Carrie Bradshaw would understand. To mark the first decade of its existence, Bata Shoe Museum threw a party celebrating the notion that a well-designed pair of shoes can cause a woman to experience a range of emotions—like feeling divine, on the one hand, and decadent, on the other, according to Mary Symons, president of Mary Symons & Associates, which handles planning and public relations for the museum. The event, which also served as a media preview for the museum's new exhibit, "Icons of Elegance: Influential Shoe Designers of the 20th Century," featured decor from Decor & More suggesting both decadence and divinity.
On the main floor, fragrant white floral arrangements, sheer white draping (used to transform the front desk into a coat check), and white lounge furniture accented by cream-coloured feather arrangements and freestanding printed floral images conjured the sense of feeling divine. One floor up, decadence was the order of the day. Rich reds and velvety black prevailed, with one ominous-looking arrangement from caterer Gibson & Lyle featuring stylized barren red branches, red candelabras, pomegranates, and several varieties of red apples against a black background.
Menu items complemented the two themes as well. On the main floor, caterwaiters passed duck rillettes on crispy thyme and flaxseed crackers with Niagara ice wine gel?e. On the second floor, they served foie gras on miniature apple pancakes and exotic mushroom tartes tatins with black truffle essence.
The "Icons of Elegance" exhibit on the third floor included shoes from designers such as Manolo Blahnik, Andrea Pfister, and Christian Louboutin. The latter flew in from Paris to attend the event. Other notables in attendance included members of the Bata clan and Ben Mulroney, host of Canadian Idol and CTV entertainment magazine eTalk Daily.
