FASHION Magazine

In honour of the upcoming world premiere of Rufus Wainwright’s Hadrian (on the Canadian Opera Company stage in October), the COC dedicated the theme of this year’s #Operanation to the gods of ancient Rome. The 14th annual Operanation transformed the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts into a coliseum of wonder. The atrium filled […]

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See the Operanation 2014 party pics » As I mentioned earlier this month, this year was my first time co-chairing Operanation, the annual gala benefiting the Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, amongst other things. As such, it’d be something along the lines of self-important to dub Operanation 2014 the best party of the season/year/century so […]

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See the photos from Toronto Life’s 2014 Most Stylish Party» In what has become a three-year tradition, Toronto Life once again kicked off TIFF for the regular folks (albeit the very rich, glamorous and well-connected ones) last night with its annual celebration of Toronto’s Most Stylish. 2014’s list includes many of the city’s most familiar […]

The post Toronto Life’s Most Stylish 2014: 35 party photos of the city’s fashion folk at their finest appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

While most of the female population breathes heavy during episodes of Say Yes to the Dress, us fashion folk have, shall we say, finer taste. For those who a layer cake of taffeta doesn’t exactly scream “fantasy,” look no further than the summer weddings of these seven Canadian stylemakers. From a larger than life ceremony at the Art Gallery of Ontario to a City Hall visit in Doc Martens and dark jeans, these inspiring gals prove that thinking outside of the box pays off.

See the photos from Luminato 2014 Opening Gala »

A festival is never complete without an impressive party to kick it off, and last night’s Luminato art festival opening party was nothing but. Toronto’s elite, bloggers and artsy attendees joined co-chairs Rupert Duchesne, Joseph Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran to mark the launch of the 10-day art festival with creative director Jörn Weisbrodt and hubby Rufus Wainwright at the helm of the festivities. Besides drawing Canadian notables like Toronto mayoral candidate Olivia Chow and celebrated stage director Atom Egoyan, Isabella Rossellini was there to promote her upcoming on-stage debut, Green Porno. In tune with the night’s theme, Berlin Underground, the opening party was held in the outskirts of downtown Toronto (Toronto Port Lands to be exact) at the Hearn Generating Station where the abandoned industrial space was transformed into a one-of-a-kind venue for a 450-deep dinner and party. Complete with leather-clad dancers/artists lounging in corners, 1930s German propaganda on projected screens and neon lights bouncing off the exposed industrial interior, the party could not have taken place in a more suitable location. Well-dressed guests (ranging from black-tie attire to jumpsuits and much-coveted crop tops) had the chance to not only get their makeup retouched by on-site YSL makeup artists in super glam vanity stations. From a hopping DJ and buzzy dance floor to a flipbook station and 3D printers, it’s safe to say that last night was nothing short of extraordinary.

See the Joe Fresh/Pink Tartan after party pics »  

Without a doubt, Wednesday night is the biggest of Toronto Fashion Week. The show schedule is stacked with the city’s—the country’s!—greatest hits and the after party scene is getting just as competitive. To keep things interesting, Joe Fresh and Pink Tartan combined forces this season, hosting a smash of a party just down the street from the tents, at Lee Restaurant. Considering that the Pink Tartan crowd has always been a a big part of the Joe Fresh after party tradition, it just makes sense for Joe Mimran and Kimberley Newport-Mimran to make it official.

Also becoming a part of the Joe Fresh/Pink Tartan after party tradition is DJ Mad Marj, the unassuming New York-based heiress who kept the tightly packed crowd dancing, be it to 2 Chainz, Pharrell or… Nora Jones. (Seriously.) Lee’s two-room layout allowed for a bit of a divide between social sets, with fresh-from-the-runway models, stylists and party-hopping editors taking over the back room, while Mimran family friends (including the horn-blowing Bruce C. Bailey) and backstage stars filled up front of house.

See all the photos from the Canadian Stage Theatre Ball »

If you’re going to celebrate an innovative theatre company, you better put on quite the show. Such was the case last week the Canadian Stage’s annual Theatre Ball, which brought together over 400 guests at The Carlu for dinner, drinks, a live auction and—most importantly—dancing! (Ask anyone on the fundraising gala circuit and they’ll be quick to admit that of all the parties, Canadian Stage guarantees the biggest dance floor. There’s something about musical theatre…)

While last year’s Theatre Ball was birthday party themed, for 2014 “Shatter: Provoke Your Curiosity” was the name of the game. From floor-to-ceiling panels that looked like artfully arranged pieces of a smashed mirror to shards of translucent sugar candy serving as centrepieces, the party felt like a journey inside Alice’s looking glass. When it came to what attendees were wearing, the shine factor was just as important.

