Fairmont Royal York Staycation + The Magic of Toronto Light Fest
Nathalie and I recently had the opportunity to spend a night at the Fairmont Royal York in one of their luxury suites while we attended the Toronto Light Festival in the beautiful historic Distillery District. It was a wonderful evening first spent wandering the old alleyways and sharing in the experience in an otherwise cold and dreary month when most people are reluctant to step outside.
If you are in Toronto or planning to come to Toronto this winter, then put the Light Festival on your list of things to see. And if you’re looking for a place to stay afterward, may we recommend the Fairmont Royal York.
The Toronto Light Festival itself is an event brought to Toronto in collaboration with many artists from around the globe where they put together many amazing sculptures and interactive light displays, inviting you to get outside and experience the magic of winter in Toronto.
Some of the installations are interactive allowing you to swing on them, walk through them, watch them sway in the wind or just be mesmerized by their colours and interactive sounds. My personal favourite was the dangling light display which you could walk right through as it blinked and changed colours all around you.
They are all truly works of art and can be enjoyed at your own pace or on a guided tour if wanted. It was certainly chilly outside, but we were kept warm either inside one of the many shops or by sampling hot cider and hot chocolate at Soma and Cacao 70 or having a fun and casual dinner at the Mill Street Brewery.
Afterward, we headed back to the Fairmont and joined our host at REIGN restaurant for an evening of cocktails and food sampling. REIGN is described as a modern Canadian Brasserie with a traditional French touch. It’s surely worth a stop if you’re looking for drinks, a bite to eat, want to meet up with a friend or are even looking to entertain business associates. Live music was being played while we were there and the environment was fun and lively.
And in case you haven’t heard, the Fairmont Royal York has just undergone a major renovation. Upon entering, you will notice that the spiral staircase has been removed and they’ve added the Clockwork Champagne & Cocktails bar situated right in the middle of the main lobby! It seemed quite a buzz while we were there. The lobby itself is beautifully decorated with a timeless elegance giving it the look and feel of the 5 Star rated luxury hotel that it is.
The Fairmont is centrally located on Front Street right across from Union Station, making it super convenient if you’re taking transit into Toronto from out of town. And if you want to stay specifically for the Light Festival itself, they even offer a package from now until March 1, 2020, which includes accommodation, an exclusive walking and tasting tour, and a buffet breakfast for two.
If you or someone you know is looking for something to do this winter, this may be something for you to consider. We found it to be a fun way to spend some time outdoors and gave us an excuse to find some time for ourselves.
Just bundle up though so that you are comfortable, then let the lights guide you down each alleyway as you find something new to see and explore. When you’re done all that, it’s a quick drive to the hotel where you can retire to the comfort of your suite for the evening, have a nightcap on the main level or go out and explore the city until your heart's content. This turned out to be something that we both enjoyed and hope to have the opportunity to go back and do again soon.
In Collaboration with The Fairmont Royal York & Toronto Light Fest.
Written by Geoff Martin.
Photos by Geoff & Nathalie Martin.
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My BLACK FRIDAY Haul fromToronto Premium Outlets! (Saint Laurent and Sandro Paris)
I recently had the opportunity to do some pre-Black Friday shopping at Toronto Premium Outlets and scored some amazing things at Saint Laurent and Sandro Paris.
Keep watching to see my haul, find out what I paid for everything, and to learn my sale shopping tips for Black Friday!
Thanks for watching and I hope you enjoy this video!
xx, Nathalie
SHOP MY OUTFITS
MY HAUL/ OUTFITS
1//
Saint Laurent Oversized Plaid shirt (reg $915 CAD, sale price $129)
Worn with:
Revolve leather pants, similar, https://rstyle.me/+DahhIyn2nJdsnXWVzyZ6QQ
Zara zippered boots https://go.zara/2svG0gR
Zara long wool coat https://go.zara/2L7vvXj
Loewe medium puzzle bag in tan https://rstyle.me/+yIZJvOtlCdgSNyvhX1alDA
Saint Laurent Wallet on a string, discontinued
2//
Saint Laurent Pantalon Large (reg $1,155 CAD, sale price $279 + 40% off)
Worn with:
Zara tank
Saint Laurent Mohair Cardigan
Saint Laurent canvas sneakers, low tops here https://rstyle.me/+WKy1sMhiiYRwj0mGlvTsTw
Balenciaga neon yellow XXS Ville Top Handle Bag, black here https://rstyle.me/+9l5CdgGHsoM9WakZbr7Ikg
3//
Saint Laurent Mohair Cardigan (reg $1,810 CAD, sale price $289 + 40% off)
Worn with:
Maison Margiela top
GRLFRND Denim Helena jeans https://rstyle.me/+KE_1qxtiKrfVloB747VvKg
Cartel Footwear Halima boots https://www.cartelfootwear.com/products/copy-of-halima
4 //
Saint Laurent YSL Marsupio Shearling Belt Bag (reg $1,540 CAD, sale price $689)
Worn With:
Vallier Sweatshirt https://bit.ly/2DrOtDN
Zara oversized black blazer, similar here, https://go.zara/2L5jVfk
GRLFRND Denim Karolina jeans https://rstyle.me/+SpxIQdVXqTewAxXMO2vqQw
Saint Laurent cowboy suede boots
5//
Saint Laurent Tapisserie Marrakech Cropped Fitted Jacket
(reg $5,300 CAD, sale price $765 CAD + 40% off)
Worn with:
Revolve tank https://rstyle.me/+Zsv7sLa-yDK2GYg6hxRV3Q
Revolve leather pants, similar, https://rstyle.me/+DahhIyn2nJdsnXWVzyZ6QQ
Valentino Star Studded embellished ankle boots
6//
Sandro Paris Fucshia corduroy blazer (reg $600 CAD, sale price $365 CAD + 40% off)
Sandro Paris Black corduroy pants (reg $340 CAD, sale price $200 CAD + 40% off)
Worn with:
Zara tank
Saint Laurent Patent Leather Candy Platform Sandals
Disclaimer
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Anndore House Staycation with Bonlook
I’ve needed corrective lenses since my early teens. The optometrist said I would only need them for a few years but my prescription hasn’t changed much since then. Around the time I got married, I switched to contacts because I didn’t want to wear glasses on my wedding day and I also wanted to see Geoff when I walked down the aisle. Anyway, that didn’t last long. I chucked them all after waking up with a wicked case of pink eye one morning. Even though I was religious about washing my hands and sterilizing my contacts, bacteria invaded my eyes to the point where I couldn’t even open them. I haven’t touched contact lenses since. These days even my sunglasses have my prescription.
Beauty essentials; CHANEL 3D mascara, eyeshadow, and hand cream. For skincare I’ve been using Eve Lom’s cleanser and Olay’s Daily Facial Cleansing Cloths for removing makeup, followed by their new facial Mist. For my hair, I’ve been love, love, loving, the T3 SinglePass Curl.
For our staycation with Bonlook we stayed at the Anndore House in Toronto, just around the corner from the Yorkville area. Even if you don’t have a chance to stay at the hotel, I would highly recommend their restaurant, Constantine. Breakfast and dinner here is divine and we plan on going back soon. The staff is friendly and helpful while the decor is gorgeous.
CHANEL’S No 5 is probably my all time favourite scent. It’s beautiful, unique, and elegant. The purse spray is excellent for travel but the limited edition red bottle is so exquisite I’ll probably keep it on display long after it’s gone.
Decisions, decisions. I’ve amassed quite the glasses collection from Bonlook. Because I wear prescription glasses and sunnies I might as well have fun with them. Just like I don’t wear the same shoes everyday (it’s a quirk of mine), I’ll change my frames up often.
Bonlook also has blue light protection lenses which shield eyes from the blue light of computers. Geoff happens to be one of those lucky humans with 20/20 vision but he works on a computer all day so he picked up a pair of these and loves them.
An impromptu shopping session with Michael led me to this stunning cropped Balenciaga sweater. It was already on my radar and the fact it happened to be the last one in the store sealed the deal. The grey and black makes it a seamless addition to my wardrobe and I love how it looks with my new Way sunglasses from Bonlook.
RELATED POSTS: EMBRACING BALENCIAGA'S LOGOMANIA (featuring Bonlook)
RELATED POSTS: HOW TO WEAR CORDS THIS WINTER (featuring Bonlook)
This post is in collaboration with Bonlook. All opinions are my own.
Photography by Geoff Martin.
This story contains affiliate links.
WHAT TO DO THIS WEEKEND: EAT BRUNCH ALL DAY LONG
Happy Friday! Life has been so busy lately for me lately and I'm finally settling down to do some blogging. My horoscope said I'd be traveling lots in August and it wasn't kidding! Between going to Whistler with Shoppers Drug Mart, visiting the Bite Beauty labs and personal farm of the founder and an anniversary getaway to Langdon Hall, my calendar has been jam packed! Now that I'm back, I'm excited to share my brunch adventures and show you guys what to do this weekend!
SLEEP IN AND EAT A LIGHT BRUNCH
I can't remember the last time I spelt-in so you can bet what I'll be doing this weekend!
