Petite Fashionista Presents, hosted by Christa Jean of Petite Fashionista, occurred on June 22, 2008. From the fashion show, to the vendors, to the speakers and the celebrity auction, everyone had a great time. The first hour was mostly shopping, and I bought a Fernanda Carneiro dress fairly quickly. This same dress was featured in the fashion show, which occurred later at the event. In addition to shopping, attendees had the opportunity to get massages, get their pants or skirts hemmed and manicures. Of course, there were speakers, a fashion show and celebrity clothing auction as well.
Beauty isn't only about fashion, it's also how you present yourself. Two of the speakers at Petite Fashionista Presents were Jennifer Ettinger from Fit Your Style, a company that offers women a variety of products and services to help her achieve the best health and beauty results, as well as a cardio salsa demonstration with Gorete Almeida.Another guest speaker was Melissa Meveal from Help Dress Me, who shared her top tips on dressing for petites. Help Dress Me is a company that offers image consulting, styling and personal shopping that is customized to every individual. Melissa offered great advice and many of the clothes featured are available in Toronto area stores, including Aritzia and Petite Alternative.
This trench coat is available at Petite Alternative
The fashion show's venue had a last minute change due to the possibility of rain. Because it was held indoors, the set up of the show actually looked more like the fashion shows one would see in Fashion Week, with spectators on each side of the runway. Prior to the start of the fashion show, Christa Jean (the Petite Fashionista herself) and Tamara Glick from Trademark Image. This segment was similar to what one might find in a talk show such as Oprah or The View, where people first show up in something that is a little on the unflattering side for them, and then are transformed (even if it's just a little bit) to something that looks amazing.
Benedicto
Lovelina jacket and Joe's Provacateur Jeans
Sweet Petites
As for the fashion show, the clothes presented were absolutely gorgeous. TLE, Sweet Petites, 5ft 2in, Fernanda Carneiro, Benedicto, Kingston 20 and Joe's Jeans were all part of the show. The models, every one of them petite, did an amazing job. It definitely shows that the you don't have to be a six foot tall, 100 pound blonde to strut your stuff on the runway.
Celebrity Clothing Auction: Keshia Chante shirt
Alice + Oliva dress donated by Hayden Panettiere
Juicy Couture dress donated by Hayden
Hale Bob Vero Cuicio Black Silk Bow Tie heels
The last major segment of the show was the celebrity clothing auction. Up for auction were a t-shirt donated by Keshia Chante, a Canadian R&B singer and three items from Heroes star Hayden Panettiere. Hayden's black and white dress was by Alice + Olivia and her yellow dress was Juicy Couture. Also up for auction were the Hale Bob Vero Cuicio Black Silk Bow Tie heels. These shoes were worn with the Alice + Olivia dress at the premiere for It's a Mall World, starring Milo Ventimiglia. All proceeds from the celebrity clothing auction go directly to Hayden Panettiere's charity, Save the Whales Again!
After studying fashion design at the International Academy of Design, Juliana Corona-Mclean spent some time working as a manager in an alterations shop. However, she wanted to venture out, to try new things. Eventually, she began to make her own clothes. This later expanded to what is now Benedicto. Named after her grandfather, Juliana felt that such a name would be "strong and significant." Benedicto launched a mini-line in 2007 and soon, Juliana applied and was accepted for a grant from the government. This year, Juliana held her 
On where she'd like to see Benedicto in five years:
