LD West

When it comes to fashion accessories, I'm always on the hunt for something new, and recently I've noticed holsters making their way into men's streetwear style. 

I discovered LD West, an immersing brand from Toronto, Canada, while seeing some other local bloggers and stylish locals represent their awesome creations.

The concept came from the discomfort of of having a wallet and cellphone in our pockets, especially when sitting down. Finding a creative and trendy new way to keep our phones and wallets safe especially when were always on the go.

What I love most about their brilliant designs is their innovative way to mix practicality with a stylish design and versatile functions.

I'm wearing the black cell phone leather shoulder holster which you can find directly at this link.

If you're thinking about rocking one too I've got my own personalized discount code where you can save 10% off on holster sets over 90$. Use promo code "bobby" at checkout. Valid till the end of July. Thanks for stopping by and have a nice week!

Four Seasons Holiday Getaway

If you're looking for the perfect holiday getaway the Four Seasons hotel in Toronto is the perfect relaxing retreat. 

When I first walked into the premiere room I was instantly impressed by the spacious and relaxing design. The settle decor and matching artwork creates a soft dreamy feel to the room. As someone who I really admires interior design, I found myself fascinated by the selected artwork and wall accents. One of my favourite features of the room would have to be the crescent-shaped sofa that's ideally designed for intimate conversation. 

When it comes to hotels, having a nice bathroom with the perfect lighting is something I find at the top of my priority list.  -and what more could you ask for than having a TV hidden in the mirror?

The Dream bathroom with spacious counters and granite interior is really luxury at it's finest.

The floor-to-ceiling windows showing the view of downtown Toronto really makes a site to see especially during the night. Since these rooms are located high up on the 10th to 21st floors the downtown noise wasn't a disturbance in the slightest -even on a Friday night when the city becomes more lively. 

A night wouldn't be more complete without a quick visit to the spa where a sunlit indoor relaxation pool and hot tub adjoins to an outdoor terrance overlooking the city of Toronto.

Lastly, I must mention that the concierge team was very professional and welcoming upon our arrival and offered to help us with transportation later in the night. Below are more photos from my relaxing getaway and breakfast at Café Bouloud. Thanks for stopping by and hope everyone is having a lovely weekend!~

Marsquest

Hey everyone! I'm here to announce a new giveaway that I've been hosting with Marsquest on my instagram account and the rules are really simple to enter!!

All you have to do is tag 3 friends on my instagram post and follow @Marsquest for a chance to win a pair of polarized sunglasses from Marsquest!✨🕶✨

There will be 3 winners!!! 

This contest is open worldwide!

One entry is allowed per person but for a bonus entry you can regram or share this image & tag me!🙌🏼 Close date: Tuesday November 21st at 11:59 p.m. Eastern time. This draw will be random and I will announce the 3 winners on Wednesday November 22nd! Stay tuned and good luck to all!

I'm also having another mini local giveaway to the Guelph, Toronto and GTA residence. When they can win one of my favourite handpicked pairs. One extra person can win a pair by commenting 😎 or 🕶 on this instagram post here.

Bonus entry for following @Marsquest on instagram too.

I will announce this winner the same day.

About Marsquest

-founded in Toronto in 2016! 

-Superior quality eyewear at reasonable prices to customers! 

-Polarized lenses!

Enter giveaway on instagram HERE!

Toronto Events: Artbound // AmexCobalt

Toronto always has exciting events going on in the city, but last Thursday would have to have been more electrifying than most! It started off with a pop-up restaurant event created in celebration of American Express Canada's new card where guests got to enjoy a five course meal cooked by Chef Antonio Park. What's great about the new #AmexCobalt card is that it's targeted for a younger audience with some major rewards when doing all the fun things like travelling, eating, shopping and even taking a taxi. #YouDoYou is a celebration to yourself by getting rewarded by just doing what you like and not having to work around the card. 🙌🏻💳✨

⏩

Later in the night I got to attend Artbound; a party with purpose. This night of transformative talent was overflowing with inspirational people and creative performances. 

