All posts tagged: Store Reviews

Mulberry is Now Open in Toronto

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Mulberry opened their first two Canadian stores recently. The British company, founded in 1971, is known for their luxury leather craftsmanship. Rural English references in their designs results in an aesthetic they define as ‘Le Style Anglais. “Toronto is a key location in Mulberry’s North American expansion,” says Carl Barbato, President of Mulberry USA. “With the country’s expanding luxury market and consumer base, creating a strong presence in Canada is the next natural step for Mulberry.” Toronto is the lucky home for the stores found on Bloor Street West and the powerhouse Yorkdale Mall. Before opening in Toronto, I didn’t have much hands on experience with the brand. I’ve posted about their sweater craftmanship before and I’ve seen some of their bags in Holt Renfrew. Shortly after the opening, I was invited to check out the Bloor Street location to get to know the brand. The Mulberry store finishing is beautiful. Designed by British architects, Universal Design Studio they use timber, limestone and oak as features to complement Mulberry’s dedication to craftsmanship and luxury. Both …

Dolce & Gabbana is Now Open on Bloor Street

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So, Dolce & Gabbana quietly opened on Bloor Street late last week. I happen to know the Assistant Manager and I dropped by to check out the new Designers on the block. Dolce & Gabbana took over the old Louis Vuitton space and structurally it hasn’t changed much. Womenswear, evening wear, jewellery, fragrances and accessories are downstairs. Upstairs is all for the guys with ready to wear, accessories and shoes on hand. There is even an $85,000 watch for sale! There were so many beautiful things in the store that I had to sneak in a little dress up action. First up is the classic Dolce & Gabbana bustier dress. Everyone who saw my photos on Instagram liked this one the best. It’s a great dress but bustiers don’t tend to fit me right. I managed to try on a couple gowns. I love this white and black lace one. It was about $7500. It was light as air and full of movement. Another beautiful dress was his black bustier gown. The bustier is hidden …

Zara.com Now Shipping to Canada or I’ll Never Step Foot into a Zara Store Again

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It’s absolute genius at how Zara can make every single piece of clothing look desirable on their newly launched Canadian ecommerce site. I’m floored. Zara is my favourite of the fast fashion shops but nothing ever looks this good in the store. That’s right folks, you can get Zara shipped to your door anywhere in Canada starting March 6, 2013. To celebrate the launch Zara blanketed the city with $150 gift card according to all the tweets and Instagram post I saw last week. I too received this lovely gift which allowed the recipient to shop at Zara.com ahead of the national launch on March 6th. Zara does everything right when it comes to a great online experience. My key indicators are as follows: Easy to Navigate – Must have a simple, intuitive menu system No animation or auto playing music Simple, uncluttered interface with lots of white space Multiple large, high resolution photos of the item from many angles including a detail shot On figure and off figure images Fabric description and composition Item …

Miu Miu Comes to Toronto via Holt Renfrew Bloor Street

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Everyone has been buzzing about the new Miu Miu mini boutique that opened up in Holt Renfrew’s Bloor Street location. This is Miu Miu’s first Canadian point of sale. Architect Roberto Baciocchi designed space that is dedicated to Miu Miu handbags and accessories collections. No clothing folks and shoes are still available in shoe department. The space is very Miu Miu with damask finish covered in crystal and studs, small display windows and polished brass backlit logos. Miu Miu can be found on the first floor of Holts in the handbag section. It occupies the space where all the Balenciaga bags were hanging about. It’s like walking into a gold box. I stopped by today. It’s not very big and I didn’t see much jewellery but there were a ton of handbags though. It was super busy too. The space looks pretty slick and makes the product so desirable looking. Miu Miu Toronto, Holt Renfrew 50 Bloor Street West Toronto images: courtesy of Prada

Stacey Zhang Toronto Boutique Launch Party

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Montreal based designer, Stacey Zhang has opened a boutique in Toronto. She’s chosen a strip of Queen Street West that was independent boutique friendly until the corporations moved in many years ago. It’s a brave move to  complete for foot traffic with Zara, H&M and the Gap. Stacey Zhang aims to provide stylish women with affordable,ready-to-wear collections that are ethically produced and limited in quantity, maximizing the time and care spent in creating each garment. Known for highly detailed and structurally unique clothing, Stacey Zhang features styles ranging from fun, flirty dresses to sharp business attire to feminine, chic casual wear. With organic cottons, relaxed linens, luxurious silks, wool and sustainable bamboo as staples of past collections, the designer is also known for her impeccable selection of fabric. She is continually researching practical ways to replace fabrics with more ecologically sound and sustainable threads. Both Montreal and Toronto boutiques feature a wide variety of unique accessories handpicked by Stacey on her travels throughout Europe and Asia. Stacey plans to make the shopping experience at the Toronto …

