It’s a tale of two festival cities: on the left, we have Natalie Portman attending the TIFF premiere of Black Swan last night, and on the right, the actor attends the same premiere two weeks ago in Venice. Can you spot the difference? 
Seriously, celebrities. What is with the lazy fashion efforts this year? Are we not good enough to warrant sartorial excellence? In Venice, Portman (in Rodarte) looks like a golden-era movie star. And here in Hogtown (wearing Jason Wu), she looks like she’s on her way to senior prom.
Helen Mirren is another offender.
At left, Mirren attends the Toronto premiere of her movie Brighton Rock, looking a bit like a Grade 1 teacher at a garden party. At right, she supports The Tempest in Venice, looking decidedly more va-va-va-voom. So what if it kind of looks like she’s become tangled up in the red carpet—at least it’s a glamorous effort.
Perhaps our lack of red carpets is to blame. Or maybe it’s just that the people’s festival inspires a little too much every-man-ness on the fashion front. Whatever the case, we want glitz!
(Images: Portman in Toronto by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images, Portman in Venice by Venturelli/WireImage/Getty Images, Mirren in Toronto by Karon Liu, Mirren in Venice by Franco Origlia/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images)
no we dont
September 14, 2010 at 1:27 pm | by TadahYou can’t compare a timeless, romantic city like Venice to Toronto. Which would inspire you more?
September 14, 2010 at 1:49 pm | by SonnyGood observation, but Venice vs. TO – it’s a bit of a different vibe.
September 14, 2010 at 2:11 pm | by Seven Dollar PantsI think it has something to do with the fact that most people in this city has stopped dressing up. Jeans are the standard for almost every occasion now, including the opera. Until Toronto puts more effort into dressing up, I doubt the TIFF stars will.
September 14, 2010 at 2:33 pm | by JenniferWho wants a glamourous train trailing on the gum-covered sidewalk? Seriously. How about comparing the settings? Flimsy posters and dirty grey sidewalk vs. red carpet and greenery.
September 14, 2010 at 2:42 pm | by AnonymousVenice vs Toronto? NO comparison. The fashions fit the city. Very very FEW people look good in this city and dress nice as well. And if they do look amazing, it’s usually because they are wearing European fashions. Enough said.
September 14, 2010 at 5:49 pm | by xoxoIt’s not at all surprising that Toronto doesn’t inspire interesting and/or glamourous fashion at an event such as TIFF — even amongst those who dress up for a living.
Toronto, and Canada on a whole for that matter, hasn’t exactly made a mark on the fashion world, and I can say that having lived and traveled around Europe, I felt far more encouraged to have fun with my wardrobe while wandering the streets of Venice (or Paris or London, etc., etc.) than I do in Toronto. Canada the welcoming? Yes. Canada the polite? You bet. Canada the haven for sartorial excellence? Not so much.
Toronto just isn’t ready for it…judging by the “glamourous” slabs of pavement that scream “Welcome to TIFF!”…
September 14, 2010 at 5:51 pm | by AnonymousWe just came back from Venice 2 weeks ago and Toronto would inspire me to dress up far more than Venice would. Tt has an old world charm but that doesn’t equate to glamour. I felt like wearing jeans there more than anywhere else I had ever travelled.
September 14, 2010 at 6:10 pm | by LynnI forgot to mention. I agree with the person who said it is probably the casual nature of Torontonian’s, or Canadians’ dress that influrences the celebs.
September 14, 2010 at 6:19 pm | by LynnI love Toronto. I live here. I’ve also been to Venice, and sorry, Toronto would not inspire me to dress in glam if I had the choice between it and the backdrop of Venice. Toronto is NEW world charm, Venice is old world. Let’s not forget; TIFF to the dire hards that go is about the MOVIE, not about what one wears on the red carpet. I’m glad Toronto keeps it real.
September 14, 2010 at 7:35 pm | by DebbieThose in Venice judge you if you dress poorly. Toronto don’t. So why bother dressing up?
September 14, 2010 at 8:08 pm | by SugababeI bet the stars love this festival because there isn’t the same pressure to be over-the-top glamorous. It’s their opportunity to take it easy and really be themselves — wear what they want and what they’re comfortable in.
September 15, 2010 at 10:33 am | by MichaYes, I did notice the difference. At the Venice Film Festival there’s a red carpet and at TIFF there’s raw concrete … which would inspire you to dress like “old Hollywood”?
September 16, 2010 at 5:44 am | by KateDo any of you take it easy when you’re shelling out bucks you could have spent on your own clothing upgrade?
A certain part of “celebration”, by definition, involves “spectacle”: witness the “Pow Wow”. (Not that many have probably attended one.) Witness the possibility.
Witness the simple lack of effort. We have nor shortage of designers, or design schools, or people who – once again – feel the need to LEAVE in order to succeed. I protest.
September 20, 2010 at 2:17 am | by Dawn M Nevills…and since when does a well made garment, by definition, have to be UNCOMFORTABLE? Have we grown so used to being shoved into angry fashions more suited to the stick shape, and hips, of a 10 year old boy, or his local flowering garbage bag, celebrating world hunger (and that of the designer) like curvaceous, abused sausages, that we can no longer find people who like to dress the actual shapes inside the garments, with all of their hills and valleys? REALLY, we’d buy more if you would kindly stop making us looks so fucking butt ugly!
If I want to look like a sausage with my pants falling down I’ll borrow my plumber’s Levis. Mine still fit better, and I wear them with rather vampy zipup Austin Power boots, which I discovered at Chez Value de Village. They fit perfectly, although a bit worse for the wear, with all the walking, lately…and although I have no offending gut hanging over the edge like a guilty badge of honour, I do have a slight roundness which screams FEMININE. I plan NOT to exercise it off, along with my breasts.
September 20, 2010 at 2:26 am | by Dawn M Nevills