring wardrobe.

Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakley are the co-founders of The Society Global, a social club with chapters in Toronto, New York and L.A. (and coming this month to Miami). For more info on The Society Global, visit their website, thesocietyglobal.com, or follow them on Twitter at twitter.com/culturites.


Fashion

The Culture Club: Top 6 Brooklyn shopping stops

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The window displays at Dear Fieldbinder

We worked up an appetite for Brooklyn’s culinary delights after spending time wandering the borough’s selection of cool boutiques. Here are our favourite stops.

Bird (220 Smith St.,718-797-3774, shopbird.com) This little gem of a shop carries 3.1 Phillip Lim, Current/Elliott, Alexander Wang and everything in between.

Butter By Eva Gentry (389 Atlantic Ave., 718-260-9033, evagentry.com) You feel like you are entering a gallery when you pass the stoop of this directional boutique. They carry everything from artfully-crafted Japanese shoes to delicate diamond micro-bands and scented candles. Read more »


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