For the third annual “Most Wanted” fashion event—a fund-raiser held Friday in honour of Concetta Guglietti at Eagles Nest Golf Club—Erika Larva of Monarch Events Group arranged an exclusive presentation of Escada’s pre-fall collection for a crowd of 275 guests. The collection, which included 25 pieces that had not been shown on a runway outside of Munich (where the fashion house is based), was shipped from New York last week. But two days prior to the runway show, held in a tent on the club's grounds, the designer shipment had yet to arrive. “It got stuck at customs,” Larva said. “We were freaking out…we only did the fittings yesterday.”
The event, hosted by Fashion File’s Adrian Mainella and held in support of the gynecological cancer department at Princess Margaret Hospital, also featured designs by V Hazelton and Greta Constantine. “We always want to inject a Canadian component, and Greta Constantine is so hot," said Larva. "When we choose who to present, it’s important we choose a designer the audience will enjoy.”
Larva worked with an organizing committee to plan the event, founded by Guglietti’s son Marco and his cousin Jim DeGasperis. Elvira D’Avanzo of Devan handled the decor for the function, which included a preshow cocktail party where guests sipped Louis Roederer Cristal champagne and sampled premium tequilas such as La Pinta Pomegranate Infused Tequila and Clase Azul.
D’Avanzo hung deep purple fabric at the entrance to the club and placed a table topped with vases of purple flowers—inspired by a display in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel George V Paris—just inside the door. “We wanted to create that hotel feeling,” said D’Avanzo, who transformed the cocktail space into a lounge while guests watched the fashion show.
Devan filled the dining room with a combination of round and rectangular white tables—two of which were topped with mirrors—and white leather stools and Louis Ghost chairs. Purple and lilac fabric from Micki’s covered the walls surrounding the room, and Devan constructed five floor-to-ceiling mirrors for the space. A disco ball hung above the DJ booth, which bore the "Most Wanted" logo.
Servers offered hors d’oeuvres including tempura shrimp and asparagus and mini burgers with caramelized onion and brie during the cocktail reception. A crepe station, a carvery, a pasta station, and a sushi station were set up for the meal.
