TIFF 2014: Toronto’s top socials hit Casa Loma for the annual Artists for Peace and Justice gala
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The cobblestones winding down to the Artists for Peace and Justice gala in Casa Loma’s garden Sunday night might as well have been an Extreme TV elimination challenge. Guests gingerly descended the hill hoping not to turn an ankle or snap a heel, and at least one socialite in 6” Louboutins went down on all fours.
But once safely sipping cocktails in the castle’s lush native garden, the mood was more relaxed. Thankfully the outfits were not. Gala co-chair Sylvia Mantella---dubbed the human Swiffer by Dragon Den’s Arlene Dickenson---wore a dove grey Jason Wu gown with ruffled train that literally swept the path clean of leaves. Suzanne Boyd’s skewer-length Anne Demeulemeester hat pins, worn as earrings, add edge to a Dries Van Noten silk kimono. Best tux of the night went to Chanel’s Jeffrey Patrick, whose violet foil jacket was a woman’s Maison Martin Margiela purchase from The Room. And trying to maintain eye contact with model Stacy MacKenzie was a challenge given the full-frontal cut-out in her red satin Vawk gown.
Then it was time to get down to work. Co-chairs Natasha Koifman, George Stroumboulopoulos, Paul Haggis, Jason Reitman and Property Brothers Drew and Jonathan Scott took to the stage for a rollicking live auction of experiences with Donna Karan, Diane Von Furstenberg, Mario Batali and Sir Paul McCartney.
In the end $1.5 million was raised to help educate kids in Haiti. And there’s nothing more stylish than that.
TIFF 2014 APJ
APJ Board Members with actress Madeleine Stowe
Bernadette Morra is the former editor-in-chief of FASHION magazine. She has been covering the Canadian and international fashion scenes for more than 30 years, first at The Toronto Star, then at FASHION. Over her long career Bernadette has interviewed many fashion world legends including Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Linda Evangelista, Cindy Crawford and Gianni Versace.