The top five things to do at the new Toronto Fashion Week

It's been just over a year since Toronto Fashion Week's former owner IMG Canada pulled the plug on the semi-annual style extravaganza. The newly revived TFW will be held in Yorkville from September 5 to September 7, and helmed by owner and real estate magnate Peter Freed—with the help of industry vets like ASC Public Relations head Suzanne Cohon and IMG fashion director Carolyn Quinn. It's shaping up to be a glitzy affair with some serious star power, including designer Jean Paul Gaultier and filmmaker Francesco Carrozzini. Here are some of the coolest things sartorial-minded Torontonians can get up to next week.

Go to the shows

This fall, attendees can expect a smaller, pared-down selection of Canadian design talent. Instead of a full week of back-to-back presentations, each of the fest's three days will feature no more than a trio of runway shows—all from reasonably established labels like SGT-favourite Lucian Matis, preppy-chic queen Pink Tartan and athleisure experts Unttld. All this means that the couture on hand is likely to be less wildly experimental and way more wearable. Tickets to individual shows start at $113 each and can be purchased here.

See a fashion flick

Photographer and director Francesco Carrozzini, son of longtime Vogue Italia editor-in-chief Franca Sozzani (and fiancé to Anna Wintour's daughter Bee Shaffer), is screening a film he directed about his late mother. Franca: Chaos and Creation reportedly took six years to complete and tells the story of the iconic editor's pioneering work, defiant attitude and relatively mysterious personal life. After the screening, viewers will participate in a Q&A with Carrozzini himself, hosted by Vogue arts editor Mark Guiducci.

Listen to talks moderated by Derek Blasberg

The writer, editor and TV host, who is BFFs with basically every supermodel and A-list actress (his Instagram is a daily peek into the lives of the rich and beautiful), is moderating a series of talks next week, including a conversation with legendary French couture designer Jean Paul Gaultier. Blasberg will also interview Toronto-born photographer and filmmaker Petra Collins and Oscar-nominated costume designer Arianne Phillips. Tickets to the talks start at $198 and can be purchased here.

Go to a party where Russell Peters is the DJ

The Canadian comedian known for his riffs on Indian culture will be moonlighting as a guest DJ for Toronto Fashion Week's closing party on Thursday evening. Partiers will get the chance to judge his taste in music, and hopefully hear a few jokes. General admission tickets are $113 a pop and can be bought here.

See a Salvador Dalí fashion exhibit

Starting September 7 and running until the end of the month, Yorkville Village will play host to a huge art exhibit dedicated to exploring the Spanish surrealist's relationship with, and influence on, the fashion world. The 30 pieces on display will include Dalí's fashion-focused paintings and sculptures (like “Woman Aflame” and “Dalinian Dancer“), as well as six modern designer dresses inspired by some of his iconic works.

Fashion for keeps

Sustainable fashion has arrived. 'Eco- friendly', 'organic' or 'green' are no more mere hip tags. Fashion houses are actually getting into the serious mode. Mango's new, organic cotton collection called 'Mango Committed' is in stores this season; Zara's 'Join Life Collection' features recycled material 'Refibra'; H&M's 'Conscious Collection', 'Reformation' collections turn around the fashion garments in re-purposed material; Dutch fashion house Viktor & Rolf's 2017 Spring Collection features deconstructed, damaged vintage outfits transformed into couture gowns. Need we say the concept is on fire?

Designers across the world have jumped on to the bandwagon to introduce more eco-friendly, organic and recycled materials. Remember, the kind of ovation sustainable fashion designer Peggy Sue Deaven-Smiltnieks got for her Collection at Toronto Women's Fashion Week this year? It brought down the house with her farm-to-high fashion designs.

Closer home, designers are addressing the issue and bringing about a more socially responsible ethos within the industry.

For designer Payal Khandwala, "buy less, but buy better" is the key to sustainable fashion. "In my opinion, the planet doesn't need any more clothes. Neither do you nor do I."

