All posts filed under: Parties

Holt Renfrew Style Rules with David Donohue

After the Philip Sparks Spring 2010 show, I headed over to Holt Renfrew for their Style Rules event. The guest speaker was David Donohue, a professional car racer. We were also introduced to the new four door Porsche sedan, the Panamera. I’m a huge Porsche fan. My dream car is a Porsche 911 Targa. It’s been my dream car for more than 20 years. Unfortunately, I’m not an owner yet. When I heard the Panamera was a four door, I was a little skeptical. However, after listening to David and Porsche Canada’s president talk about the car I began to change. The unveiling sold me, it’s not too bad. It’s larger than the two door models but smaller than the Cayenne. It has all the bells and whistles anyone with money could wish for. They opened the car up and let the guests take a look inside. It was drool worthy. In the end, my favourite car is still the 911 Targa. The Panamera is nice, but not the kind of car I would buy …

Fame! I’m Going to Live Forever

So, I received an invitation to the Fame movie premier after party. The Bathurst Theater was setup to resemble the school from Fame. Dancers and actors occupied different rooms of the theater that represented singing, dancing and theater. The rooms had various things to keep the guests happy. In one room you could make a music video, just like Canada’s Wonderland. They tried to get us up to sing and act silly, we chose not to. Another room had this awesome mobile flipbook creating studio from Party Impressions. You had 7 seconds to make a video that would be recreated flipbook style. It was so much fun. Most people stuck to the dancing around theme, but some got creative. I like to think the flipbook Natalie and I made was pretty damn good. The appetizers going around were old high school classics like mac and cheese, grilled cheese and meatloaf. The organizers did a great job of keeping the atmosphere correct. I never did get to screen the film as the screening was “sold out”. …

FASHION Magazine’s Men’s Fall Style Special Event

I attended the FASHION Magazine’s Men’s Fall Style Special Event last week. I brought The Grumpy Owl with me since he sometimes concerns himself with fashionable things. The party was to celebrate the launch of the FASHION Magazine’s Men’s Fall Style Special supplement. It’s a magazine created by the Fashion Magazine team dedicated to men’s fashion. There were cigars and a small cigar lounge setup outside. The Grumpy Owl bought a nice cigar and enjoyed it on the patio. There were canapes and drinks at the party but we were also treated to a Hugo Boss Fall 2009 fashion show. The Men’s Fashion Fall 2009 supplement is pretty good. I love the product offering and the way they are displayed. There is also a long article demystifying men’s grooming by Andrew Sardone. I LOVE the men’s editorial though. Here are two images to get your hungry to find it.

Holt Renfrew Launches Vignettes

Holt Renfrew Launches Vignettes was their TIFF party this year. The launch party for Vignettes will take place on Saturday, September 12 from 9 PM – 1 AM at Toronto’s Burroughes Building with a performance by The Stills and a special introduction by Coco Rocha. Holt Renfrew is also very proud to announce that the host of MTV USA’s IT’S ON Alexa Chung will be the special guest DJ for the evening. What the hell are Vignettes? Well Holt Renfrew created some short films for their men’s and women’s collections this season. The night was also the debut of my custom made leather dress from Mi Concept. It was a hit. I paired it with Luxury Rebel booties, YSL clutch and a Fizz Amethyst Ring borrowed from the Swarovski lounge at The Four Seasons Hotel. It was a fun evening and I got to reconnect with a lot of fashion friends I missed while away. I didn’t take a lot of photos. I didn’t talk to Coco but I stared at her a lot. She’s …

The Last Gay Bash

It was the end of an era, the final Gay Bash was held on June 28, 2009. Gay Bash was the party where everyone from the House of Helder got together and danced, drank and ate. It was always fun seeing what the kids were up to style-wise and catching some impromptu dance routines. The last installment was no different. Here are some pictures of the festivities.

