Issue 4: January 30 2012

Sears’ Artful Inspired Summer 2012 Collection
By: Sanchia Saha

Influenced by Miami’s South Beach, there are beautiful bright oranges, reds, greens, and blues in Sears’ high-energy Ocean Club look, while their Desert Bloom look features sunset oranges, fiery reds and cactus flower pinks over neutral khaki and brown tones. Taking a cue from runway trends, Cynthia Florek, Trend Director for Women’s Wear at Sears Canada, said “this summer is all about playing with prints and colours.” That proves true throughout labels such as Jessica, Attitude by Jay Manuel, and Kensie – all showcased on Thursday at Sears’ corporate office at the Eaton Centre.

Popular trends for summer 2012 include the exotic print, midi length dress, and woven tee. Similar to last summer’s splash of colours and prints, this year we see bold flower, tribal, animal, and batik prints on voluminous tanks, caftan tops, maxi skirts and airy blouses.
Maxi dresses may have been the ultimate rage last year, but this year the midi dress reigns as the go-to stylish and comfortable piece in any closet; its versatile silhouette and mid-calf length allows it to easily be dressed up or down, depending on the occasion.

The ‘tee’ is a summer staple no girl should be without – with its light-weight and chiffon feel, an oversized trapeze, boxy or cropped woven tee exemplifies cool chic, especially when fabric blocking with knit/woven tees; another popular trend to look forward to this summer!

EATON CENTRE – WE LOVE YOU!

By Maruja

Local or tourist, it’s hard not to be in Toronto without going to the city’s largest shopping mall, the Eaton Centre. Let’s take a brief history back when this mall first established. It opened its doors in 1977 and Eaton’s was a pillar to the ever-growing mall with its own department store, which today, is replaced by Sears Canada. Eaton Centre is 5-story building which was once just a store owned by Timothy Eaton. Now, it delivers about 230 retail stores to cater to just about any customer, and includes a selection of restaurants and two food courts with one newly renovated located in the basement called the Urban Eatery.
Today, as the Eaton Centre remains to be the primary shopping mall to shop at, it continues to focus on it’s redevelopment to make it the main destination for Torontonians and visitors. New branding is an addition to the renovations, and since 2010, Eaton’s has been focusing on green initiatives to become an eco-friendly mall. It is also achieving a green environment to its promotions by getting retailers to offer their own promotional paper bags as it can also be seen as an for advertisement to the mass customers. To be up-to-date if you are an avid shopper, Eaton’s provides numerous promotions on retailers holding huge discount sales and store openings. Also listed are events for new looks of the season and chances for customers to win gift cards available for retailers in the Eaton Centre or any of which are owned by Cadillac Fairview.
Despite all the new establishments, Eaton’s continues to be a shopping mall for the family. It may be hard to believe because of the newly renovations and modern décor, but with affordable retailers such as Forever 21 and H&M it is still considered an “every person” mall. Even with the attachment of Sears and The Bay which remain as go-to retailers for women, men and children’s wear, shoes, electronics, and at-home furnishing, Eaton’s is for everyone. Despite the high-end stores which our mainly on the third level; Harry Rosen, Apple, Mendocino, Sephora, Wilfred, Browns, Stuart Weitzman, and Michael Kors, the majority of the low to medium-priced retailers our situated on the floors below including Forever21, American Eagle, Aeropostale, and Aldo just to name a few.
Hot new retailers to take a look at include Aritzia’s own Wilfred shop. A little store located on the third floor, it can be confused for a boutique, so it can be hard to miss ladies! Amsterdam’s Scotch and Soda which sits on the second floor of the mall is hip, urban and stylish for both men and women. World famous, Victoria Secret has been at the Eaton Centre since Fall 2011 and will continue to be the best choice for women looking for the perfect, sexy lingerie. Coming soon is Pink, which is also owned by Victoria Secret and will be located right across from it on the second floor. So for those ladies or teenagers looking for cute, comfy sleepwear or lingerie, don’t miss out!