By David Weisz

Photography by Kareen Mallon

Has it been a year already? On Feb.8, the Fairmont Royal York once again played host to the annual Book Lover’s Ball, now in its 7^th edition (see what I did there?).

In support of Toronto’s Public Library system, the ball has quickly become the place to be for Toronto’s literature lovers to bump cummerbunds with some of Canada’s most esteemed authors. And once again, it was absolutely packed!

The Book Lover's Ball.

The event was divided into four main features. Guests began at the Red Carpet entrance and cocktail hour, noshing on delicious hors d’oeuvres prepared by celebrity chef/auteur David Rocco, and the possibility of bumping into the likes of Margaret Atwood.

The charity auction in the Royal York’s sizeable Ontario room followed, with guests  bidding on everything from smartphones to a round-trip vacation in China, flowing into an elegant dinner where authors and patrons sat together to dine and converse.

Renowned Canadian designers and authors collaborated for this event.

Finally, the novel-inspired fashion show tasked five Canadian designers with creating six unique fashion styles directly inspired by the works of Canadian authors.

This year’s featured designer/novel pairs were:

• Laura Siegel – “Iron Knight” by Julie Kagawa
• Joeffer Coac – “Made In Italy” by David Rocco
• Klaxon Howl—“Red Means Run” by Brad Smith
• Adrian Wu – “In Other Worlds” by Margaret Atwood
• Sid Neigum – “The Witch of Babylon” by D.J. McIntosh and “Iron Knight” by Julie Kagawa
• Lucian Matis – “Jerusalem Delivered”, English prose version by Ralph Nash

The evening ended on a high note of success — this year’s Book Lover’s Ball raised $500,000, ensuring that Toronto’s public libraries will remain well-stocked at least until next year’s gala hits the presses.

The event

The runway

The guests