TIFF | Moët & Chandon Gala Green Room at Roy Thomson Hall

TIFF  | Moët & Chandon Gala Green Room at Roy Thomson Hall

Yesterday was the busiest day I’ve had in a while! I attended two TIFF gifting lounges, had lunch in the Moët green room, put in a couple hours at the office, and spoke at the We Are Wearables event. 

[symple_divider style=”solid” margin_top=”10″ margin_bottom=”10″]

Today is the first day of TIFF and the city is alive with celebrities, streets are closed, and there’s pop-up parties all over the place. For the remainder of the festival, attending stars and special guests will relax and enjoy champagne in the Gala Green Room before they walk the red carpet to introduce a film.

I got a sneak peek of the lounge and imagined myself walking red carpets. Stars you can expect to see here are Matt Damon, Kate Winslet, and my old BF Jake Gyllenhaal (I kid, I kid, we only met twice ?). 

“As somebody who loves to celebrate Canadian talent I’m really excited that there are three major Canadian premieres at Roy Thomson Hall this year, from three major Canadian filmmakers: Deepa Mehta, who had a film in the original festival in 1976, she’s returning with Beeba Boys. And then there’s Atom Egoyan’s film Remember, and Paul Gross’ Hyena Road,” says Selby. “It’s always great to see Canadian films stand up to the rest of the world in terms of quality and entertainment.”  Mark Selby, venue liaison

The lounge is pretty chill. Food & drinks. Champagne flowing. I can only imagine who’ll be sitting in the seat right where I was over the next 10 days.

 

If you’re looking to do some star spotting during TIFF, the four block radius around the TIFF Bell Light Box on King Street is the place to do it. I’ll be sharing my updates and anything I think you’ll find interesting on Twitter, Instagram, and, Snapchat (casiestewart).

Catch you on the flip side! ?

CASIE

 

 

Photo cred Tom Sandler, cake & selfie are mine obvs.

Fashion | Love My Hood + Bench Canada AW15

Fashion | Love My Hood + Bench Canada AW15

I was invited into Bench Canada this week to check out the latest collection for fall winter. Was pleasantly surprised to see more fashion vs. athletic wear and less things with a big logo. I’ve been doing things with them since  2011 so this was fun.  The girls in the store know me by now and I have a blast picking out clothes

There is in fact a bench there. I think it’s new.

And a selfie mirror. HIIIIII! I got all these things. Pants, shirt, sweater. I think they’ll be versatile pieces to mix with dressier items, layers, etc.

Glasses are Polette.Phone case is Ted Baker. Necklace is by Shop for Jayu, remember I was in their look book a couple months ago?

Oh heyyy, looks like somebody had a make out. Netflix? Chill?

Right now if you spend over $150 or more you get 1 of 3 bags. Bench hooked me up with a nice gift card so when I got my total I didn’t feel too shabby shilling out. Gift for BF ✔️

A few years ago I hosted a room in the BHD Gifting Suites on MMVA weekend. It was fun. I hung out all day while celebs & media rolled through receiving gifts and hanging out. This post from 2011 has heaps of people you will recognize – Liz from Much/eTalk, Tyrone, Jesse Giddings, Jay Strut, Lissa Monet, Brock, Carly, Kardinal.


Last September I had a shoot with Bench Canada + my fav fall items. Remember this? Maybe we’ll do that again.

Wore my new pants yesterday and today was perfect weather to rock my new hoodie on the bike ride. To check out the latest from Bench, pop into your local store or visit bench.ca.  Thanks MacIntyre Communications for inviting me in! I’ll snap some more outfit photos this weekend 🙂

XO CASIE

 

Fashion | RUDSAK x Emily Haines + AW15

Fashion | RUDSAK  x Emily Haines + AW15

Last night I went to the opening of Rudsak’s new store in the Eaton Centre. The special guest was Emily Haines of Metric who is collaborating with them on a new collection. I was fan-girling inside when Emily Haines walked in because my sister and I to listened to her Live It Out album about 100,000,000 times.

Bag Rudsak, Tunic Joe fresh,

Bag Rudsak, Shirt dress Joe fresh

Last year Rudsak (est. 1994) did a capsule collection for their 20th anniversary inspired but rock musicians in history. This is the first time collaborating with a musician. The partnership came together though Rise Branded Entertainment, a division of Universal Music Canada.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the close relationship between fashion and music. Suppose it’s because personal style is such a powerful form of self-expression, it’s very much an art form in itself,” – Emily Haines

Her twist on the classic cropped moto will be showcased at four Rudsak stores this month: Calgary’s Market Mall, the Toronto Eaton Centre, Carrefour Laval in Laval, Que., and on Ste-Catherine Street in Montreal.

We were all given a little envelope with a key in it. ONE lucky person’s key would open a bird cage and inside was a customized Rudsak jacket. The jackets are amazing. I have 2 moto styles from the last few years I live in them as soon as the temp cools.

Spent some time reading the new lookbook on the way home and there’s heaps of nice items. I’m quite keen to get one of these leather iPhone cases ASAP.

In other news, THE APPLE ANNOUNCEMENT IS TODAY.  Starts at 10am PDT.

Will update you with the look book after this week. Have TIFF things all day and am feeling pretty excited because I’ve got 3 events before 2pm and the Apple announcement in the middle. Must know all things about new gadgets. 

ALSO, I’m speaking on a panel at WeAreWearables tonight at Mars Discovery District. We are talking about Capturing The Future. I’m live streaming. If there’s a link. You’ll find it on Twitter @casiestewart!

☀️ CASIE

 

TIFF | Film To Watch: Northern Soul

TIFF |  Film To Watch: Northern Soul

World-renowned photographer Elaine Constantine makes her feature directorial debut with this invigorating coming-of-age film about a working-class teen in 1974 Lancashire who finds liberation in the area’s burgeoning soul-music scene. [TIFF |IMDb]

Last week I went to the premiere of Northern Soul a British Film directed by Elaine Constantine regular photographic contributor to Vogue, W, and The Face. She’s  also directed music videos and commercials, this is her first feature.

It was good. I loved the music. Made me wanna get up and dance. I Shazammed a few songs during the movie tbh.

It plays in Toronto at TIFF on Friday, September 18th and Saturday, September 19th. For tickets and info see here.

The film offers an extensive look into the underground soul music scene in the UK during the 1970s, a scene that Constantine is personally familiar with. As a much-needed escape from the realities of working class teenage life, John (Elliot James Langridge) and Matt (Josh Whitehouse) fall in love with soul music with the intentions of travelling Stateside in search of rare vintage vinyl in the pursuit of becoming DJs.

See all things TIFF related and my BEHIND THE SCENES look at gifting lounges and events by clicking TIFF in the sidebar ➡️ or click here. Starting tomorrow there’s heaps happening!

IT’S ALL SO EXCITING!

CASIE

This is My Life | Aaaaand We’re Back! That’s a Wrap on Summer

This is My Life | Aaaaand We’re Back! That’s a Wrap on Summer

Yes, I know ‘summer’ isn’t officially over but if you’ve been away from school or work, it’s pretty much over. The feeling is gone. Back to the routine. New notebooks, new clothes.  ✏️  Maybe a new attitude?!  

This time of year is exciting, I love when seasons change. If at any point you feel meh, remember that Halloween and Christmas aren’t far away. The season of Netflix & Chill is right around the corner and it’s a great time to clean up your house, diet, friends, thoughts. 

I was thinking I was on my game this morning but am an hour EARLY for something, so I really screwed up. Got Emily ready for school but didn’t get to go w/ Sean to drop her off. 

The drive back from cottage country was bittersweet yesterday. We took the long way to avoid being stuck in traffic. The sun was beating down and the air was warm. Picked up some fruits and veg from a stand along the way. 

Saw this sweet ride. 

Spent some quality time on the new deck reading the September issue (Vogue of course!) and soaking up the sun. ☀️ We’ll be back a few times before the seasons actually change, the leaves are so beautiful up there. 

 

If you’ve got the blues today, save this on your desktop or phone and daydream of cottage life….

  

Sending you good vibes for a great week. I know today can be a challenging one after a long beautiful summer. I’ve got a few giveaways coming up including a MASSIVE TIFF package w/ NKPR. 

Share a smile with someone today, they just might need it. ?

CASIE 
   

 

This is My Life | You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes.

Helloooo! It’s Friday and the long weekend is almost here. I’m sitting in my fav office, the cottage side deck. Keri is here and we’re working away. The skies are blue, the air is warm, and it’s not tooo hot yet. Will jump in the lake when that time arrives! 

cottage casie, muskoka

Saw this quote today. I love Dr. Seuss quotes + poems. Another fav is Shel Silverstein and this week I picked up A Light In the Attic and and was pleasantly reminded of his work. Back when I was a teenager I wrote & published a book of poetry. I’ve written about it a few times over the years.  ?

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself, any direction you choose.”

— Dr. Seuss

 

Yesterday I checked out a TIFF press screening and went on a massive bike ride. It was so hot but I loved it. My new Schwinn bike is incredibly conformable. It’s still avail at Canadian Tire if you’re in the market for a cruiser. I put a basket and flowers on the back and I smile every single time I look at it.

Sending you sunshine from cottage country,

CASIE ☀️☀️☀️

Travel | 48 Hours in Calgary – Public Art Around Every Corner!

