FASHION Magazine

Flash freeze

Posted on June 11, 2008

You may have heard: Luminato’s on this week. I went to the Giorgio Armani opening-night shindig at the R.O.M. on Friday with a couple of the FASHION crew. After a quick tour around the party, we ensconced ourselves in the VVIP room, which was outfitted with makeup touchup stations and a small cadre of living dolls outfitted avec Giorgio. (To get the full scoop on the party, including the celeb quotient, check out Michelle’s Fashionable Life blog.)

As we sipped white wine and watched contortionists in silver bodysuits twist in the upper levels of the crystal, we eagerly awaited a report from another office contingent. They were over at the Carlu attending the National Magazine Awards, for which FASHION had received three nominations. Soon came the text: gold. Cheers. A big congratulations to our fashion director, Susie Sheffman, our art director, Antony Smith, and photographer Gabor Jurina for their win, for “Cable Girl” from our October 2007 issue. (There’s a taste of it on the left.) You can see more of their work in the spectacular “Swept Away” in our summer issue.

Saturday morning was the FASHION Flash Mob, which I’d been anxious about since hearing it was supposed to rain. (I was as concerned about turnout as I was about wearing white in a downpour.) Well, the day was stunning, and over 100 people showed. There were brides, models (thanks, Elite!), bloggers and one Marie Antoinette, whom our marketing intern corralled from her perch outside the H&M. It’s a strange feeling to stand stock still in a crowd of people. Someone said it was meditative, and I totally agree: It’s like stepping off for a second. My only regret was that I didn’t get to see all the great poses. I was just glad I was wearing sunglasses so I could watch a little bit of the “action.” After looking through the photos, my personal favourite is the couple holding the almost kiss.

I rounded out my Luminato weekend with a matinee of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. This version was performed entirely by Indian and Sri Lankan players, many speaking in their native tongues. It was a beautiful show to see: amazing music, colourful costumes, breathtaking acrobatics. I recommend it highly if you know the Dream well (it’s tough to follow the plot in a polyglot play). CanStage will be mounting the original for its annual outdoor Dream in High Park. Bring yourself a bottle of wine and a picnic dinner, and you’re set. Very civilized.

Shown: Some Elite models at FASHION's Flash Mob. Photography by Claudia Hung.

Categories: Girl About Town