What’s on Our Pop Culture Radar this June

This month, Mindy Kaling hits the big screen, Canadian-made jewellery takes the spotlight and your favourite grade-school accessory makes a comeback.

• 1/13

  

  © PHOTOGRAPHY, JEAN VONG (BRIAN JUNGEN, OWL DRUGS, 2016, COURTESY OF THE ARTIST AND CASEY KAPLAN, NEW YORK. © BRIAN JUNGEN

  Come to the Art Gallery of Ontario for a glimpse of the works of B.C.-based artist Brian Jungen—like his striking headdress-esque sculpture made from Air Jordans. Stay for an insightful exploration of Jungen’s Indigenous-European heritage; it will remain with you long after you leave.

• 2/13

  

  June wish list: just one rainy weekend forcing us to stay inside the entire time. We’ll take any excuse to lounge around and burn one of our made-in-Canada luxe candles from Nanor Collection ($49 each, nanorcollection.com). We’re partial to the romantic Atheia; its notes of rose, jasmine and lily will transform any room into an indoor garden.

• 3/13

  

  Mindy Kaling stars in the new comedy Late Night, written by and starring…herself, natch. Kaling is a scribe hired to add diversity to a struggling late-night show whose host is played by British acting royalty Emma Thompson. Oh, and it was also bought for a record-setting $13 million at Sundance, where it premiered to rave reviews, nbd.

• 4/13

  

  You’ll want to have an excuse to check the time with Rolex’s new Datejust 31 (price upon request, rolex.com). It features an olive-green dial set with diamonds and a five-link metal bracelet made from a combination of Rolex’s signature Oystersteel and 18-karat gold—a.k.a. super-fancy.

• 5/13

  

  Take that, low-rise-jeans trend! The new Ribcage jeans from Levi’s are—as the name suggests—the brand’s highest rise ever, at 30 centimetres or more. Inspired by the ’90s Levi’s 501 style but redesigned with a modern fit, they promise to be both flattering and comfort-able. Pair them with a cropped tank for the ultimate throwback look. (From $108, levi.com)

• 6/13

  

  Your favourite elementary-school hair accessory is back—and it’s just as grown-up as you are. Toronto-based accessories brand Neophyte makes its barrettes by hand using an assortment of candy-coloured classic or heart-shaped pearls and sparkly rhinestones. Bad-hair day? We don’t know her. (From $6, neophytejewels.com)

• 7/13

  

  © PALOMAR PRODUCTIONS

  We celebrate women every day (hashtag obviously). But the opportunity to talk women’s rights with over 6,000 world leaders and activists—including the likes of Sophie Grégoire Trudeau and #MeToo founder Tarana Burke? That only comes around once every three years, at the Women Deliver Conference, being held in Vancouver from June 3 to 6.

• 8/13

  

  Sure, all the world’s a stage, but we’ll stick to the 30th-annual Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival in Vancouver. Three of the playwright’s works—including a retell-ing of All’s Well that Ends Well, which moves the classic comedy to India—are being shown on the waterfront from June 5 to September 21.

• 9/13

  

  Wearing a hat in summer is practical (hi, sun protection!), but it doesn’t have to look it. Set aside your trusty ball cap or go-to fedora and get yourself a chic boater from Paris-based milliner Mademoiselle Chapeaux. Inspired by Coco Chanel’s fave hats, this flat-brimmed handmade number will look as at home on the beach in the South of France as it will on Granville Island. Croissant and café au lait optional. (From $329, mademoisellechapeaux.com)

• 10/13

  

  Happily, looking at Canadian fine-jewellery brand Sofia Zakia’s feminine Medusa pieces from its antique-like Suspiria collection won’t turn you into stone. One glance at the gorgeous gold pieces (which are handmade in Montreal) will make you want to buy all of them, though. (From $200, sofiazakia.com)

• 11/13

  

  This summer only, goop makes its way north of the U.S./Canada border. Gwyneth Paltrow’s ubiquitous lifestyle brand launches the first Canadian goop MRKT, a pop-up shop tucked into Toronto’s Hazelton Hotel. Shop GP-approved faves from brands like Foundrae and La Californienne, as well as apparel and skincare products from the goop line. Check it out before it’s gone—the MRKT leaves the city September 22.

• 12/13

  

  If you’re not one of the over 3.5 million viewers of viral short film Gay Mean Girls, get on it immediately. It’ll prepare you for Gay Mean Girls: The Web Series, which follows prom committee member Lucy Ching as she tries to understand her sexuality and fit in within the LGBTQ community, when it debuts on YouTube on June 21. And if you’re in Toronto, check out a special advanced screening of the premiere at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, where members of the creative team will be on hand for a panel discussion.

   

  Written by Patricia Karounos and Erica Ngao

• 13/13

  

  For one day only, see an exclusive, immersive exhibition launching filmmaker Sara Elgamal’s new documentary, A Piece Of Me. Shot in Ethiopia, the doc tells the powerful stories of three survivors of female genital mutilation who refuse to be defined by their trauma. Catch the exhibit, hosted by Toronto-based experiential team Somewherelse, on June 22 at the Toronto Media Arts Centre.