Yesterday’s Black Sunday [Toronto Fashion Bloggers] Brunch was a happy reunion with some of the regulars and a welcome opportunity to introduce new faces.  To recap, I’m going to list the attendees and let you know what they are up to.

• Ottawa Street Style – Danah just moved to Toronto last month, and started a new position at the WOM marketing outfit Matchstick.  She’s still managing her Ottawa blog as well as posting about the events she’s attending in Toronto and the new people she’s met in the city.
• Audit Your Closet – Jas is an entrepreneur based in Mississauga.  She is developing a service offering professional tailoring to executive women.  This has been her first year of business – she is learning a lot and is transforming her own style in the process.
• I Want – I Got – Anita runs Toronto’s premiere shopping blog.  She spent the weekend working the One of a Kind show for jewelry designer Moonrox – and apparently uncovered a hidden talent for selling too.
• Modern Guilt – S and her boyfriend G are the dream team – S has an inventive style and writes thoughtful, positive posts and G takes care of the professional photography – they post daily and have built impressive traffic in less than a year.
• Worn Journal – Serah-Marie’s alternative fashion journal just released issue #7 with a slow dance party the night before – and despite a lack of sleep she showed up with magazines to share. Her take on fashion skews towards the academic, with a focus on personal experiences and the art and science of textiles.  The next issue is all about shoes.
• The Style Box – Gail just officially launched herself as an independent fashion professional.  Among her many pursuits she is the managing editor of the TFI news – the most complete aggregate of Canadian fashion stories there is.
• Rags and Mags – Carolyn is taking Lucinda McRuvy on a mysterious adventure with the fashion mafia – if you don’t know what I’m talking about, it’s time to get reading!  Carolyn’s ongoing story blog is a delicious mix of drama, satire, fashion and gossip that makes me laugh out loud.  Full disclosure – I draw the pictures and contribute story ideas too.
• Bargainista – Eden has been taking on the internet beyond her shopping blog – she’s doing podcasts on online communities and just got nominated as one of Canada’s most influential women in social media!
• I was there too.

Thank you everyone for coming!  We had one cancellation – Jacquieshambles was sick and couldn’t come.  Feel better soon Jacquie!

What did we talk about?  All sorts of stuff!  The explosion of Twitter and how we use it, personal style blogging and narcissism, academic fashion conferences, avoiding Black Friday sales, marketing and PR with a personal touch, and so much more.

Does this mean that I have revived the monthly brunches?  I don’t think so, though I will be organizing more TFBBs in the future, expect them to be irregular with very limited seating.  If you would like to come to the next one, I would suggest subscribing to my blog to be notified – check the right sidebar =>

The size and infrequency of the brunches will mean that not everyone who wants to come will be able to – so I would also like to encourage other fashion bloggers in Toronto (and elsewhere) to initiate their own brunches.  I wrote a post on it a while ago, and you’re welcome to ask me any questions if you would like to organize your own fashion bloggers brunch.

After last month’s post-fashion week brunch, I was urged by the TFBB regulars to consider reviving the fashion bloggers brunch.  This Sunday marks the weekend of “Black Friday” sales and “Buy Nothing Day” and as such seems like an appropriate date to talk fashion, blogging, and shopping (or not shopping).

There are 10 seats only at this brunch; an RSVP is mandatory and attendance will be taken =) Fashion bloggers only please!

Register here.

I got stopped in front of the Studio tent at Fashion Week after the League of Lovers and Thieves show.  It was Stefania, the blogger behind Toronto’s sweet new street style blog, Textstyles.  I have an abiding fascination with meeting new fashion bloggers, so after she took a photo of me standing with Matti Bygod (who is a way better dresser than I am), we chatted for a bit.  She told me that there was going to be a blogger brunch happening after fashion week on Sunday and promised to send me an invitation.

Those who have been following Final Fashion for a while will remember that I “hosted” a series of 16 fashion blogger brunches, and that my fascination with fellow fashion bloggers is matched by my great love of the meal of brunch.  I met a great many new friends at the TFBBs, we were covered in various publications, and it got a little too popular.  So when Stefania sent me the invitation, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to brunch with a whole new crew.

Thanks to Anthea’s mom for taking the photo!  From left to right:

Marta from With Love…

Anthea from Clothesline Finds – she was visiting from Vancouver, volunteered at fashion week, and the brunch was her idea.

S. from Modern Guilt

Ashleigh from Rantings of a Fashion Addict

And me, Danielle from Final Fashion.

These girls are all first and foremost what I would describe as personal style bloggers – they belong to the Susie Bubble school of outfit posting.  As such they have very cute outfits, know their poses, and have lots of interesting opinions on clothes.  I like fashion bloggers and these girls are no exception – adorable all of them.

I was a bit surprised that none of them knew about TFBB.  A bit self-important of me to think I guess!  It was interesting getting new takes on the subjects we share in common – how to deal with PR pitches is a perennial favourite.  Anthea was the only other blogger at the brunch who had attended fashion week – she had an different point of view as a backstage volunteer and her mom had a few comments on attending as a visitor.  It is incredibly refreshing to hear a new perspective from outsiders, so often it feels like in Toronto we get caught in our own echo chamber.