But fashion changes fast. How do we do without new clothes… Payal sees the answer in timeless styles. "If we all made clothes that could focus on timeless style, perhaps we can shift the focus from fast fashion to slow fashion." She insists on designing clothes that are season-less. "They are meant to be worn for years. So, we make them slowly and with care. They are designed as separates so that you can wear them in multiple ways. They have their own language and come without the baggage of trends, so you don't feel compelled to buy something new every few weeks. We don't churn out multiple collections every year because it is considered a product that is meant to be cherished, not to be cast away after wearing once. We grow slowly and organically and don't employ people or looms because brocade is in trend or handwoven textiles are fashionable." Businesswise, Payal ensures responsible sourcing of yarn and dyeing facilities at her weaving clusters in Varanasi, West Bengal and Bhagalpur.

Among the high-end designers, promoting sustainable fashion is Anita Dongre with her brand named Grassroot. For her, sustainable fashion means conducting the business of fashion the way it was always meant to be — looking towards the future, practicing and building processes that are sustainable, respectful of the people involved and environmentally conscious. "Grassroot is the embodiment of my core passion—to design clothes that hold a purpose. Every piece in this collection celebrates the crafts of India in contemporary wear. It also provides artisans a sustainable means of income in their villages, thus driving economy back through textile crafts."

With her, the idea was to give back to industries that have been behind-the-scenes of mainstream fashion. "It keeps the focus on reviving and empowering indigenous weavers and craftsmen by giving them employment for the production of modern-day garments," says Dongre.

Simple and easy to wear is the mantra for Anita Lal from Good Earth. For the brand, luxury is about "surrounding oneself with beautifully designed, artisanal products that sustain traditions, livelihood and the planet." Its Sustain apparel range was launched 10 years ago. "At the time, it was our conscious decision to bring khadi and handlooms into the mainstream of luxury clothing by making well-finished and easy-to-wear silhouettes."

Also toeing the sustainable line is designer Shweta Sharma through her label Ombré Lane. For her, it is important that what is sustainable is also stylish. "We cater to the clothing needs of the modern working women. We also believe in creating a direct impact in the lives of our fellow women with the help of our customers, and in creating pieces with long-lasting quality and durability over fast fashion."

Well, going sustainable is cool. Let no rules guide you. Do it your way. A tee that could last 10 years versus a couple months is the choice for you to make, for, in the end, it is for a better earth. And that could be your bit for the cause.

Fashion designer with Down syndrome heading to Hollywood gift lounge

Following a difficult health battle this winter, a young Nova Scotia fashion designer with Down syndrome can look forward to the rest of her year knowing it'll be sweetened with the kind of exposure any artist might dream of.

Marie Webb's Halifax studio is draped with her eye-popping, colourful dresses, scarves and shawls. They're a sample of what Hollywood will see this September, when Webb will be a part of a pre-Emmy Awards gifting lounge in Los Angeles.

Webb, 27, will appear at the lounge in advance of the award show, wearing her trademark vibrant fashions, offering up pocket squares she's created to the nominated actors and actresses.

"Backstreet Boys!" Webb exclaimed when asked whom she'd love to rub shoulders with. "They're really nice boys."

A 'colourful' personality

At her sunny north-end Halifax space at Wonder'neath Open Studio, where Webb is one of eight artists in residence, she plans, draws, colours and felts templates for her Lemonade Stand Designs brand. Her fashion designs are sold on online sites like Etsy and Shopify.

Webb's mother, Renee Forrestall, a well-known painter and art instructor, sits across from her. She scans designs and prepares them in Photoshop. She then sends them to a manufacturer in Montreal where the templates are applied to silks and satins.

"Marie is very optimistic and very positive and always look at the positive side. It's just the way she is. I think that comes out in her work that's colourful, joyful, playful," Forrestall said.

"And cuteful," Marie chimed in. "[The designs are] in my mind. Angels are in my dreams."

'Blissfully unaware' of illness

A marketing company organizing a pre-Emmy gift suite noticed Webb's work online and invited her to bring her designs to a suite where companies give away their products to celebrities and the press.

It won't be Webb's first celebrity-studded event. She went to the Toronto International Film Festival last year. But other invitations to the Golden Globes and Cannes Film Festival were sidelined by the diagnosis of a serious illness. Forrestall disclosed the details of the illness, but CBC News has agreed to keep them private.

