Hello sunshine…

Spring isn’t here today but if you sit in the sunshine you can feel it. Go get it. It’s freeeeeeeee! i see what you did there. funny. “@aaronvegh: Yo March, I like you and imma let you finish, but that June weather was way nicer.” — Corey Herscu (@cellguru) March 26, 2012 [View the story “New Story” on Storify]

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DEATH IN THE AFTERNOON SHOWCASE #CMW

Hanging w/ Morgan Ross at the Tiny Danza (Nixon) boys. Lots of babes here and good music. Canadian music killed it at SXSW this year and Canadian Music Week is is not to be missed. The boys are killin’ it right now. Man of the hour/night/year Brock McLaughlin. I really dig the Danza Nixon sound. Great guys, awesome music.

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Speaking | BRANDS & NARCISSISM, SXSW

I chuckle to myself at this title and the fact that I’m called upon to talk about the psychology of narcissism and how it affects brands. I know it has a lot to do with how technology and society have changed the way we communicate but it’s still kinda funny. I reckon Mum thinks it’s funny too. I’ve not changed much since I was a kid, seriously. Our SXSW panel was really awesome. The room was packed, we had great discussion and there were lots of questions following. I enjoyed meeting psychotherapist Dr. Jacob Small and discussing my own ‘personality disorder’ and how narcissism is extremely prevalent in todays society. During our panel I learned that Narcissism as a clinical disorder is being removed from ‘the book’ and added as merely a symptom of other personality disorders. Good looking panel, eh? 🙂 It was ADVANCED Level. Oh yeah. Interestingly enough, a couple days before this panel I was written about in local Toronto weekly, The Grid about being an introvert then the very next day an extrovert. I definitely have both sides to my personality but I’m clearly a highly functioning crazy person. I’m speaking at NXNE in June about the same topic and hope you’ll be there to see it. I’m sure I’ll be able to hook up some tickets for our panel closer to the date. Yeeeeeeehaw! All photos by the lovely Kate Killet. Now I am late for lunch w/ Telus. Byeee! Wear sunscreen!

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DARE TO WEAR LOVE BE AWESOME

On Friday I was one of about 20 Canadian celebrities (yes me!) to walk the final show for Mastercard International Fashion Week, otherwise known as Toronto Fashion Week. This is my favourite shot. There’s gotta be one of me spinning in this beautiful, one of a kind African inspired dress by Kingi Carpenter of Peach Berserk. It’s my fav shot because it’s so natural, it’s me, being real, having fun.  It felt really rad to be part of this show along with a heap of Canadian greats like Jeanne Becker, Dina from Breakfast Television, Trish Stratus, granddaughter of Bob Marley, Donisha Prendergast, Chef Jamie Kennedy and more all in support of the Stephen Lewis Foundation. This is the third fashion show I’ve been in in the last few months and lemme tell ya, I love being on the runway. I used to model heaps as a teenager in local shows around Waterloo region. I got my start after winning Miss Teen Cambridge 1996. Don’t laugh! It’s been a really fun journey thus far and I’m insanely excited about the opportunities the next year will bring.  My makeup was really crazy and it doesn’t look as cool on the runway as it did up close. My hair cut & colour are done by Redken stylist and friend Darren Kwik, he’s been doing my hair for about three years now. Shoes are from long time loved brand, Doc Martens. Official information about Dare to Wear Love: Dare To Wear Love – World MasterCard Fashion Week – The Tents at David Pecault Square – March 16, 2012 The Closing Night Gala of World MasterCard Fashion Week celebrates the fashion design community’s talents and commitment to social justice. Dare To Wear Love is a high energy, massively entertaining show featuring gorgeous one of a kind fashions by…

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I live in the clouds. It’s like a dream. I like it here.

View from my balcony when I woke up. We got a huge blanket of fog this morning. I find the fog so beautiful, fascinating. I live in the clouds. It’s like a dream. I like it here. So pretty. In no time, the buildings on the west side were gone and so was the CN Tower. Welcome to Spring my friends 🙂 10:30am update, fog almost gone!

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CANADIAN BLAST SHOWCASE @ SXSW 2012

Canada Blast is a showcase of a heap of awesome Canadian bands from March 13-18th at SXSW in Austin. It kicked off yesterday with a BBQ at Brush Square. View of downtown Austin from the Hilton across from the convention centre. Some team Canada friends were stayin’ here. Crazy to see how busy the streets were. Parties EVERYWHERE. Parachute party w/ @richaucoin #sxsw@ Canada Blast instagr.am/p/IK6f2bya-y/ goo.gl/peVkk — CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart) March 14, 2012 Dec 31, 1969 | Source: Keek.com If you are still at SXSW, the Canada House tent has bands all day every day until Sunday. GO!It’s open to everyone and right at the corner of 4th & Neches by the convention centre. This ones for you Mum! @thesheepdogs @ #sxsw @canadianblast Mar 14, 2012 | Source: Keek.com Best beard goes to Ben Caplan. Sheepdoggy style, beards & mega long hair. Love it. Seen then a few times now (see here). Check out the full lineup for the week at canada canadianblast.com/sxsw2012.  

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I CAN’T WAIT TO WAKE UP HERE

View from my new pimp penthouse suite at @doubletree in #Austin. Got the very last room! I hear parties from balcony.goo.gl/yOX4Y — CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart) March 14, 2012 Dec 31, 1969 | Source: Keek.com Holy shit just found this massive roof top balcony ATTACHED to my room. #sxsw #cray twitter.com/casiestewart/s… — CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart) March 14, 2012   POSTED A 360 FROM THE BALCONY HERE. KATE’S FORST CHAMPAGNE OPENING. CHEERS AUSTIN! Dec 31, 1969 | Source: Keek.com SOME GOOD STYLE HERE. RT @west49: @west49 Girls Spring #lookbook goo.gl/9Jlms @billabonggirls x @oraclefox @elementeden behind the scenes video > h … — CASIE STEWART (@casiestewart) March 14, 2012   SPEED BLOGGING FOR THE WIN RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW. SXSW, OFF TO PARTY NOW. Happiness is the now. RT @casiestewart: Everything is amazing. — Kate Killet (@katekillet) March 14, 2012

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INFLUENTIAL AT BEING INFLUENTIAL: SXSW #LOOKATME

This vid is for my SXSW panel tomorrow. If you are at SXSW I hope to see you there. Details below! Panel is moderated by Lucia Mancuso and the other panelists are Michael Dolan and Jake Small from New York. For the full description visit the panel page on sxsw.com. Heading to SXSW opening party now. Have Movember brekky in the morning with the MoBros then it’s panel time. Please wish me luck. I was not nervous until now, now that all kinds of people are actually coming! Dohhhh! Don’t forget to change your watch, assuming your phone changes itself. Daylight savings FTW! Spring is near people, weeeeee.

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The First LomoKino Music Video Ever! ‘Water’ by Beach Party

Woke up this morning earlier than usual and really excited. I can’t help it, this is my life and it’s real and all the things I always wanted to happen….ARE HAPPENING. Another reason to wake up with a smile was a lovely message from my (fantasy) boyfriend in South Africa, the very talented Dylan Culhane. Remember this handsome face? Of course you do. Photo via We Are Awesome Dylan’s lomo skills are FAR beyond mine and he’s shot the very first ever LomoKino music video! The vid is for Cape Town-based band Beach Party and was shot entirely with a LomoKino camera on various types of Lomography film stock. The final product is a stop motion animation with more than 4,500 frames of 35mm film, set to a ‘damn catchy surf-rock tune’. Read the article and some words by Dylan on Lomography. Make sure you imagine his South African accent 😉 Here’s the vid: Beach Party – Water from Dylan Culhane I wasn’t sure about taking my Diana camera from Lomography but after waking up to this and jumping around to fun beats, I’ve packed it. Hopefully my shots this time will turn out better than the last batch!    

