Once you’ve got a dog on the runway, your fashion show is a guaranteed success. This French Poodle was a fit parfait for the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra fundraising event “Lock Into Paris” last Friday night. 
Fish, for some reason, don’t generate the same crowd-pleasing effect. Since the VIP lounge at the Devonian Gardens didn’t have a swimming section, this lonely giant koi did laps around the un-fountaining fountains. No coins are permitted, but perhaps steroids are.
Still, it was a thrill to finally figure out where the Devonian Gardens are: way up on the fourth floor of the Core Shopping Centre. When I saw uber-designer and sought-after party guest Paul Hardy under the sloping glass roof, I knew I was in the right place.
Over to the runway, resplendent with models from The Nobles, their plumage provided by Holt Renfrew. This feather-trimmed skirt was my fave.
Verdant tropical foliage allowed me to temporarily stash my gift bag, so nothing could get in the way of me, my Calvins and the fashion show. Just kidding. I was wearing Prada.
My shoe fetish and I were perfectly positioned on the runway for a bug’s eye view.
As live music from CPO members (composed especially for this event) swelled in the background, I tried to stay focused on the clothes. But just look at those shoes!
Then the OTK babies returned. The model’s blue dress faded into a blur. I had to know… who made these boots?
Thanks to my incredible investigative journalism skills, I discovered Holt’s didn’t provide the footwear. I could have applied my superpowers to learning the name of the fellow causing a safety hazard by edging his chair onto the runway, but my fashion 411 was more urgent. Luckily, the team from Styleista (who coordinated the show) filled me in: the boots were the model’s own. From Zara two years ago. And I totally missed them. Hashtag: fashion tragedy.
After the show, father and son party team from Scott Land and Lease resisted the Breakfast at Chanel being auctioned off right in front of their primo-positioned table. Maybe it was because the auctioneer called it “Breakfast at Channel.” Some botox-busting frowns all around must have tipped him off, because he quickly corrected and did a great job, raising thousands for the CPO with that one item alone.
Look at the necklace on the model hanging with the Style Guys! No need to call the locksmith — that gargantuan, glittering Chanel lucite padlock was up for raffle, as an ode to the thousands of love padlocks on a bridge over the Pont des Arts in Paris. Am I crazy or am I sensing a theme?
While the CPO’s bottom benefitted, board member Cynthia Moore emerged as the big winner of Lock Into Paris. Besides helping to put together a successful event, she already had her own Chanel padlock.
