(Images: Jeremy Laing by Thomas Kletecka/Collective Edit; high heel courtesy of Alexander McQueen; bow tie courtesy of Band of Outsiders; jeans courtesy of Nudie Jeans Co.; zip-up courtesy of Puma; kids’ boot courtesy of Geox; )
For Straight-from-SoHo Fashion
Crowds huddled in Ossington’s doorways are a familiar sight, but nothing compares to the sidewalk jams that form when Jonathan and Olivia owner Jackie O’Brien holds her biannual sales (starting on Boxing Day and again in June or July). Cool kids, designers, ad execs and artsy-leaning scions flock here for deconstructed hipster wear from Manhattan, Sweden and the U.K., by the likes of Alexander Wang, Rag and Bone, Band of Outsiders, Engineered Garments, and Wings and Horns. All up to 50 per cent off. E-mail info@jonathanandolivia.com to get on the list.
FOR Big European Labels Read the rest of this entry »
Toronto retail veteran Elsa Reia was hosting sample sales long before they were in vogue, which explains her all-star roster of designer brands: apparel, accessories and footwear from Alexander McQueen, Rick Owens, Dries Van Noten, Miu Miu, Martin Margiela, Lanvin, Isabel Marant and more. The blowout runs over two days in April and October. Expect a variety of sizes and inventory, from recent and past seasons, marked down by 70 per cent or more. E-mail info@reiastudio.com to sign up.
THE COUNTRY CLUBBER
Few would argue that Jeanne Beker isn’t the high priestess of fashion in Canada—the woman is a legend. We’re more familiar with watching Jeanne explore the runways of Paris than the streets of Toronto, so when Post City Magazines published 
The place: The latest in the city’s string of pop-up shops is Frye, which has taken up residence inside Ron White’s swanky Bloor Street store. It has the biggest selection of the brand’s boots, shoes and bags in the country. Frye was founded in 1863 and is the oldest continuously operating shoe company in the United States. Its boots were worn by soldiers during the Civil War, and Teddy Roosevelt and now by Barack Obama. 
