Not A Model is off on a mini adventure!!

Since I'm no longer a student and don't get the student luxury of 'reading week' anymore, I decided to create my own.

Tonight, I'm off to LONDON, ENGLAND for a week to visit one of my best girls, who's been living and working there for the past 6 months. Her contract is almost up and I haven't visited. So I took a vacation request closed my eyes and here I am. We're also heading to PARIS, FRANCE mid-week by train for a little Parisian rendezvous.

I'm ready to meet Kate as in Moss, not Middleton, okay I lied, Middleton too. I'm also hoping to stake out at Paris Fashion Week until someone lets me into one of the shows. Maybe I'll run into the Sartorialist and he'll take my photo and I'll be internet famous. Okay, I'm being ridiculous but it's my self-induced adult reading week and I think I can be as ridiculous as I want. I've been working really hard lately (haven't we all?) and I'm ready for a little recharge. This is also the first time I'm flying solo for a long period of time, so I'm a little nervous. Wish me luck!


I recently made up this quote and thought it was fitting: "The best part of getting wrapped up in something is the moment you become unravelled"

See you soon! xo

So I received a letter yesterday...

Dear Not A Model,

This is not easy for me to say but I have to get it out. Things seem to be very different between us. You've been distant and absent lately. At first, I thought it was just a phase but then things got worse. I noticed that you started getting closer with Mrs. Loafa Bread and Mr. Past Abowl and you began choosing them over me.

I hate to admit it, but I miss your lime green running shoes and the smell of your sweat. I miss the music on your I-pod and that baggy sweatshirt that you only wear for the first 15 minutes and toss aside. It's hard for me to watch you throw everything away for a cheap carb.

Sure, I'm grey and hard and tough, but think about all I've done for your body. With me, your clothes fit better and your skin glows. I get emotional thinking about how much I've invested in your heart. Does that mean nothing to you? Word on the mat is that you're getting softer. Call me shallow, but I prefer a strong body to a weak one.  

Rumour has it that you want me back. Well listen here sweetheart, I won't make it easy. It won't be like the old days. It's tough love babe, but trust me, one step and you'll be hooked again. Lace 'em up.

Yours truly,

Tread Mill

Not A Model Photo Diary - Some things & one place.

Dipping fresh, crusty bread in extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar is my favourite pre-meal ritual. Blame my Italian background or the fact that there is always an abundance of all three lying around my house, but once I start, I can't stop.

I declared to one of my best friends on a recent shopping trip that I was "sooo over" ballerina flats. Two shops later I saw these patent cherry red leather Nine West ones (on sale). Needless to say I ate my words one credit card swipe at a time. 

I'm a hoarder when it comes to magazines and books. I pile them up beside my desk until they teeter-totter and collapse on my bedroom floor. I'd like to think of it as Jenga for the modern day writer.

This is what my whiteboard is usually divided into. The categories anxiously wait to be filled, only to be (sometimes) ignored and re-written the next week. Lately, exercise seems to be a laughable category.

SOHO, New York City: I can daydream about living on the top floor of the tall beige building and having all my friends (because we'd all live in the same place) climb up the ladders to visit. They'd carry platters of crudites and pitchers of sangria for the never-ending party. Picture it.

13 Not A Model Thoughts

1. Quit knocking yourself. Insecure people are equally as annoying as cocky people. 

2. Everyone should take their own advice.
3. No one really cares how tired or stressed out you are.
4. It's not about sympathy, it's about empathy.
5. EVERYTHING is better offline. 
6. Confessing your undying feelings for someone, in the rain, while crying only works in the movies.
7. Same thing goes for chasing someone down in an airport and interrupting vows at a wedding ceremony.
8. If it hasn't happened by now, it probably won't.
9. If that depresses you, do something about it. The only place you should put up with waiting is at the doctor's office. 

10. You're richer than you think.
11. Wait, #10 is the Scotiabank slogan.
12. If you have grandparents, pipe down and listen to them. They are the closest to knowing the secret of life.
13. Scratch that, there is no secret.

I need some Spring in my step

Slippery slush. Wind that bites. Skin that never shines. Dark mornings. Darker evenings. Hot beverages. Burnt tongue. Resolutions hanging frozen on a clothes-line. HEY sun, where you at?

