Movie screenings, press junkets, exclusive parties, repeat.
Amid the whirlwind known as the Toronto International Film Festival, the Tastemakers Lounge gave festival
VIPs and talent a big Canadian welcome with its veritable treasure chest of comfort, beauty and bling.
The gifting suite, back at TIFF for a sixth year, opened its doors at Yorkville’s Intercontinental Hotel
between Sept. 9 to 16. Geoffrey Rush, Miranda Richardson, Kathleen Robertson and Terrence Howard were among
the famous faces who dropped by to check out the goodies before hitting the red carpet.
Tastemakers makes it a point to shine the spotlight on homegrown products: 90 per cent of the brands it
featured this year were Canadian. The lounge adopts a different theme every year, with past themes including
Green Room and Peace, Love and Film. “This year we went with Fresh Goods because we really felt the products
we were bringing together were kind of unique and were things that the celebrities here probably hadn’t seen
before,” says Leesa Butler, VP of Operations for Tastemakers.
One item that got rave reviews was Damn Heels by Toronto entrepreneur
Hailey Coleman. These fold-up ballet flats fit into an expandable pouch, perfect for storing high heels
on those long nights. Another hit product was MMCrystal’s line of Loves Legions dog tags, which launched at TIFF. Each military-inspired
tag is embellished with a single, positive word (Love, Strength, et cetera) and Swarovski crystal
accents.
Other swag included cosmetics by Joe Fresh (who also provided manicures and makeup touch-ups), Mattel games,
Westcan Optical frames, leather goods by Jessica Jensen, bamboo sleepwear from Bamjamz and Nanoblur skin care
products.
As in previous years, the Tastemakers Lounge applied its star power to a good cause: A number of celebrities
signed Mattel board games that will go up for online auction
from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1, with proceeds going to the SickKids Foundation. Colin Firth, David Schwimmer, Minnie
Driver, Peter Fonda, Martin Sheen, Emilio Estevez and Josh Hartnett were among those who signed games.
An autographed Tastemakers Royal Bank of Canada guest board will also go to the foundation along with a
donation of $10,000.
Click through the gallery above to see some of the stars who dropped by the lounge this year.•
All photos courtesy of Central Image
Agency
