MAC VIVA GLAM 20, the 20th annual Fashion Cares, brought sexy celebrities, stunning fashion and pure entertainment together in a blowout gala to raise funds for the AIDS Committee of Toronto (ACT).

And at Fashion Cares 2006, people showed they really cared about the way they look - even with severe restrictions of frightful "black tie" code. With occasional casual faux-pas, the crowd was an eclectic yet chic mix of vintage, glam-rock, Rio and runway.

Pretty much mixed Fashion Cares crowd adopted a very liberal approach to black tie dress code sporting tuxedo t-shirts, dresses made of condoms, dresses made of rubber paint or no dresses at all. From stunning LBDs to floor-length Scarlett O’Hara-ish costumey dress sported by fashionista Erika Larva, women looked like they did make an effort dressing up.

For complete runway coverage check 20th Anniversary of MAC VIVA GLAM FASHION CARES or FASHION CARES Fashion Shows .

While the last year Fashion Cares offered more freedom of expression with its Indian/cowboy theme, this year fashion choices were somewhat limited but not at all boring. The most noticeable trend we spotted for women were baby-doll variations of evening dresses, from lovely Grecial flowing gowns to cropped camisoles worn over evening jeans or pants. Are there any straightforward man who won't appreciate that?

The epitome of male chic at Fashion Cares was TV darling Adrian Mainella (Diva on a Dime) wearing sleek white jacket and his trademark deconstructed high-end jeans, both obviously purchased for a couple hundred dimes each. And we absolutely loved the pearl-encrusted denim worn by emerging designer Rodney Philpott – name to be watched out for!

Overall, 20th edition of Fashion Cares in Toronto was a huge success, with $850,000 raised for AIDS treatment and research contributing to a glorious grand total of close to 10 million in the past 20 years.

 

Taking place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Fashion Cares was commemorating 20 years of "Drama, Daring and Dreams." The fashion show included a retrospective of designs from the past 19 years, as well as new creations. These designs will appear both on the catwalk and in the Retrospective Hall. Also strutting down the runway will be MAC Viva Glam V Spokesperson Pamela Anderson who will be accompanied by Dean and Dan Caten, the twin fashion geniuses behind the popular Dsquared2 label.

The first dress down the runway at the inaugural Fashion Cares was a Dean and Dan creation of black rubber and safe sex. Their "play-safe" dress was indicative of the tone for the years to come, establishing Fashion Cares as a racy event with a very important message.

This year's runway show will feature 45 red dress creations, once again highlighting the main goal of Fashion Cares. Each dress is made exclusively of red fabric to represent the AIDS ribbon, which symbolizes the fight against HIV/AIDS throughout the world. 

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