STERLING QUALITY DAFFODIL BALL

When I first skipped onto the social scene as Gazette Social Gal more than a decade ago, I was admittedly unaware of what that actually entailed. I mean, I knew we are the “party city” and the beat would never be dull, but I had no idea the social reach was so huge — and that certain events would take on global appeal, like the internationally recognized and award-laden Daffodil Ball benefiting the Canadian Cancer Society. Noties, it brings me great pleasure today to continue coverage of the grand Daff, capturing the highlights of their recent silver anniversary edition, chaired with style and sophistication by Rio Tinto top man Alfredo A. Barrios (attending with wife Elena), Persistence Capital Partners’ Stuart M. Elman (with wife, committee member Figi), Cascades president/CEO Mario Plourde (with wife Marie Letarte), and Soprema executive vice-president/CEO Richard Voyer (with wife Anne-Marie Fontaine). A magic moment in Montreal event history! Enjoy.

REALLY: You know you’re in for a keep-you-on-your-toes kind of night, when the first point of contact in Windsor Station is a genetically gifted model garbed mostly in strategic silver paint, swaying seductively from a shadowbox perch. Really! (Truth be told, Daffodil doyenne Alison Silcoff made my night — and possibly my year — when she exclaimed that my Social Gal soiree frock lent itself — well — to a stint as a relief pitcher for said model, bless her heart.)

“STAIRY”-EYED: Though the zesty shadowbox dweller merited prolonged lingering, Daffodil festooned stairs — lined with hostesses swathed in silver gowns and lush Lysa Lash Furs — beckoned, enticing guests to climb their way to glistening cocktail heaven. Fun footie here: The glam stairway was topped with an opulently Daffodil-framed mirror (more than 2,000 of the eve’s record-breaking 38,000 daffodils were used to surround it), making for a rather convenient pre social media snap touch-up stop.

SPARKLE THIS: It’s truly a pity that the Daff can’t grow into a weekend affair. There was just so much to see at this cocktail juncture alone, from the metallic dipped aerial artist 40 feet above to the fantastical 56-x-12-foot cocktail dining room dividing wall awash in Daffodil highlights and headlines through the years (many belonged to yours truly, bless Alison’s heart a second time). And yes, there were also legions of larger-than-life personalities to engage with … schmoozing at its most commanding and colourful.

DIZZYINGLY DAZZLY DÉCOR: As guests made their way into the dining room for the main event, they were sublimely overstimulated yet again by an anniversary worthy ambience. Some of the most astonishing dashes of delight were LED video panels yielding an infinity mirror effect; a spectacular suspended creation spanning the length of the 150-ft. dining room ceiling made from more than 2,000 panels of aluminum foil by 12 dedicated volunteers; and some of the most superlative table settings ever, alternately boasting high and low centrepieces so dramatic and stunning that all you wanted to do was down a few and bask languidly in their glow. Kudos to Total Events for masterful decor and technical design, Yves Chénier for heaven-sent centrepieces and floral arrangements, Location Gervais for rock star rentals (go Gary W.!), and Scène Scapin for spot-on staging and drapes. PUTTING THE FINE IN THE DINE:

Under the incomparable direction of Armando Arruda and his dream-team at Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth, guest chef Marc Lintanf and guest dessert chef Patrice Demers masterminded a brilliant themed menu. Of particular note were the luscious lobster and scallops royale, mouth-watering filet of Angus beef and silvered profiteroles for dessert, all accompanied by wines generously donated by Domodimonti, Laurent Perrier champagne courtesy of LBV, as well as a bottle of Patron Silver tequila on every table, thanks to Patron CEO John Paul DeJoria. SILVER SCREENS & MORE: Asis tradition, dinner — emceed by celeb Julie du Page (with handsome hub Andrew Lapierre) — was peppered by a series of gobsmackingly good performances like Germany’s Kristalleon, who uses crystal glasses and silver flutes to fashion hauntingly seductive melodies, as well as ball headliners, FUSE, a London-based power pair of virtuoso electric violinists, Ben Lee and Violeta Barrena Witschi, who have wowed such Alist royals as Prince William and the Queen. Finally, no roundup would be complete without a nod to Paul Chacra’s 1945. SWAG & OTHER GOODIES: For those enamoured of exotic prizes and glam giveaways, Daffodil 2018 delivered. The raffle rocked 11 exclusive prizes totalling $165,000 in value (think dazzlers like four business class tickets to

any Air Canada global destination), while swag was the best in Daff history, including custom Finezza shirts for all.

