Kingly 1078 Queen West, 416-536-2601, and 1828 Queen East, 416-536-8123, www.kingly.org Rating: NNNNN
Prompted by the scarcity of cool clothing for infants, Dia Kingly took matters into her own hands – literally. A graphic designer by trade, she turned to her lifelong sewing hobby to outfit her two young children in the hippest threads possible. It worked, and in 1994 Dia and her husband, Patrick, opened their first shop on Queen West, catering to the fashionable newborn-to-three-year-old market. After several location changes – never veering from Queen – the Kinglys opened their second store in the Beaches in 2003. Kingly’s success is due to the incredible word of mouth the quirky clothing line generates. Often, a non-mommy friend – say from the office – will come in looking for something unusual (non-pastel or minus the babyish details) to bring to a baby shower. Once the gift is passed around, the parents are turned on to Kingly, then turned into regular customers.
Kingly’s picks : Appliquéd striped tote bag, $45 multi-colour cotton Kaleidoscope dress, $39 leopard-print cat pillow, $49 (or leatherette bone dog pillow, $49).
Look for : Appliquéd animal outfits from Argentina, Robeez leather slippers and handmade Diablo puppets from Montreal.
Hours : Monday to Saturday 11 am to 7 pm, Saturday noon to 6 pm.
