Last week we got up close with tattoo-ing dudes, so it’s only fair that this week, we snap the personal style of this city’s best-inking broads. Our photographer and style editor even went so far as to get tattoos on the job (postscript, can we expense them?). Our girl-artists at that excellent Kensington parlour, Pearl Harbor, weren’t feeling so photogenic, but the following babes were.
Tara Zep, 25, works at New Tribe at Queen and John. She’s come from birthing baby horses on a farm to dyeing human bodies in a shop. She grew up in Erin, Ontario, but went to Georgian College for the art program. For the past two years Tara has been at New Tribe, where she does at least one trendy script tattoo per day; it’s her number one request.
Tara’s pants are Cheap Monday, her shirt is American Apparel, and her boots are from a vintage shop called Wasteland in San Francisco. She likes Kensington for vintage stuff in Toronto, but isn’t loyal to any particular shop. The first ink on her body was a “typical tribal tattoo” on her lower back, when she was 15 years old.
Laura Parisotto is a chilled-out 23-year-old tattoo artist who loves Mexican food and is currently learning to play the Banjo. She spent most of her life in Port Elgin, where she’s from, but since March has been working for Greg at Sal’s Tattoo & Barber Shop. Her first tattoo was an olive branch on her leg that she did herself; she learned while apprenticing that if anyone is going to trust you to tattoo them, you need to be able to tattoo yourself.
Laura, who also went to art school, can be found in Kensington Market where she lives, eats, and shops. Her perfect Sunday involves eating tacos and burritos, painting, and watching movies. A few weeks ago she went to see, and loved, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue at the Opera House. Her clothes are from concerts she goes to, Value Village, Winners – and believe it or not – Kensington Market.
Horror-genre fanatic Suzy, 32, owns Armoured Soul on Queen with her husband. She’s been tattooing for around 8 years now, after completing art school in Barcelona (where she’s from). Her first tattoo is a “horrible, tribal insect” that her aunt did when she was younger. Some of the more memorable tattoos she’s done over the years include a zebra puking a rainbow, Marilyn Monroe with a beard, and a lobster Elvis Presley.
Suzy’s uniform at work is something comfortable, while still presentable. She shops at H&M, American Apparel, and wears anything she can layer to keep her warm in Canada. Aside from tattooing, Suzy creates most of the artwork that is displayed and sold at the shop – it’s pretty gory. Her favourite horror film, and the thing that most influences her aesthetic, is Suspiria.
Sarah Blais is one of the Toronto Standard’s favourite people. Her other work can be found at sarahblais.com. Previously in the Uniform Project: yogis, bartenders, cafeteria ladies, Bay Street.
