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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Last night, a bunch of queens took to the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts for Operanation, the Canadian Opera Company’s annual gala fundraiser—over 1,000 drag queens, society queens and karaoke queens to be exact, who embraced the event’s “Queen of the Night” theme in leather, lace and all things moody/sexy/cool. (Yours truly took […]

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The cherry blossoms may not be, but party season is here. First up? Operanation, the Canadian Opera Company’s (epic) annual gala fundraiser, which I co-chair. Anyone who attended last year’s event will know that I enjoy a zany theme and 2016 is no different. This year’s, Queen of The Night, is what you’d get if […]

The post What to wear to Operanation: 10 partygoers share outfit inspiration ahead of this year’s event appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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 […]

The post Operanation 2014: 38 party photos from inside this year’s gala turned rave appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

See the behind the scenes shots and outfit selects » For those who watched episode upon episode of charity galas, masquerade balls and silent auctions on Gossip Girl, wondering “yeah, but actually?”—This one’s for you. This year, I ascended the ranks of Waldorf wannabes everywhere by becoming a co-chair of Operanation, the Canadian Opera Company’s […]

The post What it’s like to co-chair Operanation (+ what to wear to this year’s event) appeared first on FASHION Magazine.

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 full gallery of Operanation party pictures »

Last Thursday opera lovers, patrons of the arts and faces who frequent Toronto’s party circuit came together to support the Canadian Opera Company for Operanation 9: Sweet Revenge. Attendees reflected the event’s theme of high-brow-opera-meets-pop-culture-concert well: Women in floor-length evening gowns navigated the many staircases of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts with ease—proving there’s no architectural challenge a mermaid dress can’t master—while others used the Centre’s sprawling steps as seating throughout the night.

Actress Gabrille Miller looked stunning in a peplum’d dress from Lucian Matis Fall 2012 while Nelly Furtado had two costume changes throughout the night, starting with a gown by Denis Gagnon and later switching into a Holy Tee dress. On the third floor a group of Argo players attracted many eligible ladies—perhaps the popularity of The Bachelor Canada has given the CFL a new social standing?

View the photo gallery »

It’s not very often that an evening can be described as unforgettable, but Operanation 8: A Muse Ball was exactly that. Last Friday, the Canadian Opera Company’s annual gala took over the three-storied lobby of the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, a glittering venue that had passersby on University Avenue gawking through the windows, and with good reason.

Yorkville’s Rac Boutique put together a fashion installation of custom-made designs by Canadian labels like Calla, Joeffer Caoc, Ashley Rowe, and Greta Constantine. Since the wares were showcased by models more mannequin than mortal, more than one of the 1,100 guests was excused for mistakenly fondling the ladies’ outfits. But really, who could resist copping a feel of that floor-length, electric-purple Arthur Mendonça number?

For opera fans and party lovers alike, the Canadian Opera Company’s annual fundraising gala, Operanation, is one of the hottest tickets of the year. Taking place in the crystalline Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto, the event is an innovative mix of opera, rock, dance, and, of course, plenty of bubbly that not only delights the crowd but also raises a pretty penny for the company (last year’s gala raised more than $100,000). This year, the COC has sweetened the pot by adding Rufus Wainwright and Montreal-based dance-pop band Austra to the lineup of Operanation 8: A Muse Ball.