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Will Gilt Groupe in Canada survive? Gilt Groupe insists (despite rumours) that its finances are solid

Gilt Groupe, grand poohbah of online designer flash sales and purveyor of Lady Gaga’s Mugler dress, has taken to the Internet to defend its financial health. After yesterday’s BetaBeat report of impending layoffs and restructuring at the company, Gilt CEO Kevin Ryan contacted AllThingsD to do some damage control. “We are not closing down any businesses,” he said, adding that the 50 or so layoffs that executives have planned will be more than offset by hiring in the coming months. Whether or not Gilt is in a spot of financial trouble, it’s still contending with a flood of competition from Ideeli, Beyond the Rack, Rue La La and the like. We’re left wondering if the expansion into Canada wasn’t just a wee bit premature.

The Goods

Scene Stealers

November 17, 2011 | 1:59 pm

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THE SCENE: The Bay throws a party with special guest Nicola Formichetti of Thierry Mugler

The many faces of Stacey Kimmel (Images: Jenna Marie Wakani)

The Bay continued their party-hosting streak last night (they’ve previously entertained Madonna, the Proenza Schouler boys, Jason Wu and Kelly Osbourne) with a visit from the Thierry Mugler boys Nicola Formichetti and Sébastien Peigné. The Room, the Bay’s repository for expensive designer shoes and dresses (and jumpsuits—we wonder which socialite is wearing that peekaboo lace-panelled Stella McCartney catsuit this week), had Formichetti and Peigné holding court with socialites, fashion media (shocking, we know) and fellow designers like Jeremy Laing and Kirk Pickersgill. Formichetti is famed for styling Lady Gaga but, sadly, we spotted nary a meat dress or McQueen armadillo in the place. We did see socialite Stacey Kimmel sporting a Mikhael Kale dress-cum-white-leather-harness-cum-monkey-vest, Suzanne Rogers in a floral Givenchy number and a statuesque Suzanne Boyd; the rest of the crowd stayed remarkably staid. Check out the scene in our gallery after the jump.

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The Goods

From the Print Edition

August 3, 2011 | 3:00 pm

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Best of the City 2011: Toronto’s best clothing—from basics to bespoke

(Image: Maja Hajduk)

Plain white T Bargain Bespoke suit Custom shirt Espadrille Raw denim Summer loafer Sun hat Sunglasses

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The Hype

From the Print Edition

July 12, 2011 | 1:30 pm

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Stratford star Seana McKenna is trading in her corsets to play Richard III. Can audiences handle a female portrayal of true evil?

By Stephen Marche | Illustration by Antony Hare

Tricky Dick

At this point in our cultural history, cross-dressing is subversive only to the most sheltered among us. Drag now is the kind of thing that Grade 9 kids from the suburbs find daring their first time alone downtown. Post–gay pride, post–Internet porn, post–Lady Gaga, it’s hard to imagine who would be shocked by men dressed as women or women dressed as men. This summer, however, there’s a possible exception courtesy of Seana McKenna, who is tackling the title role in Richard III at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. It’s a performance that asks a very peculiar, unexpected question: are audiences willing to believe a woman portraying a master of political murder?

The original Shakespeare productions were, of course, rife with cross-dressing. In a sense, any modern performance of Shakespeare automatically involves gender reversal, because all the actors at the time the plays were composed were men and boys. Shakespeare himself fooled around with the gender identities of his characters, playing off the transvestite nature of his theatre. In early productions of Twelfth Night (which Stratford is also mounting this summer), a boy playing a woman pretends to be a man who falls in love with a man who thinks she (really he) is a boy. Follow? The gender reversals, and the reversals within those reversals, are part sex farce, part elaborate meta-theatre.

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The Goods

Gossipmonger

June 23, 2011 | 12:41 pm

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Lady Gaga sparks rumour that she’ll take a one-year trainwreck hiatus to become, uh, a fashion designer

Why be you when you could be her? (Image: TJ Sengel)

The Council of Fashion Designers of America recently named Lady Gaga “Fashion Icon of the Year,” which has apparently given her an ego: at the recent MMVAs in Toronto, she told fans that in the near future, she hopes to start her own fashion line (because she’s “friends with a lot of designers”). But we’re not sure Gaga can afford the endeavour, since the pop singer recently claimed she went bankrupt from the excess she displays on stage.