Had a chuckle watching this video shared by Tourism Calgary today. We were really busy and did heaps of things in 48 hours, there’s so many moments little moments I kinda forget. Good thing we had a camera crew following us around to capture them. See the full 2 min video here and check out all the fun things to do in Calgary at visitcalgary.com/calgary48/bloggers.

[youtube id=”IXcGPddYkx0″]

 

Diamonds

On the difficult days,

when the world’s

on your shoulders,

remember that diamonds

are made

under the weight

of mountains.

Beau Taplin // D i a m o n d s

This is My Life | Hello, September

Hello, September 2015, casiestewart, fall, sesons change, toronto, fashion

It’s September. Season’s change. Great time of year to make a fresh start. Clean the house. Clean your closet. Finally drop of your dry cleaning. Get rid of clothes and paper. Organize your mind. Clear your thoughts.    

IMG_0046.PNG
Last night I did a massive clean around the house and everything in it. It felt great waking up to a less cluttered space, less clothes, more room. Did a massive closet purge and nothing will stop me from dropping it off to a second hand today.

I went for a power bike this morning before it gets too hot, y’know crank it up to the hardest gear and ride like a StairMaster. I’m sitting at Cafe Neon neat my house near the window, starting the day with a blog and workout is my fav way to stay motivated. Early August I set out to accomplish a few goals, a new blog layout and generally laying low. I spent most of the month in Muskoka at the cottage and gave my blog a total face lift. It had been years since this baby had a makeover and we all need to reinvent ourselves now and then.

jasmine dowling, work hard, stay humble do what you fucking love, jasmine dowling, work hard, stay humble

Sending you good vibes for a great month. Use it as motivation to check something off your list. I like to play a lil’ rewards-based game with myself so that I get things done and feel accomplished with the smallest tasks. Workout before coffee? Great start!

 CASIE☀️

Events | A Toronto Scavenger Hunt w/ Ford Canada

Events | A Toronto Scavenger Hunt w/ Ford Canada

Oh haiiiii! That’s me in the new Ford Escape w/ CBC news anchor Peter Mansbridge  in the background. The scavenger hunt I did on the weekend called for a photo with a famous person. They didn’t specify if it had to be a famous person IRL, y’know?

We started out at Rock Lobster Queen East with a bunch of bloggers for some eats. There, we got a tour of the features including Ford SYNC 3 and AppLink.

It was my first time having brunch at Rock Lobster and the food was delish. We were two of the first to arrive and it was so fun seeing the blog crew arriving. Lots of hugs and screaming and laughter.

I’d worked with most of the crew hired to shoot the day (via 1188), so we all had a chuckle when I walked in!

The rest of the afternoon had us touring the city with a list of tasks to accomplish before meeting to tally the winner our last stop. We ended up having a car to ourselves, so we sang really loud to Justin Bieber and the playlist Ford made us on Spotify.

This is one of Toronto’s weird houses. It’s covered in dolls and children’s toys. It’s super creepy. The owner once won the best garden. Seriously. For more photos and a few close-ups, see my blog post from August 2009 ‘we have hundreds of McDonalds toys‘.

Another task on the list was snapping a photo of the Escape in one of Toronto’s many graffiti alleys. I love this one of Kate Moss in a mock Supreme shirt. It’s located King & Portland behind Portland Variety. There’s heaps more graffiti alley art around King/Queen West, see more here.

Know where this house is? Well, this half-house is located at 54 1/2 St. Patrick. It’s a product of history, poverty, property changing, and has a story that’s way too long for this blog post. You can read it on BlogTO if you’re keen.

Value in 2013 was ~$650K, it was vacant. Given the TO housing market it’s probably $1M now.

Towards the end of the hunt we really got creative, time was getting short. Spell out FORD and make a collage? OK! Flowers, Oranges, Raspberries, Driving.

We arrived at Big Crow at Dupont & Davenport around 5:30 for BBQ. I ate a few shrimps right when I walked in and OMGWHOA they were good. Unfortunately, I didn’t stay for the whole meal (we were heading to cottage) but it looked good. I saw a rack of ribs on someones Twitter and I’m still thinking it about days later.

We didn’t win the Toronto scavenger hunt but we DID have a super fun time w/ heaps of laughs. I thoroughly enjoyed driving the Escape all afternoon. It’s a powerful lil’ SUV that’s not too big, good for city driving. Great turning radius and Active Park Assist means you can parallel park like a champ anywhere, anytime.

I’ve done it a few times. Here’s a vid of me parallel parking an Escape with no hands back in 2013.

https://youtu.be/vnb46qtu6vU

Thanks Ford Canada for a fun time w/ friends exploring our city. I’ve lived here for 10 years and there’s always something new to discover. If there’s any footage from the GoPro or video from Ford I’ll update this post. I’m sure you’re just dying to hear us singing loudly! ?

?? CASIE