See the Centre Stage gala photos »

Last Tuesday night, the Canadian Opera Company held its first annual Centre Stage gala at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto. The event focused around the company’s Ensemble Studio, a training program for emerging opera talents. Part benefit, part performance audition, Centre Stage pit nine hopefuls against one another in the battle for entry into the ensemble as well as a few hella generous cash prizes. And because no singing competition can do without some showmanship, Rufus Wainwright lent his skills, playing the host role for the night in a sparkling Moschino suit. He even surprised the crowd by performing a few of this favourite songs including “Les feux d’artifice t’appellent” from his opera Prima Donna.

After each finalist performed a piece from the likes of Verdi, Bizet and Mozart, soprano Karine Boucher was crowned winner of the judges’ award as well as the night’s audience award. She won the fashion award too, in a floor-length gown covered in gold sequins and featuring a diva apropos plunging neckline. Tenor Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure and bass-baritone Iain MacNeil place second and third respectively.

See all the Operanation 2013 party pics »

On Thursday night the Four Seasons Centre was decidedly catering to just one season, with the expansive performance hall transformed into a luscious garden of evil. Filled with party goers and potted plants alike, the green-tinged space was all for the Candian Opera Company’s Operanation fundraising gala, themed as “A Night of Temptation” for its tenth iteration.

While all-black ensembles were by far the most popular fashion statement, texture allowed for individuality. From mesh cut-outs and ruffled pleats to velvet and sequin add-ons, the little black dress (or gown, for that matter) certainly stood out at Operanation. Darker colours, such as navy-blue and deep jade-green—as seen on soprano Leigh Anne-Allen and The Hudson Bay Company’s Megan Loach—provided a different take the all-black trend and should make inky gowns a gala must. And on the opposite end of the colour spectrum, bright primary colours stood out in the sea of dark shades, including Tatiana Read in red, FASHION’s editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra in blue Viktor and Rolf, and a hit of yellow, courtesy Odessa Paloma Parker’s Jeremy Laing number.

See the process and fitting photos »

If you’ve ever been on this site before, you’ll know that we party. A lot. Especially during the fall months, event calendars seem to be constantly brimming with one glitzy invitation after the next. And while attending an event seems straightforward enough, looking good at said event proves a little more challenging. Someone who knows a thing or two about the constant need to look fabulous is Amy Burstyn-Fritz, director at Knot PR and all around glamour gal. Year round, Burstyn-Fritz seems to flit around gala to gala in one A+ look after another. We’re always fairly astounded at her consistent chicness, which is why we went behind the scenes with her as she preps for Operanation, an annual gala she co-chairs benefitting the Canadian Opera Company which takes place tonight.

Burstyn-Fritz one-upped herself this time, enlisting long time pal turned client, New-York-based designer Kaelen, to create something unique to wear at the night’s event. “I wanted to work with the [event’s] theme of ‘temptation,’ but not be too literal,” says the designer. To whit, the dress is something wholly unique, featuring a masterful cloud-inspired dye job created by dye artist Audrey Louise Reynolds made of sumac, wood, iris roots, boiled carob and squid ink. (It dried in sage and rose quartz bundles.) For real.

See the party photos »

The Room at Hudson’s Bay went full Anglo on Tuesday night with its celebration of two Brit shoe designers, Nicholas Kirkwood and Sophia Webster. Held in the store’s palatial new shoe department (seriously, it’s 20,000 square feet), the soiree served as a shoe shopping kick off as well as, well, just another excuse to party. Toronto’s style setters were in fine pre-fashion week form, pulling out all the outfit stops and the Nicholas Kirkwood chevrons to boot.

Kim Tanenbaum modelled her mother-in-law Carole Tanenbaum’s jewels just perfectly overtop an all-black outfit and Kirkwood’s wholesale director Josephine Papasavvas brought the party’s requisite Peter Pilotto factor alongside a stomach-bearing crop top. West end cred was sufficiently represented by Prince Innocence’s Talvi Faustmann and Josh McIntyre, who matched in long black trench coats. Hair statementing was a thing too, especially for a certain top-knotted shoe associate who delighted us with his kabuki-like appearance and definitive newness on the scene. You go girl.

See the photos from the Toronto Life Most Stylish party »

Toronto Life has officially claimed TIFF’s opening night as their own. Last night the magazine toasted the city’s best dressed with the launch of the Toronto Life Fall Stylebook and the reveal of their second annual Most Stylish list. And what a celebration it was: from the moment the elevator doors opened into the ballroom at the Shangri-La Hotel, the party was in full swing.

Leather was the texture of choice for most partygoers. From moto jackets to mini skirts to body-hugging dresses, fall’s influence was certainly in the air. Of course, summer’s influence was still in effect, with floral prints and neon brights being popular style choices, from Jenna Bitove’s flowing Hawaiian-inspired gown to Amanda Brugel’s punchy minidress. However, the guests who took risks stood out the most: Anna Abbruzzo’s pink hair caught our eye—but it was her Roland Mouret eyeball skirt that stole our hearts. And a trio of very stylish twenty-somethings in fur coats, meshback hats and logo tees circled the room with a larger-than-life presence. Lesson learned: when in doubt, go all out.