Unless she creates a capsule collection with Target or H&M, we’re not sure anyone could afford the fame monster lifestyle (just thinking about a rotating meat wardrobe makes us cringe at the dry cleaning costs). Plus, she’ll clearly need a lot of help—as much as she’d like to believe she’s responsible for how she looks, she’ll definitely need her hype circle, better known as the Haus of Gaga, under her wing (which, we imagine, doesn’t come cheap). But that’s okay—apparently knowing Donatella Versace instantly makes someone a couturier.

• Lady Gaga says she wants to start a fashion line [International Business Times]

The Hype

The Beat

May 19, 2011 | 11:36 am

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MMVA nominations offer something for everyone this year, still manage to make us feel old

The throng of young ’uns at Queen and John for the 2008 MMVAs (Image: Unfurled)

The MuchMusic Video Award nominations were released on Tuesday, featuring a who’s who of Canadian musicians. Beach-based band Down With Webster leads the pack with four nominations, including the fan pick categories of “Ur Fave Artist” and “Ur Fave Video” (this type of shameless teen pandering sure does make us feel old), while a parade of other usual Canadian suspects also scooped up nods, including Drake, Arcade Fire and Justin Bieber.

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The Hype

Awards Season

April 12, 2011 | 10:00 am

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2011 MuchMusic Video Awards to feature Lady Gaga. But can she top her 2009 performance?

Sure, Katy Perry showed the world she’s capable of shooting whipped cream out of her cans in the video for “California Gurls,” but Lady Gaga took it one step further at the 2009 MuchMusic Video Awards, proving to her Canadian fans that her breasts are capable of pyrotechnics. Word is now out that her Ladyship is confirmed to perform again at this year’s ceremony on June 19. Gaga has had quite the year in fashion—a meat dress, a “condom-inspired” outfit and a face adorned with pearls—so now we’re wondering if her MMVA appearance can top the one she made at the Grammys (ahem, she arrived in an egg, from which she emerged on stage). Some Canadian flare wouldn’t hurt. Perhaps there are some Mounties available to aid with her entrance?

MMVAs, MuchMusic, June 19, 9 p.m.

• MuchMusic awards feature Lady Gaga [Ottawa Citizen]

The Hype

Telling Tales

April 6, 2011 | 4:40 pm

11 Comments

Yoko Ono’s publishing company pulls Stephen Harper’s “Imagine” performance off YouTube

It looks like the video of Stephen Harper and Maria Aragon singing John Lennon’s “Imagine” (a clip that both amused and confused us) has been pulled from YouTube. The page says it was removed “due to a copyright claim by Lenono music”—the publishing company behind Lennon and Yoko Ono’s music. We don’t know if Ono herself took the thing down, but she has a history of making sure conservatives don’t use her late husband’s song (back in 2008, she went to court to try to stop a creationist film from doing just that). So maybe the sight of Canada’s Conservative prime minister singing Lennon’s lyrics was a bit much. The person we feel bad for here is Maria Aragon, the young YouTube sensation from Winnipeg who sang with Harper. Then again, thanks to Lady Gaga she’s already way more popular than Harper.

The Informer

Self-Parody Watch

March 30, 2011 | 10:25 am

12 Comments

Stephen Harper sings John Lennon’s “Imagine” with YouTube star, universe is confused

Conservative leader Stephen Harper sat down with YouTube star and Lady Gaga fan Maria Aragon and did what he always does whenever seated at a keyboard: played classic Top 40 hits. In this case, Harper and Aragon belted out “Imagine” (and let’s just say that in this particular coalition, the Conservative is very much the junior partner). Anyone who has actually listened to the lyrics of “Imagine” might be a little confused. How do we square Harper’s talking points about a “reckless, unnecessary election” brought about by a scheming coalition against John Lennon’s radical critique of the status quo and plea for peaceful coexistence? Shut up, that’s how.

• Harper Sings Duet With 10-Year-Old YouTube Sensation [The Mark]

The Hype

The Interweb

March 18, 2011 | 4:52 pm

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YouTube’s NextUp initiative will invest up to $875,000 in rising stars

Looks like TIFF isn’t the only organization offering a rising star program these days. YouTube recently announced its NextUp initiative, which focuses on fostering the next generation of YouTube stars. The video site has become the jumping-off point for a number of young talents in recent years: everyone knows Justin Bieber’s story, but YouTube also helped Toronto’s Heather Russell land a recording contract with Simon Cowell, Winnipeg’s Maria Aragon perform with Lady Gaga onstage and Edmonton’s Mike Tompkins perform on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. NextUp will dish out about $35,000 apiece to up to 25 users that currently have less than 300,000 subscribers.

