Waiting for Nota Bene (Image: PJMixer from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool)

Yesterday evening, Shinan Govani broke the news that the team behind Nota Bene—Yannick Bigourdan, Franco Prevedello and chef David Lee—was getting set to open up shop due east from their fine dining mainstay at Queen and University. Rumours of a Nota Bene “clone,” however, turn out to be a little exaggerated. Instead, Bigourdan told The Dish, the unnamed restaurant will have a somewhat different concept, something that’s now being ironed out between the partners. They’ll have some time: the new place, which will be located in a currently empty 7,000-square-foot space at 111 Queen Street East, right near George and B Espresso, isn’t scheduled to open until early next year. It’s also located right beneath the Toronto Life offices—which means we’ll be watching developments closely.

Gabe Gonda, Jodi Kantor and Victoria Webster have a party for The Obamas (Image: Tom Sandler)

Fabulous Rosedale homes are meant for more than just real estate porn and housing Toronto’s aristocracy—they also provide a great backdrop for parties. Toronto Life contributor Victoria Webster and her husband, Gabe Gonda, weekend editor at the Globe and Mail, opened their home Friday evening to New York Times correspondent and The Obamas author Jodi Kantor. Complete with a question-and-answer period, libations and a book signing, this party was a proper toast among friends. Find out what Kantor had to say about Michelle Obama and who took his shoes off (when no one else did) after the jump.

Friends attending the fete included our own editor-in-chief, Sarah Fulford (who had interviewed Kantor at the Toronto Reference Library the night prior), Steve Paikin, host of TVO’s The Agenda (who removed his shoes), Zoomer’s Suzanne Boyd, Suzanne Cohon and her CFL-commissioner husband, Mark (the couple live across the street), author John Ralston Saul (he’s also Adrienne Clarkson’s husband), Victoria Jackman, Ben Mulroney, Nancy Lockhart, Murray Frum and more.

Naturally, they were all there for Kantor, and the intrepid reporter didn’t disappoint. Her book, you see, is not without controversy. Michelle Obama herself cast aspersions on the biography on CBS, though other outlets, including the Washington Post, call the complaints unjustified. For her part, Kantor kept mum on the brouhaha, simply noting that Michelle was more likely reacting to the media’s reaction to the book than to the book itself (her message to Mrs. President: “If she doesn’t want to read the book, she shouldn’t read the book”). Kantor was graceful throughout the Q and A, and she even appeared attentive as we listened to Saul boast that he knew Barack Obama would be president one day after sitting on a panel with him prior to his election. We also overheard Kantor say the best experiences of her tour were Friday night’s party and having her honour defended by Jon Stewart (bless—we love The Daily Show). Of course, party conversation shouldn’t be limited to politics, so we enjoyed listening in as Mulroney commented on gossip columnist Shinan Govani’s greying five o’clock shadow. Sadly, there were no fist bumps to report.

Back in April, we reported that Daniel Boulud was another in the growing group of Michelin-starred chefs to snub Toronto in favour of Vancouver or Montreal. Not so, apparently: the National Post’s Shinan Govani confirmed yesterday the rumours that the lauded New York chef of Daniel fame will be opening a restaurant in the new Four Seasons hotel and condo complex on Bay Street (there’s an official announcement scheduled for next Thursday). This is the second Canadian hotel partnership in the works for the chef, who is opening Maison Boulud in Montreal in early 2012 to coincide with a $150-million renovation to the Montreal Ritz-Carlton. Previously, Boulud opened and subsequently closed two restaurants in Vancouver, DB Bistro Moderne and Lumière, after only two years in business.

We imagine the Toronto restaurant will likely open  in mid-2012, around the same time as the new Four Seasons complex. Boulud himself is already scheduled to be in Toronto next week for the annual Grand Cru Culinary Wine Festival, so we’d bet he’ll be present for the big announcement. The sharp-eyed Govani got wind of the news by perusing the latest issue of Leaders magazine (something we vow to start doing), where Boulud’s long-time partner Lili Lynton let the cat out of the bag. One outstanding question: will the mystery buyer of the $28-million Four Seasons penthouse have room service access to the three–Michelin starred chef?

• Shinan: Daniel Boulud headed to Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel? [National Post]
• Setting the Standard [Leaders]

(Images: skyline, Seekdes from the Torontolife.com Flickr pool; Boulud, winestem)

Draped, as per usual (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Rogue Fashion Week is upon us, and Greta Constantine kicked it off last night with a show and after-party at King West’s Century Room. Designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong are known for their extravagant shows (held at car dealerships, Rosedale mansions and TIFF hot spots with celeb models), so it was no shock to see the bevy of gussied-up Torontonians at the typically bottle-service-heavy club (oft complete with heavy beats, and rowdy men and women) for Greta Constantine’s spring/summer 2012 show. This city always seems to show its love for the Greta boys, and last night was no exception, with the many guests including socialites Suzanne Rogers, Sylvia Mantella, Amoryn Engel, Jenna Naumovich, Alexandra Weston, Suzanne Cohon and Catherine Nugent, gossip columnist Shinan Govani, performer K-os, ET Canada’s Rosey Edeh and MuchMusic personality Sarah Taylor. We also spotted Global News anchorwoman Anne Mroczkowski smoking outside with FDCC chair Robin Kay (who carried out an entire conversation with someone across the runway during the show using only hand gestures) and club king Toufik Sarwa, but the most interesting gossip was about Vanessa Mulroney, who requested 10 front row seats for her gal pals, a collection of Maple Leaf hockey wives—no word of a lie. Sitting front row alongside socialite Mulroney were Emilie Witt, Brittany Perlman, Jessica Peczek, Katarina Brown, Ania Rembacz, Dale Chaplin, Jeanne De Partout, Mel Armstrong and Jessica MacArthur. Check out our full collection gallery after the jump.

Long waits are de rigueur at Greta events, but the Stoli shots handed out on the runway helped mitigate the fury of the hour-long wait (can all designers make alcohol part of their collections?). The clothes weren’t exactly surprising (one nearby guest was overheard saying, “Oh, Grecian dresses, how fresh!”), but the jersey boys are very good at what they do; while they are well-known for their ability to drape, ruche and pleat, we argue that showing fewer than 51 looks—the final count from last night—might have made the show seem a little less repetitive. But it wasn’t all typical, or “ethereal,” a buzzword we’re certain will find its way into many reviews—this season’s showing included some slight variations, like shorter hemlines (two dresses barely covered the leggy models’ derrieres) and a closer fit in the waist.

The Ezra men’s collection was again very indicative of something you’d find on an artsy bisexual man trolling the streets of New York City’s Lower East Side (drop crotch sweats, oversized hoodies and capes, with a brooding black and grey colour scheme)—but we’re still wondering who’s buying a shredded tank top in Toronto (we polled the audience, and collectively we knew three men in the city who’d wear it). Another round of womenswear was more avant-garde, with asymmetrical buckles and dangling pieces on pants, trailing fabric from capes and sombre colours like black, grey and olive green. The four final looks, which designer Pickersgill believed would “not be well-received,” were, in fact, some of the most accessible of the night—long, flowing grey jersey gowns that you could throw into your weekender bag for those quick trips to a money manager’s Muskoka mixer (the exception being the second of four looks, which sagged as though it was too heavy for the long, lean model). It certainly wasn’t the most groundbreaking collection, but Pickersgill and Wong continue to prove they’ve got the chops, and they got us into Century Room, which on its own deserve a round of applause.

Check out the spring/summer 2012 collections from Greta and Ezra Constantine »

Check back here for all the updates from Rogue Fashion Week and next week’s Toronto Fashion Week.