The theme of this event was #worldwithcolour while all guests took part in a black & white or full colour dress code. Party with a purpose was created to raise money to fund creative programs currently in six countries and with a goal to expand in the future.  It was also great to see Busty and the Bass, a nine member hip-hop soul group from Montreal who I must mention sounds amazing live! My favourite part of the night was when I spotted the lead singer and got a chance to chat with him right before they went on stage. #Artbound was such a wonderful experience and I appreciate all the hard work and planning it took to organize such a successful event. Thanks for stopping by, till next time! -Bobby 🌃 ✨

Grey Goose Sunset Soirée

Tuesday was the Grey Goose Sunset Soirée and delicious picnic event with Chef Justin Kent from Paris. I had such an amazing time admiring all the beautiful decorations and details in every corner of the event surrounded by elegant people. I also had my portrait drawn on the spot by a lovely artist which I also got to keep as a little souvenir. It was great to try all the different Grey Goose cocktails at each bar while taking these photos and meeting new people. In the photos below are Jana, Rebecca and also my guest Daniel.   

#SunsetSoiree @greygoosecanada

Bluenotes x Christmas Market with the gang

Last week a group of friends and I took a trip to the Toronto Christmas Market in the Distillery District. The night before I wished for snow, and then a blizzard arrives. It did feel as if we were inside of a snow globe. Even though it was pretty cold we were having fun running around looking at all the cool holiday set ups. It's really a cool place and I really recommend checking it out if you are in the Toronto area and want to get into the holiday spirit. It was actually my first year checking out the holiday market and I'm really glad I was able to explore the most of it. We wanted to take some fun winter pics before all the Christmas hype was over. All of the outfits in these photos are styled with some of the newest holiday arrivals from Bluenotes including my friends. I'm wearing the heavy weight cardigan in the colour cream, from their party section paired with my favourite modern slim levi's jeans also available at Bluenotes. I also can't wait to get my hands on a pair of the levi's twill pants in the colour olive. They have the most perfect fit and to have them in my favourite colour would be even more amazing. I found this knitted scarf and apparently it was the last one in the store and so of course it had to be mine. I love how it creates a classic winter look just by adding one simple accessory. I've actually been throwing it on with all of my winter outfits and more to come! Special thanks to my friends Kat, Daniel, Kyle and Thai for an amazing day to remember. Have a good weekend and thanks for stopping by! -Bobby

L.L.Bean Bootmobile at Nathan Phillips Square

The Bootmobile has been on the road and this holiday it reached Canada for the first time ever. Spotted at the Nathan Phillips Square Holiday Fair in the heart of Toronto this weekend only. It's the perfect place to hangout with friends, family or even a date. They have skating, rides for children, beautiful Christmas decorations, unique vendors which could be great gift ideas and food of course. Met up with some friends who were doing a bit of Christmas shopping at the Eaton Centre which is also right beside. I'm wearing the original 8" L.L.Bean Boots with the Ivory Windowpane Sport Shirt which has a traditional fit and is also wrinkle free. I think it's a perfect outfit for a holiday get together. If you're thinking about purchasing something from the L.L.Bean website make sure you order it before the 19th so that it can be shipped right in time before Christmas. Their express shipping was surprisingly fast and I had received my boots and shirt with just two days of buying them. The 8" L.L.Bean boots that I'm wearing in these photos are currently out of stock but be sure to check back in January as they will replenish their stock soon. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Bundle up, dress warm and have fun! -Bobby

Bestival Day 1

Hey guys!!  It's been awhile since I last posted on my blog;  I've been recovering from an accident for awhile now but managed to attend Bestival in Toronto on behalf of The Festival Traveler this past weekend.  I couldn't pass up such an amazing opportunity to take pictures at the festival.  It was also my best friend Tanner's Birthday, so we spent the weekend in Toronto and he assisted me with taking these photos.

