As the year comes to a close, it’s not all about the stuff, the news, the buzz, or the hype. We’ve spent much of the year with our boots on the ground, getting behind the scenes in all sorts of settings that led us to craft the stories you’ve come to expect from the team at SHARP. As the team reflects on our last lap of the sun, we’ve opted to compile a list of our favourite experiences of 2025. Whether personal or professional, these moments helped define our year and provided inspiration for the work that followed.
A Trip (Back) to Italy
This year I travelled to five new European countries, all which offered their own unique and storied experience. But for me, nothing will ever beat the feeling of revisiting a city you have spent a significant period of time in. Visiting Florence, Italy for the first time after living there for nine months reinstated for me how magical of a city it is. Even in the dead of the summer, the city is the perfect mix of history, food, culture and beauty — whether you are venturing to watch the sunset at Pizzo Michealangelo or enjoying a gelato by the Duomo. Some of my go-to spots are Edoardo Il Gelato Biologico, Gusta Pizza, and Trattoria Zaza. — Lindsay Patterson, Social Media Manager
Oasis Reunion Tour
I’ve talked at length about Oasis and their reunion concert in Toronto, so I’ll spare our readers and talk about something else I hope they’ll check out in 2026. One of the best (unexpected) experiences I had this past summer was in London at the recently opened V&A East Storehouse. This entirely new museum concept gives art lovers a rare behind-the-scenes look at V&A’s objects, archives, and books, as well as a glimpse inside how they’re restored and collected. It is also just an amazing space to get lost in if you need a break in London. My favourite discoveries during my visit included a pair of Qajar-era oil paintings, the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed office Edgar J Kaufmann. — Sahar Nooraei, Editorial & Creative Director
A Special Occasion at Linny’s
This year, my fiancée and I celebrated our fourth anniversary, and our first as an engaged couple. To mark the occasion, we knew it had to be at Linny’s. It had been on my list since one of our food writers, Peter Alexandropoulos, profiled their founder and chef, David Schwartz, last year. We’d been there about a month before, for my birthday, and instantly fell in love. There’s a warm glow to the classic wood-laden steakhouse, with the staff wearing crisp white shirts with the sleeves rolled up and tidy black bowties. Both times, the service was exceptionally friendly; the environment makes every occasion feel special, even if you’re just stopping by for a cocktail at the bar. I described it to a few friends as “the best place to take your parents to show them you have taste now.” But what made the anniversary dinner even more special were the small, tangible details: a thoughtful card on the table thanking us for spending our night with them, a glass of prosecco, and the best dessert in the city (chocolate babka with vanilla ice cream). I hope next year is filled with more good meals and special occasions. — David Stol, Managing Editor
Crossing the Desert With Defender
I’ve been on a lot of automotive junkets over the years, and several have had some level of off-road component to them, but I doubt that much will ever live up to terrorizing the Colorado desert in a 626-horsepower Defender OCTA. Boulders, off-kilter inclines, water crossings, and temperatures above 40 degrees celsius made for a properly challenging day, trekking far enough westward to cross into Utah, before looping back to our temporary base. We were at the wheel for over 10 hours before the day was done, and maybe 45 of that was on paved and public roadways. Did I come home exhausted? Absolutely, but the memories (and the photographs captured on my old 35mm Canon EOS 1 film camera seen above) were worth every moment. — Justin Mastine-Frost, Director of Digital Content
Travelling Through New York, Montreal, & Florence
This year was defined by a series of moments that felt both creatively fulfilling and personally exciting. I spent the year working alongside talented friends and collaborating with new models, stylists, and creatives who made every project feel fresh and inspiring. After work, I spent the year taste-testing dirty vodka martinis and eating my way through Toronto, with unforgettable meals like the Spicy Bluefin Tuna Shari Canape from MARU, the Seoul Searching pizza at Rorschach Brewing Co., and perfectly cooked steak from Sammarco. The soundtrack of the summer included seeing Kendrick Lamar and SZA, and crossing off a bucket-list moment, hearing My Chemical Romance play The Black Parade from start to finish. Travel played a big part in this year, from a trip to New York to shoot a special project releasing in Spring 2026, to solo time wandering Florence’s beautiful streets and shops, and experiencing the electric energy of Formula 1 for the first time in Montreal. I look forward to finding out what experiences await in 2026. — Haley Dach, Fashion Director
Jeff Wall Photographs 1984–2023 at Toronto Museum of Contemporary Art
Just before the holiday season filled up our collective calendars, Toronto’s Museum of Contemporary Art held a media preview for its late-October exhibition, Jeff Wall Photographs 1984–2023. The retrospective marked Wall’s first major Canadian survey in over a quarter century. Alongside MOCA’s Executive Director & CEO, Kathleen Bartels, Jeff Wall offered remarks to a crowd of enthusiastic art writers and journalists; the gallery buzzed with anticipation. “I like the idea that art is our history. That history, in theory, tells us where we are,” Wall said.
On view through March 22nd, 2026, “Photographs” occupied all three floors of the building, starting with circular hangings in the lobby and spanning to light boxes, tableaus, black-and-white images, and digital imaging. And, as with any installation at Toronto MOCA, architecture plays a key role in the experience. Housed in the Auto BLDG, raw materials make the structure’s industrial history apparent: super-sized ‘mushroom’ columns bloom over polished concrete floors. Modernizing the aesthetics of manufacturing, the museum space makes a perfect partner for “Photographs,” an exhibition that chronicles an ever-changing relationship between humans and technology. As an ensemble, Wall’s work reveals an impulse to create a shared sense of humanity, which — in an age of internet-induced isolation — is both rare and refreshing. — Cormac Newman, Associate Editor