Around this time of year, like clockwork I prematurely yearn for Springtime.

The good news is that the groundhog came up last week, which means we are that much closer to trench coats and silk blouses. I'm ready to retire my puffy outerwear for something a little more breezy.

Isn't that what we all need right now, just a little bit of air?

If the above ads don't have you daydreaming of lighter layers yet, check out the latest video for the fantastic Spring 2011 collection by Canadian designer Marika Brose. It's been getting quite the recognition across the web, so I thought I'd share it.

The video was created by Cory (as you may remember him from my cafe review adventures). I always like to draw attention to the creative people behind the camera. It's easy to get entranced and remember a beautiful subject or beautiful clothes but rarely do people stop to ask who created the vision.

Cory and I will soon be working on a video for Not A Model, so stay tuned!!! I may be apprehensive about the whole thing, but I know I'm in good hands. As for the video below, I suddenly have the urge to throw on a white feather dress and walk down the Champs-Elysées. Oui?

If you liked that, check out Cory's other motion films here. So non-models, I ask what are you most excited about for Spring?

The Fashion Photographer

Lindsey Drennan knows how to rock a camera lens and a good shade of lipstick.

At 25 years old, fashion photographer Drennan's resume is mighty impressive with her work appearing in Flare, Photographer + Muse, Dirrty Glam (Paris) and Filler Magazine to name a few. She also completed a work-week at Vogue, and was a participating photographer for WOMEN x WOMEN, an annual LG Fashion Week exhibit that features Canada's top female fashion photographers. I sat down with her over a cappuccino to discuss her next big move.

First off, I had to ask Drennan about her stint at Vogue. During her Applied Photography course at Sheridan College, she set her sights on the coveted magazine for her one week placement. Impossible? Perhaps, but after receiving a few rejections from the wrong people she finally got through to someone who agreed to sit with her.

Drennan left her Canadian grounds and drove to New York City for a 15 minute interview and drove back home. Sounds crazy, but Vogue must've been impressed because she landed the internship. During her 7 day work placement she attended two photo shoots, assisted the photo editor and even caught a glimpse of the infamous Ms. Wintour in the hallways.

While other photographers may try to conceal the fact that they retouch their models, she doesn't, "I love retouching," she said. "I can't wait to see the finished product."

While her CV could make any aspiring photographer envious, she doesn't have her next conquest in mind, "I don't set specific goals, or try to think 20 steps ahead. I try to take it day by day and not compare myself to others. It takes the pressure off."

With flowy ombre hair and blue eyes that always hold contact, she exudes a strong sense of confidence in herself and her work.

"I'm inspired by anything beautiful; a location, a song, a film, a photograph. There isn't anything that is beautiful that I don't find inspirational. If someone stops and looks at my photos and feels something, that to me is a success."

When asked to describe herself in one word, Drennan sat with the question for awhile and replied, "Optimistic."

Check out some of her work below and visit her website, blog and follow her on Facebook for updates! 

"That's why her hair is so big, it's full of secrets" - Mean Girls

I wanted to scare old man winter silly with the brightest colour on my lips and amazon jungle hair for the latest Not A Model photo shoot with Stefania. 

Beauty shoots are intimidating because they primarily focus on the face. Let's get serious here, who wants their face to be the focus of anything? If I can hide behind wild props, piles of clothing or large accessories I will. Give me a baby, a puppy or a large cake and I'm happy to pose.

I stopped by the Hermann and Audrey studio after a long day of work and tried to salvage my computer screen tired eyes and frazzled mind. I brushed my curls out dry (all the curly hair girls out there know what this does to your hair) and chose a soundtrack while Stef set up.  My tunes consisted of Robyn, J.Cole, Kanye, Rihanna...anything upbeat that would loosen me up. This time, the creative direction was a little more serious. Stefania was certain of one thing, "This time I don't want cute from you!" she said. 

For the first time in a long time, I wasn't thinking about my commute or the fact that I'd just worked over 9 hours. I just goofed around with one of my best friends and laughed until it literally hurt. So without any further delay, here is my face. It's going to be with me for awhile, I might as well get used to it.

Credit: Stefania Sgams & check out her new photography website here. xo