#welldressedforspring | Cancer Girl Smiles

What a night!

Working it.

As many of you know, Wednesday was my big runway debut, and let me tell you, it was fantabulous!

Let’s begin with the fact that Civello salon graciously donated their services of hair, makeup and manicures for all the models. I know, right?! They were sweethearts right upon entering the building. Kudos to the team for doing such a wonderful job beauytifying all of us.

The only crinkle was the weather didn’t really cooperate, so I had to put my hood on which kinda flattened the hair a bit. But thankfully one of the models in the show was kind enough to drive a couple of us down so we didn’t end up looking like we were auditioning for a horror film. And luckily the fab hair and makeup team were on site with us at Holts to ensure there were no last minute hair or makeup emergencies. That’s just not cool.

Upon entering Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street which is ginormous by the way, we were treated like royalty! We even got to say “we’re the models for the fashion show tonight.” We were brought up to our private lounge stocked with cocktails, beverages and my favourite touch, pink champagne. How awesome is that? Pretty frickin awesome. We mingled with the other models who were such a lovely, funny, inspiring, and all around fantastic bunch. I was so happy to be surrounded by all of them. Good times, good times.

We were all kind of nervous for dress rehearsal. And the runway was looooong! Not to mention I was the first one up and was representing Wellspring as the Well Dressed For Spring Model Search winner, so no pressure at all. I just reminded myself as I did on my wedding, not to sprint down the aisle. Then we ventured back to our lounge to hang some more, get dressed, have final touch ups, and at 7:15 it was showtime!

Before I walked out, the video that I shot in the #ElleCanadaCloset was played. It was incredibly fun to shoot. Noreen Flanagan, EIC of Elle Canada is the most wonderful lady in the fashion industry. I can’t say enough good things about her. Truly I cannot. But here are a few: Beautiful, intelligent, witty, extremely nice, kind and super down to Earth. Nothing like Meryl Streep’s character in The Devil Wears Prada.
Have a look:

And then the catwalk officially began. I strutted out and worked that runway. I think I was more nervous doing the rehearsal in front of empty seats than the real thing. Perhaps it was the pink champagne. The vibe from the audience was incredible. So supportive and uplifting. I grabbed myself a standing ovation, which was dreamy, and decided to dance my way back. I just had a ball with it.

How could I not, I had an entire posse with me. 18 people representing, despite the weather or any other obstacle, truly amazing! Which brings me to the Oscar speech part of the blog, a HUGE thank you to everyone that was there on my behalf. Thank you guys endlessly for buying tickets and supporting me on my special night, you guys are truly my biggest fans. I love all of you!

Me with my handsome hubby after the show!

I sincerely hope the night was as fun for you as it was for me. Okay, so obviously it was way more fun for me. It felt like wedding déjà vu, being in the spotlight with so many pictures being taken and everyone wanting a piece of me. It’s tough, I know.

All the models were stunning and did a terrific job. Not a dry eye in the audience, I am sure. It was definitely an emotionally charged evening. Everyone owned the runway that night. True role models. And it was such an important cause. Wellspring is a truly remarkable organization. They deserve the spotlight. I continue to use their services each week. They call me their centerfold girl at the moment. And I have met some very supportive and lovely individuals who I look forward to seeing each and every week. Bravo Wellspring for helping cancer patients and their families.

Oh and did I mention that there was a real model amongst us, like the kind that actually walks the runway and does professional photo shoots as a career. I was happy to befriend Elisaveta Bulokova, a Canadian fashion model with a truly inspiring story. We are actually Osteosarcoma sisters, so naturally we had tons to chat about behind the scenes. We will definitely be keeping in touch!

Picture perfect model moment!

I should also note that our Emcee for the evening, TSN Anchor Gurdeep Ahluwalia was a riot. As was the lovely commentator Lisa Tant, the VP of Exclusive Services for Holt Renfrew. They did a wonderful job working with the talent Wednesday night.

And how could I forget the private shopping event that took place after the fashion show. Each ticketholder was given a $100 gift card to be used at Holts. Did someone say shopping, sign me up! There was a DJ as well . The place was lit!

Spending money for a great cause while dancing is always a good idea. Life lesson people, write this down.

The evening was super fun and extremely memorable. Thank you Wellspring, Christina Smith, Janice Fukakusa, Susan Chung, all of the dedicated volunteers, Noreen Flanagan and Elle Canada, the entire Pink Tartan crew, Holt Renfrew, Marlo Sutton (my very own personal shopper for the event and styling guru), and all of the overwhelmingly generous sponsors and contributors for making this happen.

And last but not least, everyone received swag bags at the end of the event, and no I did not win the fantabulous shopping spree at Holts which I totally wanted to win, but Pink Tartan let me keep the dress I wore. So amazing! Love this store. Thank you sooooooo much Kimberley Newport-Mimran.

I think I covered just about everything. But what I can’t convey is the adrenaline and feeling of being a part of this event and all of the festivities leading up to the big soirée. It’s inexplicable. What a night indeed!

Health, love, and catwalks.
xo