It was a lively last few days inside the IT Lounge and it is with a heavy heart that we bid adieu to another amazing Film Festival season! Our new home inside TIFF was magically transformed into a Warhol Factory-themed space by Caspar Haydar Design. Our Portrait Studio with renowned photographer Caitlin Cronenberg at the helm in an exclusive partnership with W Magazine, was a true success. We continued our tradition of giving IT back by making a donation to Artists for Peace and Justice (APJ) on behalf of each star that sat for a portrait. To view all of the stunning celebrity portraits, visit W Magazine!
For all the amazing highlights from the IT Lounge 2015, click here!
We’re halfway through the week and have welcomed many familiar faces to the IT Lounge! It was a Canadian invasion with visits from stars including Elisha Cuthbert, George Strombouloupolos and Kiefer Sutherland…and the amazing Susan Sarandon even stopped by!
To read more celebrity highlights and to see photos from inside IT Lounge, click here!
It was a busy weekend inside the IT Lounge with visits from many a notable star including Clémence Poésy, Sarah Silverman and Paul Haggis. Other celebs who made an appearance at #NKPRIT15 included Johnny Depp, John Goodman, Jeremy Irons, Paul Dano and many more.
Want to know what Rachel Weisz, Geoffrey Rush and Gael Garcia Bernal loved inside the lounge? Click here for highlights and photos!
On Sunday September 13, we attended Artists for Peace and Justice’s 7th annual Artists for Peace Fundraiser Festival Gala presented at Casa Loma. Founded by Academy Award-winning Director/Producer Paul Haggis, the event raises funds to support communities and youth in Haiti. The generosity of our sponsors and guests was incredible and helped us raise an amazing $1.2 million, all of which will go directly to supporting health, dignity and education initiatives.
The event was co-hosted by Paul Haggis, Dame Helen Mirren, George Stroumboulopoulos, and Bovet 1822 President Pascal Raffy and co-chaired by (NKPR President!) Natasha Koifman and Sylvia Mantella.
Dame Helen Mirren presented founding APJ board member Susan Sarandon with the inaugural Artist for Peace and Justice Award. Also accepting the award was Academy for Peace and Justice Planning Director Jaebets Jean Gilles, who came all the way from Haiti to attend!
For more highlights, surprise musical guests, and red carpet photos…click here!
Day three of the W Magazine IT Lounge kicked off with a visit from Demolition stars Naomi Watts and Jake Gyllenhaal. After Watts posed for Caitlin Cronenberg for W Magazine, she stopped bySaje to comment on how amazing their essential oils smelled.
For all the highlights and photos from inside the IT Lounge click here!
Day two of the IT Lounge kicked off with a visit from Academy Award-winning actress Natalie Portman, who stopped by to pose for headlining photographer Caitlin Cronenberg for W Magazine. She made sure to sign the Lounge guestbook with a Cross Pen!
For more highlights (and photos!) from a fun second day at the IT Lounge, designed by décor expert Caspar Haydar, click here!
Celebrating its 10th anniversary, the IT Lounge (which launched as a portrait studio in 2012 with internationally renowned fashion photographer Patrick Demarchelier) has partnered with TIFF for its 40th anniversary. Supporting this coming together of the decades is photographer Caitlin Cronenberg, who will be at the helm of the suite in partnership with W Magazine.
On the opening day of IT Lounge, we hosted both Canadian and international media and talent, who came together to experience some film festival fun before TIFF officially begins!
For more highlights and photos from the day, click here!
We officially kicked off Film Festival season this week with our annual Festival Countdown brought to you by Square One Mall, who showed off the stunning Fall/Winter campaign featuring Julia Restin Roitfeld shot by NK Artist Sophie Elgort. In true NKPR style, it was a fun-filled fête featuring hot fashion, delicious food, great music and some of Toronto’s finest. As always, the poolside venue was looking its Film Festival best thanks to Caspar Haydar and Pacha Balloon Creations.
Summer isn’t over yet! With warm weather still in the forecast, our thoughts remain on sunsets, light jackets and of course…the endless search for the city’s best patios. Whether you’re grabbing drinks after work, enjoying a Sunday brunch or planning dinner with friends, the perfect restaurant always sets the scene.
