New year, new trends! The experts at Yorkville Village reveal the rising style, beauty, and food trends that are set to define the year to come.
1. Go for oat
As more Canadians turn away from dairy, oat milk has become a popular alternative to give your coffee a kick. “It’s better for you than almond or soy milk, and it’s naturally gluten-, lactose- and nut-free,” says Jack Provan, the owner of Jacked Up Coffee. “It also steams just like regular milk, so your cappuccino still has amazing body and depth.”
2. Suiting is seeing double in classic check
After spending the last few seasons on the bench, the double-breasted suit will make its grand return in 2019. Santo DeRose and Fabio Fata, owners of menswear boutique Via Cavour, say the influence of double-breasted cuts was already being felt when they attended the directional menswear event Pitti Uomo in Florence last year. “[The trend] has finally made its way to North America so we can all look that good,” says the pair in an email. Another trend: classic patterns reinvented. DeRose and Fata suggest a classic check in colours such as bordeaux and champagne.
At Via Cavour.
3. No more close shaves
More people are bidding a permanent adieu to body hair. Technological advances mean aestheticians, such as those at Waxon Laser and Waxbar, can now get the job done in four to six sessions versus 12. “This is a huge game changer for the hair-removal industry,” says Waxon director of operations Amy Finnegan Burns. For men, chest hair has become more fashionable, as evidenced by an increase in requests to wax the stomach but leave the chest natural.
Waxon Laser and Waxbar
4. Loosen up
In 2019, the fit of womenswear continues to be looser, especially when it comes to denim, with wider legs and higher waistlines. “We are seeing across age groups our clientele really understanding that look,” says Andrews buyer Tanya Apsega. “It took a while for people to feel right in it, but it is happening so much that people are understanding how to wear it.” According to Apsega, other fresh ideas for spring include high-end straw hats, statement blazers, and lavender everything (sorry, millennial pink).
Smythe suit, available at Andrews.
5. Get sweet on sours
This might be the year when foodies rediscover the satisfyingly sour taste of fermented ingredients, says Laura Schwartz, marketing and communications manager for Chase Hospitality Group, which runs Palm Lane. The salad-focused restaurant pickles all their vegetables in-house. Try their Azteca Bowl, a Mexican-inspired mixture that pairs pickled veggies with ingredients such as black beans, brown rice, tortillas and chipotle cashew crema. As per Schwartz, diners are also ordering more vegan items, such as Palm Lane’s all-plant-based smoothies.
Palm Lane’s Azteca Bowl.
6. Go low on heels
Heels needn’t be sky-high this season, but lower heights needn’t mean less glamour either, says Neil Eknovitz, assistant manager at Jean-Paul Fortin. He’s seeing soirée-ready footwear steeped in gold, brocade and animal-print detailing. In particular, Eknovitz recommends Bally of Switzerland shoes. “Bally of Switzerland had a dozen stores in the GTA in the ’90s before disappearing off the retail radar in this city,” he says. “Our buyers have been bringing in some exquisite styles in both men’s and women’s to an enthusiastic response. They do an elegance and quality like no other.”
