Inside Toronto Fashion Parties

Florals and frills go head-to-head at the Proenza Schouler cocktail party

 

Some fashionable attendees get their pic snapped at The Room's Proenza Schouler cocktail party  

Proenza Schouler designer Jack McCollough 'smizes' at me.  Swoon!

 It’s hot today.  Like, crazy hot.  I’ve left my kids at home and have taken the train in from London to hit up two events:  the Victoria’s Secret Bombshell party hosted by super-freak-of-nature Doutzen Kroes and a Proenza Schouler cocktail party at The Room.  Stoked as I am, I can’t help but focus on today’s dilemmas:  
1) It’s 31 degrees outside and I’m wearing Spanx.  
2) As ‘Style Reporter’ I’m supposed to look hot - but not the sweaty kind of hot  
3)  The event’s being hosted by Doutzen Kroes so is #2 even possible?  
4) My bag weighs about 100 lbs since it’s holding my MacBook and massive camera
5)  I’m not entirely sure that I know how to pronounce Doutzen.  Is it Dootzen?  Dowtzen?  Kroos? Kross? Krose?  At least I know it’s Skooler  
5) One dress has to do double-duty for a fun patio party and a swanky cocktail affair.  I’ve found a dress that’s cool and casual - perfect for the patio but is it good enough for cocktails with Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez?  
And you think you have problems.

I exit St. Andrew’s station and strut purposefully down King St. towards the Spoke Club.  Men glance appreciatively as I walk by and if I’m honest, I’m kind of loving it.  I smile at boys in business suits and toss my hair a little as I pass by a group of guys drinking beer on a patio.  A shady dude approaches me at a light and keeps repeating ‘Pretty girl.  Prettttyyy girl.  Ugh. Pretty girl.”  I’m freaked out yet flattered.  He stumbles across the street and I watch him approach an older man.  “Pretty girl. Pretty girrrl.”  My strut eventually morphs into a slow stroll as my 100 lb. bag joins forces with gravity to pull me down.  I’m sweating, my feet already hurt and I’m still about 6 blocks away.  I bet Doutzen’s in her Town Car right now being fanned by her own little supermodel wind machine.

Finally!  I arrive at the Spoke Club and am instructed to head up the 4th floor patio where the VS Bombshell Party is in full swing.  Cool club beats float through the air and a sexy scent of sweet florals and citrus fruit makes me feel like I’ve dived straight into a mojito.  I head immediately for the bar and grab my first glass of champagne.  Ahhh.  The team from New York is there to take us through the summer lineup of bikinis and lingerie, including the Miraculous Push-Up Bra which promises to lift you up and out, instantly adding two full cup sizes.  The PR girl encourages me to touch the mannequin so I can see for myself;  I cop a feel and am shocked by the amount of padding hidden underneath its lacy exterior - my husband likes to call it ‘false advertising’.   Next, she tells me about their 4 limited-edition summer scents:  Heavenly, Bombshell, Very Sexy and Noir.  I’m not a huge fragrance fan but  love the light and fresh Bombshell Summer scent with its hits of grapefruit, black currant and lily of the valley.   Next, a VS makeup artist shows me how to get the golden glow of a swimsuit model.  She puts a shimmery bronzing body lotion on my arm, and touts the benefits of their bronzers because “when you’re wearing nothing but a string bikini, you need to glow EVERYWHERE!”.  I get a relaxing hand massage (SO appreciated by a blogger like me) while we wait for Doutzen to arrive.  