Here are NKPR’s favourite city hot spots, that will make you feel like the ultimate foodie.
Montecito
The Beach Boys said it best, “I wish they all could be California girls”. Montecito bridges the divide between casual Cali-cool and fine dining with premium quality ingredients. Located in the heart of Toronto’s Entertainment District, Montecito puts you in the centre of the action featuring farm-to-table Southern Californian cuisine. Not to mention the garden patio’s foliage and canopy umbrellas to keep you cool during hot summer days. Stop by for their signature kale salad and mouthwatering JW Chicken, perhaps paired with a wine selection provided by the restaurant’s in-house sommelier.
Cibo Wine Bar
Get a (delicious) taste of Italy at Cibo Wine Bar– located in the stylish King West neighbourhood with a recently opened second location at Yonge & Eglinton. The menu offers authentic Italian cuisine with modern staples, and classic fresh in-house pasta (is your mouth watering yet?). The trendy feel and inviting atmosphere means Cibo Wine Bar is sure to top your favourites list…and make it onto your Instagram feed!
Gusto
The two words that make our summer hearts flutter? Rooftop patio. Gusto blends the perfect mix of comfy and industrial décor, serving up international flavours with Italian classics. Treat your taste buds to the margherita pizza and Tuscan grilled Bistecca striploin, plus wine on tap for $1.00 an ounce…oh yes, you read that correctly.
Thompson Toronto
The Thompson Toronto is a chic summer escape right above the city. The rooftop lounge offers a breathtaking 360° view of the Toronto skyline and Lake Ontario amidst a lounge atmosphere and the city’s best looking clientele. Guests can dip in the infinity pool by day and linger on the patio by night, enjoying creative seasonal cocktails (toast to the champagne cocktail or James Bond inspired Vesper) and inventive cuisine far above the fray.
DAVIDsTEA
Some things are just meant to go together: peanut butter and jelly, Beyoncé and Jay Z, cold drinks and hot summer days. DAVIDsTEAoffers an extensive collection of their signature teas served over ice; perfect to grab when strolling through fellow Queen West stores. Enjoy $1.00 iced tea all summer long when you purchase one of the brightly coloured travel mugs…talk about fulfilling your cravings to a “tea”. We at NKPR LOVE the sweet and refreshing Strawberry Colada ice tea (talk about an afternoon pick-me-up).
What are your favourite summer hotspots? Tweets us @NatashaNKPR!
This season has been a busy one inside NKPR and we’ve got to say, there’s nothing quite like a good ol’ fashioned statutory holiday to recharge our batteries.
Canada Day is coming up and nothing fills us with more national pride than watching a sea of red & white parade through the country’s hottest cities.
This year’s Canada Day falls on a Wednesday (womp womp…) and while we’d never complain about a day off, having it stuck right in the middle of the week can make getting away difficult. But you still want to feel like you’ve got SOMETHING special planned, right? Enter the staycation.
In honour of Canada’s 148th birthday (can you believe we’re 148 years old?!), HotelTonight –the leader in last-minute travel apps – is offering hotel room deals from $48- $148 on June 30th and July 1st !
THIS MEANS: Room service – No traffic – Comfy beds – Maid service – yes, please!
What better way to celebrate Canadian heritage than falling asleep under the fireworks and waking up to bacon and maple syrup drenched breakfast in bed? Whether you want to hang with the hipsters at Toronto’s Thompson Hotel, chill out at the charming Chateau Versailles in Montreal or visit Vancouver’s hot spot Hotel Blu, there are options galore!
Here’s how it works : Rooms will go live 7 days in advance of Canada Day (June 24) starting at 8 AM (local time in Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Niagara Falls) with new offers appearing daily up until July 1.
Keep an eye on all the hotel deals available on HotelTonight and book the one you love directly through the app – start to finish in less than 10 seconds!
Download the HotelTonight app here and check out the full list of hotels that will be featured in the Canada Day promotion.
And’s that’s how we’ll be showing off our patriotic pride…How are you planning on spending yours?