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MY CITY LIVES: TORONTO’S BEST VIDEO CREATORS & STORYTELLERS

Earlier this year in between my travels I filmed this video with my friends at My City Lives. I’ve got a bunch of videos on their platform and I’ve watched the company grow over the past few years. I’m happy to share with you this awesome vid put together by My City Lives and The Biz Media. Enjoy! Here’s an excerpt from the My City Lives blog. Read the whole post here! Meet Casie Stewart: daily lifestyle vlogger, brand ambassador, and one of Toronto’s most influential bloggers. Casie is a household name in the Toronto social media community – and for good reason – she’s got an infectious personality and an enormous amount of hustle. We’ve been fans of Casie for a long time so being able to collaborate with her was really special. Casie, having worked for brands like MuchMusic and MTV, is well armed when it comes to communicating with different audiences and succeeds in showcasing her talent in her blog, which she has been writing for over seven years now. Aside from creating a constant flow of contents for her blog, Casie has been an avid creator of My City Lives videos for years. Kate was on the scene with her camera. Here’s a few behind the scenes pix from her Flickr stream. My City Lives Co-Creator, Adil Emma & Xavier from Timeless on Queen (before renos was CTS) I like laughing! Thank you to the My City Lives team for featuring me. I love you guys <3

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FRINGE, FLOWERS, GLITTER, GIRLS

Yesterday Lau and I went shopping for some new SXSW digs. West49 hooked us up with a whole bunch of gear from Billabong & Element’s SS 2012 collection. I’m a long time huge fan of surf life & culture so this was totally rad. Safe to say, we had fun! I tried on a bunch and you’ll see all the goodies I picked over the next 10 days while we’re in Texas. There’s a whole bunch of pretty things the full West 49 lookbook here. Billabong recently partnered up with Aussie style blogger Oracle Fox and she designed 15 new items. I’d love to do that! “Growing up by the sea with all my girlfriends, we had an entire lifestyle that revolved around surfing and having fun – we pretty much still do. Most sunny days we have off you can find us surfing, sun baking, chilling a tour local beach kiosk/organic café or going on some road trip adventure. The pieces I designed with Billabong encompass that freedom.” – Oracle Fox Lauren and I both got this totally rad fringe sweater from her collection.  Glittery shorts? Yep, they’re mine now. Follow @West49 on Twitter & Facebook here. Yesterday Kate showed me this totally RAD chose-your-own-adventure HTML5 music video for Chairlift’s new video for “Met Before”. There’s more story lines than I’m sure you have time for in your busy day. However, I suggest you check it out for it’s sheer creativity & production value. Can we make one of these please?  HAVE AN AWESOME DAY!

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MONDAY MARCH MADNESS

Good  morning, good morning, and how are you today? I’m feeling a wee bit frazzled since we leave for SXSW Wednesday. I woke up early, cleaned my room, did the dishes and started packing. I’m about to get dressed and head to MTCC for The Art of Marketing, Randi Zuckerberg from Facebook is speaking today. Been offered a pretty sweet new in fashion so I need to make one stop around Dundas Square today.  I can’t wait to tell you about it, it’s cool.  Meeting Lauren at Yorkdale mid day for a SHOPPING SPREE at West 49 & Billabong cause they’re sponsoring us for SXSW. How freaking cool eh? Ahhhhh. On my way back downtown I’ve got a fitting at Peach Berserk cause guess what? I’m walking in the (huge) closing show, Dare to Wear Love for Mastercard International Fashion Week on March 17th. Ahhhhhh again! Tonight my SXSW team has a meeting to plan out the final details and out route from Toronto to Texas.  It’s been years since I went on a big road trip and this is by far the biggest one ever. I can’t wait to get there. If you’re gonna be there LMK & make sure you add my panel to your schedule. It’s Sunday at 12:30! Have an awesome day! P.S. MUM, I miss you. Call me xo  

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COWGIRLS IN TEXAS

Lauren, Kate and I leave for SXSW in Austin on Wednesday. Packed my cowboy hat already. It’s gonna be warm & sunny 😉 We’re working on a blog travel diary that’ll be run by Kate the whole trip. For now, check out our Pinterest board of all things SXSW 2012. I am beyond excited. This is the biggest/bloggest trip I/we’ve ever done/blogged. Yeah, jam packed 10 days of non-stop. When I come back I’m taking a few days off then going on Whiskey vacation with Canadian Club. This video is good style inspiration, Wildfox Spring 2012  “Even Cowgirls Get The Blues”. Going to CanLIT training event tonight. If you want more information… you will find it!

