A runway show featuring male models dressed in skin tight—and somewhat kinky—leather straps and skirts isn't what one would expect to see at a library benefit. And that was exactly the point at the Book Lover's Ball, according to Heather Rumball, president of the Toronto Public Library Foundation, which presented the fifth annual benefit at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel on Thursday.
"The guests really love it. People are astonished by the professional caliber of the event. This isn't what you'd expect from the library, and that's exactly what we want," Rumball said of the fashion show, which is the fund-raiser's main attraction.
The foundation called on Solutions With Impact to produce the fund-raiser and Monarch Events Group to produce the runway show. "We always look for different themes and try to capture the mood," Rumball said of the selection process for the novels to be showcased on stage. "This year we wanted to show the breadth and variety of what people are reading and interested in." (Featured books included Twilight, Spartacus, David Rocco's Dolce Vita, Breakfast at Tiffany's, and Slumdog Millionaire.)
Rumball also noted that organizers intentionally broadened the pool of models. "There was a hot demand from our female guests to see a lot more of the male models," she said. To meet that demand, Erika Larva of Monarch Events outfitted the men in looks from NorthBound Leather for a racy scene inspired by Spartacus and vintage designs from Farley Chatto for a segment based on Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Complete Sherlock Holmes.
Once the novels were selected, Larva, who also produces runway shows during LG Fashion Week, matched designers to the story lines. "The designers allow me a bit of creative freedom. They trust what I do and allow me to show a bit different than they would show," she said. "We only use five outfits per scene, so they have to be really strong."
It took about 200 people—30 models, 28 dancers, a production crew, a hair and makeup team from Donato Salon + Spa, and several stylists—to produce the eight-act show, on a 70-foot runway surrounded by dinner tables in the hotel's Canadian Room. An oversize book served as the backdrop. "The characters come right out of the pages of the book," Larva said. "It's such a theatrical show and it's very cool because it has so much entertainment. We're telling little stories. We take a book and tell the story in a three-minute segment."
