The Theme this year was inspired by the Oscar's and a Toronto Fashion Artist named 'Frederick Watson'. Guests were asked to dress as elegantly, as outrageous or as flamboyantly as they wished, provided they maintained the spirit of the evening. The menu was simple but somewhat elegant - in keeping with the situation. The Menu Hor d'oeuvres Veggies and Crab dip (courtesy of Cynthia) Appetizer   Mushroom Soup with Cognac Main Course Pheasant glazed with Red Wine and Currant Jelly Herb Dumplings Roasted Parsnips and Sweet Potatoes with cranberries and currents Green Beans in Mustard Seed Butter Dessert Irish Whiskey Spice Cake with Custard Sauce and Strawberries
The Decor I decided to redecorate the apartment to match "The Theme", and exchanged all the living room art for the 'fashion' art from my guest room (affectionately known as "The Gallery"). Here are the results (before the guests arrived).
For the table, I decided to go with a "black and white" theme.. I borrowed three 'statuettes'  from a friend for the centre piece. Those things that look like tiny wine glasses to each  side of the centre piece are actually candle holders - without the candles. (my camera  flash didn't work when I took the pic, which is why the colours are off slightly)	A shot of the living room. The two paintings to the right are by Frederick Watson,  from his 'smoking women' series. I bought the centre painting because I loved  it so much and the one to the right was an Xmas gift from my brother and sister-in-law. The painting to the far left is actually a framed Erte print.
More of Fred's works	The piece of art pictured here is by the late Rene Marcel, fashion artist.  It's an original of a sketch that appeared in "Vogue" magazine in 1947.
The original intention was to borrow a designer's  dress form to display a gown by the front door. I couldn't get it in time  so I  compromised, using a cushion, cinched at the waist, as a form and a coat hanger. This is the dress I wanted to wear, but I haven't lost quite enough weight -- sigh!
The Guests Cynthia and Jim Genevieve and Ron Debra and Al Izak Everyone got into the spirit of the evening and dressed in their fashion best. The funny thing was at first nobody bothered to sit down, the explanation being "It's like a cocktail party". I didn't get pics of eveyone, but I'm hoping my brother did.
That's my friend Debra. We meet a few years back when we both had to  commute weekly to Thunder Bay, in the northern wilds. She's holding the  signature drink of the evening, which we named the "Dior Daiquiri". It  was really a tarted up Mojito - but don't tell anyone.	The arrival of Genevieve, my sister-in-law, who really got into the  swing  of  things with her faux fur jacket, satin gloves, glasses with multi-coloured rims and spiffy tam.
Al, Deb's husband, took the "elegant" phrase to heart and looked absolutely  marvelous decked out in a beautiful black suit, shirt and tie. He's munching on a carrot stick while Izak, in the foreground, munches on a cig.	Deb and I again
My brother, Ron, doing his best "fashion snob" impression	Shedding her outerwear, Genevieve rocked the fashion world with her blue  'bubble' top  and white feather boa (which also shed).  To the right is Izak, looking very "Bond-ish" in  his white tuxedo jacket and shirt.
Unfortunately, this is the only pic that my best friend, Cynthia, appears in (never  did get one of Jim), where the flash worked.

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