When Michael King and Phillip Ing signed on to plan this year's Fashion Cares, the pair knew they had a lot of ground to make up for after a disappointing event in 2007. "Last year was a very difficult year. It wasn't my year chairing it, but they made a number of mistakes," King, chair of the Fashion Cares steering committee, said of the 2007 event, which was criticized for the choice of venue (a tent in the Distillery District) and the lack of a runway show. "They were well intentioned. They just didn't think things through."
On Saturday, the gala returned to the Metro Toronto Convention Centre for an evening hosted by David Furnish that included an elaborate runway show featuring looks from more than 40 designers and performances by the likes of Katy Perry and Dame Shirley Bassey. The annual fund-raiser for the AIDS Committee of Toronto, dubbed "Fashion sCares" this year, adopted a Halloween meets haute couture meets Alfred Hitchcock theme.
"I was watching the Movie Channel and I saw The Birds and I realized there are so many iconic elements from Hitchcock movies—the fabulous blonds, the sort of sexual repression, the horror of the birds, the suspense. There's great stuff to pull out of that and throw together for a theme for a Fashion Cares show," said Ing, who produced the event for its first 20 years and returned this year as the show's producer and creative director.
"I kept getting asked," Ing said of his return. "Things didn't go well last year, and I just had one person after another, after another asking," he said, adding, "It's a great community to work with and that's one thing I missed." In the weeks leading up to the gala, which moved from a spring to a fall date for the first time, Ing and King talked about their plan to bring fashion back into the event. "That's what we had to do. Last year there was no runway show. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to say, 'It's called Fashion Cares, the very least one should do is have a fashion show,'" King said.
The stage show, which followed a dinner for 1,250 guests (and attracted a further 750 attendees), included numerous references to Hitchcock, including fashions that paid tribute to Grace Kelly (who starred in Rear Window), and dance productions that honored films like Psycho and Vertigo. Performers included Fritz Helder & the Phantoms, Perry, Kreesha Turner, and Bassey, who sang hits like "Diamonds Are Forever" and "Big Spender."
"The event has really evolved. We started at the Phoenix Club in 1987 for 400 people and we raised $40,000 that night with what feels like three flashlights and some music," said Ing, who admitted to feeling required to reinvent the event this year. "There is huge, huge pressure to keep this thing fresh. Actually this is one of the worst years for that because after last year there is a huge expectation. And I think people are just going to go, 'Well he's back. What's so great about him? What's the big deal? Why can't somebody else do this?' But I try not to think about that."
King said certain planning decisions, like the choice of venue, were made because organizers didn't want to take any risks this year. "The MTCC is able to serve 1,200 pieces of rare roast beef, perfectly cooked. Most people can't do eight pieces at home, so it gives you an idea of the skill level that comes into it. And then we've got five big acts tonight, so the ability to bring everything in and manage all of that—very few places can do that. And the Convention Centre has been spectacular."
King and Ing worked alongside a core team that included Dale McIntosh, who handled the event management and event production; Chris Mercer, who served as the technical director; Tony Ambrosi, who served as the stage manager; and hundreds of volunteers. Event sponsors included BMO Financial Group, LG Canada, MAC Viva Glam, CTV, The Globe & Mail, CHUM FM, and SIR magazine.
