Inside Toronto Life’s Most Influential party: 29 shots of A-list guests who are just as stylish as they are powerful

Toronto Life Most Influential party 2013
Photography by George Pimentel Photography
Toronto Life Most Influential party 2013
Photography by George Pimentel Photography

See all the Toronto Life Most Influential 2013 party pics »

At first glance, a party where every guest is nose-deep in a magazine may seem like the least social event ever. However, when it’s the launch party for Toronto Life’s annual Most Influential issue, a quick read-through is totally necessary: while everyone who made the list was invited, none of the Most Influential guests knew how they ranked. Hence the frantic-yet-totally-casual flipping of pages upon entry by guests like Robert Deluce and Charles Khabouth. Held in the ballroom at the Ritz-Carlton, deep red lighting and a swanky live band made the space feel like a Swing Era soiree.

While Toronto Life’s editor-in-chief Sarah Fulford was quick to make a few drunken stupor jokes, neither of the issue’s cover subjects—that is, Bill Blair and Rob Ford—joined in for the festivities. Sure, it would have been good for gossip, but they wouldn’t have added to the impressive style that permeated the event. At the top of the list was our favourite fall trend, black and white, with Jenna Bitove’s diamond-print wrap dress and Shauna Levy’s Jeremy Laing blouse catching the eye of fellow partygoers. Jewel tones also proved to be a popular choice. The Social’s Lainey Lui and Melissa Grelo were both rocking shades of emerald green—Lui in a shimmering moto jacket and Grelo in a curve-hugging maxi dress. And from dapper suits to printed dresses, navy blue was the other top colour of the night, with Anne-Marie Mediwake, Tonya Papanikolov and Aliya-Jasmine Sovani all wearing standout items in the shade.

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