Earlier this week we offered a glimpse inside some of the sponsored lounges that have popped up in the Bloor-Yorkville neighbourhood during the Toronto International Film Festival. Here’s a look at a few more.
The Tastemakers Lounge, produced by Rock-It Promotions, adopted an "Ohhh Canada!" theme for its fourth installment in the Portman Room at the InterContinental Hotel on Bloor Street. Tastemakers founder Debra Goldblatt worked with Jason MacIsaac, owner and founder of the retail shop Ministry of the Interior, and Pink Twig Floral Boutique to dress the space, which featured a temporary wall showcasing Timorous Beasties’ damask wallpaper, flooring by the Shaw Contract Group and custom furnishings including a Wrongwoods credenza.
Goldblatt selected 20 companies to feature in the lounge, which opened September 6 and wraps up Friday. Participants this year included AG Hair Cosmetics, Burt’s Bees, Carry Clean, Cromwell & Cruthers, Eska Water, HBC, Ike & Sam’s, Joe Fresh Style, J.R. Watkins Apothecary, JUZD, Kiss My Face, LypSyl, PUMA, Raincry, Ruby Gloom, Sabon, Salt Spring Coffee, Strellson, Teuscher Chocolates of Switzerland, and Trollbeads.
Celebrities such as Julianne Moore and Michael Cera stopped by the Diesel Portrait Gallery to have their photo taken by photographer Raphael Mazzucco. InStyle.com, Kontent Group Inc., and CVTglobemedia sponsored the studio, held in the Willard Room at the InterContinental Hotel from Saturday to Friday. Copies of each portrait will be auctioned to benefit OneXOne. "It's not a gifting suite, it's much more of a styling suite," said Geoffrey Dawe, president and group publisher of Kontent Group (and an executive director of OneXOne). Organizers commissioned L.A. publicists PMK/HBH to promote the suite and attract celebrities to the studio, which Jeffry Roick of McNabb Roick Events dressed in black and gold to coincide with Diesel's new Black Gold runway collection.
INK partnered with Smashbox Cosmetics to create a swag lounge inside the Smashbox Makeup Trailer—a 60-foot trailer traditionally used on film sets—parked outside Ultra Supper Club on Queen Street West Saturday. Stylists offered makeovers throughout the day, and the trailer turned into a swag lounge at 8 p.m. "The Smashbox trailer has never been used off of an L.A. film set, so this is a brand-new concept," said Kristine Okolita of INK. The trailer featured products from Topaz Custom Jewelry, Exhale yoga wear, V Del Sol swimwear, Greg May Hair Architects, In the Raw foods, RK clothing, Rockstar Energy drinks, Five gum, Grail Springs, and Smashbox Cosmetics.
ET Canada broadcast live—and hosted nightly parties from Sunday to Wednesday—at Casa Loma for the second year in a row. The Studio Lounge, organized by creative director Nadia DiDonato and event manager Sara Railey of the Liberty Grand, incorporated a series of rooms on the ground floor of the venue. “The castle is so beautiful. It’s spectacular, so we just wanted to keep the decor very minimal,” said Railey, who used candles and lighting to create ambience throughout. “We basically got rid of everything that was castle related,” she said of the traditional artwork normally displayed in Casa Loma. Instead, movie posters for the films being celebrated during TIFF hung in the hallway and an outdoor tent provided space for musical performances by the likes of David Usher.
Hollywood Life magazine presented the Hollywood Life House at Empire Restaurant & Lounge during TIFF's opening weekend. The space hosted premiere parties, the Hollywood Life portrait studio, private dinners, and interviews with cast members from the films Rocknrolla, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Duchess, among others. Gifting suites included offerings from French Connection, Hamilton Watches, Hennessy, Parasuco Denim, and Miami Boutique Hotels.
LiveStyle Entertainment and BG&E Productions Inc. returned to Toronto with the Film Lounge for the fifth year in a row. Housed in W-Studio, a two-storey gallery space on Dupont Street, the lounge hosted three days of after-parties and photo shoots. “Our program continues to evolve year after year as one of the top entertainment destinations of the Toronto International Film Festival,” said Ryan Heil, managing partner of LiveStyle Entertainment. The space, sponsored by brands like Guess Jeans, Jameson Irish Whiskey, and Stella Artois, hosted parties for the films Deadgirl, Heckler, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, and Nothing But the Truth.
Greenhouse, said to be New York City's first eco-friendly nightclub, also set up an event space at 99 Sudbury St. The space has hosted nightly events during TIFF, including the Rolling Stone magazine party and the Playboy party.
