Last Friday the third annual Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards (CAFA) returned to inspire the most fashionable night of the year for Canadians.
Transforming Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York hotel into an Oscars-level, photographer-filled celebration, the star-studded gala recognized the best in Canadian fashion.
Hosted by Kim Cattrall, the event drew notable guests like Madame Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau; supermodels Karlie Kloss, Elle Macpherson and Coco Rocha; musician Mia Martina; designers Tanya Taylor, Matthew Gallagher, David Dixon, Christopher Bates and Jenny Bird; television personality Jay Manuel, and actress Sarah Gadon, among many others.
So, yeah, it was a pretty big deal.
Some of the county’s most loved design talent were honoured at this year’s gala: Jason Wu received International Canadian Designer of the Year, Herieth Paul won Model of the Year, Annie Horth collected their prize for Stylist of the Year, Greta Constantine was recognized with The Womenswear Designer of the Year Award, and Wayne Clark accepted an Outstanding Achievement award. Frank & Oak received the Joe Fresh Fashion Innovation award presented by model Karlie Kloss. Elle Macpherson accepted the Vanguard Award for her career achievements as an international trailblazer who has had a global impact on the fashion industry. You can find the full list of winners here.
After the gala, the Canadian designer-clad guests made their way to the Sephora After-Party, where the colourful, purple-washed backdrops inspired no shortage of Instagram activity. In addition to the high-energy, easy-on-the-eyes guests (who were fueled by the upbeat sounds none other than DJ Kardinal Offishal (playing upbeat pop, disco, and hip-hop favourites throughout the evening), perks included things like mirror-filled Sephora booths for touch-ups.
Naturally, there was an open bar that covered all bases, with red and white by Apothic Wines, Steam Whistle beer, and Titos vodka. There was also plenty of food to soak up the drinks, including both stations and passed appetizers all prepared by the Fairmont.
Between the people watching opportunities (thanks to the outfits designed by some of Canada’s top fashion design talent), the flowing drinks (facilitated by short wait times at the bar), and music, the after-party was the type you simply didn’t want to leave. That’s why the venue remained packed until the very end, when the well-heeled guests began to file out, leaving the party (fashionably) late.
Launched by Vicky Milner and Brittney Kuczynski, CAFA’s third gala stood out as one of the most highly anticipated events of the season. So it’s no surprise the after-party was totally worth the late start on Saturday.