FASHION Magazine

By Malwina Gudowska

The long line of moviegoers snaked around Calgary’s Globe Theatre on Monday evening, anxiously awaiting the screening of a remastered version of the iconic Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Couples canoodled while gaggles of young ladies, some dressed up in tiaras and tribute T-shirts braved the chill to see Audrey onscreen again.

Sephora opened its doors to eager Calgarians just over a year ago and the honeymoon isn’t even close to being over.  So, you can imagine the excitement when hundreds of gala-goers at Belgo were welcomed by Sephora beauty consultants to kick off this years Calgary International Film Festival (CIFF).  Armed with tool belts, brushes and make-up palettes with every color under the sun, Sephora’s beauty team was delighted to offer guests some unexpected star treatment.  Guests were quick to fill the make-up chairs and soak up beauty tips and techniques from the professionals.

By Malwina Gudowska

Calgary’s mini heat wave got hotter Thursday night as the red-carpet opening gala for the ninth annual Calgary Film Festival took place at Belgo, the downtown French bistro/Belgian brasserie. Amid the sea of cocktail dresses and sharp suits, Jacqueline Dupuis, the festival’s executive director looked effortlessly cool with her tiered black dress and grey pumps. Her mane of wavy blonde hair would make Gwyneth Paltrow shutter with regret for cutting her tresses.

Running into a celeb this week is like running into a Starbucks: They’re everywhere! Here’s where the chic set have been spotted:

By now, most of the female gender is in a tizzy over the hautely-anticipated Sex and the City: The Movie. By some higher power, this fashionable girl was invited to the Canadian premiere and after party in Toronto. After attending a beauty press launch, it was off to the Scotiabank Theatre at Richmond and John to join the throngs of sexy, young Torontonians dressed in their SATC best. Seriously, one girl was even wearing heels, a bustier and a not-so-little hat à la Carrie Bradshaw—made even more hilarious when she was later spotted carrying gummy candies and a greasy bag of popcorn!

The festival has officially wiped me out. I am a shell of the energetic festival-goer I once was, or at least fancied myself to be. Mid-week is here and the crowd, as predicted, is a great deal less than it was only a day ago. Those in town for the party are long gone and the bulk of business to be completed is for the most part done and done—movies bought, talent signed. Now the festival is at last—a film festival. Unfortunately I leave tomorrow, and will miss the final two days of Sundance.

Still of Josh Hartnett from Austin Chick’s, August.

The press room is a-buzz today, with news of Heath Ledger’s death. Journalists, many of whom cover the Hollywood beat, share their shock at the news of the actor’s assumed drug overdose. Junkets are being rearranged, the reason for which is speculated to be so to allow friends of the actor to grieve.

Everybody on Main is sluggish today. The weekend has visibly drained many Sundancers of their energy, and, with a chunk of the celebs flying back home to Hollywood today, the festival of its momentum. I start the day slowly with a couple of back-to-back morning screenings, before moving on to the day’s big interviews.

The combination of early morning screenings and late night parties are taking their toll, and fatigue is setting in. Luckily, in between screenings and interviews, I can visit an eco lounge where I put my feet up and peruse the earth-friendly swag they have on offer. Standouts include Warmbat boots, which claim to be the world’s first 100 per cent all-natural sheepskin shoes, and a new line of jeans called Undune. Sure to become a cult classic, the jeans combine style and sustainable living into one stretchy pair of green-hearted goodness.

A local told me today that on this, the first Saturday of the festival, the city reaches its maximum capacity. I felt the sting of that truth while waiting 30 minutes to get a cup of coffee at Canada’s own Cow’s ice cream parlor/café—oddly, a festival hot spot.

Day two was, in a word, hectic. The streets were crammed with weekend snow birds, Sundancers (doubled in number since yesterday) and locals—who seem to be losing patience with the mounting festival takeover. But who can blame them? Park City is small, and right now, Main Street (or the “strip” as I have learned to call it), crawls at the pace of a snail, whether you’re moving by car or on foot. Luckily, towards the edge of town, where most screenings take place, things are more spacious.

The narrow streets of Park City are jammed with luxury SUVs, rented by visiting captains of the film industry. The shops and restaurants of Main Street have been emptied and converted into a strip of temporary “lounges” carrying the names of Skyy Vodka and Microsoft. Pedestrians consist of conspicuous black-clad journalists charging down the street, often overheard on their Blackberries saying “We’ll touch base,” while celebrities, including Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, Paris Hilton and Matthew McConaughey, roam the main drag in designer alpine gear—making Main Street the best place to hang out and star-gaze.