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Two major shopping events launching this weekend

Every Friday, torontolife.com publishes The Weekender, a roundup of the city’s best weekend events. We usually cover major festivals, concerts, plays and perhaps a foodie event or two, but the latest column will be of particular interest to Style readers.

Two new shopping initiatives are launching in the city: Frugal Fashion Week, which includes a West Queen West shop crawl on Saturday and Sunday, and Portobello East, a monthly market at the Distillery District that showcases local designers and artists. Read The Weekender here for more information.

The Goods

Good Stuff Cheap

July 21, 2009 | 3:00 pm

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Sales roundup: 50 per cent off at Hugo Boss, 60 per cent off Fred Perry at Delphic, floor model furniture sale

FASHION

THE CASHMERE SHOP
Just because it’s summer (sort of) doesn’t mean there’s no place for cashmere—especially when it’s on sale. Thin, seasonally appropriate short-sleeved cardigans are now $199, as are pastel-coloured wraps (down from $299). 24 Bellair St., 416-925-0831.

COMRAGS
Make like Sarah Slean and snap up a dress (or two) designed by these Ryerson fashion program alumnae: selected items at the store are discounted 30 to 50 per cent. 654 Queen St. W., 416-360-7249, comrags.com.

DELPHIC
The store is offering discounts of up to 60 per cent off duds by such heavy-hitting designers as Fred Perry, Pringle and Henrik Vibskov. Satisfy the inner Gossip Girl with a short black Fred Perry dress for $135 (originally $225). 706 Queen St. W., 416-603-3334.

DIVINE DECADENCE
The purveyor of fun vintage party frocks is holding a half-price sale on all its dresses. Now’s the time to snag a retro prom dress. (Wedding and art deco gowns exempted.) 28 Cumberland St., 416-324-9759.

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The Goods

Good Stuff Cheap

July 14, 2009 | 2:07 pm

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Sales roundup: Designer denim sale, 20 per cent off at Stylegarage, save up to 70 per cent at Preloved

FASHION

BEANSPROUT
Before sending the tykes off to camp, check out this sale at the kiddie outfitter Beansprout. Bathing suits, shoes and socks are marked down by 20 per cent, and seasonal footwear and togs are half price. Sizes available for newborns to 12-year-olds. 565 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-932-3727, beansprout.ca.

BUCKLER
Men who like their fashions fresh from the NYC meat-packing district should head to Buckler, where almost everything is 30 per cent off. Hyper-trendy dark-denim drop-crotch jeans are $228, down from $325. Bonus feature: a removable zip-off panel allows them to morph into regular-crotch jeans—perfect for when the fad peters out or the wearer starts to feel self-conscious, whichever comes first. 700 Queen St. W., 416-551-8441, bucklershowroom.com.

CARTE BLANCHE
Just when everyone thought Cheap Mondays couldn’t get any cheaper, jeans at this store are now $55 (down from $69). Everything else is 25 to 50 per cent off, including—for all the Lady Gaga wannabes out there—a black, midriff-baring torpedo-bra corset for $135. 758 Queen St. W., 416-532-0347, shopcarteblanche.ca.

COMRAGS
Make like Sarah Slean and snap up a dress or two designed by these Ryerson fashion program alumnae: selected items at the store are discounted from 30 to 50 per cent. From July 11. 654 Queen St. W., 416-360-7249, comrags.com.

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The Goods

Good Stuff Cheap

July 7, 2009 | 11:56 am

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Sales roundup: Designer sales at Holt Renfrew, Carte Blanche, Delphic and Buckler

FASHION

889 YONGE
The retail portion of this holistic spa-yoga studio is having a “secret sale”: mention those two words at the checkout counter and receive 25 per cent off James Perse and Beyond Yoga apparel. July 6-11. 889 Yonge St., 416-925-7206, 889yonge.com.

BEANSPROUT
Before sending the tykes off to camp, check out this sale at kiddie outfitter Beansprout. Bathing suits, shoes and socks are marked down by 20 per cent while seasonal footwear and togs are half price. Sizes available for newborns to 12-year-olds. 565 Mount Pleasant Rd., 416-932-3727, beansprout.ca.

