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Opening

Brassaii’s relaunch comes with new design, new menus and new chef

The new dining room at Brassaii

This week marked the long-awaited reopening of King West institution Brassaii, and judging from the extensive menu redesign, the place is looking like more of an upscale dining spot than a Friday-night hangout for the mini-dress set.

The new one-page menus were designed by chef Bruce Woods, who left his five-year stint at Centro last year to join Brassaii, and seem to ensure that diners never need to leave the property: breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, dessert and late-night snacks are all covered. Expect breakfast and brunch staples, as well as sandwiches and burgers for lunch. As for dinner, it’s continental fare with hints of Asian influence: miso cod ($29), spaghettini with kobe beef meatballs ($20), chicken with a panko crust ($25).

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| 1 Comment » March 12, 2010 | 1:36 pm | Karon Liu

Rogue Fashion Week

Philip Sparks show begins rogue fashion week

Philip Sparks opted for an informal presentation (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Philip Sparks’s menswear presentation last night marked the opening of what we’re calling rogue fashion week. Though Toronto fashion week officially launches on March 28, a number of designers (Greta Constantine, Nada, Paul Hardy) have chosen to skip it and show beforehand, stretching the festivities out over three weeks. (We long for the time when they can be crammed into three days.)

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| 1 Comment » March 12, 2010 | 10:45 am | Fraser Abe

The Goods

It’s make-over time at Style: new name, new face

Fashion is all about change and what’s new. That’s why we’re giving our Style blog a make-over and a fresh name: The Goods. Not coincidentally, this new title matches our other blogs: The Dish, which deals with Toronto’s eating and drinking scene; The Informer, our newly launched take on the news of the day; and The Hype, where we comment on TV, movies, celebrities and other cultural wonders. Style readers can still expect weekly sale notices, trend alerts, retail gossip and store openings from The Goods, but you’ll also find a more user-friendly and sleek design—because, let’s face it, looks matter and we’re vain.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned. Fashion week’s just around the corner.

• Check out The Informer »
• Check out The Hype »

| 4 Comments » March 10, 2010 | 4:33 pm | Toronto Life Staff

Opening

A peek inside Parts and Labour, a new Parkdale restaurant that unites owners of The Social, Oddfellows and Castor Design

Parts and Labour: under construction (Image: Karon Liu)

First Cowbell, then Local Kitchen, and now this.

With the arrival of Parts and Labour, a hardware store transformed into a restaurant, the tail end of Queen West takes another step from weekend antiquing destination to social hub. Parkdale locals are excited about the new spot, and with good reason: it represents a new partnership between the owners of The Social, Castor Design and Oddfellows.

During a tour with Richard Lambert, one of the owners, we’re told that Parts and Labour is designed for “Social graduates who want to be more mature and don’t go out to clubs as much anymore.” He adds with a laugh, “We also have a no-electronic-music policy.”

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| 5 Comments » March 8, 2010 | 11:39 am | Karon Liu

Shop Talk

CB2 furniture store taking over the Big Bop building

The rock ‘n’ roll vibe of the Big Bop, the raucous concert hall at Queen and Bathurst, will soon be erased, making way for sectionals, ottomans and accent pillows when CB2, Crate and Barrel’s younger, hipper branch, takes over the space. After much speculation about the location, CB2 has settled on the storied building to showcase its sleek and modern style in Toronto. Before the NIMBYs get up in arms, CB2 has promised to respect the character of the building during renovations before the store opens in early 2011. It’s exciting to have another great design store in Toronto, but even more exciting that Queen and Bathurst won’t house yet another condo development.

• Duke’s Cycle returning to Queen Street [Globe and Mail]
• Pre-construction: Toronto [CB2 blog]

| 1 Comment » March 2, 2010 | 12:13 pm | Fraser Abe

Trend Alert

Canadian style so hot, HBC Web site crashes

Smythe's blanket coat for The Bay (Photo by Carlo Mendoza)

With Alexander McQueen Olympic scarves and maple leaf mitts at a premium, Canada is officially, like, so hot right now. So it was no surprise when we took a look at the catwalks recently and saw a bit of home.

