It’s been ten years since my very first Toronto Fashion Week back in 2006 when I was a young and wide-eyed Fashion Television intern. I remember walking into Liberty Grand in an outfit I pulled together on a budget from H&M, hoping I’d fit in, knowing none of the designers that were showing. Despite how green I was, I loved fashion and this was the world I wanted to so desperately to be a part of. After a decade of being immersed into the Toronto fashion scene I am so glad to still be a part of this community of talented, smart and driven individuals.
Every season our 29Secrets team spends the full week at the tent at David Pecaut Square, reporting on both the looks coming down the runway and the backstage beauty. The days are long, often starting at 9am at the office and not getting home from the shows until after midnight. Thus, there is a lot of prep that goes into making sure the week is stress-free. Keep reading to learn how I prep for Toronto Fashion Week:
Choosing My Wardrobe
It’s important at Toronto Fashion Week to find ways to #WearCanadian and support local brands. So in the weeks before I start to browse my favourite Canadian designer’s lookbooks and visit a few showrooms to pick up pieces that I can mix and match into my wardrobe during the week. I’d seen Jennifer Torosian‘s fall/winter lookbook last year and remember being obsessed with a few pieces. So, when I heard she was debuting at Fashion Week this season I was sure I wanted to wear her designs. Also, March weather is very unpredictable, so a great jacket is necessary. Sentaler was my first choice! The luxury outerwear brand has been a media and blogger favourite the past few seasons because of Bojana Sentaler’s ability to create elegant and stylish coats that make a statement. I also visited Etsy for a few unique Canadian pieces, coming across Montreal-based Les Enfants Sauvages and falling in love with a mustard yellow dress. Lastly was accessories! I pulled a few unique pieces from local Toronto brands Dolorous Jewellery, known for their signature bodychains that were recently featured in Sports Illustrated, and Emily Valentine, a bohemian line with an industrial edge. I topped off my outfits with a collection of designer sunnies from Kaltenbock Opticians.
Beauty Prep
The weekend before fashion week is spent in spas and salons. First stop was to my favourite hair colourist in the city and owner of Medulla & Co, Luis Pacheco, to refresh my colour. Luis lightened up my locks with moss gold highlights and ombre. For healthy and shiny hair all week long I keep his TO112 hair serum in my bag to quickly touch up flyaways and heat styling damage.
My second stop was to Ritual, where I indulged in a Vita Liberata spray tan (pale skin won’t do that mustard dress justice) and eyelash extensions. Eyelash extensions cut down my daily beauty routine and allows me to worry less about touching up throughout the day. And the Vita Liberata spray tan is my beauty secret to having glowing skin year round without sun damage. It looks like I just got home from a tropical getaway. Beauty secret: I have them do a second coat on the outer part of my body to create an illusion that I’ve been in the gym a few days more than I have a week. Body contouring at its best.
Tech Essentials
I can’t lug around my huge laptop to the fashion week tent, especially when I’m carrying designer handbags. So, I bring along my Microsoft Surface Pro 4, which has all the power and more than my work computer, but easily fits into my handbag. It comes in so handy, my editor and blogger friends are constantly trying to steal it so they too can quickly update their blogs. I use it to jot down notes in between shows so that I don’t forget key details about the collections when I am writing my reviews the next day.
I also made sure I grabbed a Lumee case before fashion week because of the dim lighting in the tent. The case has a front facing light, giving you that perfect halo lighting for beauty shots and front row squad selfies.
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