Lessons from the CIFF
By Malwina Gudowska
Calgary’s mini heat wave got hotter Thursday night as the red-carpet opening gala for the ninth annual Calgary Film Festival took place at Belgo, the downtown French bistro/Belgian brasserie. Amid the sea of cocktail dresses and sharp suits, Jacqueline Dupuis, the festival’s executive director looked effortlessly cool with her tiered black dress and grey pumps. Her mane of wavy blonde hair would make Gwyneth Paltrow shutter with regret for cutting her tresses.
The festival’s opening movie Blindness was being screened later in the evening. Producer Niv Fichman and screenplay writer and actor Don McKellar were both on-hand, providing the star factor.
This year’s festival also includes, much to my delight, the new series Fashion in Film and throughout the 10-day fest there’ll be a number of fashion film screenings. So what better way to get the fashion party started than a runway show (pictured) with the beautiful gals and guys from Mode Models showcasing fall’s looks. Since we were about to see Blindness, it was fitting that standing along the runway, we were blinded by the finger bling on model Jade Merriman. (We even had to get a closer look at the massive rock post-show). We hear she recently married another local model—stunning wedding photos no doubt. Things got a little weird when some of the models appeared on the runway with perfectly round, fake bellies, modeling maternity fashions from retailer Ella Bella but then again, those sexy numbers made me want to procreate right then and there.
Life at the party was good: prosecco was flowing, the sushi was amazing, cute shoes were everywhere. And then, we went to see the movie. Powerful, spellbinding, emotional and highly disturbing were all words thrown around to describe the Fernando Meirelles-directed Blindness, starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Much like the rest of the cohort leaving the theatre, I was not in a party mood post-screening.
But, a girl’s got to do what she has to do and we returned to Belgo for the after-party. This time, it was mussels and frites and the alluring sound of a saxophonist serenading us while a DJ spun Nina Simone’s Sinnerman between the sax sets. I got back in the mood.
After a fashion-and-film-filled eve, I headed home pondering the two valuable lessons I learned that night. First, if you’ve already forgotten that those four-inch heels massacred your feet at the last party, find a sympathetic fashionista with the same shoe size and convince her to swap. Lucky for me, my FASHION colleague volunteered to wear my peep-toe booties—an inch and a half taller than hers—for a couple of hours while I gave my feet a rest in hers. What a saint. And second, remember where you are. While giving a quote to a Calgary Herald scribe, I mentioned that, definitely, no cowboy-related attire would be present at this swanky soiree. (Incase you haven’t heard, Calgary’s annual western celebration, the Stampede is what comes to mind when people talk parties here.) But as soon as the words came out of my mouth, there went a pretty young thing in a mini paired with cowboy boots. I can’t win them all.
Malwina Gudowska is FASHION’s Alberta reporter. Click to read the latest shop notes from Calgary and Edmonton.
Read all of FASHION’s coverage of the Calgary International Film Festival.
 with the beautiful gals and guys from Mode Models showcasing fall’s looks. Since we were about to see Blindness, it was fitting that standing along the runway, we were blinded by the finger bling on model Jade Merriman. (We even had to get a closer look at the massive rock post-show). We hear she recently married another local model—stunning wedding photos no doubt. Things got a little weird when some of the models appeared on the runway with perfectly round, fake bellies, modeling maternity fashions from retailer Ella Bella but then again, those sexy numbers made me want to procreate right then and there. Life at the party was good: prosecco was flowing, the sushi was amazing, cute shoes were everywhere. And then, we went to see the movie. Powerful, spellbinding, emotional and highly disturbing were all words thrown around to describe the Fernando Meirelles-directed Blindness, starring Julianne Moore and Mark Ruffalo. Much like the rest of the cohort leaving the theatre, I was not in a party mood post-screening. But, a girl’s got to do what she has to do and we returned to Belgo for the after-party. This time, it was mussels and frites and the alluring sound of a saxophonist serenading us while a DJ spun Nina Simone’s Sinnerman between the sax sets. I got back in the mood. After a fashion-and-film-filled eve, I headed home pondering the two valuable lessons I learned that night. First, if you’ve already forgotten that those four-inch heels massacred your feet at the last party, find a sympathetic fashionista with the same shoe size and convince her to swap. Lucky for me, my FASHION colleague volunteered to wear my peep-toe booties—an inch and a half taller than hers—for a couple of hours while I gave my feet a rest in hers. What a saint. And second, remember where you are. While giving a quote to a Calgary Herald scribe, I mentioned that, definitely, no cowboy-related attire would be present at this swanky soiree. (Incase you haven’t heard, Calgary’s annual western celebration, the Stampede is what comes to mind when people talk parties here.) But as soon as the words came out of my mouth, there went a pretty young thing in a mini paired with cowboy boots. I can’t win them all.Malwina Gudowska is FASHION’s Alberta reporter. Click to read the latest shop notes from Calgary and Edmonton. Read all of FASHION’s coverage of the Calgary International Film Festival. ){kind=link}