Webb was hospitalized for a month this winter.

"We'd been cruising along fairly happily, blissfully unaware that Marie was actually quite ill. It did hit us like a tonne a bricks and we weren't sure, when we were in there, whether we were coming out," Forrestall said.

During her stay, Webb maintained that determination and smile, designing dresses from her hospital bed.

"She was drawing things and I was putting them up on the walls and all the nurses were coming in," said Forrestall. "She made it a party room."

Her diagnosis is something the family is still grappling with, administering medication daily. The gift suite invitation came after Webb's return home. Knowing she was stable, the family knew the trip was possible.

"I'm feeling pretty good now," said Webb. "I'm feeling pretty happy and thankful."

From pastime to career

The road to the City of Angels has had its unexpected twists and turns, said Forrestall. What began as a way to allow Webb to channel her creative side now takes up most hours of the day.

Forrestall, who never thought she'd be working in textiles, knows there's great value in what they do.

"This is so Marie has a real sense of the power of her work. The impact," she said. "Where your work can go when you design something on paper, this can become a real thing and flourish and thrive."

Abused dog and her headbands become face of dog fighting

Abigail has a new a home and a sibling-like canine to lean on.

The pit bull mix who wears a bonnet to cover her missing right ear has been adopted by a family in Fort Myers.

Last year, Abigail was found severely abused, and Southwest Floridians have nursed her back to health.

"We are over the moon excited to have her," said Megan Contreras, who adopted Abigail. "She is such a sweet, sweet girl. It's amazing to see her so loving and trusting after the situation she was in."

Contreras, a former WINK news television reporter now with the Lee County Visitor & Convention Bureau, and her husband, Jason, who works for a local law enforcement agency, were chosen out of 100 applicants to adopt Abigail.

They learned last weekend at a surprise event arranged by Love is Fur Ever, a rescue and foster program in Lehigh Acres. That's where Abigail lived for more than seven months.

The owner, Victoria Frazier, in 2016 had found her picture on a Facebook page run by volunteers who try to save dogs brought to a Miami shelter. She had been picked up  bloodied — on a Miami street.

Frazier nurtured her back to health with Estero veterinarian, Dr. Thomas Jackson. That's when she was given the name Abigail.

She likely had been used as a bait dog, abandoned and left to die on the street because of her injuries, according to the veterinarian.

Abigail had several surgeries to make a comeback.

She was featured in numerous media reports and became known for wearing a different colorful bonnet each day. Frazier put a bonnet on her head to help protect her healing face.

People from the United States, Europe and elsewhere were captivated by the dog's demeanor and soulful, dark eyes. More than 200 hand-made bonnets poured in for Abigail at Love is Fur Ever.

Her legion of fans who follow her on the Facebook page Bonnets for Abigail will be able to keep up with Abigail at her new home, Frazier said.

She will continue as an ambassador for her breed and to raise awareness in the fight against abuses such as using bait dogs. Contreras and her husband have agreed to keep her Facebook page active.

Naples-based Arthrex, a global medical device manufacturer, donated its advanced wound dressing product JumpStart to the veterinarian for Abigail's dressings.

The couple have another rescue, Tala, a lab pit mix, who was adopted at 8 weeks old and will turn 2 years old in the fall. They cared for Abigail for one week in the spring to see how the two dogs would get along, and it was love at first sight.

"It was perfect," Contreras said. "Tala has accepted her just like a sister."

Abigail is thought to be 2, and her birth date was given as Nov. 14, the day she was rescued from the Miami shelter.

It seems Tala can tell something had gone terribly wrong with Abigail and now is fiercely protective of her. One night earlier this week, they switched beds, Contreras said.

She and her husband had not considered putting their names in the running for Abigail because they lived in a rental town home. After they bought a home, Contreras said, her husband filled out the adoption application and surprised her.

Frazier, who is a few weeks away from delivering twins, said it took time to shift through all the applications. Something just felt right about Contreras and her husband.

Frazier invited them to a Fort Myers restaurant last weekend with the guise of a get-together before the twins arrive. The restaurant has a patio that allows dogs.

