It’s to hard to believe that after attending The Red Hot in the City event last year (read that post here) and having a brilliantly fun time that it could have gotten any better. But add some of my favorite fashionable people to the guest list and you’ve got yourself one heck of a fabulous party! The folks over at The Heart and Stroke Foundation seriously knocked it out of the park again this year for their fourth annual fundraising event.

The Red Hot in the City event aims to raise funds and create awareness about the impact of cardiovascular disease amongst women. Heart disease & Stroke affects thousands of women every year and it’s one that comes on very suddenly. Once thought of as a “Man’s Disease” you might be shocked to know that cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of woman.  This event hopes to shed light and educate those who attend to help make change to these statistics, and help encourage woman to take better care of themselves.

Halifax women of all ages broke out their most fabulous red outfit, and walked the red carpet to attend the Red Hot in the City evening of fun while indulging in delicious food, entertainment, and fashion. 

This year the event was held at The Prince George Hotel, and the first portion of the evening featured live music, delicious appetizers (I was especially smitten with the seafood bar) and cocktails. Everything was beautifully presented and the food was absolutely delicious. The band played soft jazz while guests mingled and they even mixed things up a little bit by playing an instrumental version of Bohemian Rhapsody which being the Queen fan that I am I was personally impressed and humming along. 
 
Throughout the evening guests could also participate in a silent auction featuring plenty of lovely goodies 🙂 

Along with supporting an amazing cause to educate women about the risk of cardiovascular disease, I was also VERY excited about the event because it was a great opportunity to see some of my fellow fashionistas like Mo (Miss-Lion Hunter), Libby (House of Winchester), Amanda (Line Magazine).

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My girl Mo and I (source)

Amanda and I (source)

Brace yourself for the next bit blog readers because below are photos of the dessert wall! If you follow me on instagram (@shortpresents) you know what I’m talking about. Yes the folks over at The Prince George Hotel do not mess around when it comes to food! There was a dessert wall, literally an entire wall dedicated to desserts!! Someone must have tipped them off that this was an all female event.

Later in the evening guests were ushered into another larger room for the fashion show portion of the evening which included established and emerging local designers, as well as some looks from Foreign Affair. Of the established were Veronica MacIsaac, Lisa Drader-Murphy and Kim Munson, and the emerging are featured below. 

With a runway lined with red lights, and a sea of crystal clear chairs the more formal fashion show setting was definitely welcomed by my clumsy self. In the past the fashion show wasn’t as formal, but I really did prefer it this way. I think it is partly my clumsiness and general lack of awareness of my limbs, but I seriously have a very difficult time trying to juggle the large camera, my wine, and a clutch, so having the option to sit (also in heels) with everything on my lap was a major win. I didn’t manage to get many photos from the show, I could blame it on the red lighting, but it’s probably safer to say that I am a terrible photographer and I selfishly wanted to enjoy the show (sorry not sorry). To see some really great photos from the event head on over here to see some taken by Applehead Studios

After the fashion show they opened up the space and a live DJ helped us dance the night away. This is photo was taken after busting some serious moves on the dance floor!

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Although there were some changes to event (which I welcomed) from last year the motivations for the event remained the same; to fund raise, and also create awareness for cardiovascular disease among women, and have fun doing it! I believe all of the above was acheived. Pausing for a moment and listening to people’s personal stories reminded everyone why we were there, and it wasn’t just for pretty clothes and cocktails it was to educate woman about the seriousiness of cardiovascular disease.

As you know blog reader health and disease prevention are very dear to my heart (no pun intended), and I truly believe that there are steps we can take to educate ourselves and our loved ones about preventitive measures (reducing stress, eating a balanced diet, exercising, knowing your family history etc), as well as knowing what to do if you think you are having a stroke or heart attack. If you read my blog often or follow me on instagram you know that I’m a little bit of a health nut, but I really believe that we need to take action for our own health. “Our health is our wealth”, as they say, and so please take care of you and your loved ones. Find out if you are at risk by taking this simple survey found here.

Thanks again to the folks over at the Heart and Stroke Foundation, as well as The Price George Hotel for putting on such a lovely event and for a cause that it so close to my heart! Hope to see you all again next year 🙂

Thanks so much for coming with me Mo! 🙂 Safe to say it wouldn’t have been the same without you!