MONIQUE
Occupation: Student, studying languages and visual arts.
My style: Sort of Japanese.
Inspiration: I started to listen to Japanese rock bands and I loved their style, so I got inspired by that.
I’ve had this look for: Two years.
Boots: They were cute. And I thought that they would match a lot of my outfits, so I bought them.
Shirt: I like the dice. There’s little dice on it.
Jacket: I got it in Ireland. I love the zippers.
Skirt: I got this recently, actually. I got it downtown. And I just love it, because I think it looks like a schoolgirl skirt.
Hairstyle: It’s also inspired by Japanese rock bands. I dyed it and cut it myself.
Interests: Drawing, reading manga, hanging out with friends, cosplay.
Favourite food: I love Spanish food in general, because my dad is Spanish, so we eat a lot of that. It’s really good. Also, I like sushi and pasta.
Favourite movies: Horror, comedy.
Favourite Books: Harry Potter, Stephen King, Anne Rice.
Goals: I hope to be maybe an artist, professionally. Maybe a freelance artist. Or maybe go teach English in a foreign country, like Germany or Japan.
ALEX
Occupation: Student (English and visual studies); radio station volunteer.
My style: A little funky, and kind of unique. I try to stay comfortable.
Outfit: I just bought this dress, and I really like it. I just sort of wandered into a store and found it for $5 dollars. I found these shoes and I love them, because they’re sparkly. I’m not a huge fan of showing too much skin, so I tend to stick with wearing pantyhose, tights, or pants.
Bag: I used to have just the strap covered, and then people kept giving me pins. I started collecting them, and I started putting them on the bag. I’ve amassed this huge collection of pins. My friends give me pins, and strangers give me pins, and it’s just kind of ridiculous. This bag is so heavy, even when it’s empty.
Hairstyle: I cut it short a couple of months ago. It wasn’t planned. I did a hair show and by the end of it, I was like, “Chop it all off! Just take it all off!” It used to be down a little bit past my shoulders. This is the first time in six or seven years that I’ve actually had my natural hair colour.
Favourite colour to wear: Purple. It’s flattering. And it’s kind of girly, without being too girly.
I would never wear: Those leggings that go up to your knees. Those half-leggings. I hate them.
Interests: Aside from spending ridiculous amounts of time doing radio stuff, I spend a lot of time reading. I like to paint. A lot of the time I’m aimlessly wandering around Toronto doing photography stuff. I also play in a punk band in Northern Ontario.
Musical tastes: Punk and indie, and some metal.
Reading: I’m an English major, so I read everything, but I’ve got a soft spot for contemporary poetry, especially from the last 40 years or so.
Favourite TV programs: CSI, the news, cooking shows.
Favourite movies: Cheesy horror.
Favourite food: Sushi, frozen yogurt.
Current obsession: Baking cakes, and Guitar Hero. I bake, and then while the cake’s baking, I play Guitar Hero.
Goals: My goals are to get into radio broadcasting, and maybe do radio journalism. I would love to do studio art, and travel the world and do exhibitions. If I could, I’d do fashion design, but that’s a bit hard to get into.
Final Words: When it comes to personal style, the best idea is to stay comfortable, because nothing looks worse than these girls who are walking down the street and are wearing clothes that are too small, or not appropriate for the weather.
WILL
Occupation: Student.
My style: A strange combination of metalhead and cybergoth.
How I developed this look: The first music video that I ever saw in my entire life was a Marilyn Manson music video. My mom was freaking out, like, “No! That’s the devil! No!” And I was like, “He’s cool.” So it just went from there. I also took a lot of it from music and vampire culture.
Pants: One of my friends used to be a real hardcore cybergoth. I’d see him wearing these pants, and I was like, “Oh, those are cool! I want some.” So eventually I got a pair. They’re pretty expensive because of all the steel on them. I think it’s totally worth it.
Shirts: I’m wearing two shirts. The fishnet shirt, and the Cradle of Filth t-shirt. Fishnet shirts I’ve always just found cool. Not many people wear them, so it’s something different. And Cradle of Filth is just a kick-ass band.
Hairstyle: I used to have a completely shaved head, and then realized that I didn’t look good with a shaved head.
Spike bracelets: Basically, it’s the modern day version of armor. They just give me a sense of power.
I would never wear: Skirts. I’ve seen a lot of guys that are like me, but instead of pants, they have skirts. Some of them can pull it off, but most of them, you’re just like, “That’s a skirt!”
Interests: I like to play guitar. I mess around on keyboards, and sometimes I sing, when I’m in the mood. And other times, I just like to draw and write. I’m currently taking a creative writing class. I also like cartoons.
Music: I listen to Norwegian death metal a lot. I also listen to industrial music. I used to listen to a lot of rave music, but then I found metal. Industrial music basically takes some metal vocals and rave music and combines it. So, it’s really cool.
Reading: Criminology, psychology, science fiction, fantasy, manga.
Favourite anime: Samurai Champloo, Innocent Venus, Hellsing, Gungrave.
Favourite food: Sushi.
Current obsession: Resident Evil 4 on the Wii. Last weekend I spent all of it playing that game, and I only got half way through. It’s fun, but at the same time you’ll end up asking yourself, “Why does he have a chainsaw in a cave?”
Career goals: I really want to go into music production. Or film production. I’ve always wanted to direct movies.
Final Words: If you’re a freak, like me, express it. Don’t try to conform to all the crap that’s going around. Make your own style. Don’t join one that’s already there.