Eleven Opening with Fashion Magazine

Eleven Boutique and Fashion Magazine teamed up to put on an official opening party for the newest women’s fashion shop in Yorkville. There was an official ribbon cutting ceremony a few weeks ago. I was invited but couldn’t attend. Eleven carries Lundström, Joeffer Caoc and Thien Le. The selection from the Lundström collection is massive, so this should be your first stop when looking for anything Lundström. I got to meet Linda Lundström for the first time, as well as Thien Le. At this point, I had not seen any Thien Le gowns in person. I saw his golf collection at SS08 fashion week. Upstairs there were a few women playing dress up in Thien Le and Lundström. After chatting with Thien Le he twisted my arm and I decided to play dress up in a few of his dresses. Eleven has a great selection of jewellery. I was very impressed with the offerings. Eleven Boutique 116 Cumberland Street Toronto, Ontario 416.966.3935

SOL(e)D! aka Anita’s Birthday Party

I’m celebrating my birth with one of my favourite magazines, the Worn Fashion Journal. Join me and the Worn Team celebrate the closing of the ART & SOLE exhibition. The ART & SOLE exhibition (May 21 – June 6) will feature twenty-four interpretations of that understated fash classic, Keds. The exhibit will close with a v. fashionable gala (cocktails! hor d’oevres! 1960s Motown/Stax/Hi Records music courtesy of Shake a Tail DJs!) and live auction fundraiser which will give our readers the chance to bid on these wonderful creations, with a portion of proceeds supporting Fashion Cares (in support of ACT). The animated image above displays some of the shoes in the collection. Attendees of SOL(e)D! will also have access to all exhibits in the museum, cheap drinks and free food. Tickets are $28 and also include 2 year subscription to WORN. Tickets can be purchased online SOL(e)D! Tickets or in person at the following stores: Winkle, 1107 Queen Street East Left Feet, 88 Nassau Street Frou Frou, 1616 Queen Street West If you see any …

Fritz Helder & the Phantoms: Platinum Edition LIVE

Fritz Helder & The Phantoms presented Platinum: Live at the Red Bull Gallery Space. The event was hosted by Nelly Furtado and celebrated the band’s forthcoming release *Greatest Hits*, which comes out on Furtado’s newly launched, Nelstar Music on July 7, 2009. The party was billed as: an intimate, invitation only event that will bring together the best and the brightest in music, fashion, television and other media. The showcase will be hosted by Furtado and feature a live full concert performance and installation from FH&TP featuring stage costumes by Greta Constantine and all-star pre (and post) shows with surprise special guest DJs. “Platinum Edition” will also feature a concept boutique with designs by the band’s favorite local design talent. Designers confirmed to participate in creating these one-of-kind pieces are: Greta Constantine, Jeremy Laing, Tommy Ton (of Jak&Jil.com), Oligarchy, Label, Nada Designs, Franke for Chasse Gardée, Jaime Galindo and Hoibo. Fritz Helder &the Phantoms will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sales of the limited edition garments to the *Fashion Cares (Aids Committee …

SpinTO Wrapup

SpinTO was a hell of a party. It a lot of fun hanging out with friends, drinking and dancing. The night also raised $15,000 for Toronto People with AIDS Foundation. Hurrah! Here is my little wrap up post with photos care of Rannie Turingan and Say Yeah. First off my SpinTO outfit. It was a pain in the ass to figure it out. At first I had the idea of gold, going with the Solid Gold theme. I had some items from American Apparel all picked out thanks to The Oracle, but decided against it. American Apparel gold lame really makes me ill. I needed something else. I didn’t have time to vintage shop and my choices for a good gold costume were dwindling. I finally talked to my friend Jaime Woo and he said he was going in a speedo. It snapped, the inspiration: I’m gonna wear a swimsuit. There were a bunch of incarnations of the swimsuit based outfit: the swimsuit and booty short combo; swimsuit and sarong combo; the swimsuit alone. The …

Brunch at La Perlerie

I was invited to a unique brunch event at La Perlerie a bead boutique and flameworking studio in the west end of Toronto. It was a way for Susan Nagy, owner of La Perlerie to reach out to several tastemakers in the city and talk to us about what she does at the boutique. La Perlerie bead boutique and flameworking studio features hand-made flameworked beads made in house, semi-precious stones, woods, resins, glass and Austrian crystal. They also do custom jewllery work where they work closely with the client to come up with the design for any occasion or use. Susan has also launched her first collection of sculptural neckpieces using a combination of wireworking techniques and handmade glass beads. La Perlerie also offers courses in Glass Beadmaking. Classes are taught by renowned Flameworking Artist and Jewellery Designer – Nadia Tasci. La Perlerie is working hand-in-hand with Sterling Silver Artist Karen Lamont of Citrus (www.citrussilver.com), to provide customers with a truly unique gift of a Sterling Silver Pendant, hand-stamped with words of the customer’s choosing. …

