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The Dressing Room: how I survived 10 sleep-deprived, malnourished, partied-out days of TIFF

The Toronto International Film Festival blows in and out of my life each year like a hyper-active cyclops with a giant propeller pack on its back, knocking its way through 10 days without regard for basic needs such as sleep or diet. Its giant monster eye has only one point of focus: a long red carpet.

But despite popular assumption, these red carpets do not always lead to kick-up-your-party-heels-fun, at least not when automated blackout blinds and eight hours of R.E.M. sleep are what you desire.

When watching an average of three films (usually emotionally-involved, subtitled, foreign dramas) per day, spaced between three interviews with the actors and/or directors of said films per day, rushing home just in time to skip dinner and figure out how to transform from critically-fatigued festival journalist to giddy glamorous festival partygoer is not an ideal after work ritual. But this transformation routine always becomes static hard clockwork for my 10-days of TIFF.

Feeling especially worn this festival from my hefty screening/interview schedule, I wanted to do anything but scamper about my house trying to get ready in less than 30 minutes for premiere parties where the bulk of guests have a fleet of hair stylists, makeup artists, fashion stylists and a good two or three hours behind their evening’s look. With the urge to revisit the glory days of simple Velcro sneakers pulsing strong, it became necessary to crack a red carpet style-plan that would allow me a 10-minute sanity-saving nap here and there. My devised attack strategy: Bet, Borrow and Steal.

Step One: Bet

After consecutive nights of maximizing on the city’s 4 a.m. festival license at hot spots like Goodnight Gansevoort, where such celebrities as Mad Men’s Jon Hamm and his longtime girlfriend, actress Jennifer Westfeldt (both in town for the premiere of their film Friends with Kids), were spotted winding down their evening, you can count on falling asleep with a full face of makeup on at least one night. Even if you are a well-programmed robot about washing your face, you can “Bet” that the stress of late nights and early mornings, on top of pushing nutrition to the wayside for the demands of TIFF, will render your skin dry and congested with dead skin cells and in need of a serious buff and rehydration.

Knowing that my laziness would have me relying on inefficient wipes to “wash” my face during the festival, I scheduled a facial at the spa at the The Hazelton Hotel in and around the halfway mark to rejuvenate my skin. The epic name of my signature facial treatment: Vitality of the Glaciers. It’s no red herring. The Prime Generation line from Valmont and a chilled 100 per cent collagen mask soothed my tired lines and saved me from faking a dewy complexion with a swipe of liquid highlighter across my cheekbones, allowing me to go sheer with a genuine healthy glow gained from the relaxing facial treatment. (Tip: For those with pores that are feeling especially clogged and irritated, add a purifying pack mask before the collagen to cleanse and calm.)

In the end, the overall value of a facial is the time saved in the future; clear, glowing skin eliminates the need for camouflaging your face with layers of foundation and concealer, amongst other things, taking a good hour off of your prep time when primping for an event — leaving you time to do things you might otherwise not have to do, like eating, going to the bathroom and feeding your dog. 

Jon Hamm and Jennifer Westfeldt at Goodnight Gansevoort (Image: David Lee/Getty Images)

 

Step Two: Borrow

Like a happy bride, sometimes it’s good luck to “Borrow” a fashion accessory from a style-savvy friend, especially when that friend is Swarovski.

A quick perusal through the brand’s fall Wings of Fantasy collection at its festival pop-up showroom in the Park Hyatt hotel fills me with confidence that the addition of any one of the collection’s items will elevate even the starkest of cocktail dresses to something dazzlingly TIFF gala-worthy.

During my visit to the sparkly pop-up, I was on the hunt for something to glam up a simple, solid black dress. After consulting with one of Swarovski’s expert representatives, I decide on skipping a necklace (despite the beauty of the dark blue, purple and turquoise Swarovski crystals in the Parade necklace nearly causing swooning) and keeping to a simple bracelet and ring combination with a twinkling bag to tie it all together.

The only downside of borrowing: returning.

Sparkling Swarovski (Image: Erin Palmer)

 

Step Three: Steal

This final step is more a way of managing your purse strings rather than encouraging sticky fingers.

Too often, shoppers seeking the perfect cocktail outfit mistake high dollar value with an item’s one-of-a-kind character. Rarity — being ranked at the top of the perfect dress checklist followed by chameleon-quality and timeless style — is believed by many to be well worth delving deep into one’s pockets to attain possession of a single clothing item. But, grand and persuasive though the mirrored dressing rooms of high-end department stores may be, sometimes the most unrivaled of outfits are found in the most unlikely of spots for nothing short of a “Steal.”

Whenever I’m in the market for one-of-a-kind, I turn to my favourite vintage stores. For cocktail attire, I like going the route of separates rather than a dress, and for this I head to Parkdale for a visit to Stella Luna (1627 Queen St. West, 416-536-7300).

Curated by owner Crispian Underwood, the retro yet runway-ready fashions at Stella Luna are easily paired with modern finds. Well stocked for fall (and still stocking), shoppers in need of a party look would do well at pairing a sequined top found on the racks of any major label store with shorts, a skirt, pants and/or a blazer available from Underwood’s current offerings.

Aside from being amongst the most well-curated vintage collections in the city, the store also boasts the badge of Toronto’s best fashion find in terms of cost and quality of product — a must-stop for any shopper who values fashion as much as their bank account.

And just like that, adhering to this three step plan, I managed to survive the devastation of the TIFF party Cyclops. Now, to catch up on 10 days of sleep and try not to die of scurvy. Step one: get off of the saltine crackers diet.

Toronto-based writer Jennifer Lee is the editorial director of FILLER magazine, an online fashion and culture journal. She is also the co-editor of Hardly magazine, an arts-centric online teen publication for Canadian girls. Her column, The Dressing Room, appears regularly.

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