Vote or Face Undetermined Consequences

"Will Guelph, Halifax or Saskatoon be the next fashion capital of the world?" asks FASHION Magazine in the press missive for the homeland style glossy's Reporter Search 2008, and Torontoist does a double take. That has to be rhetorical, right? In which case, let us answer a question with a question: Is Toronto about to be struck by a 632 square kilometre meteor? Because that is the only way we are going to lose a style-related contest to, ahem, the "Paris of the prairies."

Fortunately, there are two Torontonians in the top twenty: Josette Blackwood (above, right), a lifelong local and communications... something, and Connie Ng (above, left), who describes herself as an "aspiring style geek on a quirk hunt." Josette gets Torontoist points for using the TTC, listing her dad as her style icon (moms are so 2007, you guys), and hating keffiyeh scarves, a style atrocity that has become so ubiquitous, we suspect U of T is including them in orientation kits. "I know they have a name but I don't remember what it is so I'm going to call them the 'Lawrence of Arabia' scarves," she says. "[T]here are no sand storms we need to be protected from in Toronto." Ha!

Connie, meanwhile, started an adorable little blog—The Odd Goods—on which she almost convinces us to wear men's plaid flannel boxers to our next dinner party. That's talent.

You can vote for either Josette or Connie once a day until the days shorten: the contest closes mid-August. The winning woman in each of the ten regions will earn a regular blog on FASHIONMagazine.com, while the overall most-voted-for blogger gets a trip to New York City. Which might make you think, "Really, I'm supposed to care who gets a free vacation?" Well, yes. Because if you don't vote for your home girls, a former Bachelor runner-up from Winnipeg might win, and that would be such a faux pas.

Photos courtesy of FASHION.