Street Style: Toronto’s dapper doormen share tips on staying warm (and all the gossip they’re allowed to dish)
Street Style: Toronto’s dapper doormen share tips on staying warm (and all the gossip they’re allowed to dish)
The city’s fanciest hotels and shopping destinations—places like the Ritz-Carlton and Holt Renfrew—rely on sharp-looking doormen to do more than just guard their entrances. The genial gatekeepers bear silent witness to a ton of covert activities, including those of visiting celebs. We visited a few of the city’s best-dressed doormen—decked out for freezing temps in elegant coats and fur caps—and asked them how they stay sane in the winter (hint: layers, heaters and hot chocolate all play a role), and if they could share their craziest on-the-job stories (hint: they can only say so much). Here, seven of the city’s most delightful doormen.
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Lee McGrath<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 57<br /> <b>Doorman duty:</b> The Ritz-Carlton<br /> <br /> “This is what saves me: it has 5,000 watts of heat. I can't name them, but a popular boy band stayed here a little while ago, and 500 girls camped outside the hotel for four days. When the manager pulled the bus in, the girls were waiting. And when the guys came out, you know what a sonic boom is? Well, that happened. Everyone went deaf. You couldn't do your job so everyone just sort of stopped.”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Marcel Bunar<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 33<br /> <b>Doorman duty:</b> The Four Seasons<br /> <br /> “You have to keep a sense of humour out here in the winter, or the cold will get to you. We do get room service to make us hot chocolate though. There are a few coats we can wear, but I prefer this one—it's more professional- looking and doesn't look like I'm going skiing.”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Alex Salagubang<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 49<br /> <b>Doorman duty:</b> The Park Hyatt<br /> <br /> “Most celebrities that stay here, you can't tell if they're nice or not. Sometimes, a bad guy in a movie is really nice, or a nice guy is kind of rude.”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Victor Aguiar<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 25<br /> <b>Doorman duty:</b> Holt Renfrew Men<br /> <br /> “I see familiar faces every day, so I really try to brighten people's days. And sometimes it's me who's having a rough one and they'll brighten mine! I'm wearing a custom coat from Christopher Bates, cashmere-lined gloves and a custom top hat—people really love the top hat.”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Sangay Wangdi<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 35<br /> <b>Doorman duty:</b> The Hazelton Hotel<br /> <br /> “Seeing the <a href="http://www.bloor-yorkville.com/holiday_magic/santa.html">Santa runners</a> go by in speedos last December was pretty funny. And TIFF is something I'll never get used to. In the first few years it drew crowds of thousands to the Hazelton.”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Adam Kitchener<br /> <strong>Age:</strong> 22<br /> <b>Doorman duty:</b> The Hyatt Regency<br /> <br /> “I'm pretty cold. I've been staying in the lobby and just watching the door like a hawk. Doormen can move very quickly!”
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- <strong>Name:</strong> Dave Tutt<br /> <strong>Age</strong>: 36<br /> <b>Doorman duty:</b> The King Edward Hotel<br /> <br /> “I'm wearing eight to ten layers right now. No joke! I have some very interesting stories—everything you could possibly imagine, but I really can't give any details. There's certainly no shortage of entertainment on the street, either.”
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&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/torontos-well-dressed-doormen-15-800x1200.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_308752" align="alignnone" width="656"] (Images: Jenna Marie Wakani)[/caption]
The city's fanciest hotels and shopping destinations—places like the Ritz-Carlton and Holt Renfrew—rely on sharp-looking doormen to do more than just guard their entrances. The genial gatekeepers bear silent witness to a ton of covert activities, including those of visiting celebs. We visited a few of the city's best-dressed doormen—decked out for freezing temps in elegant coats and fur caps—and asked them how they stay sane in the winter (hint: layers, heaters and hot chocolate all play a role), and if they could share their craziest on-the-job stories (hint: they can only say so much). Here, seven of the city's most delightful doormen.
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Lovely tribute to doormen! Ritz Carlton’s are just fantastic, friendly, helpful and welcoming! Always “Puttin on the Ritz”!
I miss the doorman at Holt Renfrew at Yonge & Bloor