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The dating game
When the love train skips their station, savvy singles turn to the experts to make them a perfect match.
By Cory Simpson
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At midnight, Katie spots her prey by the bar at the Devil's Martini in Toronto. She coasts over to the pretty brunette in the pink silk dress and says, "I have a bet going; come with me." She returns to her table with her quarry and playfully nudges her friend Tom. "See, I told you it's easy to pick up women."
A week earlier, Tom had called Ice Breakers for a Wing Girl. We've all heard of a "wingman," a guy who helps his buddy score by building him up to a girl ("He jumped in front of a bus to save a puppy"), swooping in when things get awkward or distracting her friend. That's what a Wing Girl does. "A Wing Girl makes a man look unattainable and therefore more attractive to other women," says Marni Kinrys, the 24-year-old Torontonian co-founder of Ice Breakers (www.icebreakerdating.com). "And if a girl catches a man's eye, the Wing Girl will pick her up for him, offer the man advice and save him if things turn ugly -- all for $275 a night. These guys aren't desperate or shy -- they just want some help in the dating world."
After spending yet another evening inadvertently acting as matchmakers for their friends, Kinrys and her best buddy, Nina Rubin, decided to set themselves up as professional Wing Girls, which resulted in the creation of Ice Breakers. Since launching the service in L.A. -- where they live -- last September, Kinrys and Rubin have more than doubled their clientele, prompting them to export their
services to Vancouver, Toronto and Montréal, and Sydney, Australia. Maybe their next venture will be Wing Men for women? "I'd love that," says Kinrys, laughing.
Echoing the plot of NBC's Miss Match -- in which Alicia Silverstone played a divorce lawyer who hooked up her newly split clients-matchmaking is hot. But this is no old-fashioned Fiddler on the Roof scenario. "Even five years ago, there was a stigma attached to matchmaking services," says Luci Parker, a senior consultant at The Allied Network (www.thealliednetwork.com), Ontario's largest dating service. "But now it's the hip, chic thing to do."
More dating tips on the next page!
Related articles:
Is he really that into you?
ELLE Canada's relationship quizzes!
Office romances: Good or bad?
Photo courtesy of Le Chateâu
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