The best (and most bonkers) outfits from the Fashion Art Toronto opening party
Featuring the costume designer from Heated Rivalry and a self-described “icon”
On May 24, Fashion Art Toronto held its exclusive opening soirée at a luxurious mansion in Toronto’s Bridle Path neighbourhood. On a lush lawn, Canada’s fashion community gathered to celebrate FAT’s 21st anniversary and kick off Toronto Fashion Week, which runs until May 31. It was an evening full of cocktails and tasty bites crowned by fashion week’s opening runway show: Lakuachimoto. The dress code for the event was “French-inspired garden party gone wild,” and attendees certainly delivered—especially on the wild part. We were there to select the best-dressed guests of the evening.
Hanna Puley, stylist on Heated Rivalry
“I love this jacket because of the silhouette. It’s super interesting, and I’m trying to get out of my comfort zone a little bit more. The top is Jaded London. I thought the outfit needed a bit of lacing. The boots are from Value Village.”
Tala Kamea, costume supervisor on Heated Rivalry
“I’m a fashion designer, so I made everything myself. It’s a very eco-friendly outfit—a lot of it is either reworked vintage or fabric I salvaged from old bedsheets.”
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Madison Sloan, social media coordinator for Fashion Art Toronto
“The dress is by Sagradesa, a local designer here in Toronto. She creates amazing looks and silhouettes that are very flattering yet different.”
Onix, stylist
“I’m wearing a vintage leopard-print coat. I wanted the outfit to be all animal print. The pants are also vintage, and the top was custom-made by a friend.”
Trevor Fuang, plant designer
“I’m wearing House of Hendo. I wanted to have all the colours I’m wearing match the garden party theme. I feel like this outfit is an embodiment of me as a plant.”
Marlene Shiff, “icon” and fashion mentor
“I am wearing a fantastic custom dress made by Waratah Avenue. I asked them to design me something inspired by a French garden party, and this is what they delivered.”
Dhawani Chugh, content creator
“I actually made this set myself. I just went to Dollarama and found a bunch of flowers I loved. Honestly, it was pretty affordable. I’m panicking a bit because some flowers are coming off. Next time I’ll glue them down properly.”
Hillary LeBlanc, journalist
“The dress is giving mermaid, so I paired it with a pearl purse and pearl earrings. It’s Vveyago by Rome Ramsay—an amazing Fashion Art Toronto designer and Project Runway Canada alum. My accessories are by Monoxide, Dean Davidson and Jenny Bird, so the whole outfit is Canadian.”
Alicia McNamara, stylist and designer
“I thought this body suit matched the theme—avant-garde garden party—but I couldn’t find anything perfect to go with it, so I made this headscarf from another body suit. Yes, I bought two. I also made my dog, Herman, a matching outfit.”
Bratsmax, musician, model and tattoo artist
“The dress is by No/Faith Studios, and there are only two in existence. The only people who own one are me and Lil Uzi Vert. I have my grills in and a dungeon-style choker. The vibe overall is dark assassin, which is kind of always what I’m going for.”
DeLorean Black, musician
“My jacket is by Julius, and I designed this leather shirt myself. The cropped hoodie is by Undisclosed, who is putting on a show later this week. The hat is by Montreal designer Émile Racine—I’ll never find another hat as good as this.”
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Sharon Hinds, program manager at Rogers
“I love leopard print. It’s been my thing for more than a decade. I wanted to go fiery today, so I’ve added splashes of red and gold.”
Angelecia Peart, financier
“This coat was custom-made for me by a designer in Africa. I was supposed to wear it to an event two years ago, but it didn’t arrive in time. It’s sort of an African-style kimono, and I’ve zhuzhed it up with gold bands and earrings.”
Renesha Monaco, event planner and content creator
“I’m wearing a Toronto designer called Sophie, from her line Daughter. It’s straight off the runway. She just graduated from TMU, and she let me wear it tonight to represent her at Fashion Art Toronto’s opening party.”
Rowe Demers, dancer and actor
“I wanted to challenge myself this year by thrifting every single piece that I wore, so everything from head to toe is thrifted except for the gloves and a couple of borrowed pieces. I found the dress at Value Village.”
Seth Falk, animal wrangler and advocate
“I was going for something animal-like. Under my jacket is an orange knitted top that resembles a crustacean. I have over 100 pet fish, eels and stingrays, so I love anything ocean-related. The outfit is from Endolith, three local designers who work together and make amazing pieces of wearable art.”
Sebastian Blagdon, milliner
“My vibe is French madeleine meets schoolgirl chic. The hat is from my 1664 collection, which is inspired by Kronenbourg 1664 beer.”
Roux-Roux, hairstylist
“My vibe is trashy Moulin Rouge. Scum. French hooker.”
Teagan Sliz covers Ontario real estate for Toronto Life and Storeys. She also writes for Cottage Life and has reported on everything from hidden-gem restaurants to Canadian wildlife and forest fires. She graduated from Queen’s University with a bachelor’s in history and art history and from Centennial College, where she studied Canadian publishing.