Susie Sheffman, Coco Rocha and The Kills’ Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince (Images: Jason Hudson)

This week marked the opening of Topshop and Topman at Yorkdale, which we’re certain is already yesterday’s news. Frankly, as hosts Bonnie Brooks and Sir Philip Green would agree (they both mentioned it in their speeches), this was a move on The Bay’s part that has been years in the making (and as such, we’ve been hearing about the acquisition for what feels like years as well). To celebrate, Sir Philip Green, Brooks and other Topshop dignitaries—like brand director for Topman David Shepherd, Topshop managing director Mary Homer, Topshop creative director Kate Phelan and Topman design and development director Gordon Richardson—hosted a dinner at One restaurant that brought together model Coco Rocha and fashion plates like Fashion’s Susie Sheffman and Bernadette Morra, Flare’s Liz Cabral, Sharp magazine’s Jeremy Freed,  National Post society columnist Shinan Govani, Suzanne Boyd, MuchMusic’s Sarah Taylor, writer Sarah Nicole Prickett, the Globe and Mail’s Tiyana Grulovic, Men’s Fashion’s David Livingston and the Kills’ Alison Mosshart and Jamie Hince. Check out the scene after the jump.

The evening began with more seafood than can be imagined: lobster, shrimp and crab were provided until guests were so sated, they had to use the restrooms to prepare for the mains. In between smoke breaks, guests were bored to tears by conversations about three guests’ countless trips to Rome (spoiler: there are places in Rome you just have to see)—one city-famous radio host was even overheard discussing the “few great interviewers of our time,” and we assume he was hoping to be acknowledged as one of them. What we were excited to hear was that Green felt this Topshop venture is likely something that can be used as a model for shops in the U.K. and U.S., and that in 10 years, not one member of his executive staff has jumped ship (not even off of his twice-mentioned yacht), proving that he and his staff are part of a business that isn’t failing (at least not now) and that The Bay is in a marketplace worthy of Green’s capital. As the mains rolled in, everyone tucked into steak frites, roasted halibut and lobster or mushroom risotto, except for one guest who spent even more time discussing his fabulous life. By the time our (and everyone else’s) last delectable morsel was consumed, he had only just begun to carve into his steak.  And that’s what you missed at the Topshop and Topman dinner: an impressive Brit who has created a successful empire worthy of attention who believes in Toronto’s economy, self-involved conversations, delicious food and a seemingly endless supply of champagne and wine. Welcome to Toronto, Topshop.

The National Post’s Nathalie Atkinson has informed us that contrary to Sir Philip Green’s speech, Jane Shepherdson left the company in 2006.

Check out the scene gallery »

Find this story on our Star Spotting Map, where we plot the locations of celebrities spotted around Toronto.

Local society columnist Shinan Govani tweeted this morning that A-lister Matty Walker Mrs. Robinson Kathleen Turner would be appearing at this year’s Best Buddies gala in Toronto on Saturday, Sept. 10. We spoke with the event’s executive director, Stephen Pinnock, who confirmed that she’ll be the marquee guest this year. There’s no word yet on where else Turner will he heading that week, but if Belinda Stronach can get a man to take his shirt off while she’s out and about, our guess is Turner will be surrounded by nearly naked would-be Benjamin Braddocks all night long.

La Société serves up social cachet wrapped in sex appeal, and some decent French food, too (Image: Eugen Sakhnenko)

Four million dollars buys a lot of restaurant, even on Bloor Street, at the heart of the city’s richest retail mile. Charles Khabouth, the nightclub impresario behind La Société, the new, two-storey, 380-seat, more or less slavish recreation of a belle époque Paris bistro, brought in 29 tile workers, many of them from Montreal, to complete the spectacularly elaborate black, white and gold mosaic floors in the restaurant’s main bar and dining room. He and Alessandro Munge, of the Munge Leung design firm, commissioned a stained-glass ceiling for the bistro’s main space (which they’ve backlit, inexcusably, with sallow fluorescent lights), purchased their zinc bar top from France, outfitted the banquettes in brass and burgundy leather, and panelled the room in enough mahogany to deforest the best-endowed of banana republics. The rent, meantime, likely adds $2 million annually to Khabouth’s overhead. He’ll need to sell a lot of steak frites to cover that, but the man isn’t afraid to go big.

Khabouth made his name in nightclubs beginning in the early 1980s and has built a sprawling portfolio since. The company he runs, Ink Entertainment, operates This Is London, Dragonfly, the Dolce Social Ballroom, Guvernment, Koolhaus and Tattoo Rock Parlour. Last year, Khabouth partnered with Munge Leung and a city developer to launch Bisha (from the nickname he had growing up in Beirut), a 41-storey condominium, hotel and restaurant project that’s scheduled to open on Blue Jays Way in 2015. Even before they’d broken ground, Khabouth was calling Bisha a “global brand”; he’s hoping to export the concept to South Beach, Chicago and New York.

He’s also partnered in a string of clubby restaurants, including Spice Route, Briscola Trattoria, Ame and Ultra, the Queen West resto-lounge he opened at a cost of $3.4 million in 2004. With the exception of Ame, the pan-Asian place he co-owns with celebrity chef Guy Rubino and his brother Michael Rubino, Khabouth’s restaurants have never particularly been known for their food. His genius is in building buzzy, sexy, free-spending environments. Though it skews much older than his usual projects, La Société has got scene to burn.

The bistro’s reservations book is a tear sheet from the social pages: Ben Mulroney, Galen Weston Jr., Fashion magazine editor Bernadette Morra, Greta Constanine designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong, and at least two thirds of the city’s Junior League ate there in its opening month. Shinan Govani, the gossip columnist, sits in a prime booth at the front of the room. One night, as I slouched with my guests in the dimly lit Siberia at the back, a procession of society wives, a few of them dressed like superannuated showgirls from La cage aux folles, led their glad-handing, silk and cashmere summer sweater–shouldering husbands on grand tours of the space. They paraded past young partner-track lawyers who punched at their BlackBerrys as their filets de saumon à la dijonnaise congealed, past impossibly handsome 20-somethings in Sperry Top-Siders and mankles, past business titans and big-ticket British tourists downing Veuve (of course) as if by the case.

If you hope to score a table on either the streetside or second-level patio, you can make a request, but not a reservation (unlike a reservation, the telephone requestervationist explained to me, a request doesn’t guarantee a seat). I’m not certain how democratically this policy is applied. The upper patio was overrun with aggressively underdressed young women one recent sultry evening, while the best the pikers (including yours truly) could do was gawk and drool from behind the glass. Dina Pugliese, the Breakfast Television host, appears to sit precisely wherever she wants.

Khabouth works the floor in dark pants, a dark shirt, a dark skinny tie and a dark schoolboy blazer, directing traffic, answering phones, shaking hands and airmailing kisses; he knows at least every third person who comes through the door. But the reason La Société succeeds as a restaurant (and it does, sort of) is Tony Longo, Ink Entertainment’s director of food and beverage and La Société’s floor boss. Longo worked his way up from busboy at the Royal York in the ’70s to manager at Centro in 1989, when Centro felt like the most important, most luxurious place a person could ever eat. He became a partner there in 1995 and then reinvented Splendido with chef David Lee in 2001. Like Khabouth, he knows everybody who matters. He knows how to run a room.

Read page 2 of Chris Nuttall-Smith’s review »

Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez don’t sweat it at The Bay last night (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Last night in The Room at The Bay, this month’s fete celebrated Proenza Schouler designers Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez. The Room is almost the perfect environment for a party, with good lighting for photos and lots of room to explore, but like any good party, the best place to hang out is the kitchen, or in The Bay’s case, one very cramped corner, hovering around the title guests. This gave way to sweat-lodge heat that created what one partygoer described as a “distinct fashion B.O.,” but McCollough and Hernandez drank very chilled champagne anyway and toasted an appearance-well-done alongside Suzanne Rogers, Nicholas Mellamphy, Shinan Govani, Stacey Kimmel, Jeremy Laing, Tommy Ton, Kimberley Newport-Mimran, Stephen Wong, Kirk Pickersgill, Susie Sheffman and Liz Cabral. Check out our full scene gallery below.

