Little Black Dress Shop, 135 Tecumseth, Unit 7, 416-901-5470 Rating: NNNNN
The Little Black Dress shop comes to the rescue of film festers who’ve lucked into some primo party invites but haven’t a thing to wear. Two personal shopping parties happen tonight and tomorrow evening (Thursday and Friday, September 7 and 8). Have a glass of wine while a guest stylist helps you track down an inky frock to swan you past burly doorkeepers into the celebrity fray.
Owner Jay Barrigar opened her lofty boutique (accessed from an alleyway running east off Tecumseth just south of Richmond) last October. When the moviemakers aren’t circling, Barrigar outfits local ladies in perfect noir numbers for work (try a Narcissist wrap dress in organic soy fabric or options from Passenger Pigeon and Comrags ) and play (pick from flirty lace overlay cocktail styles from Betsey Johnson and fancy finds by CinCyn and Michael Kors ).
Every pick is, of course, black, but a wide selection of colourful bags, belts and jewellery accessorize you from sombre stylish to mix ‘n’ match marvellous. Barrigar’s picks: Wonderlust‘s rusched Ra Ra dress is trimmed with a spacey blue-and-orange print, $100 Janet Caterina reworks 40s vintage finds into modern looks including a shirt-dress with an off-centre button detail, $390 Brazil’s Falen creates floral embroidered tie belts that add an au courant cinch to any full frock, $100.
Look for: This week’s shopping parties, open to regulars and new customers by RSVPing online at www.littleblackdressshop.com .
Hours: Monday to Wednesday noon to 6 pm, Thursday and Friday noon to 7 pm, Saturday 11 am to 6 pm, Sunday noon to 5 pm.