Baronial Brushes (and Blushes) with Canadian Royalty

I could not possibly be even faux aristocracy if I didn't sometimes provide ocular evidence of some shoulder brushing and hobnobbing with other royals, so, finally, as promised, here are a couple of pics from the Charity of Hope event I attended on the Friday evening.  The keynote speaker was Justin Trudeau, the son of former Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, so he is sort of Canadian Royalty.  Le Baron and I had excellent seats at the front of the banquet hall, so we were in close proximity to the head table.   As you will see in the second photo below, M. Trudeau graciously posed for a picture with us (he's standing, centre).  I think you can read from the glint in my eye, the furious blush on my cheeks, that I think he is far too rakishly handsome to be a politician.  Of course, I found his speech interesting, as well (he's got a teaching/education background as well, so I found many of his points relating to the subjects of youth, education, the media, etc, to be very much in line with my own views and experiences).  Anywhoo, let's get to the fashion:  I wore one of my most cherished 1930s dresses, my yellow floral dress that I have dubbed my "honeybee" frock.  Being made of silk crepe chiffon and being 80 years old, it is a rather delicate piece, so it is likely only going to survive a small number of such outings. This one seemed worthwhile.  Accessories: my favourite late 30s brown shoes and black crocheted 30s purse.  As the theme for the evening was "Les Masques," everyone was given a little masque. Yes, I chose one that coordinated with the dress. I'm such a geek.

Other highlights of the evening: there was a silent auction and one of the items up for bidding was a Tom Thomson painting. For those who don't really know much about Canadian art history, Thompson was a member of the Group of Seven and has become an important figure in Canadian art, history, and culture. Back in graduate school, I actually worked as a Research Assistant for a scholar who was completing a book on Thomson, so I ended up reading a lot about him and the Group of Seven.  You can then imagine my horror when my husband told me that, as he was returning from the washroom and making another loop around the area where the auction items were displayed, he witnessed a well-dressed older man run his finger down the painting!!!  You have to understand that this was no Christie's or Sotheby's sponsored event; alongside Group of Seven art, were items like a George Foreman Grill and cubic zirconia ring sets. As a result, there wasn't much security around the paintings.  I am proud to say Baron V.  politely but firmly admonished this chap.  Here's a quite recap of what transpired:  Baron V. : "Sir, you really should not touch the painting!!"  Chap:  "I'm just trying to see what it is made of."  Baron V.: "Why, paint, sir. The salt and such from your hands can damage the painting!"  Chap: "Pish tosh. It's fine."  ?!?!?  The funniest part was that during a question and answer period with Justin Trudeau at the end of the evening, this man got up and proceeded to deliver a rather pompous and stodgy little diatribe.  Hub and I giggled to ourselves.  Expensive suit and fancy demeanour be darned: an ignoramus is an ignoramus is an ignoramus