Waterford Wedgwood chose the elegant Sovereign Ballroom at the King Edward Hotel to introduce its new tableware collections to the Canadian market yesterday. The company's vice president of media communications and visual presentations, Martha McKee, paired up with Tiffany Bourré of the Idea Workshop to present an afternoon of high tea that highlighted the classic bone china Wedgwood is famous for.
A tall white "W" statue topped with Wedgwood's all-white Eternity collection awaited guests—mostly media and stylists—as they entered the event. Designer Vera Wang's three new collections took centre stage, surrounding a white fondant cake topped with a flower-filled teacup. The rest of the tableware sets were arranged in accessorized vignettes around the perimeter of the large space.Wedgwood showed off its tradition of using contemporary designers with collections entitled "Blue Butterfly" by Jasper Conran and "Embrace" by Barbara Barry (featuring the interior designer's signature oval loop). The new Wedgwood London Collection included two product firsts for the company: lead crystal stemware and silver flatware.
To complement the new collections, Wedgwood revisited its history with, among other items, the Archive Mug collection and a line of classic Jasperware accessories and holiday ornaments. "All of these collections really represent an embracing of our heritage," McKee said.
Stacked teacups filled with flowers were the centrepieces on the 11 white-clothed tables in the middle of the ballroom. Loose-leaf Darjeeling tea was served in white Jasper Conran teapots and cups, along with a three-tiered tray of cranberry-studded scones, clotted cream, crustless sandwiches, and delicate desserts.
Before the food was served, a three-minute promotional video made a case for Wedgwood's continued relevance in today's home-decor market. It also touched on the reemerging trend of taking tea in the afternoon—a practice the King Edward Hotel will soon reinstitute, using (what else?) Wedgwood china.
A tall white "W" statue topped with Wedgwood's all-white Eternity collection awaited guests—mostly media and stylists—as they entered the event. Designer Vera Wang's three new collections took centre stage, surrounding a white fondant cake topped with a flower-filled teacup. The rest of the tableware sets were arranged in accessorized vignettes around the perimeter of the large space.Wedgwood showed off its tradition of using contemporary designers with collections entitled "Blue Butterfly" by Jasper Conran and "Embrace" by Barbara Barry (featuring the interior designer's signature oval loop). The new Wedgwood London Collection included two product firsts for the company: lead crystal stemware and silver flatware.
To complement the new collections, Wedgwood revisited its history with, among other items, the Archive Mug collection and a line of classic Jasperware accessories and holiday ornaments. "All of these collections really represent an embracing of our heritage," McKee said.
Stacked teacups filled with flowers were the centrepieces on the 11 white-clothed tables in the middle of the ballroom. Loose-leaf Darjeeling tea was served in white Jasper Conran teapots and cups, along with a three-tiered tray of cranberry-studded scones, clotted cream, crustless sandwiches, and delicate desserts.
Before the food was served, a three-minute promotional video made a case for Wedgwood's continued relevance in today's home-decor market. It also touched on the reemerging trend of taking tea in the afternoon—a practice the King Edward Hotel will soon reinstitute, using (what else?) Wedgwood china.
Wedgwood's teacup display.
Photo: Jill Kitchener for BizBash
Stacked teacups filled with flowers served as centrepieces on the 11 white-clothed tables.
Photo: Jill Kitchener for BizBash
Wedgwood's all-white Eternity collection topped a tall white "W" statue.
Photo: Jill Kitchener for BizBash
Vera Wang's new collections surrounded a white fondant cake topped with a flower-filled teacup.
Photo: Jill Kitchener for BizBash
Loose-leaf Darjeeling tea was served in white Jasper Conran teapots and cups.
Photo: Jill Kitchener for BizBash
Food offerings included three-tiered trays of cranberry-studded scones, clotted cream, crustless sandwiches, and delicate desserts.
Photo: Jill Kitchener for BizBash