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VICE & PROJECT X @ TWIST GALLERY

This week I went to Twist Gallery for the after party for Vice’s movie PROJECT X. Kwasi, Ross, Brock, Sam Jean in H&M Miss Emma Recourt from Timeless on Queen Project X : mini review by Jason Nip If you’ve watched the trailer you know what you’re about to see. 3 unpopular high school teens, parents leaving for a weekend trip and a house ripe for the most destructive house party ever captured by a shaky handheld camera. What you don’t expect is just how far this party escalates and the number of “oh shit!” moments peppered with some laughs that carry the audience on a train ride to some unexpected dark places, keeping the genre fresh with a more realistic and less Disney like conclusion. I half expected to hate the film and there are those who will but the bastard child of Superbad and Cloverfield works on most levels if you let it. It’s a ride you want to stay on till the wheels fall off and do they ever. Project X hits theaters March 2nd.

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Sometimes I don’t feel like it. #5

Blogging is a weird and wonderful thing. I love it but just like everyone else, sometimes I don’t feel like going to work. I’ve been sitting in front of my computer, watching a movie, editing photos iPhone for upcoming posts. I made jello earlier. I have lots of things I want to write about but, sometimes I don’t feel like it. Sometimes my mind is distracted and floats into an ocean of ideas, it takes a vacation. I keep gazing out the window and watching the lake.   It’s very peaceful out there today. I need to catch up on sleep this weekend. I’ve been going non-stop for days, months and it’s only beginning to sink in that SXSW is next week, then Fashion Week, then Canadian Club secret adventure, Canadian Music Week, and then, and then, and then. NO MORE AND THEN. I get anxiety thinking about all the people, events, travel, everything.  Had some of the jello, it’s strawberry & delicious. This is a good song. This weekend is break time. I need to tidy up and pack for our drive across America. I’m watching this movie called ‘Cyber Bully’ and it makes me sick/sad hearing this girls story. I can only imagine what it’s like for kids in school these days. (Am I old now for saying that?) I had a hard enough time in high school and there wasn’t Facebook, Twitter or blogs. Her ‘friend’ created a profile of a cute boy who made friends with her and then spread rumors and basically ruined her reputation which leads the girl to attempt suicide. Having a jealous friend is the worst, worst, worst. If you have one, beware. They’re toxic to keep around, better to ditch ’em.  I learned that lesson the hard way. I think it’s time for a nap. Upcoming posts &…

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BIG SCREEN

Yesterday I met Canadian digital artist & painter Antoine Gaber who is working on a documentary film to debut at Festivals  called “It’s All About Me”.  (Mum is surely gonna have a chuckle when she reads this. Yes Mum, he wants ME to be in it!) I watched the demo trailer (for investors) and the film is all about GenY, narcissism and all the technology we have at our fingertips. Most the characters and content are being filmed in LA (Hollywood) and I’m shooting later this month in Toronto.  I sat in the directors chair, I liked it. On my way home I noticed the TTC has pinched Dear Photograph idea, no? It was sunny and bloody windy as hell! Finished up the day with a steaming hot yoga class at Mind & Body Yoga.

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Have you seen it yet? The new CTS… @TimelessOnQueen

Check out the writeup on BlogTO today about the NEW CTS, Timeless Apparel by Robyn Urback. The new shop is pretty and full of heaps more gems than ever before. You’ll still find our fav vintage kids like Emma & Sammy hangout & playing good tunes. Made a Keek when I was in there last week but it’s a quick tour so you’ll have to go see for yourself! I’m gonna pop by there today! BTW, where did this WINTER come from??

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#TEAMKIWI ALL THE WAY

Big ups & congrats to Bret McKenzie for winning an Oscar last night. I’ve been a fan of his since the first episode of Flight of the Conchords years ago. One time at Hemingays I met two dudes who looked JUST LIKE Bret & Jemaine, post here. In spirit of my love for New Zealand and missing my family here’s a great pic of Bret from last night’s show and a beautiful video from Cantebury New Zealand. Dad used to wear Cantebury all the time when I was a kid. Love the brand long time.  New Zealand is full of babes! 🙂 Mum is in Auckland right now my my auntie’s house.  I so badly want to go back and see my friends & family. Later this year  hope!