There were sooo many unique people with incredible outfits at Bestival, so stay tuned for my upcoming blog post featuring the festival fashion as well as day 2 photos!!  On day 1 we explored the grounds and found lots of unique places to kick back and enjoy the music, such as the knitted couch up on a hill that allowed us to hide out while watching people dance to some wicked jungle beats.  There was such an abundance of creativity at the festival - so many unique and kitschy details in every corner.

The essence of the festival was very eclectic with lots of hippie vibes - it was really inspirational to see everyone embrace the theme with their fashion.

Overall, Bestival was an inspiring celebration of creativity and self-expression.  You guys should check out The Festival Traveller blog, the owner Vesna is super cool and she will get you inspired to attend a Festival soon and help you to get an inside perspective of what to expect!

Forever 21 Menswear Dinner Event

On Thursday evening I went to the Forever 21 Menswear Dinner event at the LCBO in Summerhill and it was a lot of fun. Chef Matthew Kennedy provided us with an informative cooking lessing and served a three course meal starting with grilled black tiger shrimp, steak with charred corn, sweet pepper and basil salsa, and ending with a strawberry and rhubarb crumble topped with vanilla ice cream. I was so thankful to be given the recipes because near the end while eating the strawberry and rhubarb crumble I was regretting not writing anything down. I will be sure to try and attempt on making some of these dishes myself! My favourite beer that I tasted was the one served with the appetizers called Les Trois Mousquetaires Hopefenweisse. I'll be sure to have that next time I grill seafood in my barbecue backyard party. Below are some of the photos from the event while featuring the newest collection from Forever 21 Men. I really like the colour pallet that they selected and of course they used a lot of unique patterns and had a lot of fun accessories. That's about it for today! Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful weekend everyone. Sincerely, Bobby

When Art comes to life

This weekend I had one of the most exciting and unreal experiences to have come my way. I teamed up with Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply to be painted by the one and only incredible artist Alexa Meade at the Hudson's Bay right downtown Toronto last friday. I wasn't sure what to expect because I haven't once posed for live painting let alone be painted into one! but after my experience I can be sure to say it was quite relaxing to say the least. I'll have to admit I was a little nervous and intimated to be in the window with a lot of attention on me, but then I realized it was more anonymous and I became one with the painting and artistic concept. In a way I became the wallflower that I am with all of it's perks. One of my favourite parts was looking out of the window and seeing all reactions from people walking by, especially when I startled a few people. I learned a lot about the deeper conceptual message behind Alexa's art when talking to her during the painting process. I find it fascinating that her art can be photographed from many angles and poses to create infinite possibilities of different paintings. This experience is completely priceless to me and these images will always be something that I will cherish for ever. I wanted to thank everyone who stopped by and for showing your support. I was completely surprised by some people that came by and hold it close to my heart. Thanks a lot for reading my blog today. I took way too many photos that I'm thinking of making a second blog post to share more photos of this day. To be continued... Warmest wishes, Bobby Raffin

I could win something for you if you'd like.

What I'm Wearing:

Graphic Tee: Nike

Denim Shirt: Romwe

Art Watch: Pappwatch

Camo Shoes: Dr Martens

I got together with one of my good friends Natalie, blogger from Nataliastyle for some last of summer fun at the CNE in Toronto. I'm always a big fan of fairs because I love rides and all the sweets. Of course we got some cotton candy, and not just for the photos! haha, It was great to hear music and eat 99 cents tacos too! At the end of the day Natalie wanted a prize so I win one for the team =]

Beaucoup at Launch Toronto

Some photos taken at the Launch Toronto, Beaucoup social sale over the weekend. Today's outfit is featuring some of the latest designs from Beaucoup sold at Launch Toronto located at 116 Spadina Ave. Now happening every Saturday from 3-9, so stop by if you're in the area.

Chelea Danielle from Masks and Mermaids wearing Street Chief.

 Model and designer @MylesSexton pieces also available in-store.