Photography by George Pimentel/WireImage

TIFF 2017: Inside the Hugo Boss Party for I, Tonya

FASHION Reviews Everything TIFF

Date September 12, 2017

Toronto International Film Festival is mostly about cinema (obviously). But TIFF isn’t only about films. There are parties to attend, stars to spot on the street, and brand activations everywhere. It’s high time for all aspects of TIFF to get the same critical attention as the films.

Welcome to FASHION Reviews Everything TIFF-related. While this might not be an entirely comprehensive appraisal—it’s as impossible to be at every party as it is to see every film— if we attend anything linked to the Toronto International Film Festival in any way, we’ll review it here.

We all have our own silent criteria when it comes to reviewing parties—which we all do, by the way, whether we write down those reviews or not. Some adjudications are predominantly food-based, or attendee-dependant. It all depends on what you want out of any given party.

Which makes reviewing TIFF parties interesting. The predictable purpose of attending a TIFF party is to mingle—or to say you have mingled—with celebrities. It’s the potential of hobnobbing with famous people that differentiates a TIFF soiree from your standard event.

But Hollywood is all about selling dreams and that extends to TIFF after parties. You might attend with the vague notion you’ll bump into Sebastian Stan or Margot Robbie (naturally causing either or both of them, depending on your orientation, to fall, immediately and deeply, in love with you), but the truth is that most of celebrities stay safely separate from the throngs of well-dressed normies. And while this is clearly a wise move—since I suppose the party celebrating their film isn’t just for the people who watched the film, and you’re probably not the only one with dreams of having your own meet-cute with a celeb—it can feel anticlimactic.

So I don’t judge parties based on proximity to fame. Nor do I judge based on available food, although the little grilled cheese sandwiches were pretty great, especially with ketchup for dipping: so comforting! I rarely participate in the available brand activations or activities, but I do take note if they seem relevant to the whatever is justifying the party. In this case, the photo booth manned by an attractive couple wearing figure skating costumes, was on point.

No, I mostly judge a party on whether there is a place from which I can look out over the crowd of people and either make commentary about what I’m seeing, or if I’m alone, pretend I’m the secret benefactor of the party, like Jay Gatsby. In that respect, this party was a smash success. It was held at Montecito, which has a nice little second floor, which remained far less crowded than the floor below. I could look at that one super tall guy, and wonder about the dude dressed so casually he must have been incredibly important.

Also: Sebastian Stan looked pretty dope in his tux, and of course Margot Robbie was a vision. Allison Janney did not perform The Jackal.

TL;DR

– Montecito has a nice balcony thing

– Grilled cheese and ketchup is good, even at a swanky party

– Famous people are famously attractive

– Four dancing men in the bunny suits.

Rating: ? ? ⛸ ⛸