In a last-minute change to the lineup, singer-songwriter Feist stepped in for scheduled performer Kristin Chenoweth at Holt Renfrew's fifth annual Holiday Window Unveiling Thursday after the Tony winner cancelled her appearance due to an illness. “We’ve always wanted to have Feist. She’s Canadian, and the Abrams Brothers are opening for her, so it’s an all-Canadian lineup. That’s a first for us,” said Gwen Gibson, the retailer's director of special events.
Gibson reported that organizers were notified at noon on Wednesday that Chenoweth was ill and wouldn’t be able to perform. About six hours later, they secured Feist for the event. “It’s my favourite event of the whole year,” Gibson said. “It’s a performance on the street. It’s joyous, and it’s our one public performance each year.”
Hundreds of onlookers filled Bloor Street for the concert, held on a stage erected in the middle of the road, which was closed to traffic between Yonge and Bay streets from 6 a.m. Thursday. Westbury National Show Systems handled the audiovisual production for the event, and Krista Slack & Associates produced the show.
Pink spotlights lit the front of the store and red velvet curtains covered the windows. Popcorn and pretzel stands flanked either side of the entrance to Holt Renfrew, and girls in hot pink wigs handed out samples of Benefit cosmetics to shoppers prior to the concert, hosted by Rick Campanelli and Kim D’Eon of Entertainment Tonight Canada.
This year's windows, designed by creative director John Gerhardt, focus on two themes—to resonate and to animate, he said. "We have chosen seven words that reflect the various moods of the season and put the holidays into context," he said. "The words are illuminated and backlit to symbolize the magic of the season, as well they serve as a graphic backdrop to seven respective installations.”
The installations play off the words joy, warmth, beauty, magic, wonder, sharing, and love. "Each window is individually designed with traditional holiday motifs displayed in an unexpected and modern manner," Gerhardt added.
Feist performed prior to the unveiling, and Holt Renfrew offered extended shopping following the event, with a portion of the evening's sales donated to the United Way of Canada. The unveiling also included an in-store appearance by Dylan Lauren of Dylan’s Candy Bar.
