TORONTO Lingerie Française, the French federation of lingerie and swimwear, hosted its annual fashion show, this year entitled “Ladies of the Silver Screen,” at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District on July 27. The event was full of changes, including the new venue and a pop-up style boutique on site. Also, for the first time there was no seating at the show, creating a more integrated and open event. Some 500 guests attended, including media, buyers, V.I.P.s, and consumers.

Arnaud Presti, executive director of Run Productions Inc., the company that produced the event, opted to eschew the standard formula of cocktail hour, fashion show, and post-event reception this year. “I wanted to integrate everything at once,” Presti said. “Guests arrived at 6:30 and right away, performers were dancing.” The lack of seating added to this new format; guests were free to mingle, move around, and grab a drink while the show took place. “Everything was more open,” Presti said. “Feedback we received from people was that it was more interactive.”  

Also new this year was the inclusion of a pop-up style boutique, where guests could get a closer look at the lingerie they saw on the runway. The area appealed to both buyers and consumers.   

Designers included Simone Perele, Gerbe, Princesse Tam Tam, Lejaby and Empreinte. Each had a five-minute vignette to present a few pieces from their collections. Projected video clips of actresses like Sophia Loren and Elizabeth Taylor introduced each collection, and, as in past years, the show incorporated a dance performance in between the vignettes, “to keep the energy high,” Presti said. After the show, dancers from ASM Dance performed alongside jazz singer Rita di Ghent. The event ended at 9:30.