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World MasterCard Fashion Week March 13-17th

People are starting to talk about the upcoming Toronto Fashion Week World Mastercard Fashion Week March 13-17th. I’ll be in Austin, Texas for SXSW the entire time, so…I need someone I trust who I can send in my place to shows, events and parties. This is no easy feat, fashion week is tiring!  I’m looking for someone who: Currently runs their own blog Is active on Twitter Is looking to get experience in fashion industry Has a good camera Lives in Toronto or will be here for FW duration Is NOT shy I’ve had a couple great writers cover fashion weeks for me before including Carrie Jade (Toronto FW SS12) and Jess Gardner (Berlin Fashion Week). It’s a fun week and I’d love to go if I wasn’t living out my dream of speaking at SXSW. Can’t say I really like the look & feel of the newly branded Toronto Fashion Week so I’m quite interested to see how it all unfolds this season.   This pic is from Ottawa Fashion Week (Semaine de Mode FW 2012) earlier this month. Fun times! If you are interested in covering fashion week for casiestewart.com please email your detail (as per above) and tell my WHY YOU are awesome to FASHION[at]casiestewart.com. Thanks & have an awesome day!

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80,000 TWEETS LATER

I’d have over 80,000 if I had a dollar for each Tweet I’ve sent since I joined May 5, 2008.  Twitter has been a huge part of my life since 2008. I’ve met many of my best friends, found jobs, taken my career to the next level and formed lasting relationships. I average about 100 tweets a day and Tweet about a variety of things. I was curious to seek out some stats about my own tweets but guess what, without paying for a fancy service. It’s kinda hard! Tweetstats are out of date I feel but Tweetreach was kinda interesting. Check out the reach on 50 of my Tweets sent last week. Over 100,000! Twooler informed me my most common word used is LOVE.   When someone says something nice about me or gives a sincere compliment about my work, I add it to my favourites. I’ve gathered a few hundred that also include funny tweets or really clever things said by people I follow. I’ve been called a Pastor, a rockstar, a celebrity, teacher, preacher and more but after looking at a bunch of them yesterday, it’s clear people comment mostly on my  positive energy. Thanks guys! Below is a Storify of some of my favourite things people have said since December 2010. Follow @casiestewart

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Nella Bella FW 2012 Collection @ Urbanspace Gallery

Last night went to Nella Bella’s FW 2012 media reception. I’ve been taking NellaBella bags on all my travels, bike rides, festivals & fun for the last two years. They’re got lots of different shapes & styles this year. One of the designers for this collection, Andreas Kyriakos who started working with them at 15, he’s 16 now, but still,  he designed a whole batch of beautiful things. I got to catch up with a few really lovely girls I hadn’t seen in a while.  Thanks Raymi, you babe, for photos and Tarek for the invite. Can’t wait to get something new and BRIGHT! Bring on, SPRING on! My current fav is the KIEV bag in black (in photo but hard to see). It fits my 11 Macbook Air, camera and a few other necessities. Comes in handy when’re always on the go/working!  Shirt: Joe Fresh Cardi: GAP Pants: Bench – shopping trip! Hair: Ken Murphy Color Bug, Goody Accessories Shoes: Ego & Greed One things I love about clothes is the stories they tell. Links to the above items go to past posts wearing. Archives rule. Crashed my bike the day I got the Joe Fresh shirt, ordered shoes from solestruck.com. Got GAP  cardi over holidays cruising vintagey shops in Cambridge with Mum. Tarek, Val Photos via WE REPRESENT THE LOLLIPOP GUILD  on RaymitheMinx.com   Walked home home with the Septembre & Bella. Made .gif with Loopcam, from Berlin! Check out Jessica’s post & pic here. It was really fun. Good night. Nice to see beautiful bags and smiling faces. The food was excellent and catered by The Daily Bread Food Bank’s catering campany. They put all the proceeds from catering, right back in. Been busier than ever planning and preparing things for SXSW. We have a new blog coming. I’m super excited. Let’s do this.  😉 <3 CASIE    

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THE YOUNG INFLUENCERS CONFERENCE

Hi from the Bram & Bluma Appel Salon at the Toronto Reference Library. I love this space! I caught the morning keynote by Shane Smith, CEO & Founder of Vice. Panels are full of great people. My talk is “Authenticity and Word-of-Mouth via Social Media” featuring three other bloggers in fashion, photography, and comics. Follow along my tweets and #YIC12. I you have any questions, ask me! Have an awesome day!