I have made so many wonderful friends from the brunches, this one got me quite sentimental for meeting new bloggers and talking about fashion over coffee and eats.  I often get people asking me to revive TFBB, and I think that perhaps the brunches are ready to start again whether I put it together, or someone else does.

BONUS – Links to bloggers who attended LFW

• The Pregnant Goldfish
• jacquieshambles
• Luxual

Know of any Toronto (or Canadian) Fashion Bloggers I haven’t met yet?  Please leave links in the comments!

My idea of limiting seating for the last brunch was actually quite effective; every RSVP showed up, and there were no unexpected extras, making it a very manageable brunch. Roll call:

Danielle Meder – Final Fashion

Henna Singh – Canadian Beauty

Patricia Sheng – Luxual

Barry Freedman – fashion blog reader

Crystal Mason – TRENDS

Anita Clarke – I want – I got

Tiffanie Ing – Toronto Street Fashion

Zaigham Zulquernain – Week of Style

Topics of discussion ranged from New Labels anticipation, Project Runway Canada season 2 speculation, and whether Toronto really needs more hype.

It has been interesting to get some media attention and broader interest for TFBB; but recently it has been getting a bit challenging to manage. Some people come just to chat about fashion, and that is what we love, but sometimes it seems like people have other motivations for coming which aren’t so lovely. I guess it means that the brunch is popular, or perhaps by some measures successful. Popularity changes things, though. Now I find myself missing the days when the brunch was smaller and a bit off the radar, and the regular brunchers agree with me.

So I am killing TFBB.

Maybe not forever. It may be revived at some point. Someone else with better management skills might take over the organization of it someday. The brunch in its current incarnation is something I created, and so I can also destroy it.

Fashion bloggers will still get together in Toronto – we all have eachother’s email addresses and know how to use them. We have not lost our desire to meet new fashion bloggers and get to know our readers in person; and we will find new ways to do that.

It has been an incredible series of meals and introduced me to many new friends and opportunities. I want to thank everyone who has ever come to TFBB and who took part in a small phenomenon.

Thank you!

Another brunch! This one, I only have 8 seats for. So here’s the deal: you have to RSVP for a seat, it is first come first serve, and if you RSVP you have to show up!

This was like a reunion brunch for the regulars, plus we got to welcome a number of new guests with interesting perspectives on fashion and media.  Brassaii treated us so well after a bit of initial confusion – we got seated at the Chef’s Table this time!

We’re all super stoked for L’Oreal Fashion Week… many of the brunchers will be there all week, as writers, illustrators, photographers, event producers, public relations, and of course Media.

The attendance was duly taken…

Sonja Andic – PR rep for L’Oreal

Henna Singh – Canadian Beauty

Gail McInnes – The Style Box and Toronto Fashion Incubator news editor

Anita Clarke – I want – I got and blogTO fashion writer

Danielle Meder – Final Fashion and Rags and Mags illustrator

Eden Spodek – Bargainista

Rea McNamara – Eye Weekly  style writer

Rina Grosman – She Does the City “Sew What”

Alison-Violet Mount – FashionTelevision videocaster

Adrian Corsin – Fashion Verbatim

Carolyn Rohaly – Toronto Fashion Incubator diarist and Rags and Mags writer

Brooklyn Brownstone – Designer Relations for the FDCC

Rebecca Leung – photographer and PR for Too Magazine

Sarah Nicole Prickett – Torontoist fashion editor

How about a preamble to Fashion Week, in the form of a leisurely brunch? All fashion bloggers and fashion blog readers are welcome to attend – we just ask that you RSVP here to ensure you get a seat at the same table as the rest of us.

Thanks to Eden, Adrian and Anita for putting it all together for us.

This time my fashion blogger brunch in New York was much better attended than the last one and just as much fun.  It was wonderful to get to know two new fashion blog friends – Elaine from I am a fashion designer. Gee and beauty maven Jennifer from Delush.  Plus its always a good time to enjoy a meal with my lovely hostess Joi and my traveling companion Stephanie.

As for my trip so far, things are terrific, there is never a dull moment, and I will have lots of sketches to show when I get back to my scanner in Toronto.

featuring 1 dozen brunchers

Carolyn Rohaly – Toronto Fashion Incubator

Melissa Shum – Just Cuz I’m a Girl

Patricia Sheng – Luxual

Henna Singh – Canadian Beauty

Susie Love – Jewelry Designer

Anita Clarke – I want – I got

Rebecca Leung – Photographer

Danielle Meder – Final Fashion

Gloria Chik – Urbane Bloc

Chris Tsang – Mindzai

Vanja Vasic – Toronto Alternative Fashion Week

Sonja Andic – Fashion Hero

…

topics du jour

Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in NYC – Feb 2-8

(Henna and I are going – are you?)

Tradeshows in Las Vegas – February

(Patricia and Melissa are going)

L’Oreal Fashion Week in Toronto – March 17 – 22

(Looking forward to it!)

Theme parties.

Faking it is fun.

Christabel is fun and exciting!

(Draw him at Dr. Sketchy’s tomorrow!)

Setting the tone for success.

On dressing, blogging, designing, drawing and walking with confidence and intent.

Back by popular demand, the fourteenth Toronto Fashion Bloggers Brunch will be happening at Brassaii on January 27.   RSVP here if you would like to come. All fashion bloggers and fashion blog readers are welcome.