Monday, September 20, 2010

Lara Ceroni, Online Editor for Elle Canada discusses the latest fashion trends

Photos by Jonathan Lorange

On Thursday, September 16, the Schad clothing boutique on Sussex Drive served as venue for the first of five presentations on trends in design organized by design-conscious property developer Urban Capital.

The series of presentations will be held in both Toronto and Ottawa, exploring how design trends in urban planning, architecture, fashion, and interior and industrial design impact our lifestyles, dwellings, and environment.

“Cities around the world are morphing into highly urban, pedestrian-oriented places to live,” explained David Wex, partner at Urban Capital. “Technology is allowing our buildings to take new, more organic shapes. Together with our new environmental awareness, it is also impacting the products we use, the things we wear, and the spaces we inhabit."

The evening's presenter was Lara Ceroni, Online Editor for Elle Canada, who offered an overview of current fashion trends, followed by a brief fashion show of the top lines for Fall/Winter 2010 available at Schad.

Ceroni introduced eight key trends in fashion, including what she called “cocooning” (knits and furs), “restraint” (minimalist clean lines), “’50s-inspired design,” and the ever-present military theme reflective of a turbulent world.

Ruminating on the future of fashion, Ceroni projected that post-recession trends will offer increasingly subdued and spare looks in an era of modesty where “making a statement is about not making a statement at all.”

Future Ottawa presentations in the series will be held at 453 Bank Street (at McLeod):

New Thinking in Designing Cities (October 28) with George Dark, Partner, Ottawa Urban Strategies Head, on the changing dynamic of building a successful Canadian city.

Where Industrial Design is Taking Us (November 25) with Julian Goss, Program Chair, Industrial Design Department, The Ontario College of Art & Design, on the evolution of industrial design.

Architecture in Our New Century (January 27) with Robert Claiborne, Design Lead, Cannon Design Lead Architect, Lansdowne Park Stadium, on latest trends in architecture and the role they play in today’s urban experience.

Interior Design Thinks Small (February 24) with Cecconi Simone, Partner, Cecconi Simone Interiors on how interior design thinking has adapted to smaller spaces and what lessons are being brought forward to shape the way we live.

Tickets to the presentations are available for purchase at www.urbancapital.ca for $20 per event. All proceeds from ticket sales will support Philip Beesley’s Hylozoic Ground, Canada’s entry to the Venice Biennale 2010, in association with the Royal Architectural Institute of Canada Foundation.

Urban Capital is a Toronto-based developer with 4,000 units built or in development in Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal.