Toronto Style Radar: Tabula Rasa, She Does The City, The Big Give, Lavish & Squalor

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Every week, we round up the best events from the city’s fashion scene. In this edition: immunity-boosting smoothies at Lavish & Squalor, 20 per cent off at Tabula Rasa, partying for a cause and more.

Textile Museum of Canada reDesign gala 2012

When: Nov. 7, 6:30-9 p.m.
Where: Oval Square at Hazelton Lanes, 87 Avenue Rd.
Details: If you’ve ever wished some of your favourite Canadian designers would create more than just great clothes, you’re in luck. The Textile Museum of Canada’s second annual reDesign event will feature reimagined and refurbished Eames-style chairs by Jeremy Laing, David Dixon and Comrags (to name a few). Tickets are $100 each and include complimentary food and drink.

Second annual “The Big Give” fundraiser

When: Nov. 7, 7 p.m.
Where: The Berkeley Church, 315 Queen St. E.
Details: Elizabeth Grant presents “The Big Give,” a fundraising event in support of Look Good Feel Better, an organization dedicated to those dealing with the physical and emotional effects of cancer. This is a chance to party down while giving back to a great cause. All of the proceeds will go to LGFB. Tickets can be purchased at the door for $60 and will include food, drink and prizes.

Tabula Rasa customer appreciation event

When: Nov. 8, 6-10 p.m.
Where: Tabula Rasa, 745 Broadview Ave.
Details: Just because they love us (by “us” we mean all of their customers), Tabula Rasa is throwing a party with champagne, gourmet cupcakes and a chance to stock up on stylish selections at 20 per cent off. There’s never been a better time or reason to buy a holiday party dress early.

Mutts & Co. Fall Shop wrap party

Where: LVB, 88 Ossington Ave., 2nd floor.
When: Nov. 8, 7-11 p.m.
Details: If you missed the launch party of the Mutts & Co. Fall Shop last week, they’re giving you another chance to shop and party with them before they pack up again. Gift-giving time is on its way, so stock up on a fantastic variety of locally-made goods for your friends and family, as well as yourself!

Margherita Missoni at Holt Renfrew

When: Nov. 8, 5 p.m.
Where: Holt Renfrew, 50 Bloor Street West
Details: In celebration of Holt Renfrew’s charitable collaboration with Missoni, Margherita Missoni herself will be making a public appearance at the company’s flagship location. Holt Renfrew and Missoni have designed two Missoni-fied stuffed animals — a teddy bear and an elephant — to benefit OrphanAid Africa this holiday season. What a way to see a fashion legend in the flesh. We wouldn’t miss it!

She Does The City presents: #StayGolden

When: Nov. 10, 9 p.m. – 2:30 a.m.
Where: The Gladstone Hotel, 1214 Queen St. W.
Details: If you tell us to come to your party for a chance to win sweet prizes and to “shop the hangover away (the next day),” we’re in. Especially when the prizes involve a free manicure from Pinky’s Nails, a gift card from Pretty Freedom or $10 coupons for Shopcaster. On top of that, the party itself is a classic rock-themed dance party, and it doesn’t get much better than that when it comes to dance parties.

Life elixir sampling at City Bar

When: Nov. 8, 5-6 p.m.
Where: Lavish & Squalor, 253 Queen St. W., 2nd floor.
Details: Happy hours aren’t normally associated with shots of healthy smoothies, but this week, Lavish & Squalor’s upstairs bar has decided to go green during its weekly cinq à sept event. Try out some of the new green smoothies from Owl & Goose to kick start your immune system before the real winter hits.

Gracie Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.

Meet a Comedian: Rebecca Kohler

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Originally hailing from Ottawa, Toronto-based comedian Rebecca Kohler has a pretty impressive resume. Not only has she done the requisite appearance on Comedy Now! and provided snarky commentary on MuchMusic’s Video On Trial, but she also writes for This Hour Has 22 Minutes when she’s not performing regular gigs at Yuk Yuks across Canada. We chatted with Kohler about Louis CK, The Golden Girls and her personal gold rush.

Were you the class clown growing up?
I don’t know if I was the class clown, but I definitely made loud and obnoxious contributions to most of the classrooms I attended. I always had personality, but I don’t think I knew how to make a joke until I was about 14.

How was your first time doing stand-up? How did you feel? How did it go? Where did it happen?
The first time I ever did stand-up was at the Comedy Nest in Montreal. I was 23 years old and it was something I’d wanted to do since I was 10, so I was pretty nervous. I remember thinking, “As long as I make them laugh once, I’ll be happy.” I ended up getting more than one laugh, maybe eight or 10, but to be honest, I don’t remember much about the actual set — I was in a kind of trance or autopilot. It was a surreal experience. Looking back, I realize my jokes were terrible — they weren’t even really jokes; they were more unfinished observations of ideas I had. But I think I did well because I was so excited and enthusiastic. My style actually stayed like that for a while — it took several years before I understood the importance of having jokes and not just depending on my peppy personality.

When did you know you wanted to pursue comedy full-time?
I was hooked on stand-up pretty much from the get-go. Somehow I had the belief that I could be really good at it. Once I’d been doing it for a couple years, it was kind of like the only option I had for my future. I held other jobs to pay rent, but stand-up was the only important thing to me. So, it was part stubbornness, part just not having any other passions.

What was your big break?
That’s an interesting question — what is a big break? Growing up, I imagined my ‘big break’ as someone from Hollywood seeing me and offering me a sitcom. Seeing as that almost never happens (especially in Canada), I guess I have to look at some of my smaller breaks: my first paid spot, my first festival, my first time headlining, my Comedy Now! The thing is, I believe that several breaks add up to one big one. I recently signed with an agency based in Los Angeles — to me, that is my biggest break so far, and this is 12 years in. But it’s also a break I wouldn’t have been ready for six years in, so I’m glad it happened now — I now have the experience to make the most of this opportunity. I think of this career in terms of the Tortoise and the Hare. I am a tortoise!

Any memorable on-the-road experiences?
Ugh. I once had to pee in a snow bank on the side of the highway during a blizzard on my way to Kitchener. I’ve had to share a lot of hotel rooms with men I don’t know. Nothing too exciting — mostly a lot of waiting on street corners for rides, lots of traffic panic, lots of gossiping.

Who or what makes you laugh the most?
The Golden Girls still makes me laugh. That is such an excellent show. I also love a lot of Australian comedy: Kath & Kim, We Can Be Heroes, Summer Heights High. The Simpsons — especially when Homer’s in a muumuu. As for comics I’d say Jim Gaffigan, Louis CK, old Ellen.

If you could tour with anyone, who would it be?
I guess Louis CK because it would be so exciting and because I think our humour would appeal to the same crowds.

What’s your favourite funny movie?
Tough one! Here’s some: Sleeper, Old School, Saving Silverman, The Man With Two Brains, Better Off Dead.

Anything new on the horizon?
I just signed with this US agent, so I’m going to be going down to the States more, hopefully doing more shows there and trying to get my name around. I’m thinking of it as my personal gold rush, but instead of gold, I’m after laughs!

The details:

Year started: 2000
Influences: Janeane Garofalo, Ellen DeGeneres, Woody Allen, Mel Brooks, The Golden Girls

Theatre Review: Endgame

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What a thrill it was — and is — to see Samuel Beckett’s hilarious and depressing (there’s a post-apocalyptic linking of two adjectives, eh?) Endgame, playing at Soulpepper until Nov. 17. I have long preferred it to Beckett’s Waiting for Godot, and to every other “absurdist” play of the second half of the last century for that matter.

Filled with pratfalls and comic turns, with death and dying, with despair and vaudeville-esque routines, the entire “plot” echoes its inspired title, which is drawn from chess: when you have reached the point in the game when losing is inevitable, but you must play it all out. C’est la vie, one might say in French.

For years, Beckett was close friends with fellow Irishman and fellow word-obsessed genius, James Joyce, and this “metafiction” echoes Joyce’s influence throughout.

As a former university lecturer, I remember the joy experienced by my theatre students as we kept noting the profound, multilingual symbolism. Hamm is an egocentric, blind, dying bully in a wheelchair (played superbly by Joseph Ziegler), forever whistling for life-saving assistance from Clov, his stunned, stupid and bullied near-slave, brilliantly performed by the always-excellent Diego Matamoros. Hamm, of course, suggests the word “hammer;” Clov’s name looks and sounds like the French word “clou,” or “nail.” Ham is a kind of meat; cloves keep it from becoming inedible. The entire play is filled with such clashing symbols (Joycean pun deliberate), and it is a non-stop joy to experience. Best of all is Daniel Brooks’ exquisite direction, evident from the very outset to the life-denying lowering of the noisy, creaky, deadly curtain.

The play opens with Hamm covered by a white tarp in the exact centre of a white room, seemingly after the world has come to an end. (Has there been a recent nuclear war, destroying nearly all of humanity? Probably). Throughout the play, Hamm orders Clov to make sure that he is in the exact centre of the room, just like humanity struggles to see itself at the centre of the universe.

Not surprisingly, the play’s first words are, “It’s finished; nearly finished,” followed by “Me — to play!” Hamm cannot stand, and Clov cannot sit; there’s humanity for you. “Why this farce, day after day?” is often asked, and it gets us thinking. Yet amidst the scenes and expressions of horror are endless gags; great ones. Spoken to the audience several times by Clov: “If I could kill him [Hamm], I’d die happy!” The phrase “This is deadly!” is followed moments later by the ironic “Things are livening up!”

The “metafiction” is almost nonstop: “What is there to keep me here?” one asks. “The dialogue!” is the answer, and the audience howls with laughter.

Perhaps the play’s greatest exchange comes when Hamm orders Clov to lift the lid of one of the giant garbage cans, containing his aged parents. “What’s he doing?” asks Hamm, about his father Nagg (played with awesome wit by the great Eric Petersen). “He’s crying,” answers Clov, lifting the lid. “Then he’s living,” Hamm states.

ENDGAME is one of those plays that any lover of modern theatre — no, of any kind of theatre — should see. It is hysterically funny, balanced precariously against the moans, shouts, anger and despair of a dying world. I cannot deny: it’s an extraordinary feat to try to capture boredom on stage for an hour and a half without boring some of the audience. And if you wish to experience perfection in acting in one of the most important plays of the past century, I urge you to get thee down to the Distillery District. This is what’s called a rave review.

Endgame, Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts, 416-203-6264. Runs until Nov. 17

Allan Gould is Post City Magazines’ theatre critic. He has a Ph.D. in English and Theatre from York University and has written over 40 books. His writing has appeared in Toronto Life, Chatelaine, enRoute, Canadian Business, Good Times and the Financial Post. He is married, with two children. Aside from his family, his major passions are theatre and film, because they enrich life with pleasure and meaning.

Joshua Radin turns in a dreamy performance at the Danforth Music Hall

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Joshua Radin probably felt like a slab of meat last night. The ladies in the audience at the Ohioan-turned-Californian’s gig at the Danforth Music Hall weren’t holding back, with their yells about how handsome and good-looking and sexy and dreamy he is echoing throughout the theatre. So, in the name of journalistic integrity and unprejudiced reporting, I shut my eyes and let the music speak for itself.

The result was a soft-spoken, fabled and mostly acoustic set, punctuated by a couple of bangers and backed by the full-blown band (which includes a xylophonist). Radin said that each of his songs are deeply rooted in their own individual stories. Combined with the stage setup, it did feel a bit like story time, complete with night stands, six lamps (I counted), a string of twinkling lights and the spotlight fixed upon our raconteur.

His (assumedly) rock-hard, calloused fingertips were on fire, plucking away at the guitar strings frenetically and flawlessly. While his axe skills are comparable to Nick Drake and Elliott Smith, we hesitate to liken him to those late greats lyrically. There is a breezy and blasé quality to his verses that better resembles Matt Costa, Neil Halstead or anyone from the Brushfire gang, really.

Thankfully, his latest album, Underwater, for which he is touring, sees Radin shifting away from his usual sappy self. Instead of cut-and-dried songs oozing with morose sentimentality, these 12 tracks (16, if you include the bonus ones) focus on isolation and self-reflection, and might serve well as the soundtrack for a drifter’s journey. For instance, “Let It Go” was literally written on the road — a trip which Radin said he took to, well, just let go. The first track, “Tomorrow Is Gonna Be Better” (written to make his Toronto friend feel better), is a turn towards dark territory for Radin, and it eases his fans into the record. With record labels sending him “passive aggressive emails” about how he should sound, Radin said that these new songs were more about getting back to his true self. And that can certainly be heard, especially on “She’s So Right,” a country-tinged ditty punctuated by kick drums and an audience clap-along — and which spotlights Radin’s foray (albeit timid) into bluegrass. Tracks from his previous albums, such as “Brand New Day,” broke up the romantic, sad lull with upbeat and jaunty rhythms.

And that was the best part. When most of us check out such pedigreed musicians, we like to hear the songs we know, rather than only new ones. So Radin struck a deal: for every new track he played, he would cut to old an old fan favourite.

At times, the set was rather mawkish — we had hoped that he would choose more from his grandiosely orchestrated numbers — and he talked a lot, maybe too much. He did say that each song comes with a story, but isn’t it a mark of a skilled artist to let the songs speak for themselves? In any case, the ravenous women in the crowd clung to every syllable.

Radin was a good sport about the Bieber-esque hysteria. He even quipped that his Sandy-induced extended stay in Toronto was so pleasant because of how polite us Canadians are, and joked, “Is she hitting on me, or is she just Canadian?”

Gentleman’s Choice: a toasty, down-filled vest

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3:40 pm

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This November, you may need to add a layer or two for extra warmth — and we’re not just talking a manly addition to your upper lip.

Infinitely useful in their versatility, down vests have become a staple for urban dwellers braving the windy roads. Seeking something contemporary and practical, we looked to this collab between Japanese brand NexusVII and the indie, eco-friendly guys at Holden Outerwear in the States.

The NEX-WCS LV-3 hooded down vest, priced at $708 over at HAVEN, takes the classic pullover vest and updates it with leather accents on the shoulders, neck and chest. A half-zip front fastening ends at a pouch pocket, and another zipper under the left armhole makes for an easy escape in case things get too toasty. Two-tone drawstrings and cinches at the hem and hood keep it fitting nice and snug.

Our advice? Wear it over absolutely everything — yes, even your suit — and stave off inevitably digging up your wool winter coat as long as possible.

$708. Available online now and soon at HAVEN’s Toronto store, 145 Berkeley St., 647-344-4745

Friday Restaurant Recap: Two Bite Saloon, Pho Huong, Tabülè, John & Sons, Rashers, Banh Mi Boys

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1:21 pm

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Friday Restaurant Recap rounds up the week’s Toronto restaurant news. In this edition: sliders take Toronto, pho for Little Italy, South of Temperance closes and more.

Opening soon

Two Bite Saloon brings local, organic and GMO-free sliders to Bloor and Ossington. The grand opening is tonight. [Twitter]
Pho Huong, the popular Junction Vietnamese restaurant, is opening a second location in Little Italy this month, bringing good, old-fashioned pho to the ever-growing neighborhood.
Tabülè will open a second location early next year, bringing a taste of the Middle East to Queen East.
After prematurely announcing a potential location at the Eaton Centre, Banh Mi Boys has finally secured an address for its second edition: 399 Yonge Street. [NOW Magazine]
As a slew of specialty sandwich shops takes over Toronto, the folks from Rashers (an upcoming bacon sandwich joint) tell us that their east-end shop will be up and running by Nov. 12.

Newly opened

John & Sons Oyster House brings the Yonge and St. Clair neighborhood its first oyster-centric restaurant.
The Danforth is revolutionizing how it does sliders with Slider Revolution, which opened last weekend.
Patria has opened on King West. The Spanish restaurant is a project from nightclub bigwigs Charles Khabouth and Hanif Harji. [Toronto Life]
Toronto has some snazzy boutiques, and it now has a new vodka-oriented one with Troika Vodka Boutique, which opened on King East. [Troika]
The cupcake trend continues to take Toronto by storm as Simply Frosted opens its doors on Lawrence Avenue. [Simply Frosted]
Cabbagetown welcomes Retsina, a new Greek restaurant, to the neighborhood. Retsina offers traditional Greek dishes fused with bistro fare. [Retsina]
The WORKS Gourmet Burger Bistro celebrated the opening of its new Bloor Street location by giving away free burgers yesterday. [The Grid]
Nestled on Richmond Street, JaBistro provides modern Japanese cuisine to the downtown core. The restaurant had a soft opening yesterday. [JaBistro]

Closed

Financial District’s after-work hot spot, South of Temperance, officially closed last month to make room for an office building. Owners plan to eventually reopen in a new location.
The Ossington neighborhood said goodbye to Watusi on Wednesday as it makes way for the highly-anticipated Rock Lobster Food Co., which is opening later this year. [BlogTO]
Also on Ossington, More Than Pasta seems to have closed its doors. The business is apparently moving to a bigger production facility. [Ossington Village]

Change-ups

BYOB, Toronto’s cocktail emporium, has launched a new online store, bringing its libation accessories to your desktop. [BYOB]

Must-see Movie: Breakfast at Tiffany’s

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It’s the movie that inspired the perfect LBD, a one-hit wonder and, of course, tons of Audrey Hepburn copycats and paraphernalia (including an IKEA poster). Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of the most original cinematic romantic comedies of all time, and it’s playing at the Yonge & Dundas Cinemas this Saturday.

The 1961 movie is loosely based on the novella by Truman Capote. In the book, Hepburn’s character, Holly Golightly, was less of a stylish waif party girl and more of a call girl. Capote had originally wanted Marilyn Monroe to play the role (the two were friends), and apparently he was disappointed in Hepburn’s casting. It’s a shocker, we know, because as much as we love Monroe, we can’t picture anyone else but a Givenchy-clad Hepburn on Fifth Avenue, decked out in pearls, holding a pastry in one hand and a coffee in the other.

While we do think this movie is cinematic confection (and we’re excited to see how stunning Holly’s fashion looks on the big screen), we could do without Mickey Rooney’s pretty racist take on the Japanese neighbour. We know it was the ’60s, but c’mon.

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Cineplex Odeon Yonge & Dundas Cinemas, 10 Dundas St. E., 416-977-9262. Nov. 3, 3:45 p.m.

Tony Aspler’s Weekly Wine Pick: a velvety, beautifully balanced malbec from Argentina

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10:30 am

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Behold its dense ruby-purple colour. This malbec has a blackberry and dark chocolate nose with a discreet fragrance of vanilla oak; it’s beautifully balanced, medium-bodied, with a velvety mouth feel and blackberry and dark chocolate flavours. It has a fine, dry finish with just enough tannin to give it a fist.

Food match: barbecue steak; fresh parmesan

$19.95. Bodega Catena Zapata Malbec 2010, Vintages #478727

Post City Magazines’ wine columnist, Tony Aspler, has written 14 books on wine and food. Tony also created the Ontario Wine Awards. He can be heard on 680News.

The Bachelor Brief: our recap of The Bachelor Canada, episode five

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3:39 pm

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Admittedly, we skipped the last two episodes of The Bachelor Canada (is it us or is the Canuck version more yawn-worthy than its Yankee counterpart?) But this week we made sure to tune in since it was the “hometown dates” edition, and as any avid Bachelor viewer knows, that’s the episode when shizz gets serious (a.k.a. one-on-ones with the future father of the bride).

So, our bachelor, Brad Smith, travelled all over our home and native land, from Oakville to Calgary, to meet the families of Kara, Bianka, Gabrielle and Whitney.

Kara seemed to come out of nowhere to become a serious contender, but she definitely has a won place in Brad’s heart, and also in ours. We like her easy-going nature and her giggle-ability (yes, that’s a word). And how adorbs was Brad holding her sister’s baby? We can definitely hear the pitter-patter of future CFL wide receivers.

Bianka’s hometown date was, well, meh – which is how we pretty much would describe her personality. Not very memorable, kinda boring and just, yeah, meh. Sure, she takes the competition “seriously,” but this is a reality TV show; “serious” is just another word for “she’s just not into him.”

We were surprised that Gabrielle even made it into the top four (did we miss something in the last two weeks? Apparently), but we were even more surprised to learn that Gabby’s palsy-walsy with the seniors at the local old folks’ home. Looks like that annoying yippy dog has a soft spot. Alas, it wasn’t enough because Brad gave her the ol’ heave-ho at the rose ceremony. Gabs didn’t seem too torn up about it (she’s like a Mallomar — hard on the outside, soft and sweet on the inside), but she made sure to continue her feud with Whitney by hugging every girl goodbye but her. Meow!

Speaking of Whitney, it seems she’s got a lot of issues of her own to sort out. She may have the most confident game-face on, but, as we learned from her hometown date in Calgary, there’s a whole lot more going on behind that squinty glare than just a type-A personality (and potential near-sightedness). Seems like “Whit” can’t communicate her feelings, which worries sensitive Brad. We don’t blame him. He feels with his heart, she feels with her head. If she can’t risk looking imperfect or saying the wrong thing to the person she’s into, then what does that say for their potential compatibility? We’re not really team Whitney (even though we think she’s going all the way to the final two) but we’d really like her to fall flat on her face and look like an absolute idiot, all in the name in love (even though we know she’ll have, ahem, a cushiony fall, no matter what).

We’re looking forward to next week’s episode when Brad no doubt lets go of wife-material Kara for the boring Bianka and wacko Whitney. Until next time…

Weekend Warrior: Cirque Éloize, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, Close Shave, The Weeknd

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Éloize is the new Soleil

Cirque Éloize takes performance art to a new level at the Sony Centre from Nov. 1-3. The Montreal-based artistic group’s show, iD, blends rock and electronic music with video, acrobatics, dance, science fiction and more. The 14 diverse performers for the upcoming show have backgrounds in 13 different circus disciplines and emcompass many different nationalities, making for what’s sure to be an exciting performance.

