For a fortnight every September, Toronto’s downtown core gets taken over by a small army of Hollywood producers, directors, actors and writers, not to mention those who come from outside Hollywood.
TIFF – so deeply engrained in the city and the film industry’s culture that nobody ever really calls it the Toronto International Film Festival anymore – has a unique identity in the world of film festivals. It’s less formal and glamour-driven than Cannes, yet not quite as artsy or independent-minded as Sundance. It’s decidedly North American and an important stop for premieres looking to generate awards buzz, yet as cosmopolitan as the city it calls home thanks to a robust roster of international films. Many screenings are open to the public, attracting film buffs alongside A-listers without demanding black tie attire and tuxedos as in Cannes.
All in all, TIFF delivers a cool-but-real vibe that no other festival can really match.
This year’s edition was no different. If anything, it was one of the most talked about in recent years. The headline was undoubtedly Chloé Zhao’s Hamnet, which actually premiered a week earlier at the smaller Telluride Film Festival but wowed crowds at TIFF. Zhao’s film about William Shakespeare – an adaptation of a bestselling Maggie O’Farrell novel – took home the People’s Choice Award. At the TIFF premiere, star Paul Mescal’s look typified TIFF’s more laidback but still elevated feel, opting for a Casely-Hayford with ultra-wide peak lapels, worn with a collarless shirt left artfully unbuttoned at the top that struck a delicate balance between polished and casual.
This year’s edition also saw Guillermo Del Toro’s Frankenstein screen for the first time in North America, after premiering a few days earlier in Venice. Shot mostly in Toronto, the TIFF screening was a homecoming of sorts for the film, with Del Toro’s star-studded cast taking to the red carpet alongside the celebrated director. Oscar Isaac – who stars as Victor Frankenstein – opted for a brown double-breasted suit, while Jacob Elordi, who plays Frankenstein’s famous Creature took a more casual approach to the double-breasted suit, with a more voluminous fit and eschewing a tie.
The double-breasted suit was probably the it piece on the red carpet at this year’s edition. In addition to the likes of Isaac and Elordi, Colin Farrell wore one, albeit with nothing but an undershirt under it, as did Dan Levy and Paul Dano. They did so in different ways, hemming and hawing between the silhouettes traditional formality and its more contemporary effortlessness.
Really, the way that people dress for the red carpet at TIFF is an excellent prism through which to view the festival. Brian Cox, ever the proud Scotsman, opted for a traditional kilt – formal, but not exactly a tux. Peter Ho-Sun Chan had a rumpled but put-together professorial air at the premiere of She Has No Name. Sam Nivola wore a Dior ensemble from Jonathan Anderson’s debut collection that riffed on an aloofness, with ties worn backwards and collars turned upwards. Like Mescal, it typified TIFF – this is an important film festival with star-studded lineups, but one where people don’t take themselves too seriously. They’re here to appreciate films first and foremost, whether they’re auteur works or blockbusters.
What makes TIFF special is that it feels like everybody wants to be there. They walk around downtown Toronto casually, popping into screenings of films they’re not in, or checking out the city’s best restaurants. It’s a festival that feels natural and real and that’s palpable on the red carpet – offering style tips and cues that can actually be applied to real life, not just black tie balls.
They don’t have to dress up. So those who do, do it because they want to.
Feature image by Earl Gibson III/Deadline via Getty Images.
