Navajo prints and accessories are in.
I wouldn't ordinarily know this but, thanks to Coquitlam Centre and the Pandora Style Lounge I, too, can become a style expert.
All I need to do is take a few moments from my shopping to sit down on the white leather couches in the style lounge in the mall's H & M wing and relax in front of the flat screen TV which is showing a video of the latest fashion trends.
I can also thumb through fashion magazines while taking a breather in the lounge sponsored by Pandora.
The lounge is the brainchild of mall marketing manager Deborah Stetz, who said she wanted to do something to make the mall stand out from its competitors. De-mystifying fashion for the girls and woman who frequent the Coquitlam shopping centre seemed like a unique idea, and so far the initiative seems to be paying off.
"It's about the inside scoop on style," explained Stetz, who has hired Catherine Dunwoody, an experienced fashion show producer, stylist, writer and fashion director to be the local style maven.
"She is very knowledgeable about style trends and fits our demographic," Stetz said of Dunwoody.
On the day The News was visiting the Pandora Style Lounge, Dunwoody was filming one of her fashion videos about the latest spring fashions. She took a break to talk about how much fun she is having coming up with new ideas to promote fashion trends at the shopping centre.
For example, she has invited leading make-up experts to talk about spring trends this Saturday, March 3 from noon until 3 p.m. Shoppers who drop by will get free advice about the latest beauty trends from MAC make-up artists. MAC products are available at The Bay,
Another event hosted by Dunwoody was the Dress for Less fashion event, where she put together 12 head-to-toe looks from mall stores for under $100 for each outfit to showcase January sale items.
"I like to challenge myself," said Dunwoody, who said she takes pride in helping girls and women understand fashion.
Typically the lounge is geared to shoppers age 18 to 35, but no one is left out and an upcoming mother and daughter event will showcase fashions for women in the 50-plus age bracket.
The style lounge isn't strictly about hair, make-up and clothing either. Dunwoody will also talk about fashion trends for the home as well.
Stetz said the mall is getting the message out via Twitter and Facebook, too, and has created a channel on YouTube with helpful videos. For more, visit www.youtube.com/Coquitlam Centre.
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