My weekend style is pretty laid back, shorts or jeans, an oversized button up (Frank & Eileen makes my favourite ones. This one is called the Eileen) and some comfy shoes like these Zanotti combat boots (similar here). I keep my makeup pretty light and just slap on some lipstick and a pair of sunnies so no one knows I'm not wearing eye makeup! ;)
Once ready, it's time for a light brunch to get the day going. Recess Toronto has the traditional breakfast foods like blueberry flapjacks alongside some healthier vegan options like grapefruit stacks with pomegranate seeds. I'll admit, the food is decent here but the decor is better and calls for some awesome Instagram worthy pics.
Afterwards it's time to run errands and build up an appetite for a bigger brunch! This weekend I'll be looking forward to soaking in the last couple of weeks of summer. Pretty soon it'll be time to put the shorts away and take the winter coats out. Enjoy it while it lasts!
HAPPY HOUR & THE BIG BRUNCH
Once it's past noon and a socially acceptable time to drink it's time to start sampling cocktails! #yolo
Fonda Lola on Queen Street has some killer margaritas and sangrias. The Mexican food here is phenomenal and every dish is tastier than it looks. Meat eaters will have plenty to choose from but us vegetarians have limited options. Also, be sure to order a starter because when I visited there was only one cook in the kitchen for the entire restaurant and we were there for about three hours from start to finish. Love you Fonda Lola but it's time to get more cooks in the kitchen!
With happy and full bellies it's time for a little summertime siesta and to dream the next brunch spot. Any suggestions?
Fonda Lola has phenomenal Instagram worthy dishes for those seeking good food and good pics! ;)
LANGDON HALL, CAMBRIDGE
When Garnier invited me on a skincare retreat to Langdon Hall, I said "yes please" before I even looked at the date. My agenda; to be pampered with a personalized facial, morning yoga underneath the gazebo by the gardens, and of course an in depth review of Garnier's latest skincare. Oh, and did I mention this is the hotel where DRAKE himself stayed and shot this pic? YASSSS!
My must-have shoes for a weekend retreat - my Louise Et Cie Bonnie sandals from Town Shoes.
WHAT TO PACK
SHOES: I'm the kind of girl who needs to pack more than one pair of shoes, even for a quick weekend getaway. My must have item though, my studded Louise Et Cie Bonnie sandals from Town Shoes. All you guys on Instagram are loving these shoes every time I wear them. Also packed, my gold Gucci slippers. I'm ruled by comfort.
BAG: I normally travel with one bag. My Givenchy Pandora is comfortable and fits everything.
CLOTHES: A black slip dress from Aritzia (similar), this statement bomber from Zara, yoga pants, jeans, a grey tank and a silk white off-the-shoulder top from Club Monaco. I had plenty of outfit options and layers without overpacking.
TOILETRIES: A flat iron and nothing else. Garnier had me covered with SPF from their Ombrelle line, micellar water, face wash, day & night creme and then some! I'll have a full review for you guys soon!
DINING AT LANGDON HALL
I'm still dreaming about the poutine at Wilk's Bar with black truffle, aged cheese and triple crunch mustard. I've been vegetarian for a few years now and eating out doesn't always mean I have a lot of tasty options to choose from. Chef Jason Bangerter was on it with a mouth watering, dairy-free, vegetarian menu. Veggies are grown on their on-site garden and yogurts and breads are made in house daily. YUM!
*Special thanks to ROI Relations, Garnier and Langdon Hall for this experience!
All opinions and photos are my own.
Best of Queen West, Toronto: Mini Food Tour
The mini food tour I've always wanted to do finally happened last week. Hah! I'm well aware that these are not the healthiest of food choices so before you judge, let me just say, live a little, indulge and have a donut for breakfast because why not?
My food tour began in Parkdale at Glory Hole Doughnuts, at 1596 Queen St. West. We arrived with an empty stomach knowing fully well we wanted to chow down on some fluffy baked goods. GHD carries a small assortment of vegan doughnuts (yay) and their flavours change regularly, so you never know what you're going to get. My fave so far is the vegan lemon pistachio. NOM.
We walked to Kitten & The Bear next, at 1575 Queen Street West, located less than a block away from GHD. I'll never forget the first time I went here because I thought "This is what magic smells like!" Cheesy, I know but I'm sure anyone who's been here will agree with me. If you want the best scones in the city, this is where you get them. One of the owners told me they only use 5 ingredients to make their scones which is pretty awesome. Goes to show simple is best. They're also known for their amazing in-house jam which changes up all of the time. If you're looking to have Tea For Two here, make sure you arrive early because it's a tiny bakery with only 2 tables. Otherwise, just order from their take out menu and have a scone party at home!
A quick car ride down to the Queen West neighbourhood took us to Sud Forno (716 Queen St W) for just in time for lunch. We grabbed sandwiches made with their in-house breads, mine a grilled veggie sandwich with eggplant, zucchini and caramelized onion and Geoff had some salty meat sandwich that contained eggs. If you're there, make sure you grab one of their bombolone - a sweet fried bun filled with nutella or vanilla cream pastry. Make sure you look down while you're waiting for your food because the floor is totally Instagram worth. Gotta love a good #fwis.