Mark Wahlberg can make Rhea Durham do this, but what will he do for Toronto? (Image: WEBN-TV)

Unless someone is shooting a movie or revisiting a favourite Toronto haunt, we’re typically limited to boldface Hollywood types on our less-glistening Toronto streets during TIFF. At least that was the case before we heard that Dirk Diggler Mark Wahlberg is scouting property in the Yorkville area. Shinan Govani reports that the actor was heard saying, “I love the fact that it’s a smaller building,” which we thought we’d never hear from a celebrity who makes countless millions every year (especially considering that Lady Gaga just announced that her decadence has essentially bankrupted her). Apparently its micro size and a nudge from other local small property Tie Domi seem to be enough to hold Wahlberg’s interest in the to-be-renovated building that once belonged to St. Basil’s Catholic School (and, well, it doesn’t cost $28 million). Nothing has been signed, but Govani seems confident that there’s a good chance he might, which will mean more abs and pecs for everyone.

• Shinan: On the Marky Market [National Post]

The former home of Ring Audio at Queen and Grant (Image: Signe Langford)

Rumours have been swirling among Riverside dwellers and foodies alike that Lynn Crawford is preparing to jump into the boutique grocery business. The hoarding is up over the glass at the former home of Ring Audio, just a few doors down from her Riverside restaurant, Ruby Watchco. But when we called her, the chef and host of Pitching In was keeping mum on the details—at least, she says, “until I have my ducks all lined up in a row.”

Indeed, Crawford confessed to some confusion over the interest in the place. “I don’t get it. I find it amazing, all this interest in something I’m doing.” We’re certainly not the only ones interested in what she’s up to. In yesterday’s National Post, Shinan Govani let on that he was “tickled and more than a little emboldened” by a recent interview she gave to More magazine, where she hit back at critics of the one-menu-per-night concept at Ruby Watchco. With her restaurant pedigree and her many television appearances, we doubt this is the last time Crawford will be drawing attention. We’ll certainly be watching the storefront.

Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong have turned to leather in a collaboration with Danier (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Last night, Toronto’s glossiest glamourpusses—well, at least the ones willing to trek to Queen Street West and Brock Avenue on a rainy Monday—hit Neubacher Shor Contemporary for the premiere of Skin, the much-hyped collaboration between Danier Leather and Greta Constantine tag team Stephen Wong and Kirk Pickersgill. The event brought out Sebastian Pigott (we had to catch ourselves from referring to him as Kai Booker, his character from Being Erica), Shinan Govani, Ivana Santilli, Glen Peloso, Katie Boland, Andrew Sardone, Natalie Lecomte and Sandra Pittana, and on display—on a model and at an on-site pop-up shop—were the six outfits from the capsule collection. See our coverage of the showcase and a gallery of the pieces and the scene after the jump.

The looks had classic draping and loose silhouettes typical of Greta Constantine, but the designers translated that aesthetic from jersey to leather and suede (those staunch jersey supporters will be happy to know that the pieces are lined with the fabric). Our favourite pieces included the shift dresses ($499) in slate grey and black (though the daring could opt for a fire-engine red version) and the long coats-cum-shawls ($999 for buttery soft leather and $549 for suede). The kimono-like leather trench ($869) gave us a possible wardrobe idea for The Matrix should it ever be made into a musical (hey, Broadway seems to be making money covering every other movie): it read as more of a costume than a practical or man-repellent style statement. But overall, the boys have done well in giving the Greta girl another fabric to wear on her nights out on the town—selfishly, though, we hope these hot leather and suede pieces won’t be wearable until at least the chill of fall.

We learned recently that the Real Housewives franchise is officially looking into a Canadian spinoff. No word for sure on which major city will get the nod, but Toronto seems like an obvious choice. According to the Post’s Shinan Govani, our top duelling divas Stacey Kimmel and Suzanne Rogers have already declined offers to participate. Meanwhile, the city’s original glitter girl Catherine Nugent told ET Canada that she “wouldn’t even consider” an offer.

