VJ Sarah Taylor will be wearing Mikhael Kale when she co-hosts the 2010 Much Music Video Awards this upcoming Sunday, June 20, but that’s about as far as we got on the subject of fashion.
In town last week to promote Much Music’s upcoming Video Award extravaganza, VJ Sarah Taylor and I sat down at Planet Coffee in the Market to talk. The plan was to dish a bit about fashion, and then check out a few Byward boutiques before she headed home to Toronto. Instead, our brief encounter evolved into quite an enlightening conversation, and an experience this girlaboutOtown won’t soon forget.
When we first met on the street, it was hard not notice Taylor’s outward attractiveness, but as we walked, her real beauty became clear immediately. Soft-spoken, gracious, and genuinely interested, her true style emanates from within.
Dressed casually wearing faded jeans, a gray T-shirt and a vintage army jacket, you might have mistaken Sarah Taylor just anyone. That is, if it weren’t for the personal touches that betrayed her uncanny flare: an authentic pair of ankle-high moccasins, a handmade fabric bag swung nonchalantly over her shoulder, and a pair of sparkly, extra-long silver earrings (which I’m pretty sure were the same pair she wore here). It was an expressive ensemble, perhaps a nod to Taylor’s latest source of fashion inspiration, fictional characters Denise Huxtable from 80′s sitcom “The Cosby Show” and Woody Allen’s iconic Annie Hall, and she carried it off with confident ease.
If you don’t know the story of Sarah Taylor, here it is. Raised in Hamilton, Ontario, she studied English and Women’s Studies at McMaster University before being discovered in the audience of a Much On Demand live show. After a series of successful interviews, Taylor was made VJ and has been hosting programs, interviewing superstars and charming music lovers ever since. She faced a few challenges early in her career, having bounced back from a serious head injury that left her in a coma, but Taylor has made the most of her Much Music opportunity. Acknowledging her responsibility as role model, she strives to be a positive influence on her “demo” audience of young women. In addition to raising funds regularly for the Sick Kids Hospital in Toronto, Taylor has been working hard to support Plan Canada’s “Because I am a Girl” campaign. She even traveled to visit an anti-violence project in El Salvador this past winter.
In the case of Sarah Taylor, this is a ‘lucky break’ story that just makes sense. Far from frivolous or superficial, Taylor is serene, intellectually sophisticated, and utterly comfortable in her own skin. Clearly an intuitive individual, she deeply appreciates creativity, and craves meaningful exchanges. As our afternoon unfolded, I knew I was in the presence of someone completely unique, and began to compute that elusive concept of “star quality”. If ever there was someone to pick out of an audience, Taylor would definitely be it.
Peppered with literary, musical and historical references, Taylor’s responses to my questions were insightful and honest. Our conversation was truly a conversation, and together we covered a lot in a relatively short time.
When I mentioned my little girlaboutOtown, now 7, she laughed warmly and referred to “the age of reason”. When talking about her job, she was truly enthused about researching interviews, reading song lyrics (or poetry as she rightfully pointed out), and listening to new music. Taylor told me how biking and walking enable her thinking, and how she sometimes goes to movies by herself just to hide in the dark and zone out. She is obsessed with vintage clothing and furniture, and loves to be aesthetically stimulated, through fashion, design, art or film. Describing her living space as “very bohemian…like the inside of a vintage clothing shop”, Taylor claimed she is content with her creative clutter for now, but admitted she aspires to a more minimalist environment at some point in the future. Maybe…
Most interesting was when we touched on the past, and ever-so-briefly explored its impact on the present and the future. We agreed on the influence of parents, on each person’s responsibility for self, and that taking aim for whatever comes next is OK.
All in all, I’d say it was a fair amount of common ground for a couple of girls from completely different worlds!
For more about renowned Canadian fashion designer Mikhael Kale, click here.
For more about VJ Sarah Taylor, find her at Much Music, on Facebook or on Twitter @sarahmaytaylor.
And, don’t forget to tune in to the 2010 Much Music Video Awards, this upcoming Sunday, June 20 at 9pm ET!
Photos courtesy of Much Music.