What's a food tour without a bit of shopping? We stopped by Kit and Ace, at 779 Queen St W and fell in love with their outdoor patio. I could live here and just pop back into the store to change my outfit, which is kinda what I did because I ended up buying the grey tank you see me wearing here.
Our food tour ended at one of my favourite places in Toronto, Butter Avenue (477 Queen St W, beside Urban Outfitters). For anyone visiting TO for the first time, or anyone who hasn't been yet, you have to go! They make beautiful and sophisticated French macrons, cakes, tarts and marshmallows and in my opinion, they're the best in the city! Even my birthday cake last year was from BA. That's how good they are!
I hope you guys enjoyed my mini food tour and will love these spots as much as I do. There's so much to discover along Queen West and this is only a tiny fraction. Let me know if you have any suggestions for me to check out.
xo, Nathalie
Cottage Style Diary
It's back to reality after going on our week long cottage holiday. My hubby and I stayed at my in-laws beautiful lake view home. We woke up late on most mornings, sunbathed while drinking cocktails on the private beach, and at the end of the night, we watched the shooting stars across the clear night sky. It was exactly what I needed to recharge my creative batteries. Oh, and did I mention we celebrated our 8th year wedding anniversary?! Yay! :)
I only brought up a few pieces on my holiday, like my One Teaspoon cutoffs that are perfect with a bikini top or a cute muscle tee. My designer bags stayed at home and instead I opted for my MBMJ tote bag to carry my laptop, iPad and other necessities. I also packed a couple of bandanas because I can't seem to get enough of them these days and really, I was just too lazy to do my hair.
Now that I'm back home and I'm not fully back into the swing of work life just yet so please forgive my tardiness on getting my next series of fashion posts up on the blog. In the meanwhile, I hope you'll enjoy my cottage style diary.
Sailing With Lacoste
These images are from a series of live-posts from Insta, and I'm blogging a few days after the fact - don't judge. Let's rewind to last Friday when Lacoste took me and 5 other Toronto bloggers sailing on Lake Ontario. Yes, it was as perfect as it sounds!
The Lacoste team had handpicked shoes for each of us based on our personal style so naturally I was thrilled when I got these gold toned court sneakers. (Metallic shoes? Yes please!) I often talk about building my outfits from the ground up, starting with the shoes. My first instinct was to put together an all white ensemble but instead I went for a different kind of nautical. I paired my navy lace-up Tibi shell with a pair of high waisted Jbrand jeans for versatility - sailing in the morning and office in the afternoon. For future wears I can see these kicks going well with black distressed denim and a deep V white t-shirt. Classic.
On the boat we chatted about shoes and got a sneak peak at AW15, which looks both on-trend and comfortable with knee high leather boots and glossy patent leather oxfords. We also got a sneak peak at SS16 which had all of us really excited about what's to come - white high tops, perforated sandals and slip on sneakers. Trust me when I say I want it all! #shoehoarder
xo, Nathalie
Lacoste Sneak Peek: SS2015
Front to back, left to right: Me, Sasha (sosasha.com), Alyssa (randomactsofpastel.com), Deanne (myfashavenue.com) Stephanie (stephaniesterjovski.com), Colby with Lacoste and Jodi (jodiblk.com).
Cruise Life
Just this Friday my hubby (aka, the WoahStyle photographer) and I embarked on a little cruise of Toronto. The boat, you guessed it, Captain Matthew Flinders. We boarded at about dinner hour and by 7pm we were out to sea. Er, I mean lake... Drinks and dinner were served and the DJ played terrible music that had us laughing really hard. I'd recommend the cruise to anyone looking to do something different, anyone celebrating an occasion and of course any tourist visiting the city.
The attire of the night was all about soft pretty colours which is unusual for me but when on a cruise, I may as well dress the part. My high waisted dusty rose Stella McCartney trousers kept me warm at night when the temperature dropped on the boat and I kept the accessories simple by reaching for my nude Givenchy heels and Bambi Antigona pouch, two of my favourites. I should tell you that my Mackage leather jacket wasn't far behind and as soon as the sun went down, the jacket went on.
Thank you to the crew on the Capt. Matthew Flinders for your hospitlaty. We had a wonderful time!
xo
Givenchy Antigona Bambi clutch
Rose Gold iPhone 6+ case, Felony Case
Glasses, Armani
Bracelets, The Peach Box
Cruise c/o Mariposa Cruises
White lace blouse, Mendocino
Trousers, Stella McCartney
Nude sandals, Givenchy shark lock