May 2000 - Nr. 5
Down On The Town
by Alexander Oolo
Fashionably Fantastic
This millennium’s first ‘Fashion Cares’ spectacuganza, the 14th annual premier fundraising event supporting the AIDS Committee of Toronto, was an all-out success.
Held once again in the South Hall of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre/South Hall, Saturday, April 29, 2000, visitors were treated to the M·A·C VIVA GLAM Floating World.
This year’s second-to-none gala featured Canadian & world-class fashions (including Germany’s ‘All about Eve’) and entertainment by musical acts Deborah Cox, Amber (partially raised and discovered in Germany), Lil’ Kim, Lara Fabian and the timeless sounds of the beloved Village People.
Especially in the entertainment department did the 2000
Fashion Cares organizing committee outdo itself. And so, by the time ultra
sexy attired Hip-Hop sensation Lil’ Kim completed her infectious
performance; even the last party pooper was into the appropriate groove.
But what finally brought the house and almost (for real) the catwalk down, was the night’s final act, the Village People. It happened while the pop phenomenon delivered its last tune, the-famous-the-world-over "YMCA".
Well, about 400 people rushed onto the cat walk, singing
and dancing along, and, in the process, fully covered up the Village People,
who were only to be seen due to some creative camera work (the entire show
was broadcasted live over the Internet). I thought it was spontaneously
delightful, especially for an event that has now gone a tad bit too much the
sponsorship way.
However, if there wouldn’t be all this corporate sponsorship the event could not afford to offer a pan-Asiatic three-course dinner to guests, set beneath a floating pagoda alongside a live action featuring such exclusive items as a limited edition Erte sculpture. Nor would there be a cocktail reception, Floating Market Boutique, champagne lounge, and Backstage After Party.
It was especially the Floating Market Boutique plus its
exquisite silent auction that was really impressive. With Bangkok’s
floating markets as a backdrop, it offered deals at truly basement prices
(and donated by retailers like the Hudson’s Bay Company, Schwarzkopf
Professional Ltd. and Warner Bros.).
And there it was, another Fashion Cares (FC) came to a close. And that all in keeping with this year’s theme, Floating World, or also known as ukiyo, which "in ancient Japanese culture was an ideal world for fashion and entertainment" (Phillip Ing, creative director of FC).
For those of you who have not made this part of your charity circuit, you will have an opportunity to view the night’s events on Much More Music and Much International, as it will be rebroadcasted on June 22nd and December 1st 2000.
This year in fact, I will even go as far as outright recommending for you to consider attendance of the 2001 event, for this simple reason: Fashion Cares has gone upstream, notwithstanding all the corporate clout and money. Gone are the days of drag and Butch Cassidy. In are the days of real modern-day musical acts, genuine cat walk models truly highlighting trend setting designers and their creations.
In short, this is now a fun event, yet different enough to never let it go entirely mainstream and non-innovative. And besides, the fashions featured here are making Fashion Cares, slowly but surely, a calendar stop not much longer to be missed by the world’s true fashionistas.
Comments to: oolo@echoworld.com
