On Friday we had the pleasure of going to the Dare to Wear Love Gala, founded and organized by Chris Tyrell and Jim Searle. Chris and Nick have been friends since they were teenagers, and Nick is part of their web development team, so we were invited.
This was the 5th Annual Dare to Wear Love Gala, which raises funds and awareness for The Stephen Lewis Foundation, with the esteemed goal of turning the tide on the AIDS pandemic in Africa. The theme this year was Flower Power.
The show features the work of 25 top Canadian designers, each of whom are given six yards of African fabric to create their one-of-a-kind garments. The clothes are then modeled by local celebrities, winners of the fund raising challenge, dancers, musicians, and some super models.
I know my shots have a lot of blur but I like that they show how colourful and dynamic everything was. That said, I do think it’s time to replace my little out-and-about camera, a Canon PowerShot, with a newer model. Apparently the new ones perform much better in low light situations and the telephoto feature is significantly improved. The version I am using was my first digital camera and dates back to 2005, so it is no wonder that the technology is better today. But I have to say, this little number has been a work-horse in deed. I love it and hate to see it go, but it is time.
In no particular order …
One of my favourite newscasters, Dwight Drummond, was a model, wearing an outfit by Damzels in this Dress. He comes across as being such a nice guy on the news, which was confirmed by his charming performance in the show.
Chris and Jim are talented designers themselves. Their label is Hoax Couture and they actually played a part in my initial attraction to Nick, as he was wearing some pants and a shirt made by them on our first date (after our blind coffee date), and I sure thought he looked good in them!
Here is their glorious piece in the show, called The Flower Power Dress.
Here’s a shot including the professional photographers …
Speaking of professional photographers, here are some pictures by George Pimentel. Click here to go to the Dare to Wear Love site for details on the clothes and models.
The gala was held in the ballroom at The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Toronto. It was all truly beautiful and it was clear by everyone’s reactions that it was a whole lot of fun.
I’ll be back to show you what I wore.
Thank you for visiting,
xo loulou
