Celebrities may have the busiest schedules in town during the Toronto International Film Festival. From flying in, attending press conferences and interviews by day, to the red carpet and parties by night, a team of stylists help them stay on trend at all hours of the day. Although the rest of us may not have “glam squads,” a few experts behind the red carpet trend setters offer some advice on how the latest fall trends seen at TIFF can make it from the red carpet to our wardrobes and will work from the office to cocktail hour.

Fashion

Leather
Leather has become the must have material in the wardrobe for fall. A leather belt, jacket or pants can dress down a sequin dress or give any outfit a casual edge. For the festival, actress Portia Doubleday of Youth In Revolt wore a leather jacket during the long day of interviews. “You have a leather jacket on top or leather pants and then you take them off, put on high heels and then it’s done, you are dressed up from the morning or the night,” says Gabriella Cortese, designer of Antik Batik and who has dressed many French actresses for the Cannes International Film Festival.

Sparkle
Sequins, beading and other glittery embellishments have been around for the last few seasons and can be transitioned from red carpet or party shine to a fun look during the day. Taking cues from the 1920s with beading and paintings of Gustav Klimt with hints of gold, subtle detailing around the collar or sleeves is more then enough for that extra day or night.

Shoulders

Big strong shoulders have found their way back from decades past in jackets, dresses and tops. Amanda Brugel and Gail McInnes, co-founders of the Style Box, recommend detachable shoulder pads to instantly update your fall wardrobe. “Jazz up a gently used blazer of double up each shoulder pad in a tuxedo jacket and you’re ready to go!” says Brugel.

Accessories
Transitioning from day-to-night can be one of the most tricky things to do. Celebs may have to go from press conference to red carpet with limited time, but the rest of us may have to go from the office to a cocktail without being able to go home in between. Brugel suggests, “Ditch the shoes and change of clothing and bring an accessory kit filled with charming, bold statement pieces.” Cortese also mentions the importance of accessories in her collection, “It’s like coming from a little family of things, when you do something with the embroidery, you want to have the belt, the shoes, and the bag to choose from.” Adding the right purse, necklace or belt can elevate a casual daytime look to the next level for the evening. Try: Beaded necklace by Antik Batik or multi-strand stone necklace by J.Rox Originals by Jane Apor

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Hair

A great cut
“The best thing to do to prepare for a busy period, when you don’t have a lot of time to style your hair, is to make sure you plan ahead and get a well styled hair cut,” says celebrity hair stylist, Kristjan Hayden, “Face framing layers and a sweeping fringe are a great way to add a lot of style and detail to your look.” Hayden also recommends keeping a handful of bobby pins and hair elastics on hand for when you may want to switch things up while on the go.

Updos
Messy buns or chignons are great ways to adapt a classic look in a modern way. If deciding to go for an updo on a night out, Hayden suggests, “When planning your upstyle for an event, consider what will wear best and still look good, if it were to fall apart a little, choose a soft, textured, loose upstyle so if a few pieces fall out, it amost looks intentional!” When creating the updo yourself, it works best to use short bobby pins since they hide well in the hair and are easy to work with sans mirror. Try: Goody’s colour collection of short bobby pins

Beauty

Great skin
Beautiful clear skin is something that never goes out of style and looks great on everyone. However, we all are guilty of depriving ourselves of sleep and succumbing to a few vices during TIFF or any other busy time of year. In order to keep up the appearance that your two of sleep could have been twelve, use a line of skin care products that attempt to repair any damage that may have been caused by dehydration, external environment and neglecting your usual skin care regime (yes, we’ve all fallen asleep with make-up at least once). For under eye circles or other blemishes that may be budding it’s way through, get a great concealer or cover-up. Try: Kiehl’s 100% Natural Origin Acai Damage-Repairing Skincare Collection, with Super-Antioxidant Organic Acai Berry or Joe Fresh Duo Concealer.

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