FASHION Magazine

See the To the Wonder TIFF party photos »

How could two green Elie Saab dresses wind up side by side on the TIFF red carpet? “It’s a complete coincidence,” Olga Kurylenko assured me at the TIFF after party for To The Wonder hosted by Hugo Boss and GQ and held at a condo development on Richmond St. West in Toronto earlier this week.

View the Fashion Cares performance and party photos »

The 25th annual M.A.C Fashion Cares gala set off with a bang on Sunday night, with a sequin-suited Elton John performing alongside Janelle Monae, Scissor Sisters, Chantal Kreviazuk and others in support of the the AIDS Committee of Toronto and Elton John AIDS Foundation. Co-chaired by Michael King and Elton John’s husband David Furnish, the show, aptly billed as a night of glitter and light, also featured speeches (and even a little runway work-out) by Linda Evangelista and Dean and Dan Caten of Dsquared.

See the Soho House party photos »

As per usual, the Grey Goose Soho House was hoppin’ and poppin’ with celebs last night, as the staple spot hosted private parties for The Reluctant Fundamentalist, End of Watch and Silver Linings Playbook. Kate Hudson, in a Gwyneth-at-the-Oscars-esque white floor-length Atelier Versace dress, mingled pre-The Reluctant Fundamentalist red carpet. The bearded and babeular Jake Gyllenhaal popped by too, to toast his film End of Watch alongside Anna Kendrick and America Ferrera (who is really looking great these days, we might add).

At that point, it was still early and the celebs in attendance were all chatting up their co-stars and pals. But then Jennifer Lawrence showed up, and completely flipped the celebs-who-are-friends continuum on its head when she, in a body-hugging scale-like dress, started chatting to none other than Kristen Stewart! Could Katniss and Bella be new BFFs? Could a Twilight-meets-The Hunger Games movie be in the works? Are we taking this too far? Maybe. Kristen Stewart, who seemed to have shaken Thursday night’s glamazon look, was back to her usual jeans-and-t-shirt pairing. As an equally awesome addition to the mix: Jennifer Lawrence’s parents Gary and Karen Lawrence were also in attendance at the Soho House to toast their daughter’s TIFF premiere.

See our full gallery from The Perks of Being a Wallflower party! »

If TIFF parties were award shows, most would be like the Golden Globes—totally fun, but you’ll never really get to sit with the A-listers. However, for a film like The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the night is more like the MTV VMAs: from up-and-coming stars to fully-certified teen heartthrobs, everyone’s in on the party. (Which, when you think about it, is actually what The Perks of Being a Wallflower is all about.) Despite all eyes being on Nina Dobrev and Emma Watson, they both circled the room throughout the night, stopping to mingle with guests (or Degrassi-era Toronto friends, in Nina Dobrev’s case) and pose for pictures with fans. Both were also dressed in white, frothy florals: a peplum’d Erdem dress for Emma Watson and a intricately beaded Monique Lhuillier gown for Nina Dobrev.

See the TIFF pantsuits in full »

Looks like some A-listers were doing their Fall 2012 trend research: Pantsuits are big for fall. At last night’s premiere of Ginger & Rosa, fashion plate du jour Elle Fanning donned a head-to-toe Miu Miu Fall 2012 geometric-print suit straight from the runway complete with bottle green heeled oxfords. Later that night the Soho House, both Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson donned similarly-inspired suits (sans the hexagons, of course). So who wore it best? We know there’s really only one answer but…

See the TIFF party photos »

You better be ready for this jelly because the celebrity meet-cute heavens opened wide at last night’s Hudson Bay Company party for A Place Beyond the Pines at AME. Between myself and editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra, we had Ryan Gosling, Eva Mendes and Kristen Wiig in our clutches and the world could not have felt more balanced.

But let’s get acquainted with the soiree particulars: As waiters in Hudson Bay striped T-shirts passed hors d’oeuvres and bubbly, the stars (which also included Bradley Cooper, no big deal), the Bay’s big wigs Bonnie Brooks and Suzanne Timmins and a tight-knit group of editors and gossip experts—which included National Post’s Shinan Govani and Nathalie Atkinson, eTalk’s Elaine Lui and the Toronto Star’s Derrick Chetty—held court at the back of the lavish club.

Eva Mendes sat perched, looking truly resplendent in a black and grey lace-y Dolce & Gabbana dress, chandelier earrings and pointed black heels. Complete with half-turban headpiece, the actress looked as if to be plucked straight from the duo’s Sicilian-inspired Fall 2012 collection. After ordering a cocktail/Red Bull/water with one breath, Eva Mendes and I shared our love for the collection, turbans, and Ryan Gosling (okay, that last one never happened).