GLITTERING GUESTS: Of course, the guest list was as shiny as the evening ’s silver theme, crowned by the toweringly VIP likes of past chairs, including Cogeco’s Louis Audet attending with wife Jocelyne Francoeur-Audet; BDC’s Michael Denham with wife Lorna; Medisys chief Dr. Sheldon Elman with wife Dr. Meryl Elman; CAE tops Marc Parent with Isabelle Bégin; Norton Rose Fulbright Canada’s Norman Steinberg with wife Renée Kessler; Marc Tellier with Mélanie Dubé; past Rio Tinto CEO Jacynthe Côté with Denis Dion; and Chris Clark, former CEO of PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Also representing the peak of the influencer food chain were such globe-changers and leaders as Scotiabank’s Brian Porter with wife Megan; McKesson Canada’s Paula Keays with Pierre Lapointe; Quebecor CEO Pierre Karl Péladeau with Élaine Léger; Hydro- Québec top brass Michael Penner with wife Michaela Sheaf; Bombardier CEO Alain Bellemare with Marie-Josée Simard; KPMG’s Elio Luongo with wife Rosanna; Lowe’s chief Sylvain Prud’homme with Claire Chevrier; Canaccord Genuity’s David Kassie with Susan Harris; Sanimax tops Martin Couture with love Marie-Lise Andrade, head of the Lise Watier Foundation; WSP’s Alexandre L’Heureux with Valery Zamuner; legendary songstress Lara Fabian with real estate broker to the stars Martin Rouleau; Reitman’s president Stephen Reitman with wife Julia; Globe and Mail publisher Phillip Crawley; Pharmascience CEO David Goodman with wife Mia Melmed Goodman; SNCLavalin’s Neil Bruce with Emma Griffin; Transcontinental board chair Isabelle Marcoux accompanied by Francis Roy; RBC Royal Bank Wealth Management vicechair Tony Loffreda with wife Angelina; Bourse de Montréal’s Luc Fortin with Joëlle Racine; Lemay’s Louis Lemay with Stéphanie Roy; L’Oréal Canada’s Jéhanne Simon; Ritz-Carlton Montreal GM/CEO Andrew Torriani with wife Arlene; Laurence G. Sellyn with wife Kathryn; Stikeman Elliott partner Sid Horn with wife Ariane Bourque; Brian Bronfman with wife Marcia Wetherup; Frank Motter with love Linda Shaw; Air Canada senior vice president Arielle Meloul-Wechsler with husband lawyer Arthur Wechsler; VVS Films’ Ernie Grivakis with wife Belle; power pair Bita and Paolo Cattelan; Mirum’s Mark Goodman with love, Anissa Goldberg; real estate royal Bunny Berke with love Larry Lusko; BFL’s Barry Lorenzetti with Carine Watier; Power Corp’s Sacha Haque with Inder Arya; Virgin Radio personality Natasha Gargiulo; event designer Maddy K.; Jessika Denommee; Donald Lauture; Canadian Cancer Society top officials Suzanne Dubois and Paul Roberts and many more.

TALLY UP: Thanks to invaluable support by guests and treasured corporate partners including Cascades, CIBC, Cogeco, Desjardins, National Bank, TD Bank, Lowe’s Canada, McKesson Canada, Power Corporation, Rio Tinto, Scotiabank, Soprema, Soucy, and TC Transcontinental, the iridescent eve raised $2 million for the Canadian Cancer Society (bringing the 25-year total to $33.8 million). These funds are integral to the society’s mission to eradicate the disease and enhance the quality of life of people living with it.

LAST WORD: Hats off to the staunch committee members without whom such an extraordinary annual event could never have been possible, as well as the mountain-moving heart and soul of it all, gala architect-in-chief Alison Silcoff, magnificently lauded on stage by past chair Norm Steinberg. Bravo sister, you raise the bar.

KAREL CHLADEK METALLIC MAGIC: Guests celebrate in shimmering style at the 25th anniversary silver-themed Daffodil Ball at Windsor Station.

STÉPHANE POIRIER STAIRWAY TO COCKTAIL HEAVEN: Hostesses swathed in silver gowns and Lysa Lash Furs line the staircase topped by an oversized daffodil framed mirror at the entrance to ball.

