Heart of Fashion

Fashion does exist north of the 401

Heart of Fashion, a fundraiser for the North York General Hospital, marked its 10th anniversary this Saturday. I attended this year's edition, held in Bayview Village shopping centre's newly renovated interior. The event welcomed over 2,000 guests to preview fashions by some of the high-end mall's retail tenants. Fashion show participants included an excellent high-low mix - Mendocino shared the stage with Canadian designers Brian Bailey and Ross Mayer and made-in-Canada fashions from the Judith & Charles boutique.

Heart of FashionHeart of FashionHeart of Fashion

Noteworthy pieces included a sparkly sequined silver/black shift dress (Chadwicks), a taupe native-print belted cardi (Mendocino) and an all-black chic Parisian-inspired ensemble (Judith and Charles).

Heart of FashionHeart of FashionHeart of Fashion

Most attendees participated in the event's fun attire theme, "cocktail chic with a splash of pink". I didn't get the memo. But, I did have a wardrobe meltdown while trying to assemble my most expensive-looking outfit, which ended up including a vintage suede high-waisted skirt (free, gleaned at a clothing swap) and a Joeffer Caoc silk tank ($20 at a sample sale).

Heart of FashionPusateris

Food, catered by Pusateri's, was to die for (especially the crab cakes) and good drinks flowed all night. Celeb content included host Yasmin Warsame, and following the show, R&B artist Jully Black provided entertainment. She surprised with a truncated cover of Reel to Real's "I Like to Move it", a particular fave of mine from the Master T Dance Mix days. A silent auction and sale of "Mystery Bags" raised even more money for the cause.

Jully Black

Dr. Donna Ritchie addressed the guests with a feel-good message about NYGH's Breast Diagnostic Centre which will be poised to purchase a new Ultrasound machine thanks to the fundraising efforts of the event.

Donna Ritchie

All told, the evening was a success. Plus, the stunning Bayview Village transformation gave me a reason to stop hating on the Sheppard subway line.


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