Culture | romanticrenaissance

Celtic Water Bracelets™ by AVS™ | Anastasia V. Silva™

A pretty pirouette, twirling and whirling around the dance floor as a ballet of bangles and ballerina bracelets look onward. Spinning and spinning, into oblivion, like an amusement park ride in a Degas painting. Do you want to go faster?, asks the ride's operator. Standing on pointe, my delicate copper wire frame, the colour of a blushing bride, and rose-tinged cheeks, is a tutu made of tulle. Every so often, I catch a glimpse of my reflection on the mirrored floor beneath me, and I am dizzied by the dazzling effect of my movements, a glisten of pink, a shining shandy on a river made of ice. Faster and faster I spin, into a reverie of lights and adagios, plies and piques. I am lost in a daydream from which I don't wish to awaken. Celtic Water Bracelets. By The New Romantic Renaissance™ (by AVS™).

#2079_The Underground_Toronto_Culture_Black and white_Photography by Anastasia V. Silva_The New Romantic Renaissance™ (by AVS™)

#1005_The New Romantic Renaissance™ (by AVS™)_Perspectives_Logo_Brand_Identity_Designed by Anastasia V. Silva_The New Romantic Renaissance™ (by AVS™)

#2079_The Underground_Toronto_Culture_Colour_Photography by Anastasia V. Silva_The New Romantic Renaissance™ (by AVS™)

#1005_Perspectives by AVS_Logo_Anastasia V. Silva_The New Romantic Renaissance_(by AVS)

by Anastasia Venusia Silva

State

A constant

TORONTO.

skateboarding allowed on sidewalks.

flux

of

This is where Beck played a sold-out show at the now-historic Concert Hall, where, according to legend, masons once performed cultish rituals in the depths of the cavernous basement. Also where The Smashing Pumpkins performed in a parking lot to a mass of angst-ridden disheveled teenagers and twenty-somethings. In the pouring rain. This is where you can walk from one corner of the city to another without feeling as though you walked very far at all. Always something to see, whether it's Bean and Baker Malt Shop, a sweetspot ice cream and premium milkshake cafe nestled in the annex, or a picture of Ziggy Stardust himself in the window of a basement apartment, bordering the side streets of the chic Yorkville neighbourhood.

Toronto. where The New Romantic Renaissance™ began.

Paris may be the city that never sleeps. Toronto is the city that never stops. constantly moving. buses whizzing past strollers on sidewalks, and bicycles on busy streets, Street lights changing from red to gold to green and back again. Streetcars creek with the sound of friction on steel tracks. pedestrians mill about waiting for everything and nothing and something. The hustle and bustle of wanting more and a burning desire to need to be on the move and going somewhere. Cabs, a colourful blur, dwarfed by high-rises and shops, salons, cafes and the occasional pop-up.

these are the moments that make up this city. A glance up towards the sky and all you see is the blush of an early sunset cascading over tall towers, giants made of brick, the results of toil and long, laborious work. This is where filmmakers and cast and crew go for a healthy dose of realism. No fuss. Walk past like any other pedestrian. No fans fawning over actors and actresses here. Be humbled. Be cool. Because, well, this is a cool city and an exciting place to be. To see and be seen. In any scene. Even if residents don't notice. Welcome to Culture by The New Romantic Renaissance™. If you don't have a personality of your own, don't bother.

you can take the girl out of the city.

you can't take the city out of the girl.

My Favourite Dress™ by AVS™ | Anastasia V. Silva™

A blindingly warm, sunny day, the leaves were rustling in the breeze, the slightest breath on my forearm. As I walked past the storefronts along a busy street, I caught a glimpse of my shadow on the herringbone-patterned stone pathway in front of a variety store. My dress, though ivory in colour, made me feel as though I was floating on a cloud of cotton. It was like an embroidered nightgown of a bygone era. I looked over at my shadow, as my favourite dress caught the gasp of the sweet summer breeze, my shift lifted at the hem, ballooning ever-so-slightly. I couldn't resist this attempt to shoot, guerilla-style (iPhone in my left hand; my right arm casually resting in the space between my dress and the air), this short, which was perfectly interrupted by a skateboarder walking past, nonchalantly and completely unplanned, as most romantic things happen.

#myfavouritedress #summerbreeze #sundaydress #anastasiavsilva #anastasiasilva #thenewromanticrenaissance #byavs #avss1969

Flowers in the Market