KAREL CHLADEK FIERCE FIDDLERS: London-based FUSE, a power pair of virtuoso electric violinists, Violeta Barrena Witschi and Ben Lee, headline the event.

KAREL CHLADEK RITZ ON SCENE: Raffle sponsor, Ritz-Carlton Montreal CEO/GM Andrew Torriani and wife Arlene Torriani (in a PRFCT gown) with friends, lawyer Ciro Cucciniello and wife Angela Ricco.

KAREL CHLADEK ALL SMILES & GOOD STYLE: Quebecor’s Pierre Karl Péladeau, Élaine Léger, Sara Jolicoeur, Isabelle Maranda, Marie-Josée Simard and Bombardier’s Alain Bellemare pose for a power pic.

KAREL CHLADEK LUCKY SOCIAL GAL: Engel & Völkers broker to the stars Martin Rouleau, Jenn Campbell (in Social Gal Soiree with Naomy Stern Couture) and legendary supersinger Lara Fabian at the ball.

KAREL CHLADEK RUNWAY WORTHY: Valery Zamuner and WSP’s Alexandre L’Heureux make the ultimate impression at the event.

KAREL CHLADEK A NIGHT FOR ROMANCE: Linda Shaw, and love Frank Motter share an entrancing dance at the ball.

McINNIS ALLEN ELEGANCE CENTRAL: Inder Arya and Power Corp’s Sacha Haque lend chic support to the event.

MARIE LALIBERTÉ SPOTLIGHT ON: Daff doyenne/ founder/gala architect-in-chief Alison Silcoff in Vera Wang, alongside the entrance-maker in chief (wink) at the ball.

KAREL CHLADEK CAMERA READY: Angelina Loffreda and husband, RBC Royal Bank Wealth Management vice-chair Tony Loffreda, enjoy cocktails.

KAREL CHLADEK CLATANT EMCEE: Celebrity emcee Julie du Page in Maison Ariane Carle, welcomes one and all to the 25th anniversary silver-themed Daffodil Ball at Windsor Station.

KAREL CHLADEK SOCIAL GALS GO SILVER: Jenn Campbell in Social Gal Soiree with Naomy Stern Couture, Katio Piccolino in Di Carlo Couture, emcee Natasha Gargiulo in Di Carlo Couture, Figi Elman, and Maddy K in La Crème de la Crème Boutique arm in arm.

ALLEN McINNIS CHAIRIFFIC! Ball chairs and captains of industry Mario Plourde, Stuart M. Elman, Alfredo A. Barrios and Richard Voyer bask in the success of the ball.

KAREL CHLADEK KRYSTAL LOVE: Germany’s glitteringly garbed — and globally beloved — Kristalleon uses crystal glasses and silver flutes to fashion hauntingly seductive melodies.

ALLEN McINNIS DAFFODIL DREAM TEAM: Committee members, from left, Elodie Meyer, Isabelle Li, Nicole Magnan, Katia Piccolino, Jeannie Saunders, Martin Rouleau, Nathalie Schwartz Décarie, Norman Steinberg, Denis Lalonde, Mario Plourde, Richard Voyer, Alison Silcoff, Alfredo Barrios, Stuart Elman, Shirley Quantz and Figi Elman take things next level.

KAREL CHLADEK GOOD FRIENDS, GLAM NIGHT: Paolo Cattelan in Zegna, and wife Bita, in Carolina Herrera, catch up with pal, Peter Nicholson, owner of the Grand Isle Resort & Spa in the Bahamas.

ALLEN MCINNIS IMPRESSION MAKERS: Anne-Marie Fontaine in MAR by Maria Karimi and husband, ball co-chair Richard Voyer, in a bespoke tuxedo make their mark.

KAREL CHLADEK DASHING MEETS STUNNING: Sanimax tops Martin Couture with love Marie-Lise Andrade, in DUY, at the event.

KAREL CHLADEK BLACK-TIE PERFECTION: Lea Girard Nadeau in Self Portrait and love Harry Grivakis in Dolce make a sartorially stunning entrance.

JF GALIPEAU SASS & CLASS: LCP Models director Sands Palabrico, in Gucci, Finezza and Zanotti, hangs with Emilie Lehec and raffle sponsor, Finezza’s Ivan Lehec.

KAREL CHLADEK SUPERSTART: 650 well-turned-out guests descend upon Windsor Station, as an aerial artist and other surprises enchant.