Fashion does exist north of the 401

Heart of Fashion, a fundraiser for the North York General Hospital, marked its 10th anniversary this Saturday. I attended this year's edition, held in Bayview Village shopping centre's newly renovated interior. The event welcomed over 2,000 guests to preview fashions by some of the high-end mall's retail tenants. Fashion show participants included an excellent high-low mix - Mendocino shared the stage with Canadian designers Brian Bailey and Ross Mayer and made-in-Canada fashions from the Judith & Charles boutique.

Noteworthy pieces included a sparkly sequined silver/black shift dress (Chadwicks), a taupe native-print belted cardi (Mendocino) and an all-black chic Parisian-inspired ensemble (Judith and Charles).

Most attendees participated in the event's fun attire theme, "cocktail chic with a splash of pink". I didn't get the memo. But, I did have a wardrobe meltdown while trying to assemble my most expensive-looking outfit, which ended up including a vintage suede high-waisted skirt (free, gleaned at a clothing swap) and a Joeffer Caoc silk tank ($20 at a sample sale).

Food, catered by Pusateri's, was to die for (especially the crab cakes) and good drinks flowed all night. Celeb content included host Yasmin Warsame, and following the show, R&B artist Jully Black provided entertainment. She surprised with a truncated cover of Reel to Real's "I Like to Move it", a particular fave of mine from the Master T Dance Mix days. A silent auction and sale of "Mystery Bags" raised even more money for the cause.

Dr. Donna Ritchie addressed the guests with a feel-good message about NYGH's Breast Diagnostic Centre which will be poised to purchase a new Ultrasound machine thanks to the fundraising efforts of the event.

All told, the evening was a success. Plus, the stunning Bayview Village transformation gave me a reason to stop hating on the Sheppard subway line.