The Heart Truth Fashion Show, Toronto, March 2011

What is The Heart Truth Fashion Show?

The Heart Truth Fashion Show is the signature event of the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s The Heart Truth campaign.

The Heart Truth campaign shares the lifesaving message that while heart disease and stroke is the leading of death for Canadian women, they can reduce their risks for heart disease and stroke by as much as 80% by making lifestyle changes.

Men too, can help protect the lives of women they love by supporting them to make healthy lifestyle changes, encouraging them to talk to their doctors about blood pressure and cholesterol levels, and by recognizing the warning signs of heart attack and stroke.

The Heart Truth Fashion Show takes place in Toronto annually, in March, in the opening of Toronto’s LG Fashion Week, and it began for the first time in 2008. This year it was its fourth annual show, and it was held at downtown Toronto’s preeminent historic venue, The Carlu (444 Yonge Street, College & Yonge). The event took place on Thursday night of March 24th.

This year’s Heart Truth Fashion Show featured top Canadian fashion designers’ original red dresses created in celebration of women and heart health awareness, modeled by some of Canada’s most celebrated talents in television, film, music, the arts, sports and media.

Who is participating in The Heart Truth Fashion Show?

Original red dresses featured in this year’s Heart Truth Fashion Show in Toronto are created by Canadian fashion designers including: Jessica Biffi, Marika Brose, Izzy Campanelly, Joeffer Caoc, Farley Chatto, Greta Constantine, Ines di Santo, David Dixon, Kaelen, Karamea, LOVAS, Ross Mayer, Vanessa Pagwandas.

Modeling The Heart Truth Fashion Show are Canadian women from television, film, music, the arts, sport and media, including: Bal Arneson, TV host; Tré Armstrong, dancer; Isabelle Brasseur, figure skater; Deborah Cox, singer; Wendy Crewson, actress; Arlene Dickinson, TV host; Mylène Dinh-Robic, actress; Megan Follows, actress; Chan Hon Goh, ballerina; Christiane Laberge, doctor; Debra McGrath, actress; Andrea Martin, actress; Dina Pugliese, TV host; Emmanuelle Vaugier, actress; Buffy Sainte-Marie, singer; Elisha Cuthbert, actress; Enuka Okuma, actress; Sangita Patel, TV host.

For the first time ever, men graced the Heart Truth runway at the fourth Heart Truth Fashion Show at The Carlu in Toronto from March 24th 2011, demonstrating their support for the cause and encouraging men across Canada to help protect the lives of women they love. Male celebrities walking this year’s Heart Truth runway included Colin Mochrie, actor; Rick Campanelli, TV host; Jim McKenny, former hockey player Toronto Maple Leaf. Men’s attire for the show was generously donated by V Hazelton.

What’s next for the red dresses featured in The Heart Truth Fashion Show?

The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada is asking designers to donate or loan their dresses to The Heart Truth campaign, to be used to continue raising awareness of The Heart Truth and its official symbol, the Red Dress, through ongoing displays of the designer originals.

What are the origins of The Heart Truth Fashion Show?

The Heart Truth Fashion Show is modeled in Toronto after the very successful Red Dress Collection Fashion Show, which has taken place every year since 2002 at New York Fashion Week. The Heart and Stoke Foundation of Canada is proud to partner with the Canadian fashion industry to raise awareness about women and heart disease, and deliver the lifesaving message of The Heart Truth to Canadians through the powerful Red Dress symbol, which represents women’s courage, passion and their power for change as they share the truth with others and raise awareness about the importance of heart health.

Who is behind The Heart Truth Fashion Show?

The Heart Truth Fashion Show which tales place in Toronto annually is the signature event of The Heart Truth campaign, launched by The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada. The Heart Truth campaign gratefully acknowledges the support of founding sponsor, Becel, and contributing sponsors Rogers Consumers Publishing, Post Shredded Wheat and Health Check, without whom the program would not be possible.

What is The Heart Truth campaign?

The Heart Truth is a national public health education campaign to raise awareness that heart disease and stroke are the leading cause of death for Canadian women. The Heart Truth campaign educates women about identifying their risks and warning signs of heart disease and stroke, and shows them how to take charge of their heart health by taking action to improve their health and making lifestyle changes that can reduce their risk by as much as 80%.

Canadians can show their support for The Heart Truth campaign by purchasing and wearing a Red Dress pin, available for a $2 donation at local Heart and Stroke Foundation offices. 100% of all proceeds will be reinvested into women and heart disease initiatives.

About The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada

The Heart and Stoke Foundation of Canada, a volunteer-based health charity, leads in eliminating heart disease and stroke and reducing their impact through the advancement of research and its application, the promotion of healthy living, and advocacy.

This year’s show was an invite-only event, and I had the pleasure to be invited to 2011 The Heart Truth Fashion Show, by the Public Relations department of the campaign, as a media representative. The show was spectacular, and the featured red dresses were fabulous. The celebrities didn’t just neutrally showed the dresses like professional models usually do on a runway, but they made the show entertaining and engaging, as most of them are actresses.

The material for this article is a press release kindly provided by The Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada.