LE CHATEAU 220 Yonge, 416-979-3122,and others, lechateau.com
You may remember Le Chateau as the store where you shopped for semi-formal dresses in high school. Or you may remember John Lennon and Yoko Ono wearing the brand’s velour jumpers during their headline-grabbing Montreal bed-in in 1969.
Le Chateau is as historic as it comes in Canadian fashion, but somewhere along the line, the brand got bogged down in the fast-fashion craze.
Not any more.
The last few years have seen the chain rebrand and focus on quality, grown-up clothes, many of which are actually made in Canada (unlike the wares of some other ethically suspect Canadian brands we could name).
Shopping at Le Chateau isn’t going to break the bank. Cardigans start around $40, and outerwear hovers around the $100 mark. It even offers a premium made-in-Italy shoe collection that runs about $150 a pair.
Not just for the ladies, the brand has recently put considerable effort into its menswear collections. Guys can pick up 100 per cent wool suits for about $350 or wool blend blazers for around $150. This is the young working professional’s dream store.
Le Chateau picks Le Chateau designed the men’s and women’s clothing, footwear and accessories for indie Canadian flick After The Ball. To celebrate, it’s made the After The Ball collection available for purchase online and in stores this fall.
Look for The accessories. From hats to sunglasses to jewellery, this is the spot to buy affordable baubles that look like high-priced designer wares. The selection is almost overwhelming, and there’s definitely something for everyone.
Hours Monday to Friday 10 am to 9:30 pm, Saturday 9:30 am to 9:30 pm, Sunday 10 am to 7 pm
