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Posts Tagged ‘parties’

Gimme Shelter

House of the week: $12 million worth of charm in Forest Hill

(Image: Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd.)

THE ENTERTAINER

ADDRESS: 36 Forest Hill Road
NEIGHBOURHOOD: Casa Loma
AGENT: Howard Mark Biderman, Harvey Kalles Real Estate Ltd.
PRICE: $12 million
THE PLACE: Part of the Rogers family’s real estate holdings, this sprawling brick mansion has enough party-friendly permutations of gardens, rooms and patios to make Gatsby gasp. A 2008 renovation added modern features—exercise room, glass front door, gas fireplace, domed ceiling—but this is a property for party lovers who get a contact high from expensive antiques, crystal chandeliers, flawless landscaping and ornate mouldings.

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| 1 Comment » March 19, 2010 | 8:17 am | Natalie Goldenberg-Fife

The Fame Monsters

Toronto has its own version of The Hills, thanks to Jaclife

All they need is Justin Bobby (Image: Slice)

If Torontonians ever craved a lower-budget, less glamorous version of The Hills, it has its answer in Jaclife, a new Web series on Slice.ca. The show, which aired on Monday, follows Jaclyn Genovese, owner of the Queen West boutique Jacflash, and her friends as they run the store, stage fashion shows and party—because if TV is missing one thing, it’s shows centred on rich, young, attractive white women.

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| 12 Comments » March 11, 2010 | 10:52 am | Fraser Abe

Restauran-TO

Alice in Wonderland tea parties all the rage as Mad Hatters become the new Mad Men

Alice in Wonderland tea parties are the new Mad Men cocktail parties. Toronto’s Four Seasons is throwing one such event this weekend, mirroring similar ones in Chicago and Los Angeles. The buzz for the upcoming film even prompted the Calgary Herald to run a how-to piece on throwing a Wonderland event, and the Vancouver Sun, no doubt experiencing Olympics withdrawal, is calling Alice the new black. As for the Four Seasons tea party, the menu is entirely predictable: raspberry jam and cream cheese pinwheels. No word yet on whether opium will be served as a digestif, though it certainly seems appropriate.

• Four Seasons hosts Mad Hatter tea party [Toronto Sun]

| Leave a Comment » March 5, 2010 | 8:42 am | Greg Hudson

Weddings

The essentials: our favourite wedding invitations

Six wedding invitation sets that make a strong first impression.
Begin the slide show >>

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| 2 Comments » March 1, 2010 | 3:00 pm | Toronto Life Staff

The Find

These coats are Canadiana at its finest

It might be March, but winter is hardly over, and these custom-order handmade wool coats from the Northwest Territories make cold snaps slightly more bearable. The jackets are available in Toronto thanks to Sandy Rubin, who 10 years ago was sent on a reporting assignment up north. A self-declared “city girl who hates the cold,” Rubin cursed her editor until she stumbled upon a group of women sewing and stitching gorgeous ladies’ parkas decorated with northern imagery, like polar bears and kayaks. She bought one immediately and was complimented whenever she wore it in Toronto.

Rubin hoped someone would start selling them here, but no one ever did. “I finally decided I was going to have to do it myself,” she says, so she launched Mush!Mush! “I think arctic fashion is going to take off. These coats are genuine arctic wear with an urban tweak.” So far, the coats are available only on her Web site and at a few Rosedale home “parka parties.”

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| 1 Comment » March 1, 2010 | 10:45 am | Natalie Goldenberg-Fife

Beauty School

Grey hair trend makes its way to Toronto

Drew Barrymore's TIFF dye job (Photo by James Helmer)

We’ve been wondering when the grey hair trend would make its way from celebrities, teen bloggers and fashion runways to the streets of Toronto, and it seems that time has come.

Toronto junior stylist Mike Baronowski went from dark brown to a platinum-silver months ago to match his clients at Greg May Hair Architects in Yorkville. But Greg May, owner of the salon, has seen a serious increase in demand for all kinds of wacky shades.

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| 1 Comment » February 25, 2010 | 10:05 am | Glynnis Mapp

Restauran-TO

Is Cinq 01 the new Amber?

Cinq 01: Take the boy out of Yorkville, but not Yorkville out of the boy (Photo by Karon Liu)

After finding success among the socialites with Yorkville’s Amber, nightclub king Toufik Sarwa opened Cinq 01 to create a more grown-up venture—a place where the emphasis is on the food rather than the guest list. But no such luck. Since the spot opened last fall, it has been increasingly packed with the well heeled, making this the first time since the ’90s that the glitterati are partying on College Street (and this time, they’re not slumming it).

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| 1 Comment » February 11, 2010 | 2:10 pm | Karon Liu

DIY Gourmet

An American’s guide to Canadian food: baffled Yanks panic over what nibbles to serve at their Olympic parties

Poutine: breakfast of champions (Photo by JoePhoto)

With little more than a week until the 2010 winter games, Americans are apparently stressing out over what to serve at their Canuck-themed Olympic parties. “I remember doing a viewing party for the Beijing Olympics, and we got a bunch of Chinese takeout,” a clueless party planner told the Sacramento Bee. He asked his Canadian friends, the local paper and even the Canadian consulate for help with his menu (since they clearly have nothing better to do).

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| 3 Comments » February 4, 2010 | 10:14 am | Karon Liu

Bottoms Up

Toronto New Year’s Eve celebrations: a 10-part field guide

Choosing one New Year’s Eve event over hundreds of others can be daunting, especially when all the descriptions meld together with promises of a glass of champagne (read: cheap sparkling wine) and various misspellings of “hors d’oeuvre.” To help in the decision-making process, here’s a roundup of 10 very different events taking place on December 31^st.

(Looking for the best NYE prix fixe menus? Click here »)

: Venue: Gladstone
Dining options: Marc Breton’s hearty fare, including poutine, grilled cheese, ploughman’s board
Libations: Hotel bar stocked to the max
Atmosphere: The Skin Tight Outta Sight rock ’n’ roll burlesque troupe will be taking over the hotel, encouraging guests to put on their best “rock of love bus attire” (make sure those clear plastic platform heels have good traction on ice)
Entertainment: Singing and dancing by one of the city’s most popular burlesque troupes, partial nudity
Likely to happen at midnight: An MC will commence the countdown in an over-the-top, Rocky Horror manner with lots of double entendres
Who will be there: Aspiring roller derby athletes, musicians from bands no one has heard of, fans of the Pillow Fight League
Who should go: People who missed the burlesque boom of 2004
Avoid if: You have a stack of $5 bills you’d prefer not to part with
1214 Queen St. W., 416-531-4635, event Web site. $30 in advance, $40 at the door.
Photo by Skin Tight Outta Sight

: Venue: The Drake Hotel
Dining options: Five- or three-course meals, along with hors d’oeuvre. Expect such Drake staples as sushi and charcuterie
Libations: Obligatory glass of sparkling wine
Atmosphere: All-around warmth created by the hotel’s mood lighting and a sense of self-satisfaction from staying away from the downtown core
Entertainment: Jazz crooning by Elise LeGrow upstairs, DJs spinning in the underground. Basically, a re-enactment of K-os’ “Sunday Morning” video
Likely to happen at midnight: Quick cheers and air kisses followed by revellers crowding into the hotel rooms, where the real party begins
Who will be there: Twenty-somethings still in denial about the death of hipsterism, fashion students who skipped out on lunch at Freshii for an entire week to save up the entrance fee
Who should go: Those too old for the club district but too young for Yorkville
Avoid if: You have no idea what Owl City is
1150 Queen St. W., 1-866-943-8849, event Web site. $75, $99 with dinner.
Photo by Amber Dawn Pullin

: Venue: Watusi
Dining options: Four-course menu (unfortunately doesn’t include the famous chickpea fries)
Libations: Quirky Pearson-era cocktails: mojitos, piña coladas, Manhattans and Singapore slings
Atmosphere: Retro dance party without the hassle of having to dress up as Peggy Olson
Entertainment: DJ spinning near the back of the space, marvelling at the restaurant’s psychedelic colours, deciding whether to eat or dance
Likely to happen at midnight: Quick champagne toast, then back to partying like it’s 1965
Who will be there: Nearby residents and business owners, kids disenchanted with Queen West, noise narcs keeping the volume under control
Who should go: Mad Men fans
Avoid if: You still use the term “shagadelic”
110 Ossington Ave., 416-533-1800, watuzi.biz. $65.
Photo by Watusi

$Venue: Sneaky Dee’s Dining options: The famously cheap and huge nacho platter Libations: Cheap pitchers (and we don’t mean Roy Halladay) Atmosphere: Laid-back dive bar Entertainment: Sneak standby Shit la Merde will be spinning at The Garrison instead, but the DJ lineup will still maintain a similar sound Likely to happen at midnight: Brief pause just after midnight as everyone realizes they missed the countdown due to all the dancing Who will be there: The fraction of Torontonians who actually look good in skinny jeans, over-inked 20-somethings Who should go: Cash-strapped students, people who would rather wear hoodies and jeans than suits and dresses, revellers unwilling to trek to the Junction to swill bottles of PBR in an ironic fashion Avoid if: You’re over 30 431 College St., 416-603-3090, sneaky-dees.com. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.Photo by Allison Felus$: Venue: Sneaky Dee’s
Dining options: The famously cheap and huge nacho platter
Libations: Cheap pitchers (and we don’t mean Roy Halladay)
Atmosphere: Laid-back dive bar
Entertainment: Sneak standby Shit la Merde will be spinning at The Garrison instead, but the DJ lineup will still maintain a similar sound
Likely to happen at midnight: Brief pause just after midnight as everyone realizes they missed the countdown due to all the dancing
Who will be there: The fraction of Torontonians who actually look good in skinny jeans, over-inked 20-somethings
Who should go: Cash-strapped students, people who would rather wear hoodies and jeans than suits and dresses, revellers unwilling to trek to the Junction to swill bottles of PBR in an ironic fashion
Avoid if: You’re over 30
431 College St., 416-603-3090, sneaky-dees.com. $10 in advance, $15 at the door.
Photo by Allison Felus

: Venue: Ultra
Dining options: Surprisingly good and varied (vegetarian options!) three-course meal with such dishes as duck and roasted squash tourtière and beef tenderloin with marrow crust and parsley root purée
Libations: Not one, but two glasses of champagne for each person
Atmosphere: Dark club with glowing panels to accentuate the silhouettes of the well coiffed and fit staffers
Entertainment: Loud beats, macho guys giving bro hugs
Likely to happen at midnight: Lots of hooting and hollering
Who will be there: Male regulars breaking out the black party loafers, women in sky-high heels
Who should go: Party-goers who prefer not to go outside between dinner and clubbing
Avoid if: You are not a fan of Jersey Shore
314 Queen St. W., 416-263-0330, ultratoronto.com. $161.
Photo by Ultra

: Venue: The Burroughes Building
Dining options: Hors d’oeuvre (read: fill up beforehand)
Libations: Open bar
Atmosphere: Fancy-dress masquerade ball with a whiff of exclusivity
Entertainment: Eavesdropping, predicting who will make it into Govani’s next column, updating Twitter feeds every 10 minutes
Likely to happen at midnight: A collective toast, fifty-fifty chance of confetti cannon, aerial group photo reminiscent of the one in The Shining
Who will be there: Shinan Govani and the duo behind Greta Constantine will be hosting. And wherever Govani is, expect flocks of other local celebs and party page regulars to be close by
Who should go: Aspiring gossip bloggers, party photographers, the Salahis
Avoid if: You want to get wasted
639 Queen St. W., jen@styleforstyle.ca, event Web site. $100.
Image by Burroughes Building