Contreras knew the adoption was down to herself and another family. On the way to the restaurant, she and her husband speculated whether Frazier would have some news for them.

Frazier had a big box with pink balloons inside. Some were decorated with paw prints and others said, "Happy Adoption Day."

"I didn't expect to find out in that grand of a way," Contreras said. "I just remember Abigail running toward me."

For Frazier, the adoption is bittersweet. She knew the day would come.

"My mornings and nights are really hard," Frazier said. "My life was consumed by her. I think the hardest part is I was there every single second of everything. That's probably the hardest thing is changing my whole daily routine. I definitely miss her."

Princess Diana's fashion still transmits messages

By all accounts, she would have hated the negative feedback loops of Instagram and Twitter. But she certainly knew the power of clothing for personal branding, long before the Kardashians made a fortune from it.

Her meticulous utilization of fashion as messaging, in part, explains the enduring fascination with her style 20 years after her death.

"I suspect there are many aspects to Diana's continuing iconic status, but a central issue has to be her apparent ability to communicate in personal terms across mass media," says Jude Davies, a professor of American literature and culture at the University of Winchester, and author of Diana, A Cultural History.

The intensely personal messages coded in her clothing, particularly in tandem with her charitable work, set her apart from the modern-day Angelina Jolies and Madonnas of the world.

"Crucial to this was a sense of not only her own feelings but her own vulnerability," he says, referencing her well-known insecurities and search for positive reinforcement. "Hence she didn't come across as patronizing - rather as seeking a genuine positive contact with other human beings."

While still Her Royal Highness, she famously ditched the customary gloves still favored by Queen Elizabeth II -- a strategic move that, gasp, allowed skin-on-skin contact with the masses she met at hospitals and homeless shelters. That included people with AIDS during a time when many were treated as lepers.

"That a very fascinating young royal person would do this made, I would say, much more of a difference than a lot of well-intentioned propagandists," says British author and management consultant Peter York.

Her work advocating for landmine removal further let her ditch the stuffy princess personae, and literally and symbolically roll up her sleeves.

"My favorite image of her, apart from the Mario Testino portraits, is her walking through a minefield in jeans in a white tee shirt. That was so brave, she was a brave person," says Meredith Etherington-Smith, former creative director of Christie's International who worked with Diana on the 1997 sale of her dresses at the auction house.

But, as Etherington-Smith notes, Diana wasn't always so keenly dressed. In the early '80s, she became the poster-child for Sloane Rangers – a portmanteau coined by York and his editor at Harpers & Queen magazine Ann Barr of Sloane Square in the posh Chelsea neighborhood of London and The Lone Ranger. It became short-hand for old money, well-connected types with an affinity for country life, mustard corduroys, lacy collars and general shabby-without-the-chic aesthetic.

"We got her wrong, self-servingly, we got her wrong," York confesses, noting that he and Barr chose a photo of the princess for the cover of their book The Official Sloane Ranger Handbook. "We had taken it for granted that she would be a nice upper middle Sloane girl in her behavior and of course what she was was a wacky aristocrat with a very firm idea of her own value."

As she grew into her public roll, and more evidently after her divorce, she was not the wilting English rose.

"She was clearly a lot of times happier with self-made gay entertainers than doing field sports and riding and going to the country," York says. "And she became this international type."

The most famous display of her international glamour came in the form of a blue velvet gown by Victor Edelstein which she wore when dancing with John Travolta at the White House. It sold for $222,500 in the 1997 Christie's auction, breaking a previous record of $145,000 for a garment, ironically, that Travolta wore in Saturday Night Fever.

"It was like something that might have been made for Queen Alexandra, she just looked beautiful in it," says Etherington-Smith.

But that personal messaging in her clothing could be calculated, with occasional digs at her ex-husband or the press. The originator of the "Revenge Dress" -- Diana showed up to the annual Serpentine Gallery summer party in a short, figure-hugging Christina Stambolian frock on the day Prince Charles was to confess in an interview to having an affair with Camilla Parker Bowles, now the Duchess of Cornwall.