DO AS DOUG DOES
Coupland comes out to play in Toronto, while fashionistas flock toward Fausto
It was hot all around at the recent Holt Renfrew hosted party for Italian designer
Fausto Puglisi. Unsuspecting guests were led through a hidden alley to discover a deconstructed space with exposed brick and beams accented with bold graphic prints from the designer’s latest collection. Monitors spread throughout this “underground” party were also streaming the recent Milan runway show.
The inspired venue was a former den of “iniquity” in the basement at 66 Gerrard St., and not unlike Fausto’s designs, it was a brazen mix of peeps: part punk, part regal, and entirely over the top. Puglisi’s mentor was his grandfather Giuseppe, a tailor who bought him copies of French
Vogue and encouraged his love of classical history.
“Sicily is about clashing
extremes,” Puglisi said. “Violence and beauty; riches and poverty; sexiness and religion. And it all comes back to history.” Fausto raved about how much he loves Toronto and spoke of how special Holt Renfrew was to him, as they were the first to pick up his collection.
You can always count on Montreal to turn out a stunning crowd with European flare. Such was the case at another fete just last week, as A-listers flocked to the sparkling new Prada store to coo at the spring/summer collection while knocking back coupes de Champagne and nibbling on small bites courtesy of Tuck Shop. Boldface names included arts and culture maven Marissa-Nuss; Christine Boivin, PR executive and board member of the Fondation du musée d’art contemporain de Montréal; Anna Antonopoulos; Dr. Diane Vachon, a supporter of the Musée National des Beaux Arts de Quebec; and journalist/ socialite Debbie Zakaib. A percentage of the total sales for the week will be donated to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation.
Avant-garde! Experimental! Pl ayf ul ! That was what 2015 ROM PROM X was all about. Young Patrons Circle (YPC) members and patrons brought it for the 10th annual (and I hear the last) PROM at the ROM. The inspiration for the big blow-out was the current exhibition by Douglas Coupland, everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything. Some lucky revellers even had the opportunity to be photographed with the artist and receive a signed Polaroid picture. Talk about going out with a bang.