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer Launch at Jezebel

Fashion Targets Breast Cancer held it’s launch last week at the new club, Jezebel. I attended to because I’m always interested in getting myself into Jezebel and see some fashion friends that would be in attendance. This year Joe Fresh Style is selling the shirts for $12 at all Joe Fresh locations. Fashion Targets Breast Cancer (FTBC) began as the fashion industry’s response to breast cancer – a widely recognized effort that raises public awareness and funds to support breast cancer research, education and patient care. Inspired by Ralph Lauren in memory of his late friend Nina Hyde, The Washington Post columnist who died of breast cancer, the campaign centres around the sale of Target apparel reminding women to “target” their breast health. The target has been worn by such fashion icons as Kate Moss, Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer and Helena Christensen. Since its launch, FTBC has become the worldwide fashion community’s singular and most successful response to breast cancer. This incredibly simple and powerful awareness campaign has raised over $1.4 …

Bombay Sapphire Private Evening in Rosedale

I have to admit, I get invited to some pretty cool things. I LOVE IT! The latest adventure was a little lesson in sophisticated entertaining by Bombay Sapphire Gin courtesy of Ian Barr of Rocket XL (I want – I got loves you Ian). The group was about 40 people including familiar faces from twitter (Rannie, Sass who is oh so sassy, Jaime Woo, Andrew Louis, Suresh, Marie) and the fashion world. The venue, 49 Nanton Avenue, the former home of Ted Rogers Sr. It was incredible to say the least. The Globe and Mail has a great slideshow from when the house went up for sale. It looks a little different with the new owners, it’s spectacular. The backyard area is the same and that pool is the most fabulous thing I’ve ever seen; non chlorinated and a lovely 80-85 degrees. Yes people, it was heated to perfection. I wanted to strip down and jump in. Teaching the art of sophisticated entertaining was Merlin Griffiths, Master Mixologist and Bombay Sapphire Global Brand Ambassador. Merlin …

Italy at Your Feet VIP Cocktail

I was invited to the “Italy at Your Feet” VIP cocktail, presented by Browns, the Italian Trade Commission (I.C.E) and ANCI (Associazione Nazionale Calzaturieri Italiani) by Fashion Magazine. It was hosted by Browns at the flagship Bloor street location. It was a great excuse to celebrate Italian shoes, drink Prosecco and eat delicious, delicious prosciutto. See the complete slideshow Photos Taken by Paul Baik for I want – I got www.paulbaikphoto.com

LG Innovators’ Ball Femme Fatale Photos

I was invited to the LG Innovators’ Ball Femme Fatale: An Evening of Intrigue. The party was held at the Ontario Science Center and although the TTC ride back home was a complete disaster and took way longer than expected it was a really great time. I also ran into an old high school friend who I literally haven’t seen in like 15 years. When we arrived we were sent wandering around the Science Center before some nice man with a walkie talkie grabbed us and escorted us down to the check in desk. Danielle had forgotten her ticket but we didn’t need them. It was funny because both of our names were highlighted on the sheet. We were LG VIPs (very nice) and had access to the lounge. It was a raised area with seating towards the back of the main room with easy access to a bar. It was nice to sit down towards the end of the night because there wasn’t any seats otherwise. It was a black tie event and most …

Buy Design 2009 – Post Party Pictures

Buy Design, the fundraiser for WindFall Clothing Service took place on Saturday. The theme was Space, particularly Barbarella’s version of space. Think 60’s mod, block colours, go-go boots, short skirts and tights. I decided to channel The Great Tyrant who was played by Anita Pallenberg. This was the result. Here I am getting interviewed for what I think is the Space TV show, The Circuit. It will air at 7:30PM on Friday, April 24, 2009. I’m still fiddling with a loner camera and it wasn’t cooperating on Saturday. I’ve relied on photos from friends. Enjoy.

Buy Design for Windfall 2009

Buy Design for Windfall BUY DESIGN, Windfall’s annual charity gala, is revolutionizing the party scene with a creative social media campaign and a night promising out-of-this world indulgences. For its sixth year, Windfall’s space-themed affair will have guests dancing to a supernova of ’60s mod music with host, Adrian Mainella of CBC’s Fashion File. Praised as a top Toronto event by BizBash magazine, BUY DESIGN is the universe’s best party since the Big Bang. Shooting down to earth Saturday, April 18th at 8PM in Toronto’s Distillery Historic District, BUY DESIGN supports Windfall, Canada’s only NEW clothing and basic-needs bank. A METEOR SHOWER OF ATTRACTIONS BUY DESIGN’s galaxy-renowned live and silent auctions bring in donations that will sate fashionistas, foodies and culture lovers alike. Earthly possessions up for bid include Jenny Bird handbags, a $1000 H&M shopping spree and gift certificates to the city’s best restaurants, spas, and salons. Be there for the curtained reveal and get first bid on items – from roundtrip Via Rail tickets to Montreal and autographed NHL and NFL jerseys, to …

