The Goods | torontolife.com

Up-to-the-minute coverage of store openings and fashion gossip. Plus, daily finds for deal seekers

The Style File

February 8, 2012 | 11:09 am

POLL: White carpet style, Rachel McAdams edition

Rachel McAdams at the L.A. premiere of The Vow (Image: Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images Entertainment)

Remember when we told you about The Vow? You know, that movie where Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams play a married couple who get into a car accident, then suffer through a painstaking adjustment period where the wife has amnesia and the husband can’t handle it? It premiered in L.A. this week, and we noticed McAdams on the red white carpet sporting new bangs—we think she’s looking fairly elegant, with the exception of her somewhat caked-on makeup (surely her Pomellato and Philip Press jewellery would have been enough of a contrast to her demure Vivienne Westwood dress). How did McAdams fare sartorially at The Vow’s L.A. premiere? Have your say in our poll after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Shop Talk

11 Comments

February 7, 2012 | 9:23 am

Introducing: CB2, a middle finger to all surrounding furniture shops on Queen West (also, it used to be the Big Bop)

CB2, 651 Queen St. W. (Images: Fraser Abe)

Nothing seems to get Torontonians going like an American chain finally opening its first Canadian store here (take that, Vancouver and Montreal). So naturally, the feverish frenzy surrounding the opening of CB2—Crate and Barrel’s younger, hipper sister—wasn’t unexpected. We’ve been anxiously awaiting the new arrival for well over a year, so we took it as no surprise that on the Sunday we visited, hundreds of shoppers enjoying the unseasonable weather were crowding the space, taking seats on virtually every couch in the place (Morba who? Design Republic what? Urban Barn where?). The space is a far cry from previous tenant the Big Bop, and the landlords have completely renovated the exterior—there’s no more hideous does-it-contain-lead purple paint, and the brick has been beautifully restored and cast aside a heck of a lot of glass. Mid-century modern furniture rules here, for prices slightly more affordable than fellow mid-century modern purveyors Design Within Reach. Get the lowdown on CB2’s penchant for shockingly bright colours, our favourite items and some scratchy sheets in a gallery after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

The Find

2 Comments

February 6, 2012 | 12:02 pm

The Find: smelly jeans (seriously, they smell, and you’ll like it)

Valentine’s Day is coming, which means hands will graze denim—we’re certain of it (perhaps in a movie theatre, or at home). These 12.5-ounce Naked and Famous jeans at Over the Rainbow are perfect for these moments, because they’re scratch and sniff and smell like raspberry candy—a gimmick, to be sure, but it beats smelling like a cat or smelling really bad (if you’re on a date, you should smell nice). Mandy Moore would presumably want you to have these. $150.

Over the Rainbow, 101 Yorkville Ave., 416-967-7448, rainbowjeans.com

Cuckoo for Coco

1 Comment

February 6, 2012 | 11:40 am

Coco Rocha doesn’t advocate airbrushing (okay, she does, but only sometimes)

Everyone wants to look good, right? What “good” means depends on the person, but for Coco Rocha, it means not having pimples or dark under-eye circles in photographs. An advocate for young models, an endorser of Photoshop-free campaigns and a Diet Coke enthusiast, the Toronto-born supermodel is this month’s Flare cover girl, and she wants us to know she’s proud to be Canadian: “Canada has been a huge support for me in my career, so I definitely like to come back and support our industry here. I think it is really important to let people know about the support.” She also wants us to know that her online presence is a way for her to point out inaccuracies and express her opinions (for some reason, she leaves out her interest in commenting on torontolife.com), and that people should take her as she is—unless, of course, she has dark circles or pimples. This is, of course, our roundabout way of saying she looks great in that Joe Fresh skirt and Ashley Rowe top.

Reel Fashion

Comments

February 3, 2012 | 5:04 pm

Watch Hannah Sider and Gabriel Graham channel Air’s “Kelly Watch the Stars” in an Amanda Lew Kee fashion film

Model Nadine McAdam thinking about how to avoid sweating through Amanda Lew Kee’s clothes (Image: Schaumann)

The Fashion magazine film series continued this week with Hannah Sider and Gabriel Graham’s take on Amanda Lew Kee’s spring/summer 2012 collection. The video features model Nadine McAdam rotating through various Lew Kee ensembles while playing a solo game of racquetball. We think had they paired McAdam with another model, they could have really nailed this Air reference—now it just looks like a really nice video about a pretty girl in nice clothes who needs practice holding her racquet. Check out the video on Fashion’s website to see a girl whack a ball around in some cool kaleidoscopic outfits.

Business of Fashion

2 Comments

February 3, 2012 | 3:34 pm

When fashion and sports collide: George Laraque calls out the Leafs for endorsing Canada Goose

Retired NHL player George Laraque isn’t happy with the Toronto Maple Leafs. No, he isn’t some curmudgeon complaining from a rocking chair because he’s no longer fit for the ice; he doesn’t like that the Leafs are endorsing a fox fur–trimmed Canada Goose jacket, because he believes it’s cruel to animals. According to the Toronto Star, Laraque wrote a letter to Leafs GM Brian Burke saying the team should make the “compassionate decision never to promote the cruel fur trade again.” His anger stems from PETA’s claims that coyotes and other animals trapped for their fur often suffer for days before dying of exposure, frostbite, shock or infection, details that he also included in his letter. Burke says the Leafs will not change their minds. Maybe Burke just wants to be affiliated with a winning product? Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »

Shop Talk

Comments

February 3, 2012 | 11:38 am

Introducing: Positive Space, where beds are more than just beds and storage is more than just storage

Positive Space, 167 King St. E. (Image: Jason Jajalla)

Positive Space just opened on King East, and while some might say there isn’t a dearth of furniture stores on the stretch, designer Alex Arcese thinks otherwise. He brings his unique brand of custom beds and shelving anyway—he likely hopes his work will stand out from other area shops like EQ3, Toronto’s slightly higher-end IKEA, and specialty boutiques like Visitor Parking, Bulthaup and Modern Weave. The space is a showroom, and there’s very little decoration in an effort to keep the focus on the pieces themselves. But the space isn’t completely void of details—it’s dressed with a selection of Eurolite fixtures, like several strewn Spacewalker lamps, pendants and an LED lighting system featured in Arcese’s ALX Raw custom jobs. Our favourite features were the drawers built into beds for easy-access storage, but the real highlight of this space is ALX Raw’s TV unit ($8,000) which comes with a gas burner—eight small openings release fire with the flick of a lighter (it might make parents uncomfortable, but for someone who likes party tricks, this could be just the ticket). Take a tour of our gallery and find out how pieces are made after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

Gossipmonger

Comments

January 31, 2012 | 12:55 pm

Dealuxe owner Joanna Track poaches another employee from the Fashion masthead: Susie Sheffman

Susie Sheffman

Earlier last week, Joanna Track—former owner of Sweetspot and current owner of e-tailer Dealuxe—announced that Fashion magazine’s market editor, Jordan Porter, had joined the Dealuxe team. Today, a similar announcement was made: Fashion magazine’s fashion director, Susie Sheffman, will be taking the same title at Dealuxe. We spoke to Sheffman, who said she always thought she’d be carried out of Fashion in a pine box, but a fabulous opportunity came a knockin’. We presume that means more money and fewer restraints, which is why most people change jobs, but we’re wondering who at Fashion might be next to drink the Dealuxe Kool-Aid. Or has Track moved on to Flare?

(Image: Jason Hudson)

From the Print Edition

4 Comments

January 31, 2012 | 10:30 am

The Thing: a crunch-free way to look good at the gym (i.e. a new, splashy, luxe bag)

The Thing: Workout Partner New Year’s resolutionists are, right now, laying down several months’ salary on a gym membership they already know they won’t use. Despite the year’s caloric transgressions, a hefty investment often isn’t enough to get one’s oversized ass out of bed and on the treadmill. But splashing out on a new, luxe bag might be better motivation—because unlike the post-holidays figure carrying it, a nice duffle begs to be shown off. This one, a limited edition in cobalt-blue leather, is big enough to hold workout necessities without crowding the locker. And if the whole gym thing doesn’t work out after all, it’ll also make a great overnight bag. $480. M0851, 38 Avenue Rd., 416-920-4001.