The Seen Party
Bryanna Brown and Sara Forsyth
The kick-off party for “The Seen” – a photography exhibition at Aritzia’s Bloor Street boutique in Yorkville – turned out to be the spot to be seen for GTA hipsters. It was truly an event to behold with star studded Canadian talent from all aspects of the visual arts.
It wasn’t exactly clear how the party was “saluting” the film festival but there was an abundance of liquor, food and fierce chicks, so no one seemed bothered. The party was hosted by Aritzia, Gen Art, Rock & Republic, and Flaunt Magazine and featured the work of nine young photographers including host Ryan McGinley, the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s Nick Zinner – he calls Toronto “Awesomeland” – and Kanako Sasaki, whose work will be on Artizia’s shopping bags this season.
The evening was a true representation of Canadian cool. Socialites swam around the party like sharks in everything from Aritzia to Proenza Schouler. Despite the fact that this was an art event, the invitees weren't initially looking at the walls. The room full of eyes inspected every hipster and fashionista, judging who was fit to be there.
By midnight, the store was crammed with beautiful people and gentlemen slyly chatting. While "Seensters" sipped on white cranberry martinis, DJ Stretch Armstrong was revving things up with hits by Kanye, Timbaland, Justice vs. Simian, and Justin Timberlake. Everyone was dancing, including Emily Hanes of Metric who was seen canoodling on the dance floor with her fellow band mates and KOS.
The ladies from Common Cloth stopped by, and Jessi Cruickshank and Dan Levy from MTV showed up fresh from filming The Hills: The Aftershow. Jessi was wearing one of the newest silver stunners by Artizia’s new Mint line. The new collection features plenty of silky trapeze dresses, (perfect for layering during the cold winter months) and silvery frocks perfect for day or night. Also new this season is the high-waisted Marc Jacobs for Wrangler jeans line.
Sitting pretty wasn't the only reason for this gathering of the glitterati. Aliya Naumoff, the curator of the Seen, gathered seven talented photographers to show off their works to the public from September 8th-16th.
The images showcased glimpses of unexpected beauty in the world that we live in. Even the simplest images captured a sense on long lost romanticism. According to Hannah Jung, a good portrait "captures the essence of one's personality". While most city dwellers are far too busy to stop and smell the roses, Aliya's selection of photos and photographers inspired in its viewers a childlike awe. Jessi Cruickshank commented that, in photography, it’s "important to make you feel the images and capture the emotion". This evening, even the hipsters’ icy hearts were melted.
Although the photography came second to networking, Aritzia fulfilled its promise to connect fashion, culture, music and art in one “uber-hip” evening. |