Fritz Helder & the Phantoms – nuff said

Fritz Helder & the Phantoms performed at their CD release party last night and rocked the Great Hall with a flawless, awe inspiring performance. These guys are going to be big. If you weren’t there last night, you ain’t vogue baby. In my humble opinion this is the only relevant band in fashion right now, period. I spotted a lot of fashion people taking part: my designer crush that I never talk to Jeremy Laing, Krane designer Ken Chow, one half of Juma and I want – I got fan Jamil, fashion hero Sonja Andic of TSF, industry insider Gail McInnes, the very sweet Shinan Govani of the National Post, stylist and birthday girl Jessica Tjeng and Project Runway Canada alum Michael Hatley. I’m sure there were others too, I either didn’t know who you were or I didn’t see you. After the show was the after party at the Social where we were treated to another show Village People style. It was awesome. I want a big feather headdress now! Their CD is out …

Circa Nightclub People

Not many really great dressed people overall, but some were pretty hot. The opening night party was a good one overall, despite small glitches. I broke in my Chocolate Basso dress finally, thanks Gail. I love Mark. Every time I see this guy he’s dressed the part.

We’ll miss you Hannah!

This past weekend I was invited to Hannah Melville of Wonderlust last pool party in Oakville. She is moving back home to Vancouver with her husband Jordan. It was an amazing time and I had a blast. Wendy from House of Spy, me and Hannah We were lucky enough to be entertained by DJ Jelo and DeadMaus, some of Toronto’s hottest DJs. Jelo is known world wide too. It was pretty awesome to have him spinning at such an intimate venue. It was like South Beach! Thanks to Danielle for taking what is now my favourite picture of myself. The suit, by Vix Swimwear is one of my I wants from wayback.

The camera loves me

I’m going to be on tv again. This has been the year of the television appearances for yours truly. People are even telling me that I should change careers, lol. I hate tv though, and after being on it I still hate it. Doesn’t matter what you do, you always end up looking like an idiot. I was glad they left the snorting laugh after the technosexual description in the Citytv International CK in2u clip, that was hilarious. I’m not nervous or anything in front of the camera but it’s surreal. That being said, I probably wouldn’t turn down another interview, what the hell is the matter with me? Opening Soon and Citytv International were two strange, out of the blue, random things that happen on the fly short. The filming of both clips took place over a 24hr period. I will be on Opening Soon by Design on HGTV. It all stems from this article I wrote for blogTO on Aiyoku Cardio Lounge. In that post I write It’s Thursday night and I’m on …

Nike & Goodfoot presents Joga Bonito

Last night I attended a party at Goodfoot. A really cool Joga Bonito installation was done by Virus. There was also an advanced preview of Nike’s Motion Capture Court Force. Yes, it was a shoe opening, LOL. Free booze and nibbles though. I spent most of my time looking at people’s shoes. Let me tell you there was a lot nice sneakers in the place. Nike was the dominate shoe of choice. It was also funny to see grown men get upset when they noticed someone else wearing their shoes or choice accessory of the night. LOL, guys can be just as bad as chicks. Now on to the shoes. I’ve mentioned that I’m not much of a Nike fan. I like some of their shoes in theory, but would never purchase them. The new Motion Capture Court Force shoes are nice, my favourite being the black pair. I just love the details on the laces. You can view more about the shoes here and here. Edit: I found an article in Sneaker Freaker magazine …

Wanna Frock Grand Opening party

I was invited to a grand opening party for Toronto’s newest retailer, Wanna Frock. Situated in the Beaches, Wanna Frock carries only local designers. This was my first invite to a store opening and it was a fun time. The store space is fabulous and for you local film buffs it was a location in this movie. Here are a few choice pictures; you can view the full set here Wanna Frock carries accessories, clothing and jewelry. Designers include Amie Scott, Denise David, Bjoolz – Insanely Cool Jewelry and Untitled Clothing. I picked up 2 items that I will talk about later. Wanna Frock – map it!1378 Queen Street EastToronto, OntarioM4L 1C9 EDIT: Wanna Frock is closed