The best-dressed guests at the Biblio Bash 2026 party

Every year, the Toronto Public Library hosts its glitzy fundraiser, Biblio Bash, where a group of wealthy patrons rub shoulders with literary superstars for an evening of drinks, dinner and dancing. This year’s edition raised over $1 million in support of library programming and included a live auction hosted by Afrim Pristine, co-owner of the Cheese Boutique. The evening’s theme, “Bright and Shiny Futures,” brought out an array of scintillating outfits. Here are our picks for best-dressed of the evening.

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Amil Niazi, author of Life After Ambition

“I’m wearing a one-of-a-kind Rachel Comey sample dress—hand-sewn sequins on fishnet. I got it at the Rachel Comey sample sale in Brooklyn years ago and never thought I’d have a place to wear it, but tonight’s the right occasion. I threw on this vintage tuxedo overcoat, and my shoes are Rachel Comey too.”

Ann Y. K. Choi, author of All Things Under the Moon

“I dressed in character. My novel All Things Under the Moon is set in 1920s Korea, so I’m wearing a traditional form of Korean dress called a hanbok. This one is very special to me because it’s actually my mother’s hanbok, which she wore to my wedding 28 years ago.”

Brandon Gonez, CEO of Gonez Media

“I love to keep it simple, so I’m doing an all-black number with a bit of sparkle. The shirt is from Maison Simons. We could all use a little sparkle in our lives.”

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Marissa and Moez Kassam, philanthropists and Biblio Bash co-chairs

“I originally wore this skirt to one of the events at my Indian wedding—the sangeet—10 years ago,” says Marissa. “Tonight, I matched it with a Valentino top that I got secondhand from the Fashion Edit.”

Michael Bungay Stanier, author of Do Something That Matters Journal

“This outfit was inspired by The Night Manager, a John le Carré book adapted into a TV series. In one scene, the evil baddie, played by Hugh Laurie, is in his lair wearing this dressing gown, so I tracked it down and bought it. I don’t get to wear a tuxedo very often, but when I do, I wear it with a dressing gown.”

Michelle Arbuckle, executive director of the Ontario Library Association

“The sequin shirt is by a Canadian brand, Smythe, and the blazer is from a little boutique called Zara.  I was going for chic menswear. I wanted to be understated while following the theme. The shoes are my very first pair of John Fluevogs—the heels are shaped like ionic columns. I just bought them on Poshmark this week.”

Michelle Baas, economic adviser at the Dutch consulate

“I found this dress at Maison Simons. I just wanted to wear something that was elegant but not too out there while respecting the theme, because it’s the cause that shines tonight.”

Neha Verma, partner at a global private equity firm

“The friend I came with dressed really sexy, so I feel a bit like a grandma. I’m wearing a new Chanel dress from Matthieu Blazy’s spring and summer 2026 collection that just came into stores. I feel like I could dress this down in white sneakers for a trip to Europe or glam it up with heels. I look sort of conservative, so I went bold with the makeup.”

Gurdeep Ahluwalia and Pooja Handa, radio hosts

“I wanted to show off my culture, so I opted to sparkle in some South Asian fashion,” says Pooja. “It’s a chance for me to celebrate the amount of fine, detailed work that goes into these outfits. They’re so ornate. The cape is actually reversible.”

Sarah Bartnicka, author of the Milk Bag Substack

“I’m really excited about this dress. I bought it on sale at the TNT in Yorkville—it was a steal. I love a strapless moment. I feel like a shiny fish.”

Souvankham Thammavongsa, author of Pick a Colour

“I’m wearing a vintage dress by Arnold Scaasi, which I found online at a vintage bridal store in Portland called Xtabay. The dress was a little big when I bought it, but now it fits fine. I think it’s from the 1960s. I love that it’s strapless and the collar is high and square.”

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Téa Mutonji, author of My Person

“I wore this pink dress to match the cover of my novel. I spent two hours at Fitzroy looking for something in the perfect colour, and this is actually the first dress I ended up trying on.”

Terese Mason Pierre, author of Myth

“I originally bought this dress from David’s Bridal to go to the Writers’ Trust gala a couple of years ago. I bought a new dress for this event, but it’s not as sparkly, so I decided to wear this one again. I like that it’s kind of mermaid.”

Vanessa Schlaepfer, wife and mom

“I’m wearing a dress by designer Tarik Ediz. I actually wore this dress the day after my wedding in Budapest 11 years ago, and I repurposed it for this night of sparkles. It’s an oldie but a goodie.”

Liz Guber, editor-in-chief of Fashion

“My blazer is vintage: I bought it at a charity sale years ago for very cheap. The skirt is Dorothee Schumacher from VSP Consignment. The shoes are Aldo, another shoe that’s gala only—I wore them to the Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards last year. The bag is by A Bronze Age. I don’t do big floofy gowns, so this dressed-down look is more in my comfort zone.”

Zoe Di Novi, senior product manager at Blue J

“I rented this dress from Fitzroy. I went in and tried on 20 dresses, and I fucking loved every minute of it. It was the best experience. I picked out this one because it feels like springtime, it’s metallic and I really love brocade.”