There they went, not that many nights ago, to arty carpe diem, and to fete one of the Mr. Popularities of gallery-land, Daniel Faria. A familiar face from other show-and-sell spots ’round Toronto — most recently a shared gallery in the Distillery — and known for his social circuit dexterity/socialite-facility/uptown-downtown fluidity, he was here launching a not-small, gauntlet-throwing-down, eponymous art space of his own.

Bingo: One of the coolest parties of the season. Bingo, Part 2: the diverse crowd that coalesced, to catch Faria’s inaugural exhibition, Saint Helen (featuring works by in-the-swim artists Shannon Bool, Elizabeth McIntosh, Kristine Moran). A crowd that, from my perspective, consisted of, but was not limited to, the following rundown:

Deconconstructionists in slim-fit plaid shirts; secret Nancy Grace-watchers; some people who clearly spent a lot of time at Kinko’s in the ’90s; others, clearly, in long-distance-Skype-relationships; really serious readers who can’t wait to get going on the new Haruki Murakami; top-seed cougar bait; celebrity dentist Ken Montague; a ripped-jeans-donning-and-down-with-it grande drame Bev Creed; various other ladies from Forest Hill and Rosedale who are philanthropic with their air miles; Holt Renfrew’s always-stylish director of communications, Moira Wright; sexters; a preponderance of Scorpios (I just felt it); some who are saving up for a vintage Jean-Michel Frank loveseat; half-Cree hottie Kent Monkman, whose prominence as an artist was augmented with a lengthy profile recently in Toronto Life; maker of taste Judith Tatar; women growing out their bangs; young buck architect Alexander Josephson; hot-to-trot writer Sarah Nicole Prickett … and, oh, those who just celebrated their 90th.

That last tick of the demography came, incidentally, courtesy of blithe bibliophile Samara Walbohm, co-owner of Type Books, who happened to mention, when we inter-wove, that on the occasion of her 40th, recently, and her dapper husband Joe’s 50th, they’d pooled their energies and thrown — yes — a 90th party! In Scotland! In a castle!

Yup, just the sort of things we learned at Faria’s shindig. That, and that our town’s sheepishly chic star illustrator Maurice Vellekoop — whose work has covered The New Yorker, Vogue, the gamut — is about to issue his new graphic book, The World of Gloria Badcock, as he told me! About a way-glamorous, sexually liberated editrix!

The last-but-not-least thing I learned at this gallery that ups the ante on the art trajectory that’s been happening for a bit in Toronto, going as it has from Yorkville decades ago, to Queen and Spadina in the ’80s, to further west later on Queen, and now to this stretch of Bloor and Lansdowne? I learned there’s a tuna-canning factory next door, which makes for a multi-disciplinary scene, indeed, and why Faria might be sticking to pastrami from now on.

Nothing fishy, though, about our ever-elfin gallery host! As the thoughtful Cleophee Eaton, a long-time friend, says to me, “Daniel always does things well, and his gallery is no exception.”

And its launch was no one-night affair, might we add. The night before, a sit-down dinner drew a who’s-who crowd that included archeologist-heiress Trinity Jackman, Rick Owens-wearing arts patron Elisa Nuyten and others!

Email: sgovani@nationalpost.com | Twitter: shinangovani

Buzz as big as the famous coconut pie over at Scara­mouche has been building in certain circles, and circles-within-circles, in this town, and the Canadian casting of a Real Housewives franchise has everything to do with it. Since the calls started going out over the past month it’s become the latest status symbol, in its way. That’s right: Move over, Birkin.

While details about the show are sketchy, what’s clear is that it’s a made-in-Canada addendum to the military reality franchise that already has womanly platoons in New York, Orange Country, Beverly Hills, New Jersey, Atlanta and D.C. What’s also started to become clear: Post-millennial super fashionista Stacey Kimel was asked and declined, as did charity circuit doyenne Suzanne Rogers.

OK, who’s left? I would tell you, but then I’d have to …

OK, I’ll tell you. Some. Jessica Mulroney, striking wife of Ben, has been in talks. As has uptown dermatologist Dr. Lisa Kellett. Karen von Hahn, that trend-tracker and all-around good-life buff, said thank you, but no, merci. A certain architect? Definitely in the mix of names! Oh, and the lovely, artful Cleophee Eaton? That was a name nixed by the casters because they were afraid — get this — that she might possibly be “too classy.”

The search for “Canada’s Bethenny” continues apace. (A reference to the breakout cast member of the Real Housewives of New York, whose participation in the show has been among the biggest profile-inflating experiments in TV history, leading to product lines, books, spinoff TV shows and good ol’ one-name infamy.)

Interior designer Sharon Mimran, for one, got the cordial invitation to apply — a matter that she chose to later tweet about. Her words: “U gotta love the call that asks you to participate in the new Real Housewives of Toronto. Pass.”

Here! There!

• Samuel Jackson, not just a “Royale with Cheese” guy after all, spotted at Joso’s, on Davenport, for Sunday night sup.

• The hotness that is Matthew McConaughey, while on a swing through town the other week, fit in a visit to his old pal Woody Harrelson, who’s been in Toronto working on that play of his! (Indeed, Matt even ventured midtown to sit in on a rehearsal!)

• Beans, branding, mermaids: all on the table for the next “Ramsay Breakfast” talk, happening on April 13, at the Metropolitan Hotel, courtesy of Starbucks chief Howard Schultz.

• Hot tip, by way of Fashion editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra: Should you find yourself in Monaco anytime soon, go to “Le Dressing,” she says! Her “favourite resale shop,” as revealed to The Coveteur in a serious fashion close-up, in which the darling went on to tell the blog, “Those Monaco women love to dress up and clear out their closets regularly.”

• International oyster-shucking champ Patrick McMurray — the man behind Starfish and Ceili Cottage — has been here, there and YouTube-promoting his nifty new invention, a.k.a. the “Pistol Grip Oyster Knife.” It’s even “aerodynamic,” he reveals on, indeed, a just-out YouTube instruction video.

• One way of keeping warm: Rachel McAdams, en famille, at The Drake on Wednesday night.

• Not the Kylie Minogue version, we trust: the If You Could Read My Mind sing-song set to be channelled at tomorrow’s Juno Awards by Sarah Slean and Jim Cuddy. (It’s part of a 10-minute valentine-in-song to Toronto — paying tribute to Gordon Lightfoot, Joni Mitchell, etc.)

Finally:

Will she wear a hat of waffles? Will there be fibreglass? The guessing has officially begun in certain circles re: the impending visit to Toronto by inimitable style icon Anna Dello Russo. The big question: Whatever will she wear? The date: April 20!

The Italian artista, who has a touch of the Fellini and whose fame has stratosphered in recent times, will be here to be feted at The Room inside The Bay, alongside her muse-maker, our own Tommy Ton. In an interview with The Independent recently, the broad gave herself up this way: “Sometimes I feel ridiculous, but in a good way. Like the watermelon [she once wore on her head], I love that. It’s such an Italian touch of humour.”

sgovani@nationalpost.com