Last week, media were invited to preview Chapters Indigo’s holiday collection. I know what you’re thinking, Christmas in August?
As it’s often been said, the holidays are just around the corner. Although I’m thinking Labour Day, it’s never too early to start planning ahead.
The atmosphere was definitely merry in the Rosewood Suite of the Rosewood Hotel Georgia in downtown Vancouver, where cocktails were sipped while perusing the colourful goods around the roomy space.
Bold animal prints and Canadiana icons figure prominently this coming season, with lots of hand-crafted serving ware, baked goods from Butter Baked Goods, and fun, faux-fur hats and gloves.
The pastel travel collection includes jewellery rolls, nail filing cases, scarves, and luggage tags, while colourful Kate Spade leatherette journals in bright shades are perfect for your favourite writer.
Glassware gets a touch of gold for the season, accented with geometric shaped-patterns; a range of wonderful, warm and cozy candles evokes a warm fireplace and hot bevvy in hand.
Newly-launched Muse (CDN $349) has rolled out its brain-sensing headband to the retail chain, promising to relax your holiday-frazzled nerves and monitor your progress on an iPhone, iPad, or Android, right in the comfort of your own space. I tried out the three-minute program, with wind, sea, and bird-chirping noises, as I closed my eyes and listened to a soothing voice work my heart rate down to a comfortable level.
Ariel Garten, behind the team of Muse developers, spoke at both BIL Conference and TED this summer, so anyone who attended those conferences will be familiar with brainwave technology.
Branded as a brain fitness tool, the sleek plastic band (and first EEG consumer product available on the market) is embedded with seven electroencephalography (EEG) sensors that monitor your brain activity, sending real-time information to a Bluetooth-enabled device. An app (available for both Apple and Android) monitors progress while helping to relax your brain.
Visit the Chapters indigo website for 2014 holiday collection updates. More information on Muse can be found on the Choose Muse site.