“That’s hot” said the winemaker quoting Paris Hilton the savant of our age. And why not? We are sitting in the dining room of One which has just opened in the Hazelton Hotel, Toronto’s first five-star hotel – a temple of luxe with its own screening room. We too are enjoying a delightful show: we look out on the most inviting sidewalk café in town. Overnight, the corner of Yorkville and Hazelton has been transformed. And who do we see lounging on the sofas, adorning the lunch tables under the big black umbrellas, trolling the café that wraps around the hotel, why dozens of Paris Hiltons, long, lean, streaked blondes. Well this is TIFF after all. “Even the servers look like Paris Hilton” marvels the winemaker.

Paris is perfect for One, which is an ubercountry club where the elite meet. I am sorry now I hadn’t advised the winemaker to wear his polo shirt because this is Ralph Lauren country, a throwback to the informal elegance of the equestrian class, strawhaired moppets and whippet-lean women.    more »