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Holiday Gift Guide 2011: 90 of the best presents money can buy

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

By Fraser Abe, Karolyne Ellacott, Kevin Naulls and Mark Teo | Photography by Carlo Mendoza

The holiday season is rapidly approaching, and we’ve tackled the ever-difficult task of narrowing down a list of items that would be perfect for the men, women and children in your life. We find it is always a big to-do finding that special something for the wine snob who likes to aerate his or her wine, but we’ve got it covered, and to spare moms, dads, uncles, aunts and friends from waiting in line for this year’s Tickle Me Elmo, we’ve found some cool options for rug rats that won’t break down and send a greedy child into a tantrum. Check out the 90 presents that make up our 2011 ultimate holiday gift guide in a gallery after the jump »

The Goods

Buyer's Market

November 21, 2011 | 5:00 am

4 Comments

Holiday Gift Guide 2011: 18 yuletide treasures for the best darn gals ever

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

By Fraser Abe, Karolyne Ellacott, Kevin Naulls and Mark Teo | Photography by Carlo Mendoza

Pay no attention to what the advertisers tell you: there’s no gift “perfect for every woman in your life.” Still, we’re pretty sure discerning females will find a few things on this list to love. As the winter drags on, a Philip Lim muffler is sure to get a lot of use (and envious glares), and for women with a style all their own, we’ll show you where you can mix some custom fragrances. Finally, for that very special lady, we have a diamond necklace that won’t break the bank. Check out 18 gifts that are sure to make any gal smile in a gallery after the jump »

The Goods

Buyer's Market

November 21, 2011 | 5:00 am

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Holiday Gift Guide 2011: 27 impressive mid-range presents from $100 to $499

Holiday Gift Guide 2011

By Fraser Abe, Karolyne Ellacott, Kevin Naulls and Mark Teo | Photography by Carlo Mendoza

Sometimes it is hard to stick to a limit, because sometimes the gifts over $100 really are the perfect presents. We’ve found a touchably soft mink fur bear (don’t knock it till you’ve touched it) that will win the heart of any child or, really, human being, as well as a humidor for the lady or gentleman who subscribes to Cigar Aficionado, a pelt rug, an intoxicating men’s fragrance from Eau d’Italie and everything in between. Check out 27 higher-end gifts between $100 and $499 in a gallery after the jump »

The Goods

Scene Stealers

November 10, 2011 | 2:18 pm

4 Comments

THE SCENE: Holt Renfrew launches Holt’s Muse with the Man Repeller Leandra Medine

Man Repeller at Holt Renfrew to support Holt’s Muse

Blogger tension: Jay Strut and the Man Repeller’s Leandra Medine meet (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Tuesday night at Holt Renfrew, fashion fans flocked to the third floor, where the Man Repeller Leandra Medine hosted a party to launch Holt’s new blog Holt’s Muse. Medine is known for her NYC-based blog, where she showcases the best women’s fashion men love to hate, like harem pants and figure-hiding blouses. The society mavens we’re used to seeing at these things were no-shows (they have people to read blogs to them, we guess) save for Alexandra Weston, who in addition to the famous last name has a new gig at Holt’s. The crowd wasn’t without famous faces though: we spotted designers like Jeremy Laing, Kirk Pickersgill of Greta Constantine, Jake Rosenberg (who had a swarm of ladies crowding him most of the night—it pays to be a straight guy in fashion), Stephanie Mark and Erin Kleinberg of The Coveteur, Uncle Otis’s Martin James and stylist Corey Ng. Check out the scene after the jump.

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The Goods

New in Shops

November 9, 2011 | 2:18 pm

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Gallery: Holt Renfrew unveils its much-anticipated holiday windows

The moment has come, and the Holt Renfrew windows have been unveiled. This year, the folks at Holt’s have decided to go with the theme “The 12 Days of Christmas,” but with a much less kiddy spin. We saw an haute swan, a glittering partridge sitting in a glittery pear swing (attached to a glittery tree), and some elegant milkmaids serving milk (perhaps one per cent, since we’re getting older) to, we assume, an off-curtain statuesque Santa (hey, we’re adults). Check out the great window displays in a gallery after the jump.