The loud buzz quickly turns to a hush as she glides into the room.  Doutzen falls gracefully onto a bench and takes a long drink of water while everyone reaches for their iPhones to tweet about her gorgessity.  In an instant, I’ve gone from feeling fab to frumpy and an editor next to me deadpans, “I’m going to need lifelong counselling after this.”  She’s amazing in real life - perfect hair, not an ounce of cellulite and I’m pretty convinced that instead of sweating she just ‘dews’.  I manage to snag an interview with her and we start chatting.  She quickly reveals in a breathy voice that she’s just flown in for the day because she has a 4 month-old at home and is still nursing.  We commiserate over babies and breastfeeding while the ‘Supermodels:  They’re Just Like Us’ headline runs through my head;  that is, until she tells me how excited she was to get back into a bikini again.  My Spanx give my thighs a consoling little squeeze.  I ask her how she’s gotten her post-baby body back into shape, hoping for some tips.  “It’s genetics and exercise.  I’ve exercised my entire life and I don’t know...my mom was just like this after she had babies.  I guess I’m just very lucky.”  Darn.

Fast-forward to 7:00 and The Room at the Bay is packed with the movers and sashayers of Toronto’s fashion scene.  Lisa Tant, Shinan Govani and Sarah Nicole Prickett rub shoulders with socialites like Suzanne Rogers and the ever-OTT Stacy Kimel who’s rocking a crazy fascinator.  A flock of fashion editors breeze past me holding cute little clutches as I struggle to move through the crowd with my 150 lbs of bags (VS swag bag added to the mix), and search the crowd for a familiar face.  I run into a few people I know but since I moved out of the city 6 years ago, I start to wish I had my clique back.  I sit down on a padded bench, relieved to finally be able to put my bags down and strike up a conversation with a woman next to me.  I find out that her name is Mary and she’s there with her son who ‘loves fashion’ and always picks out her clothes.  She’s wearing a pretty blue jacket, is positively dripping in diamonds and throughout the course of the evening, reveals to me that she was a model in her fifties and once ran for political office in North York.  She’s thrilled to be at this party because “it’s pretty exciting for an 84 year-old gal like me.”

I ask her what she thinks of Proenza Schouler’s clothes; she thinks the fall line  is ‘really beautiful’ and I couldn’t agree more.  During a road-trip to Santa Fe, Jack McCullough and Lazaro Hernandez were inspired by Native-American blankets and the result is a cool mix of pixelated prints and rich knits.  In person the pieces are truly magnificent;  fiery reds and oranges, brilliant marigolds and hits of blue pop beautifully against a rich backdrop of  rusty browns and deep blacks.  Though it’s hot in The Room, I don’t mind looking at the warm knits and sumptuous velvet pieces because they’re so ridiculously gorgeous.  The Proenza guys mingle with the crowd and though I don’t get a chance to actually interview them, Jack nods and grins at me as I take his pic.  Heaven!

Mary and I spend the rest of the night exchanging style tips while her son fetches different pieces that catch his eye.  A cute server who Mary calls her ‘boyfriend’, keeps bringing us trays of delicious canapes and keeps our glasses filled (hers with water and mine with Cooralook, my new favourite Pinot Gris).  After the designers quietly leave the building and the crowd begins to dissipate, I thank my new friend for making my night.  I’d had so much fun that I forgot all about my dress, my bags my Spanx and my non-Doutzen-Kroesiness.  My last dilemma?  How am I going to look as good as Mary at 84? 

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Victoria's Secret Bombshell Party

The glam limited-edition Victoria's Secret Bombshell Summer fragrance - light, sweet and pretty in pink (of course)

Editors hang out on the patio of the Spoke Club, waiting to interview Doutzen Kroes

Doutzen Kroes causes depression after telling us she has a 4 month-old baby at home (not adopted) and was "so excited" to get back into her bikini.  Did I mention she's really nice, too?  Sorry. 

Clockwise from top left:  The Miraculous Bra, guaranteed to make you go up 2 full cup sizes; Doutzen taking a break with a VS PR Rep from New York; Sweet swag bags; the Beach Sexy line of tinted moisturizers and self-tanners for bronzed goddesses everywhere

Doutzen prepares for a shoot while a dude at the bar gets a good look.

