paul aguirre-livingston. a dialogue, not a diary.

February 2nd

{ How do we feel about men in high-heeled shoes? }

History + power v. oppression + women + gender expression + sexuality + fashion + homophobia + etc

The concepts that intersect when it comes to the high-heeled shoe. Thoughts on this, the disservice of the fleeting ‘men in heels’ trends + more for latest Life, etc. at The Genteel. Also, two completely different approaches to men in heels circa now. Which one do you think is less “silly/stupid”? Think about why - if you’re reading this and a man - you wouldn’t wear heels. Exactly.

and…

January 31st

Source

Via

The Night Shift: We could be Sheroes. My column, this week: on the wickedness of last weekend’s woman realness summits all over Toronto: fashion oligarchs, interior design queens, and Erykah Badu. The girl power in full effect. For The Grid. Then read about this band Bizzrah (^) by my musically-tasteful friend Anupa. The next Sheroes is Etta James in Feb. - yeah, you should go.

via fuckyeahsheroes:

The “scene” at Sheroes #6: Erykah Badu. Photo by Tony Halmos. Event GIF by Rea McNamara.

January 25th

{ life, etc.: tweet me something, a.k.a. thoughts about social media v. fashion's 'other' stars v. pinterest }

For The Genteel, this week I’m talking about Twitter: how I never thought it would be a thing for me, and if I can seriously see myself using it beyond midlife. Also, there’s a fashion-y angle to it, discussing the once-silent stars now thrust into microblogging movement. So, aspiring PR-types (slash y’all who want to be Twitter-famous) here’s a fashion-y vid about DKNY’s PR gal (…who I wrote about in this…) to think on:

Oh, my Twitter you didn’t ask for? @pliving. Also, there was this thread on my Facebook of your confessions of obsession, so I also joined Pinterest. Still figuring that mess out.

January 19th

{ Life, etc.: Let's talk about mentors + protégés }

For The Genteel.

{ So, this week in Toronto fashion... }

Have dinner with the Bustles, a new vintage clothing-slash-vinyl store on College, an Afrotropolis Wanderland is coming, and who will sponsor LGFW this season?

January 11th

"Some people are saying something with their clothing; others say nothing at all."

— This, and other thoughts about image & identity for The Genteel. The opening image is a little extreme though, no?

{ This week in Toronto fashion }

A clothing swap with a biker gang, CB2 set to open at Queen & Bathurst, make your own belt with Brave Leather, and more retail buzz

January 5th

"But what if, instead of making resolutions, we took risks?"

— Me, for The Genteel. In this week’s Life, etc., I write about last year: not having a job or any money, and what I did in one year that certainly wasn’t a resolution miracle.

July 1st

INToronto Magazine, July 2011 “Shopping: Throw some shade.” So, my first piece for Toronto’s newest (and smartest) gay city pub is now in the boxes. Go grab it, or, fine, just bloody read it online. Light reading. Glasses photographed by my fav Irina Luca, so we didn’t have to collage high-res images. Hah.

June 29th

flea market love

TorontoLife.com “Parkdale Vendors Market brings good stuff cheap - including, yes, grilled cheese - to the street.” ‘Nuff said. Go visit.

June 17th

yeah, powerball - this art gala in toronto - is sorta worth it

BlogTO “5 things that make Powerball worth $165 a ticket.” Plus the night in five tweets and other interesting photos.

April 21st

the pieces of me

I somehow got connected with this pretty young thing Irina Luca to do our photos for FILLER’s fash week section. She’s fresh out the oven (a.k.a. school), so she’s always bringing up experimental ways to shoot street style or whatever, really. I don’t think she thinks much about it, she just does it. And that’s what I admire. She made this one of “my style.”

April 11th

{ I grade Ryerson fashion student collections -> }

April 5th

a tale of two designers

BlogTO. Fast and Kale double up at the Trump Tower. It was like the first day of school. And then shit got real. There’s also a video of the collections. So good. By istoica, of course.

February 19th

"The only thing more elusive than the search for love is the search for happiness."

— When the chance came to contribute to the new Aggregation Magazine, an online collection of stories based on a collection of links, I knew exactly what I wanted to write about: the allure of happiness. We’re flooded on a daily basis of what happiness should look like; what it should mean, how it should feel. But where does the self come into play? How does one define it? I’m not sure I’ve answered any of these questions, but I hope these links bring you one step closer to doing so.

Others links that didn’t make my cut in the piece (too recent and you’ve probably already heard about because the media obsessed over it for about a week), but are worth a look nonetheless:

Looking for happiness? Try Bhutan. Boston Globe.
The world’s happiest countries. Forbes.