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The Goods

Shop Talk

November 3, 2011 | 9:44 am

2 Comments

Man Repeller Leandra Medine is coming to Holt Renfrew on November 8

Leandra Medine (Image: Supplied by Holt Renfrew)

Ladies, break out your harem pants and Jeffrey Campbell shoes, because the Man Repeller is coming to Holt Renfrew. Leandra Medine, of the wildly popular New York–based blog The Man Repeller, will be in town to host a party celebrating the launch of Holt Renfrew’s new blog, Holts Muse. Medine’s blog is famous for celebrating the style women love but that tends to—wait for it—repel men. Think pageboy cuts, boyfriend jeans, jodhpurs, maxi skirts—all the things designers trot down runways, but in real life tend to hide the T ’n’ A straight men lust after so much. Her November 8 visit from 1 to 2:30 p.m. will surely have the ladies busting out their finest full-length jumpsuits and shoulder pads, and we just hope the Bay Street bros on Bloor Street got their fill of sexy this Halloween (because for them, there’s nothing to see here).

The Hype

TIFF Talk

September 11, 2011 | 11:11 am

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SPOTTED: Elisha Cuthbert and Dion Phaneuf at Holts

It seems Prime Minister Harper isn’t the only one that’s in town to hobnob with hockey players—Elisha Cuthbert was spotted yesterday by a tipster at Holt Renfrew on Bloor Street shopping with her boyfriend, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Dion Phaneuf. Still unknown: whether they’re more of a Goon couple or a Breakaway couple.

Find this story on our Star Spotting Map, where we plot the locations of celebrities spotted around Toronto. Send us your tips: tips@torontolife.com

The Goods

Scene Stealers

August 29, 2011 | 5:09 pm

12 Comments

THE SCENE: Popular website The Coveteur hosts a party with Holt Renfrew

Liz Cabral’s puffy sleeves (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

Nothing unites the rich—and even richer still—better than self-adulation at Holt Renfrew, so it was no shock to see Toronto’s swishiest milling about the second-floor shoe department for Holts’ “You Got Coveteur’d” event, celebrating the website from Erin Kleinberg, Stephanie Mark and Jake Rosenberg, which looks into the closets of fashion’s hottest plates. Some of the ladies present had already been profiled, including Flare’s Liz Cabral, who wore enormous lime-green sleeves befitting an ’80s prom dress, and Suzanne Rogers, who was subdued in a taupe, lacy number. Check out the scene at Holt Renfrew in a gallery after the jump.

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The Goods

New in Shops

August 4, 2011 | 5:00 pm

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We don’t “die,” but Rachel Zoe is still coming to Holt Renfrew in August

Rachel Zoe, stylist to the stars and subject of a Bravo show called the Rachel Zoe Project, will be in Toronto on Monday, Aug. 15 at the Bloor Street Holt Renfrew from 2 to 3:30 p.m. to launch her new collection of women’s clothing, footwear and handbags. It’s not unusual for Bravo stars to have side projects (who can forget Real Housewives of New York’s Countess von Auto-Tune Luann’s and Real Housewives of Atlanta’s Kim Zolciak’s singing “careers”?), which is why we’re not caught off guard by Zoe’s high-end debut (after all, she has already created collections for the prestigious QVC network). It remains to be seen whether people will go “bananas” for clothing exactly like Zoe’s (oversized sunglasses, wide-legged trousers, kooky chapeau, and a fur vest), but if ladies are looking to attract their very own Brad Goreski, this is as good a place as any to start.

The Informer

From the Print Edition

August 4, 2011 | 1:00 pm

2 Comments

Best of the City 2011: Our picks for Toronto’s top services—from beard trimming to doggie fitness

(Image: Liam Mogan)

Spray paint removal Beard maintenance Canine workout Bedbug exterminator Personal shopper Tattoo removal Artful mani Cleaver care Bicycle repair tips Sole saviour De-clutter

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The Informer

From the Print Edition

July 12, 2011 | 9:05 am

30 Comments

How Toronto’s lavishly rich Latner family is tearing itself apart

Albert Latner made his fortune in real estate, health care and casinos, and lavished his four children with riches. After his wife died, he gave them their inheritance early. Now they’re feuding over the estate, launching lawsuit after lawsuit and tearing the family apart. A cautionary tale about the burdens of love and money
By Leah McLaren

Latner vs. Latner

In February 2010, Joshua Latner was alerted by several friends about a photo posted on the Internet. He sat down at his computer, Googled himself and was disturbed to find his picture with the word “loser” scrawled across his face.

Joshua is not, and has never been, a man with a nine-to-five job. An enthusiastic collector of fine wines and rare antiques, he is 49 years old and lives in Zurich with his wife, Kendal, and their two young children. He also maintains residences in Toronto, Key Biscayne and Tokyo and on the Greek island of Mykonos, where he raises chickens and honeybees as a hobby. He inherited $150 million when his father, Albert Latner, a Toronto property developer and entrepreneur, decided to give each of his four children what’s known in high-net-worth circles as the velvet handshake—shorthand for early inheritance.