I was lucky to be invited to the Victoria's Secret Bombshell Party in Toronto on Tuesday at the Spoke Club and though James offered to go on my behalf to "lessen the workload", I decided to go myself.  The event, part of the Victoria's Secret Bombshell Summer Tour was hosted by supermodel and VS Angel, Doutzen Kroes.  She was insanely gorge and super sweet and I hated every minute.  Kidding.  For the full low-down on the event and all about the Proenza Schouler party that night, stay tuned...

PS - Congrats to Peggy Jones for winning my Victoria's Secret Swag Bag contest on facebook!  Enjoy your treats and thanks to everyone who entered!

Get Your Kicks

After wearing boots for 6 months straight, summer is the perfect time to finally have some fun with your footwear.  Showing off your new pedi with a beyond bright pair of heels is a great way to rock the colour trend without having to commit to a full outfit.  Have a neutral work outfit that needs some spice? Imagine a black pencil skirt or tan dress pants with a pair of red peep-toe pumps.  Feeling even more daring?  As I've said before, 2011 is the year to go all out with head-to-toe colour so don't be afraid to wear, say, a pink dress with a green belt and a pair of fun yellow heels.  No matter which colour you choose, your feet will never want to go back to boring old black (until the Fall, that is - but let's not talk about that yet...) 

There's a reason why it-girls everywhere are embracing the wedge trend this season:  they're cute AND comfortable!  Wedges give us the height we crave without the headache (make that footache?) of trying to look graceful while teetering on wobbly stilettos or getting our heels stuck in the grass (awkward!)  A great pair of neutral wedges will magically lengthen your legs and have the added benefit of going with almost anything you wear, especially this season's 70s-inspired flared jeans or boho summer dresses.  Look for wooden soles, colour-blocking details and intricate cut-outs to add interest to the neutral colour.  The flatform (basically a flat platform - see the ALDO version above) might look like your great-grandma's shoes (no offense to great-grandmas everywhere) but is actually the hottest trend in footwear right now and was seen on almost every big runway show this season from Chanel to Prada to Michael Kors.

 

The closest you can get to going barefoot, a great pair of flats are essential for making it through the summer months in style.  Think of these strappy sandals as pimped-out versions of the flip-flop - they're flat and comfy but unlike your favourite flops, are totally chic thanks to metal hardware, beaded details and foot-flattering straps.  Wear them with a flowing maxi dress or a pair of skinny jeans - just avoid wearing flat sandals with flared or wide-leg pants since these styles call for a leg-lengthening heel.  Want to jump outside of your fashion box this summer?  Just because you like dresses doesn't mean you always have to wear heels.  Next time you put on a little summer dress, throw on a pair of chic strappy gladiator flats - they'll add an instant bit of edge to an ultra-feminine outfit. 

Originally posted in The CLOSET 

Totally...

At this time of year, I'm all about being laid-back and savouring every sweet moment of summer.  Though the temperature's steadily climbing and the layers are finally coming off (Hallelujah!) sometimes a little dress or shorts just don't feel appropriate throughout the week.  A light-as-air open-knit sweater in a cool shade of white (worn over a white tank) and easy linen-blend pants are effortlessly chic and perfect for everything from a lunch date to a day at your air-conditioned office (assuming your workplace's summer dress code isn't super strict).  Throw a few cognac accents and some fun zebra-print wedges into the mix and you've got a look that's carefree yet totally put-together.  Voilà! 

Kicking It Old School

When I saw that Roots had brought back their Beaver Canoe sweatshirts, I got a little nostalgic.  Memories of raiding the boys' cabins at Wabanaki, singing around the campfire and countless May 2-4 weekends spent in leaky tents all came flooding back.  In fact, if I'm honest, my sister tried to throw out her old Beaver Canoe sweatshirt several years ago and I secretly saved it from the giveaway bag and stashed it high in my closet, just because I couldn't say goodbye.  Anyone else remember Beaver Canoe?

The Beaver Canoe Kanga ($68) is available now at Roots stores nationwide or online.  Going, going, gone...

If you've graduated past the hoodie and want to look a little more stylin' at the cottage this summer, look no further than my 5 steps to cottage chic right here.