The boys at Dolce and Gabbana took a page out of DSquared2’s look book for their D&G line. The fall-winter 2010 show in Milan lacked the polished Italian glam we expected; instead, snow bunny models looking ready for après ski at Cypress Mountain strutted in patterned leg warmers and tights, reindeer- and snowflake-patterned knits and fur mukluks.

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| 1 Comment » March 2, 2010 | 10:03 am | Glynnis Mapp

Weddings

Here comes the bride: nine stunning wedding gowns

This week on Style, we’ll be posting several pieces from Toronto Life’s first-ever Wedding Guide. The guide is on newsstands now (you can also order it on-line) and is packed with recommendations for planners, florists, venues, registries, hairstylists, DJs, caterers, cake designers, makeup artists, photographers and more.

Finding the dream dress is arguably the most important part of planning a wedding. We’ve found nine stunning gowns (from $600 to $13,000) that will stand the test of time. View the slide show >>

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| 2 Comments » March 1, 2010 | 9:16 am | Toronto Life Staff

Gossipmonger

Greta Constantine designers search for American interest in menswear line

The second instalment of their blog series for the National Post finds Toronto designers Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong of Greta Constantine in the midst of New York fashion week. First on their agenda is a stop at a Tribeca Starbucks, as part of the process of “assimilating into American culture.” (Perhaps the trek to the Times Square Tim Hortons was too far.) Next, the two discussed The City and the spectacularly petulant cattiness of Olivia Palermo and Erin Kaplan (two of The City’s main “cast members”) while shopping at Marc by Marc Jacobs and the Alexander McQueen store.

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| 1 Comment » February 26, 2010 | 1:23 pm | Fraser Abe

Trend Alert

London calling: Canuck designers take centre stage during London fashion week

Canadians are getting a lot of attention from Londoners during the city’s fall-winter 2010 fashion week. The designers have politicians’ wives in a tizzy, American pop stars are paying personal visits, and the shows are the setting for controversy and catfights. Here, an introduction to three must-know Canucks—all with Toronto connections—who are dazzling Britain.

A frock from Erdem's fall show (Photo via catwalk.com)

Erdem Moralioglu

Shtick: Feminine, frilly, graphic prints (more sophisticated than cutesy) perfect for tea parties and après five.
Toronto connection: Known in the industry by his first name only, the half-Turkish, half-English designer grew up in Montreal but spent time at Ryerson for fashion design. Months later, he dropped out and skipped town to study in London, where he won the Chevening Scholarship from the British Fashion Council and was later nominated for the BFC’s 2009 Collection of the Year award.
Path to success: Erdem stocks the shelves of luxe global retailers including Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, Browns and The Room (at The Bay). He recently received a nod from the wife of Britain’s prime minister, Sarah Brown, when she wore an Erdem dress to give the opening speech for London fashion week.
Celebrity fans: Sarah Brown, Michelle Obama, Thandie Newton, Chloë Sevigny and Toronto-born model Tara Gill.
Web site: erdem.co.uk

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| 2 Comments » February 23, 2010 | 1:48 pm | Glynnis Mapp

Gossipmonger

Mark Fast’s fall show features plus-sized models, gets thumbs-up from British PM’s wife

Crystal Renn in the Mark Fast show (Photo via Style.com)

Winnipeg-bred and Toronto-schooled designer Mark Fast got top marks for his fall collection during London fashion week over the weekend—especially when he opted to dress plus-sized models in his clingy knitwear for the second time. Fast’s stylist famously quit last season, when Fast insisted on casting larger girls in his show.

Critics praised Fast for hiring models like size 16 Crystal Renn, who recently became a household name after appearing in a spread in December’s V magazine. There was also buzz in the front row as Sarah Brown, the wife of the British prime minister, made sure that she didn’t miss one of her favourite up-and-coming designers. As AFP reports, Fast’s was one of the only shows during fashion week with a diverse model lineup.

As for the actual collection, Fast has branched out from his signature blended yarn dresses with the addition of flowing dresses, suede skirts and jackets—a wise move to show that he can do more than body-conscious knit mini-dresses.

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| 4 Comments » February 22, 2010 | 2:14 pm | Karon Liu