| EVENT REPORT 04.29.08 3:23 PM |
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| Boogie Night |
| For their fifth annual fund-raiser, organizers of the Buy Design gala adopted a disco theme that paid homage to Andy Warhol and the legendary Studio 54. |
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Attracting volunteers to help organize Buy Design 54, the fifth annual fund-raiser for Windfall Clothing Service—inspired by the legendary New York nightclub Studio 54—held Saturday at the Fermenting Cellar in the Distillery District, wasn’t all that difficult, according to event manager Alessia Pugliese. “We never struggle to get volunteers,” said Pugliese, who credited the volunteer team for the event's success. About 50 volunteers, some of whom worked throughout the entire planning process (which began in July), helped pull off the fashion-conscious event, which raises money to support the award-winning charity that distributes new clothing and basic-needs items to Torontonians in need.
“For us, the biggest challenge, being a non-for-profit, is always money,” Pugliese said. “We put on this event on a very tight budget. We are very lucky because our volunteers are so young and most of them are in the media or fashion industry, so creativity is not a problem.” Adrian Mainella, the new host of CBC’s Fashion File, is one volunteer whose profile helped bring exposure to the event. Mainella, who has been involved with Buy Design since its inception, served as the evening’s host and donated a night out with him as one of the more than 150 items up for bid at silent and live auctions.
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Mirrored disco balls filled glass vases throughout the Fermenting Cellar.
Photo: Courtesy of Faulhaber PR |
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 | Simple pink flowers placed in mirrored glass vases topped cocktail tables throughout the space.
Photo: Courtesy of Faulhaber PR |
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 | Strings of disco balls surrounded the dance floor, which was lit from below with multicoloured lights.
Photo: Courtesy of Faulhaber PR |
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 | The fashion gallery featured gowns by Canadian designers who rose to fame in the 1970s, including Linda Lundström and Wayne Clark.
Photo: Courtesy of Faulhaber PR |
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 | Marilyn Brooks and a team of Ryerson University students created a space inspired by the Factory—Andy Warhol's famed workspace—to house the silent auction, which featured items donated by Tiffany & Company, Birks, Gucci, and Rogers Wireless.
Photo: Courtesy of Faulhaber PR |
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 | Buy Design 54 T-shirts featured a black-and-white image of Andy Warhol.
Photo: Courtesy of Faulhaber PR |
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In addition to personalities Mainella and George Stroumboulopoulos offering one-on-one time, the silent auction included luxury clothing items and accessories and one-of-a-kind '70s-inspired creations by designers such as Linda Lundström, Wayne Clark, and Carlie Wong. During the live auction, helmed by Stephen Ranger of Ritchies, the bidding got big for items like an Air Canada package for two and weekend getaways in both Montreal and Stratford.
Guests dressed in decade-appropriate garb and boogied to the music of the '70s on a Saturday Night Fever-inspired dance floor, with professional dancers from the Disco Ducks dance troupe encouraging people to let loose. Stylists from Solo Bace Salon offered Farrah Fawcett touch-ups for the ladies, and the Shared T-shirt shop offered limited one-of-a-kind tees to guests.
Catering by Davids’ provided hors d’oeurves, while Casalife offered retro-style furnishings that complemented the Warhol aesthetic of paparazzi-style black-and-white photos, hanging disco balls, and big silver balloons, creatively directed by Andrew Sardone, style editor at Now magazine. As guests left the venue, they began dismantling the decor: The gift boxes, designed to look like Warhol’s Brillo boxes, were part of the displays.
—Stephanie Gray
RELATED TOPICS
Windfall Clothing Service, TD Bank Financial Group, BMO Financial Group, Mill Street Brewery, Now Magazine, Fashion Magazine, She Does the City, The Globe and Mail, BlogTO, Alterna Savings, Ontario Credit Union Charitable Foundation
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