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The Dish

Culinary Curiosities

March 7, 2011 | 11:46 am

10 Comments

Lady Gaga considering legal action against breast milk ice cream purveyor

Lady Gaga’s legal team is accusing the Icecreamists of being “deliberately provocative and, to many people, nausea-inducing”

While Lady Gaga may enjoy being outrageous—she arrived at this year’s Grammys in an egg-like vessel in which she’d reportedly been incubating for 72 hours before her performance—she apparently doesn’t have a taste for human breast milk ice cream. Gaga’s lawyers began legal proceedings against the ice cream parlour Icecreamists for its latest flavour, which was recently confiscated by authorities over health concerns. The problem? It’s called “Baby Gaga.”

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The Hype

The Beat

March 4, 2011 | 12:05 pm

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Lady Gaga in Toronto: duet with Maria Aragon and bizarre airport arrival

Lady Gaga, the queen of wacky outfits, arrived in Toronto yesterday in style—and by in style, we mean she was wearing purple mesh tights (sans skirt) and a leather, flesh-baring garment that resembles a shirt. Oh, and signature heel-less platform thigh-high boots, as well. Gaga gave photographer Terry Richardson the finger as he snapped her on the runway. (Richardson documented the U.S. leg of her Monster Ball tour last year for a collaborative book project, during which the superstar reportedly had a tough time adjusting to the photographer’s constant presence, when, for example she went to the bathroom.)

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The Hype

The Beat

March 3, 2011 | 2:31 pm

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Canada’s YouTube star-on-the-rise, Maria Aragon, to perform with Lady Gaga tonight at the ACC

Talk about dreams coming true: Winnipeg’s Maria Aragon will grace the stage tonight at the Air Canada Centre with pop star provocateur Lady Gaga. We introduced Aragon back in February, when the 10-year old’s YouTube video covering Gaga’s “Born This Way” went viral. It currently stands at 17,358,699 views (as of 2:17 p.m.). Gaga saw the video and posted it to her Twitter account, saying it moved her to tears. As you might imagine, that’s when the deluge began.

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The Hype

To-Do List

March 3, 2011 | 8:38 am

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Today in Toronto: Lady Gaga, Borealis String Quartet, St. John Passion and more

Borealis String Quartet Just a decade old, this Vancouver group is increasingly popular in Asia—as evidenced by the selection of Taiwanese folk songs in this evening’s program. Find out more »

Lady Gaga Lady Gaga is calling all her little monsters to the ACC for a last ogle at her blockbuster Monster Ball Tour. The show follows hot on the heels of “Born This Way,” the first single on Gaga’s upcoming album of the same name, announced to much fanfare on Twitter with a pic of her bare behind. Find out more »

Melodias Brasileiras The flute may not be a standard jazz ensemble instrument, but it’s as smokin’ as any sax or trombone in the hands of master flutist Bill McBirnie. Find out more »

Places, Spaces and Things: the Art of Betty Woodman The only living ceramics artist to have had a retrospective at the Metro-politan Museum of Art, Woodman gets her first big exhibition in Canada at the Gardiner. Find out more »

St. John Passion This earlier Bach work is not as well known as St. Matthew Passion, but it doesn’t require a hard sell. The insistent cries of the opening chorus still send shivers, whatever your faith. Find out more »

The Artist Project Toronto Appropriately situated at Exhibition Place, this is the fairground version of a gallery show, with 200 artists hawking wares in various media. Find out more »

The Hype

To-Do List

March 2, 2011 | 2:23 pm

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The Weekender: New Creations Festival, Cory Doctorow and six other events on our to-do list

Writer Cory Doctorow, Sumo Robot Challenge and composer John Adams

1. ELECTRONICA MEETS ORCHESTRA
Once a year, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra hosts a festival to prove that sometimes, classical music can be just as edgy as Lady Gaga. The entire program of this year’s New Creations Festival is rife with boundary-pushing examples of musical innovation, but we’re most intrigued by Saturday’s program: composer John Adams conducts the Canadian premiere of his jazzy City Noir, while DJ and composer Mason Bates presents his electronica composition Liquid Interface. March 5. $32–96. Roy Thomson Hall, 416-593-4828, tso.ca.

2. SUMO ROBOT CHALLENGE 2011
Since 1992, this quirky design competition has pitted robots designed by OCAD U students, high schoolers and the general public against one another in epic battles of technological supremacy. Head downtown to find out whose robot is the better fighter, dancer and, yes, painter. March 5. $5. OCAD U Auditorium, 100 McCaul St., 416-977-6000 ext. 332, ocad.ca.

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