Fashion Week turned us on to a bunch of new labels, including Travis Taddeo (travistaddeo.com) and Gaudet (gaudetfashionhouse.com), which should arrive in Toronto stores this fall, but here are a pair of fresh local brands making their first rack appearances right now.
Brose (marikabrose.com) is a chic new collection of party frocks available at Holt Renfrew (50 Bloor West, 416-922-2333) and Jacflash (1036 Queen West, 416-516-8766). Crywolf Clothing (crywolfclothing.com) offers a line of T-shirts hand-printed with stylized illustrations of pandas, skulls and, our favourite, a hipster werewolf head wearing Buddy Holly specs.
Does Ossington need saving from the wave of bar, restaurant and retail gentrification that has swept down the stretch between Dundas and Queen? A new Save OSsington T-shirt campaign (saveossington.com) is weighing in on that debate. The $20 graphic T, designed by Shared (weshared.com) and launched earlier this month at Ministry of the Interior (80 Ossington, 416-533-6684), avoids a full-on anti-development message but makes people checking out your chest think twice about new strip additions.
Neon (391 Queen West, 416-585-9595) is known for its fab footwear buys, but lately it’s a window display of beanbag chairs that’s been luring in shoppers. Forget retro-coloured rumpus room floor cushions – Neon’s supersized Yak Pak pillows can be customized with almost 100 different rip-proof fabric covers, from polka dots to paint splatters to that ubiquitous buffalo check print. Bags are $149.99 in store or online at neonclothing.ca.
Dundas West’s Marylou Flamingo closed at the end of February, but owner Kristan Klimczak is still selling her perfectly picked vintage clothing stock at private sales, including one on Saturday (March 28). Stop by 81 Foxley between noon and 6 pm. Visit Getoutside‘s downtown location (437 Queen West, 416-593-5598) for two-for-one deals on all clothing. Budget-conscious booty callers can stock up on sexy goodies during Come as You Are‘s (701 Queen West, 416-504-7934, comeasyouare.com) Midnight Madness sale Friday (March 27) between 9 pm and midnight.