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LET’S TALK ABOUT YOUR HEART

Love a Heart from Chris Luckhardt on Vimeo. Instagram photo by @ValTorontoGal @ The Hideout I did Jump Rope for Heart and was on skipping demo team fror the Heart & Stroke Foundation when I was a kid. We travelled around to schools doing routines and raising awareness about heart disease. February is Heart Month, heart disease and stroke take 1 in 3 Canadians before their time and it is the #1 killer of women. Thanks for everyone who came out and donated to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Canada for Love a Heart. Posted a bunch of photos last week in this post. For info on volunteering or donating visit heartandstroke.com. Be part of the change. MAKE DEATH WAIT 🙂

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Semaine de Mode 2012

[View the story “Ottawa Fashion Week in Tweets” on Storify] See highlights on the Ottawa Fashion Week blog.  

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NOW THIS IS WHAT WE CALL DOWNTIME

Sun on the face. Senators only. Reflection. Welcome to Canada. Baby blue. “I’m melting” The Blondetourage: expressed as neon wolves made of ice at Winterlude 2012. Full circle. Walked from my hotel down to the mall, through the market, around Parliament, through Winterlude, across the canal and back. Kevin was a great tour guide and I posted all kinds of beautiful things you won’t see here I saw on Twitter, Tumblr, Instagram, Pinterest, Keek, Facebook and a 360 view from Parliament Hill. It’s fairly mild and the sun felt good on my face. I will remember this day forever. Don’t have hair & makeup till 7:30pm, it’s nap time. Might watch a movie too.  

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First Class Ticket to Capitol Hill

Snapped this last night just before my talk at The Working Group. The sun sets so beautifully on Queen Street West. I love Toronto. I thought I was going to miss my train this morning. Luckily, I thought it was at 6am but it was really at 6:40am so I had more than enough time. Unfortunately I rushed out of the house and my luggage is all smushed in a bad and I only have two pairs of shoes. TRAGEDY! The platform was cold and dark but I sat down in my first class seat and went back to sleep. Sitting on the train to Ottawa now with Gabrielle Miller (Corner Gas/Call Me Fitz), Gail McInnes (TDot TV), and Cory Lee (Degrassi). We’ve got rehearsals this afternoon for tomorrow’s “Runway for a Better Way” charity show in support of Unicef. Cory and I are wearing Canadian designer Rachel Sin who’s an architect turned fashion designer. I slept most of the way here. Last time I took the train it was meant to be a short little ride but we got stuck by flooding or snow and I made this video; 420 consecutive photos, one train ride. Via Rail won’t let you watch videos or “download big files” so I’m unable to embed it. One of my most fav things I’ve ever created. I’d love to make a new one on the way home Monday. There was a Zombie Girl on my money last night. I hear a limo is picking us up when we arrive then we head to rehearsals for 1pm. At 2pm I’ve have an interview for a book about Canadian media. So much going on I feel like a whirlwind but I love every minute of it. Last night at the SM Cafe closing party for Social Media Week they asked what tips…

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Betsey Johnson & Bloggers Are All the Buzz at #WWDMAGIC

Some of my friends were in Vegas this week for MAGIC, the preeminent trade event in the international fashion industry. There were all kinda of global buyers and sellers of apparel and more. I’d have loved to be there but I was involved in Social Media Week and the Auto Show in Toronto. My friends Elle PR in LA sent me these photos of Betsy stopping by MAGIC on Valentines Day and I thought they were so cute I would share. I love Betsy for her style, clothes and super bright flare she adds to everything.  They were at the Las Vegas Convention Center in the Vogue Blogger Lounge where a bunch of North America’s hippest fashion bloggers shared tips and trends. Next year, I hope to be there! Thanks Jamie for sending.

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