: Venue: Nathan Phillips Square
Dining options: $3 hot dogs ($5 with fries)
Libations: Tim Hortons and Starbucks to offset the hypothermia—that is, if it’s even possible to get inside the coffee joints, which have to serve hundreds of people throughout the night
Atmosphere: Collective feigned enthusiasm to mask the bitterness of not having worn enough layers, kids asking how much longer till midnight
Entertainment: Scripted bantering by newscasters, an unidentifiable VJ, Shawn Desman/Danny Fernandes/Massari (it’s Karl Wolf this year), Jarvis Church, Anjulie, Kardinal Offishall, cast of Rock of Ages, the Mission District
Likely to happen at midnight: A good but modest fireworks display so as not to set the city on fire, followed by a massive evacuation at 12:01 in order to beat the traffic
Who will be there: Out-of-towners, fathers with shoulders strained from carrying their kids all night
Who should go: Junior high students venturing downtown for the first time without parents, boyfriends who want to be that guy who proposes on live TV, families composed of people who really get along with each other
Avoid if: You have a TV that carries CityTV
100 Queen St. W., event Web site. Free.
Photo by Photopia

: Venue: Hazelton Lanes
Dining options: Very small appetizers
Libations: The event is sponsored by Roberto Cavalli Vodka
Atmosphere: Conspicuous consumerism at its finest
Entertainment: A hodgepodge of DJs, Cirque du Soleil aerialists and a Cavalli fashion show, because nothing says party like a fashion show
Likely to happen at midnight: Polite glass raising and air kisses
Who will be there: The real housewives of Toronto, industry people ready to hand out stacks of business cards
Who should go: Fashion bloggers, Waldorf wannabes
Avoid if: You equate Jimmy Choo’s H&M line with Jimmy Choo’s actual line
55 Avenue Rd., 647-898-2554, event Web site. $60–$80.
Photo courtesy of Roberto Cavalli

: Venue: Ame
Dining options: À la carte in the evening, tasting menu at 9 p.m.
Libations: Wintry girly cocktails and hot sake
Atmosphere: Low-key setting where it’ll be more about the food than the revelry
Entertainment: Guy Rubino’s culinary flourishes
Likely to happen at midnight: Polite hand roll raising
Who will be there: Bay Streeters hacking away at their BlackBerrys, foodies who’d rather have a party in their mouths than at a club
Who should go: Ho Su and New Gen regulars looking to step it up a notch
Avoid if: You always order California rolls at sushi joints
19 Mercer St., 416-599-7246, event Web site. Tasting menu $85–$100.
Photo by Davida Aronovitch

: Venue: Casa Loma
Dining options: Hors d’oeuvre are included in the $75 entrance fee, but has anyone ever seen a server with an actual plate of food at these parties? The catering is done by the Pegasus Group, which also represents Nyood, Kultura and the interchangeable Philthy McNasty’s, O’Grady’s, the Wheat Sheaf and the Fox and Fiddle
Libations: Obligatory glass of sparkling wine (the event description says “champagne,” but we’re skeptical). The bar’s open until 2 a.m.
Atmosphere: The event promises “plenty of romantic make-out spots,” according to She Does the City (it’s that kind of party). Access is limited to the great room, the library and the conservatory, but we’re sure a few people will make it a mission to have a romp in the stable or the master bedroom
Entertainment: DJs spinning, watching people grinding strangers in a century-old house where children have Easter egg hunts
Likely to happen at midnight: Castle-wide PDAs
Who will be there: People who haven’t visited the castle since grade school, naughty librarians, history buffs
Who should go: People who need parking, kids who got shut out of the rave at the Don Jail during the summer
Avoid if: You expect a Clue-style murder mystery to unfold
1 Austin Terr., 416-524-4505, event Web site. $75.
Photo by Wanda Gould