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The Goods

Shop Talk

June 3, 2011 | 12:07 pm

10 Comments

Holt Renfrew announces a big redesign of its Yorkdale location for the 2012 holiday season

Sometimes, let’s face it, bigger is better, and in retail, it seems that if a company is as huge as Holt Renfrew, the only direction to move is up (and, well, out). Today Holts announced that its Yorkdale location will be adding 40 per cent more retail space, securing its place as the big dog in the mall’s luxury wing. Forty per cent in hard numbers equates to 70,000 square feet (from 51,000), and the new footage can only mean that the experience will slightly mirror the massive Bloor Street flagship’s brand availability. Thrill-seeking customers will still be able to shop during the renovation process, with or without a hard hat.

The Goods

New in Shops

May 16, 2011 | 12:39 pm

3 Comments

Holt Renfrew announces major brand acquisitions for fall, including exclusive rights to Tom Ford’s women’s collection

Now more than ever, Toronto’s biggest fashion retailers are engaged in a battle of the brands, with Holt Renfrew and The Bay going punch for punch for high-street supremacy. Measuring whose stock is up these days seems to depend on who can gain exclusive rights to a high-profile collection (or, as mentioned last week, a celebrity endorsement), and today Holt Renfrew announced that it would be the exclusive Canadian retailer for Tom Ford’s much-hyped fall 2011 women’s collection. But that wasn’t the only good news this morning: Barbara Atkin, Holt Renfrew’s vice-president of fashion direction, announced the acquisition of Givenchy’s men’s collection, the Pendleton Portland collection for women and, for those fans of the Olsen twins, their collaboration with TOMS Shoes. Suddenly, it seems like the consumer is being pulled by the arms in two directions, from Queen Street West and Bloor Street. Should anyone’s limbs fall off, we’re sure somebody will have exclusive rights to designer prosthetics next month.

The Goods

Scene Stealers

May 13, 2011 | 1:54 pm

4 Comments

The Scene: Nicole Richie helps TNT launch their newly renovated Yorkville location

Nicole Richie, surrounded by admirers at last night’s TNT party (Image: Jenna Marie Wakani)

The offer of free alcohol used to be enough to lure Toronto’s social butterflies away from their at-home pasta binges and walk-in closets. These days, however, a celebrity name–sponsored soirée seems practically necessary to attract names like Dan Levy, Toufik Sarwa, Kirk Pickersgill, Tommy Smythe, Liz Cabral, Derick Chetty, Natalie Lecomte and Biko Beauttah, all of whom were present at Nicole Richie‘s fete last night celebrating TNT’s remodel. As far as celebrities go, The Bay has brought us Jason Wu, Derek Blasberg, Charlotte Olympia, Erdem and Anna Dello Russo (to name a few), while Holt Renfrew has nabbed Alexander Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Todd Selby, Todd Lynn and Rag and Bone for their parties. It seems that TNT felt some pressure to stay current—and who says “au courant” better than Nicole Richie?

The ex-Simple Life star (who helped establish such teeth-grinding catchphrases as “that’s hot”) was in town to promote her brand House of Harlow, but she spent the evening attracting cellphone-camera photographers, young bachelors (the kind that wear hoodies) and people who insisted on doing a lot of pointing. We miss the sassy Nicole Richie, who was more likely to crack a joke for the camera than a smile, but we figure she has matured since becoming a mother and marrying a fella from Good Charlotte. Good for her, boring for us.

The Goods

From the Print Edition

May 11, 2011 | 5:02 pm

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The Thing: Great style is in the details this season, so we’ve dedicated these pages to the all-important art of accessorizing

Purple feather and netting fascinator Purple Reign
Not quite a hat and not quite a hair clip, the fascinator is spring’s most regal fashion statement, thanks in large part to England’s newest princess-to-be, who is often photographed with one perched atop her head. At Lilliput Hats on College Street, requests for fascinators have doubled since the royal engagement was announced in November. And unlike china or mouse pads emblazoned with the royal couple’s heads, this is the kind of matrimonial hysteria we can get behind—if only for the opportunity to play dress-up with coquettish netting and decorative feathers. $70. Lilliput Hats, 462 College St., 416-536-5933.

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All stories relating to Holt Renfrew

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