Horses and pumpkins and cowboys, oh my

While the running of the bulls is a no-go, The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair will still celebrate its 90th year with tons of four legged friends (and giant veggies). Running until Nov. 11, the fair will provide some interesting entertainment. Check out some horse and pony shows, poultry shows, giant vegetable judging and butter sculpting. There will also be chef challenges and jam competitions. Oh yeah, and rabbit jumping.

The Month Formerly Known as November

Movember is upon us. That means it’s time for gentlemen to grow out their whiskers to raise awareness for men’s health, specifically prostate cancer. The Dandies kick off the month of the moustache with Close Shave, a musical Movember charity improv. Donations of $5-$10 are encouraged, with $10 getting you onstage with a performer of your choice to sing a magical, on-the-spot song. Meanwhile, $5 will get you a song sung about you, which could be cool, too. All proceeds go to the Movember cause, of course.

Winter Wonderland

With fall festivities coming to an end, it’s time to look forward to snow, ice and martinis. Ice, Wine and Dine will kickstart its magic on Elm Street this Saturday. There will be a DJ, fire dancers and a stiltwalker. Plus, area restaurants will provide a special $5 sample menu, and the Martini Ice Lounge will offer a variety of $7 martinis in a range of wintery themes.

Working for The Weeknd

R&B singer Abel Tesfaye, better known as The Weeknd, will be returning to the city this weekend for a few shows at Sound Academy. The Toronto-based musician is also releasing his new album, Trilogy, on Nov. 13. It will include reworked versions of songs from his three previous self-produced albums. After releasing his first album in 2011, Tesfaye’s popularity boomed, and now he even has support from fellow Torontonian Drake.

First Draught: a black lager from a wine country brewery

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It can be tough to remember what Niagara’s wine scene was like before Inniskillin’s icewine won the big prize at Vinexpo in 1991. It was certainly a far cry from the 75-plus wineries that there are today. And now, as of this summer, two breweries have joined Niagara-on-the-Lake’s beverage business. Silversmith Brewing Company is slightly further along in development, with two products on the market: a wheat beer and a black lager.

At events, some of the brewery’s staff members have promoted the black lager as a lost, East German-style that didn’t survive the sink-or-swim test of reunification. That’s not strictly true (the LCBO has a German schwarzbier on the shelves), but pale lagers vastly outnumber their darker counterparts in Germany. The style in general, and Silversmith’s in particular, is to add dark malt to a traditional lager foundation.

From the malt, this beer looks like black Turkish coffee. It tastes like dark chocolate and bread that is a shade away from burnt. The stronger, more open carbonation means that this black lager can be served at a cooler temperature than its English porter cousins. That — and the fact that it goes so well with dark, rustic bread and hot, salty pork — makes the black lager an excellent gateway beer into cold weather.

In September, at the Savour Stratford Culinary Festival, the Silversmith Black Lager won the award for best alcoholic beverage. It’s not the Grand Prix d’Honneur, but between that well-deserved attention and a pair of interesting beers, Silversmith has a strong future ahead of it. It also can’t hurt to be surrounded by winemakers who, after a day of checking Brix or crushing grapes, like nothing better than a cold pint of beer.

As kegs run dry, supply can vary, but the best places to look for a pint of Silversmith Black Lager are Wvrst, Tequila Bookworm, The Only, Thirsty & Miserable, Grapefruit Moon and C’est What.

Grab of the Week: a pair of flat shoes that actually fits into your clutch

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11:31 am

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If you recently spotted an increase in women teeter-tottering in sky-high heels (during Toronto Fashion Week, perhaps?) and wondered how they could manage spending the day in those beautiful (but torturous) shoes, we’re going to let you in on a secret. They were hiding flat shoes in their clutches.

But how could that be, you say? How could a shoe of comfort fit into something so elegant and small? Well, these ones fold. Hard to believe, but it’s true. These cute, convenient and (best of all) comfy flats are by Damn Heels, which is what we always say at the end of Fashion Week (or the end of any day, for that matter).

They have become a foot lifesaver, and not just for us: Damn Heels has helped charities such as Nellie’s, Dress For Success and Rethink Breast Cancer.

$55 each. Available at Shopgirls, 1342 Queen St. W., 416-534-7467, and other retailers

Gracie Carroll is a Toronto-based freelance writer whose work has appeared in ELLE UK, ELLEcanada.com, Plaid magazine and FILLER magazine. Keep up with her daily blog at www.graciecarroll.com.