V by 69 Vintage

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V by 69 VINTAGE is a new shop brought to you by Toronto Vintage mogul, Kealan Sullivan.  Kealan’s empire includes 69 Vintage and 69 Vintage Collective/Buy The Pound.  V by 69 Vintage will feature all the prized vintage finds Kealan doesn’t sell in the other shops. Everything in the store is for sale and that includes fixtures, books and gardening supplies. This is a high-end vintage shop because of the rarity of the pieces and all clothing is restored and repaired. V by 69 VINTAGE is a new creative vintage retail space which will showcase a series of changing monthly thematic concepts. Through art direction and careful product selection, the space, contents and merchandise for sale will transform entirely each month to reflect a new theme, ultimately creating an exciting retail experience. This new store is an opportunity for us to share our love and appreciation of vintage and to present our treasures in an innovative way in the form of distinctive curated collections. Our first theme is titled “THE VICTORY GARDENS” and runs from …

Dandi Maestre New Retail Location, 386 Huron Street, Toronto

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Canadian jewellery designer, Dandi Maestre has decided to keep the 386 Huron Street location as a permanent retail space. Based on the response received, my holiday pop-up store at 386 Huron St. (at Sussex Ave.) will be extended indefinitely. My unique pieces, made of organic materials such as antlers, bull horn, rough amber and emeralds, reclaimed wood, natural seeds and nuts will be available Monday to Friday from 10am to 3pm; Saturday from 12 to 6pm. Other times by special appointment – please call 416-948-2040 or write to dandi@dandimaestre.com. Now you will also find beautiful recycled glass bubble terrariums (with or without plants) and unique home organic homewares. My designs have been seen in Vogue, Lucky, Hello!, Flare, Glamour, People Style Watch, Holts Style, The Toronto Star and The Globe & Mail and on Donna Karan, who features my line in her Urban Zen shop in New York. I visited the shop before the holidays, bought some earrings and took some pictures. It’s such a beautiful space and the gallery setup works perfectly for Dandi’s …

Comme des Garcons’ Seoul Flagship Store

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I remember visiting the Comme des Garçons’ store in New York during fashion week. It was stark white and beautiful. They have opened a new flagship in Seoul, Korea.  I love the presentation with the hats and handbags being my favourite displays It might be celebrated for its guerilla stores that have been popping up since 2004, but Comme des Garçons has just unveiled a new permanent venture – an epic new flagship store in Seoul. Part futuristic rabbit warren, part conceptual shopping space, ‘Five Tunnels’ joins the brand’s clutch of permanent stores located in design hubs around the world. Led by the fashion label founder and designer, Rei Kawakubo, the project started with the ambitious redesign of an existing building. The resulting white-lacquer and glass space is, at 1600sq m, one of their biggest stores yet. Spanning seven mezzanine levels and stocking the entire Comme des Garçons collection, it’s a more than adequate answer to the brand’s growing South Korean fan base. There’s even a room dedicated to the popular ‘Beatles’ clothing collection that …

Seventy Seven by Kim Newport-Mimran

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Seventy Seven is the flagship store for Pink Tartan by Kimberley Newport-Mimran. The shop featured the Pink Tartan collection and a selection of items that complement the line and represent the Pink Tartan lifestyle. The store is located in Yorkville and has taken over a historic Georgian building. The historic Georgian gem was built in 1837, and since 1926 it housed the antique treasure trove The Paisley Shop. The space has been redesigned by inter-nationally acclaimed designer Diego Burdi of Burdifilek (W hotels Atlanta, The Thompson residences presentation centre Toronto, the Club Monaco flagship in New York City). “It is beautiful and white, with light herringbone floors and modern panelling,” says Newport-Mimran, who wanted the shop to reflect the homes she shares in Toronto and New York with her husband, Joe Mimran, and family. “We have mixed modern classics with vintage pieces.” Context was the point for her first foray into retail under her own label, an opportunity to showcase the full Pink Tartan lifestyle. I went to the media preview a few days before …

Dr. Martens on Queen

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There is a new Dr. Martens store on Queen Street. It’s taken over the old Neon Clothing space. The store’s décor is based around the furniture and fixtures you could expect to find in the raw and industrial Northamptonshire, England factory. Reflecting the sense of craft involved in Dr. Martens boots and shoes, all fittings used in the store are authentic and durable. In addition to Dr. Martens Originals that have become known around the globe, seasonal merchandising will support the contemporary expansion of the brand. As Dr. Martens continues to identify creative individuals around the world, limited edition collaborations will be released and featured in the new Queen Street location. This location has so many styles of Dr. Martens to choose from, it should satisfy most people’s needs. All the abstract colours are available like purple, yellow and the metallics. I love that there is a Dr. Martens store in Toronto now. I could see a major addiction for 20 hole boots developing if this store was open during my high school and university …