Inside the exclusive premiere of the fashion set’s most anticipated film of the year.

Welcome to ELLECanada.com’s official TIFF journal! This festival, Laura deCarufel and Jennifer Lee, the co-editors of
Hardly magazine
, have the high honour of reporting from TIFF’s coolest events. Stay tuned for party coverage, red carpet style, and behind-the-scenes scoop! "Toronto has the best audiences in the world," Darren Aronofsky told a packed Roy Thomson Hall last night, before the North American premiere of 
Black Swan
. Aronofsky’s pre-screening speech was short and full of sweet words for his cast. He started with
Ksenia Solo, predicting a "huge career" for the Toronto-born actress who plays a snooty ballerina in the film. He praised Barbara Hershey for "taking what could have been a one-dimensional character and making her a real person." He gently teased Natalie Portman about her shyness—"Natalie hates stuff like this"—causing the crowd to cheer even louder for the blushing actress. But it was Aronofsky’s words about Winona Ryder that were the most touching. (I didn’t even know she was in the film before last night — did you?) Aronofsky told the audience that he made Ryder do 40 takes for one scene because he just wanted to keep watching her. He introduced her as: "The icon. The legend. Winona Ryder." On the fashion side, ballet-inspired outfits ruled the night. Natalie Portman’s black and white flounces recalled an ultra chic tutu, while Ksenia Solo’s dress was even more literal, with black tulle accents and pink ribbons. The crowd got into the spirit too, with ballerina buns and feather hair accessories. (Our favourites? Still the ones by Toronto label
Headmistress.) There were more than a few people, though, who showed up to the gala in jeans. Seriously? A press pass shouldn’t confer sartorial invincibility—it’s disrespectful to both the filmmakers and the spirit of the evening. And besides, you always have so much more fun when you’re all dressed up. Our review of the film is coming soon (spoiler alert: It’s AMAZING), but more
red carpet pics are just after the jump.
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