All posts tagged: Store Reviews

Red Canoe Brands Showroom

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Red Canoe Brands now has a brick and mortar store in the West end of Toronto. I’ve been a fan of Red Canoe ever since I stumbled on their website many years ago. I really enjoy the aviation and outdoor influence in the line. It’s been great watching them grow from a purely online endeavor to products sold in The Drake General Store to a flagship store in Whistler and now their own showroom in Toronto. Red Canoe draws on these ideals to create unique quality apparel. Tough, comfortable outdoor clothing built to be worn. Dedicated to the promotion of historic and cultural icons, it is classic clothing that, like the symbols it honours, will stand the test of time. President and Founder Dax Wilkinson came by his adventurous spirit and love of the outdoors honestly. Growing up in Northern Ontario, his time was spent flying in the legendary DeHavilland Beaver into remote hunting and fishing camps. Aird Island, his family retreat on the North Channel of Georgian Bay, has been his source of inspiration …

Drake Hotel General Store x Shared

Drake Hotel General Store x Shared

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It seemed like yesterday that the Drake Hotel General Store expanded to into Rosedale. Here they go expanding again with a new storefront at Bathurst and King. Well the storefront isn’t new, it’s an expanded version of the Shared storefront. Carlo Colacci and Joyce Lo decided it would be a good idea to combine the Drake General Store and their Shared location. An additional 200 square feet was added and it really makes the place feel a lot larger. This Drake General Store x Shared space focuses on clothing and home decor. For the first time all the antique fixtures that everyone drools over in the store will be available for sale. Carlo and Joyce are serious vintage hunters, you can expect their one of a kind finds to be top notch. Shared clothing is prominent in the shop with additional labels like Levis, Cheap Monday, Insight Swimwear, Happy Socks, Sessun, Kostym and Fortnight.  You can still expect to find kitschy items like fabric cacti and mini flasks that make great gifts.   Also check out …

Fawn Boutique Spring 2010 Arrivals

Fawn Boutique Spring 2010 Arrivals

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I visited Fawn Boutique on the same day I visited Chasse Gardée. I went crazy with the Olympus E-PL1 and took a bunch of pictures of the spring 2010 new arrivals. I talked to Kasha about the new items. She pointed out great pieces from newly acquired label SHIN, the Line Knitwear leather jackets, the new Complex Geometries and [Blank] denim. I was drooling over pretty much everything in the store. It’s my favourite store in Toronto and I love Kasha’s buying. She is such a great curator of clothing. I was wandering the streets with my friend Jaime Woo who captured some photos of me in Fawn . Fawn 967 Queen St W Toronto (647)334-4703

Drake General Store Rosedale Preview

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I got a sneak peek at the new Drake General Store location in Rosedale. It’s so damn adorable. It’s very similar to the Queen location in the fact that reclaimed materials are used for store fixtures and antiques are peppered throughout. The wood came from a barn that was built in the late 1800s. As soon as I found out, I had to rub my fingers over the wood. When I encounter an object that is old I always touch it (if possible). It’s like I’m trying to feel history or some residue memory of the lives the object has encountered. When I was visiting the Taj Mahal in India, I make sure I touched the marble and embedded gems. I still can’t get over that building, just wow, stunning. I think the location choice is a brilliant idea. It fits quite well with the neighbourhood. I dare say I like this location better. The Rosedale location also has some items that are exclusive and won’t be found on Queen West. Both locations share the …

Miori Boutique Opening

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The Miori Boutique opening was in my stomping grounds, The Path so I decided to check it out. This new womenswear store opened up in the Exchange Tower. I talked to the owners and learned that they are long term retailers in the city. They even had a store that I was one of my rounds in Scotia Plaza before the reno and Brooks Brothers. The woman behind Miori Boutiques is Gita Kowsari, a Toronto-area entrepreneur who opened her first store in 1990 and has over 17 years of experience in the fashion industry. Gita Kowsari’s personal flair for fashion combined with her expertise as a buyer can be found at the core of Miori’s success. 60% of Miori’s merchandise is from Canadian designers. The others are mostly from Europe like 2026 clothing, Rinascimento, Soyaconcept and Sinéquanone. Miori carries Mackage for those path dwellers that don’t want to head to the Eaton Centre on lunch. I was surprised at the selection of casual items, it was much more than I expected. I thought it would …

Shared now has a Storefront

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Shared is a Toronto based fashion company that makes incredible locally made basics. They decided to open their first storefront and I went to the opening launch. All their clothing produced in Toronto and is made from organic cotton. I learned that they weave their own fabric in Toronto. The yarn is sourced from many different places but basically the shirts are made from scratch in Toronto. To top this off, they donate 50% of their profits to charity. The store is one of the cutest I’ve seen in Toronto. The designers are big collectors of antiques and they have cleverly decorated the space with their finds. The store isn’t big, only 350 sq ft but the layout is very well done. I’m a fan of Shared. I own a black cardigan that I got at The Drake Hotel General Store. I really am enamored with these two tshirts though. They both have a story. I suggest you goto the store and find out about it. The running shoes are very cute and affordable ($99). …

Magnolia

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I finally visited Magnolia store at Avenue and Eglinton. The store itself is beautiful. Super high ceilings, great window, large mirrors, eye catching store displays and the best changerooms in the city. Magnolia carries Izzy Camilleri, Lucian Matis, Hoss Intropia, Designers Remix Collection, Love Moschino handbags and Tara Jarmon. Owner Juan Carlos does a wonderful job of curating the clothing in the store. Magnolia 333 Eglinton Ave W, Unit 2B info@magnoliaonline.ca 416-488-9893

i got: Jeffrey Campbell Biz Belted Bootie

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I wanted the Jeffrey Campbell Biz Belted Bootie. I figured nowhere in Toronto would carry this style but I was wrong. It figures a new store I’ve been hearing wonderful things about is carrying them, Chasse Gardee. Chasse Gardee has been on my shops to visit list since I heard a friend gushing over this great new store in the West end; Queen and Dovercourt to be exact. I finally got that chance. Lining the exposed brick wall was shoes. The selection was unique and eclectic. You probably won’t find any of the shoes here in any other stores in the city. They also carry handbags and jewellery. Some of the brands you can find are Slow and Steady Wins the Race, Hyde S.K, Jeffrey Campbell and Karen Walker Eyewear. I didn’t make note of any of the other shoe brands. Chasse Gardee 1084 Queen Street West Toronto, Ontario 416-901-9613 You can find the < Jeffrey Campbell Biz boots online at Canadian retailer Ssense.com

Montreal 2008 – u&i

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Another great shop in Montreal is u&i. It’s located on St Laurent but I didn’t manage to get any pictures. They weren’t as friendly as Thomas from Reborn so I didn’t bother to ask. From the Brand list you can imagine that it’s pretty cool.

Montreal 2008 – Reborn

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One of the coolest shops in Montreal is Reborn. Adrian from Fashion Verbatim recommended that I check it out. It’s in old Montreal and I visited it after my stop at the Notre-Dame Basilica. I had forgotten the address that Adrian had given me and I was wandering around looking and then I saw the window and I knew I found the place. Thomas (I think that is his name according to Adrian) was in the shop and he was so friendly and helpful. We talked fashion a bit and I mentioned that I was from T.O. and a blogger. Turns out he knows Tommy Ton from jakandjil.com. We are both eagerly awaiting Tommy’s photos from his travels during the fashion weeks. He’s even seen my blog before and that totally blew my mind. It still to this day surprises me when I meet people that have read this site. He showed me a lot of the great pieces in the shop like the my new obsession, the Denis Gagnon leather hoodie; it’s absolutely to …