Luckily, not all Toronto socialites have such resolve. Govani reported that Jessica Mulroney, wife to Ben and new mom to the couple’s new chinny-chin twins, is “in talks” (though her hubby later recanted on her behalf). Ainsley Kerr, the best local example of the famous-for-being-famous phenomenon, played coy when asked about her involvement. We thought you had to be married or divorced to be qualify as a Housewife, but maybe not.

Depending on your feelings about trash television, this is either the best news since So You Think You Can Dance Canada, or a sign of the cultural apocalypse. Personally, we think a show like this would be must-see TV. Torontonians are so stiff and serious—a little mudslinging might do us some good. And so—with our fingers crossed and our PVRs primed—we set about coming up with the ultimate cast list for The Real Housewives of Toronto. Our picks, after the jump.

(Image: clock tower, loozrboy)

That's right, I'm a Mimran (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

The Pink Tartan show is one of the week’s scene-iest, luring in crowds with the promise of seeing (and being seen with) Toronto notables. It often seems the clothes are an afterthought for these supporters of Canadian fashion, but who needs style when we’ve got Canadian celebrities? Last night didn’t disappoint—society mavens like Suzanne Boyd, Suzanne Cohon and The Bay bigwig Nicholas Mellamphy rubbed elbows with Shinan Govani, Adrian Mainella, Harper’s Bazaar editor at large Derek Blasberg and the New York Times’s Sandra Ballentine. See the complete collection, our review and yet another reason we saw front row (and photographer) scowls after the jump.

See Pink Tartan’s fall/winter 2011 collection »

Designer Kimberley Newport-Mimran is known for picking a theme and sticking with it (last season it was aviators). True to form, she did it again this season with a mainstream trend: military. We saw it everywhere, and we do mean everywhere, from the hats, military coats, double-breasted navy blazer, olive-green shirts and jumpsuits and knee-high boots. The fun didn’t stop there, as the boot camp trend trickled down to a full-skirted evening gown in a black, silver and gold camo print that was, as one front row seat holder noted, “1995.”

Some editors speculated that Mimran’s recent Women’s Wear Daily cover may have encouraged her to commercialize the collection, but with pieces already purchased from big brand buyers, we were hoping for some kind of show (after all, we did wait an additional hour and 20 minutes to get inside the runway room). Remember last season? There were pillars, which was something. That said, Mimran’s tireless staff created very commercial pieces that most women would want to wear, from impressively tailored jackets and shirts in fatigue green to a full tulle skirt that has “socialite princess” written all over it.

Living in the era of Internet 2.0, it seems everyone has a Twitter, WordPress, Tumblr or YouTube account where they can upload photos, and last night’s second-buzziest show (the number one spot belonging to Newport-Mimran’s husband, Joe) had the entire audience popping flashbulbs like crazy. Look for photos of our not-so-smiling faces in blog coverage this week.

The Real Housewives of Toronto may be coming to a TV screen near you. The National Post’s Shinan Govani reports that a new version of the series is in the works, and it will feature Hogtown’s finest domestic goddesses—or at least the ones who sign on. Housewives franchises have popped up across the United States (including New York, Orange County, Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Atlanta and D.C.), resulting in electric cigarette smoking, alleged White House crashing and even table-flipping screaming matches.

So, which Toronto housewives have been asked? Who said yes and who said no, after the jump.

Shinan reports that fashionista Stacey Kimel and charity circuit regular Suzanne Rogers have both been asked to participate and have politely declined. Jessica Mulroney, wife of eTalk host and pocket square designer Ben, is in talks with the show, but dermatologist Lisa Kellet and Karen von Hahn both declined. Interior designer Sharon Mimran seems to sum up the sentiments of several of the women Shinan pegs as invited to participate in the program, tweeting, “U gotta love the call that asks you to participate in the new Real Houseives of Toronto. Pass.”

Which Torontonian will give us a Canadian version of real housewife Kim Zolciak’s “Tardy for the Party?” We’ll just have to wait and find out.

• Shinan: Search for Canada’s Bethenny continues [National Post]