See the full gallery of Spring Breakers party photos! »

If you never had the chance to participate in the grand North American tradition of spring break (which, FYI, should always be pronounced in full caps and followed with a fist pump cheer) last night’s Spring Breakers party brought quite the facsimile. Vitaminwater transformed Brassaii’s sleek patio into a Daytona Beach-eqsue nightclub, compete with bikini-clad girls frolicking in hot tubs and Jello shots for all. At the Spring Breakers press conference earlier in the day, Selena Gomez warned her fans that the film is R-rated and not for younger audiences—a sign that she was ready to break out of her Disney-approved bubble?

See the TIFF party photos »

It was another doozy of a night at the Grey Goose Soho House last night, with TIFF celebs upon TIFF celebs upon TIFF celebs showing up en masse to toast their various premieres, presentations and pals. As the official after party spot for Anna Karenina, Soho House’s first megawatt guest was Keira Knightley. Flawless in a black sheer lace-y floor-length Elie Saab gown, it was said that her every move was swanlike, and we believe it. Co-stars Jude Law and Aaron Taylor-Johnson (alongside his May-December love, director and photographer Sam Taylor-Wood) channelled their period costumes, both wearing three-piece suits. Though there isn’t photo evidence of Matthew MacFayden’s wears, we’ll have an imaginary vision of him in period-inspired attire as well. We’ll also imagine his Mr. Darcy coif intact.

See the TIFF party photos »

After weeks of having Soho House Toronto membership papers sitting on my desk, I daresay last night’s first TIFF foray into the newly minted spot is making it mighty hard to turn down. Beyond a British gent-held velvet rope, the old timey Soho House décor complete with antique mirrors, a wide marble staircase, floor-to-ceiling Grey Goose bottles was in full swing and last night, the cast of Looper was there too. Just before midnight, the stars of the future/past/present time travel action flick showed up on masse to toast the film’s TIFF premiere with vodka cocktails (last year’s Le Fizz is back for another round alongside new additions like a Toronto-inspired tea) and miniature foods. Bruce Willis held court in a cozy little corner nook while Joseph-Gordon Levitt chatted with PRs, pals and…not me. Tidbits for crushing ladies like me? He has a really nice tan, he’s not as tall as you’d imagine but still perfectly babeular in stature and friends call him Joe. (I would have gone for Joey, JGL, or event the full on Joseph-Gordon Levitt, but hey).

Divine. There is no other word to describe Marion Cotillard, who floated into last night’s Rust & Bone 2012 Toronto International Film Festival dinner in Look 38, straight off the Dior Haute Couture runway. The tweed strapless dress with back peplum from Raf Simons’s first collection for the house will be a tough red carpet act to follow for stars attending TIFF this year. The dinner, hosted by Moet & Chandon champagne, was held at the subterranean Michael’s on Simcoe St. Cotillard arrived with co-star Matthias Schoenarts before later zipping off to the TIFF film screening at the Elgin theatre. At the dinner, Marion Cotillard politely posed with anyone brave enough to be compared to her aqua blue eyes, rose pink lips and hair swooped up into an elegant wave. Marion Cotillard’s royal blue silk satin slingbacks with yellow tulle trim were a hopeful sign that the skyscraper heel trend is finis (as of TIFF 2012 that is). The needle-toe shoes were set on a low comma heel, an innovation designed by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior back in the ‘50s.

To lure the stars in town for TIFF, Toronto-based PR agency NKPR held a packed-to-the-chic-gills IT Lounge. The fashionable and free were on offer up during the fest, so the most important question can now be answered: Who stopped by?

Visitors for the most part held Canadian passports, with a few internationals getting their swag visa stamped. Those spotted included: Keshia Chanté, Howie D, Taryn Manning, Russell Peters, Paul Haggis, Dustin Milligan, Dean McDermott, Billy Boyd, Lauren Lee Smith, and many more from the world’s of television, film and music.

A few nights this week, industry folk turned their attention from TIFF to the stage. The music stage that is. For the second year in a row, the Festival Music House set up shop at the Mod Club to host performances by young and up and coming Canadian musicians. This year, acts performing included K’NAAN, Sam Roberts Band, Rural Alberta Advantage, Lights, Hey Rosetta!, and the recently Rolling Stone-crowned it-band, The Sheepdogs. The music was loud, the crowd was high energy, and the drinks—like at any good party—were free. Other than the homegrown talent themselves, Geoffrey Rush and Tommie-Amber Pirie were the only celeb spottings throughout the three nights. Given stars like RPatz’s proclivities for dive music bars like the Horseshoe, we’re crossing our fingers for some megawattage next time around.

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