It was fashion night at TIFF on Sunday as Fashion Television hosted Canada’s favourite designing duo (sorry Steven and Chris) DSquared2‘s Dean and Dan Caten at the CTV building. Last year’s Valentino show was a good first try of the fashion-tainment party format but this year’s event was a spectacular bash celebrating two of our own.
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With the front rows lined with editors, CTV’s A list, local designers (Evan Biddell, Comrags’ Joyce Gunhouse, Joeffer Caoc) and the chicly stoled Robin Kay and the street crammed with style kids craving a glimpse of one of them real, Milanese-style runway shows, the twins paraded fall men’s and women’s looks.
There were musical interludes by the incredible Kreesha Turner. There were stilettos put through the runway lights as guests climbed across the runway to their seats. There was Jeanne Beker in the highest heels ever. And there was MAC’s Gold Fever disco after party full of go-go dancers and gilt mirror balls.
I bid farewell to the fashionista crowd (the best at TIFF if you ask me) and headed up to the ROM where Canadian content including Norman Jewison, Atom Egoyan and Scott Speedman gathered under the Libeskind crystal at the Entertainment One bash before heading south to Spice Route where E! was celebrating its first birthday. Nip/Tuck’s Kelly Carlson, Miss Canada and Burger King’s regal mascot all made appearances.
One off-duty Spoke Club server recounted some of the star action taking place at the private spot down the street.
“Last night was crazy,” he said. “One minute I was talking to my friend. The next, I was drunk with Sandra Oh in a corner.” He then mentioned he had to run back to the club to set up a private party for Management’s Jennifer Aniston. Perhaps the club’s strict policy of discretion doesn’t apply if he talks a block east of the club?
Star sightings: Celebrity party regulars used to receive an unfair share of scene columnist sass as if the event enthusiasm of past eager TIFF attendees like Jennifer Tilley or Sophia Milos lost them exclusivity points. Now, we love it when a star stays in town for more than a press conference, walk down the red carpet and quick lap around the after party.
In contention for this year’s celebrity social butterfly title are Passchendaele’s Gil Bellows and The Narrows’ Sophia Bush who seemed to appear on every party publicist’s confirmed-to-attend list over the weekend and stayed true to their RSVPs. Bellows hit up the first of four ET Canada parties at Casa Loma on Sunday night (where Liam Neeson and Laura Linney also walked the red carpet) while Bush was spotted at the FT show and the Tastemakers Lounge drooling over the Ministry of the Interior wall covered in $5000 worth of flocked Timorous Beasties paper and picking out a full fall wardrobe from the Joe Fresh folks.
Media mention: ‘Twasn’t long before the Twitter bug caught on with the TIFF scene reporting pack. Over at the National Post‘s film fest page, hot minute-by-minute tips like “Liam Neeson in lobby of Sutton Place rocking a wrinkled suit & hugging pals” and “There should be rules against wearing purple Crocs to press conferences” prove all news might not be fit to print but if it helps scoop starved journalists pass some down time, there’s always room for it on the web.
