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Lifestyle

Style

Our annual survey of the ins and outs of style in the city highlights the best new boutiques, our MyStyle fave and more from a year in the fashion and design trenches.

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Oliver Spencer

Kathryn Gaitens

In: Menswear madness

Sorry, ladies. This year’s big retail story is the explosion of menswear shops, especially along Queen West, where Oliver Spencer, Ruins and an expanded Sydney’s store upped our handsome shopping ops. Boy boutiques aside, 2011’s top store debuts included Tabula Rasa, Advice from a Caterpillar, Labour of Love, LAB Consignment and Jacob & Sebastian.

In: Top shopping

Nothing makes Canadians feel more relevant than a big international brand deciding to grace us with its goods. Last spring, the arrival that caused the most hoopla was Topshop, which gave Jonathan + Olivia the exclusive on debuting its womenswear in Canada. Menswear and cosmetics arrived on Ossington this month, but we were already excited at news that J. Crew is coming to town in 2011.

Sarah Magwood

Stefania Yarhi

In: MyStyle best dressed

Stefania Yarhi’s 2010 MyStyle lineup included über-blogger Tavi and a trio of fuzzy, caffeine-pushing mascots, but our favourite is definitely vintage retailer Sarah Magwood. Her retro get-up was so inspiring that we built our fall fashion issue around the city’s knack for buying, selling and wearing vintage and put Magwood on the cover.

Jules Power

Jenna Wakani

In: Power dressing

Jules Power probably thinks we’re a little creepy for constantly professing our love for her first collection, but those tailored sweatpants, tartan blazers and lipstick-stained Ts are definitely the designer debut of the year. This is the last time we’ll mention it. Promise!

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Michael Watier

In: Imm Living

From a small studio on Spadina, the team at Imm Living has quickly built up a giftware business that brings emerging Canadian design to cool concept stores around the world. Some of their biggest hits include Andrea Chin’s ceramic flashlight pendants and Rob Southcott’s stackable totem cups, now available in fantastically gaudy gold and silver.

In: Designers doing it for themselves

From temporary pop-ups like Jessica Jensen’s excellently executed holiday store to full-blown retail concepts like Pink Tartan’s swish 77 Yorkville, direct- from-the-designer stores gained steam in 2010. With many retailers still nervous about risking rack space on in-demand local names and those brands getting a taste for profit margins minus the middleman, we’re betting this is one trend that grows in the year to come.

Out: One department store dominating

Is there a fight for designer fashion dollars going on in the city? Some style pundits would like you to believe Holt Renfrew and the Bay are going head-to-head to win exclusive labels and socialite dress budgets. If it’s true, shoppers are the real winners, because both stores have filled their floors with designer appearances, new labels and generous sales.

Out: The Artist Group

Many of the city’s biggest stylists were suddenly agency-less when the Artist Group closed in April. Some claimed they were owed fees from years of work, and the business’s bankruptcy also claimed slick online fashion rag Cheek Magazine.

Out: Don Cherry

No one really expected to see Don Cherry swear in a Toronto mayor or dress for the occasion in anything but his signature loud (okay, blaring) blazers and sky-high-collared shirts. But his bubble-gum-pink jacket looked as misguided and cheap as the polarizing political statement he said he wore it to make.

Out: Those that said goodbye

We said so long to jeans-and-T spot Covet + Crave and Leslieville vintage housewares outpost Winkel. You can still get a great camera deal at Henry’s, but you’ll have to head to the Mississauga outlet.

The closing that hit the Canadian fashion industry hardest was the Yorkville boutique of Montreal eveningwear master Andy The Anh, who announced the shuttering of his business earlier this month.

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