BUCKLER
Men who like their fashions fresh from the NYC meatpacking district should head on over to Buckler, where almost everything is 30 per cent off. Hyper trendy dark denim drop-crotch jeans are $228, down from $325. Bonus feature: a removable zip-off panel morphs them into regular-crotch jeans—perfect for when the fad peters out or the wearer starts to feel self-conscious, whichever comes first. 700 Queen St. W., 416-551-8441, bucklershowroom.com.

CARTE BLANCHE
Just when everyone thought Cheap Mondays couldn’t get any cheaper, jeans at this store are now $55 (down from $69). Everything else is 25 to 50 per cent off, including—for all the Lady Gaga wannabes out there—a black, midriff-baring, torpedo-bra corset for $135). 758 Queen St. W., 416-532-0347, shopcarteblanche.ca.

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The Dish

Opening

July 6, 2009 | 2:58 pm

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New York’s not in the house: Queen West’s latest bar named after owner’s cat

Cat power: Zak Kellar and Ryan Boudah named their new bar after Kellar's kitty

West Queen West seems less like hip strip and more like a series of failed, shuttered bars of late. Cock and Tail, The Kitchen have closed, and many others, like Midpoint, are stalled at various stages of renovation. Curious, we started looking into what the next generation of joints in the Drake district would look like. First, we previewed The Bar with No Name, and now we’re looking at Brooklynn—a boozery with swagger that’s soon to take over where The Kitchen left off.

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The Dish

Opening

June 15, 2009 | 3:06 pm

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Name that Saloon: West Queen West gets a new bar by the Harbord Room boys

Tail end: Still with its old sign, the space at 1168 gets a reno (Photo by Name our bar and drink for free)

Tail end: Still with its old sign, the space at 1168 Queen Street West gets a reno (Photo by Name our bar and drink for free)

In a powerhouse collaboration to rival The Saint’s roster, the Harbord Room’s owner (David Mitton, also of Czehoski), chef (Cory Vitiello) and designer (Brad Denton, of Petit Castor) are teaming up with West-coast hospitality import Jeff Salvian (Kicking Horse Resort) to open a bar on Queen. Though their spot—1168 Queen Street West—is sandwiched between two buzzing hipster hives (the Drake and the Gladstone), the yet-to-be named tavern will aim to replicate the laid-back feel of its former incarnation, The Cock and Tail. Says Mitton: “It’s going to be a nice little dirty dive bar.”

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The Dish

Where to Eat Near...

May 29, 2009 | 2:15 pm

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Where to eat near BMO Field

Heading to the Toronto Football Club game next Saturday? Keep in mind that outside food and drinks are not allowed at BMO Field, and despite concession stands that serve everything from fried macaroni and cheese to chicken curry rolls, the prices and overall quality are letdowns. Instead, here are some great places to eat if you’re going to watch the TFC take on the Los Angeles Galaxy.

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The Goods

On the Block

April 23, 2009 | 10:43 am

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Where to shop in West Queen West

Travel far enough west and Queen Street is still the city’s best bet for artistically minded shoppers sniffing out rare goods.

Ministry of the Interior (Photo by Carolyn C)

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The Dish

Opening

February 2, 2009 | 3:11 pm

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White squirrels: not as uncommon as we thought

Squirrel lore is alive and well on Queen St. W.

Walking past Trinity Bellwoods Park in January, passersby may have noticed a giant print of a white squirrel filling a store window. It piqued the curiosity of nearby residents. Either an official white squirrel fan club was forming, and had enough coin to lease prime real estate (unlikely), or something new and interesting (and tapped into the local squirrel lore) was about to open in this long-dormant storefront. In mid-January, it was revealed to be the latter: the White Squirrel Coffee Shop opened for business. Co-owners David Ginsberg and David Eaglesham licensed the white squirrel silhouette from Toronto-based design collective Moimoi and had the adorable little rodent done up on red print as a window teaser for their store.

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The Velvet Rope

September 11, 2008 | 1:54 pm

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Tyler Labine has cum a long way from Breaker High

“This feels like an open house for a home everyone wants to buy but can’t afford,” a friend remarked at the Control Alt Delete after-party last night, which was aptly held at Wicked. Now, in case you’ve been living under a rock, Wicked is the West Queen West club where sexy couples go to mingle with other couples or singles. We weren’t the only curious souls; we noticed a high concentration of National Post staffers during our exploration of the three-storey sex palace. At first, we thought the Post sponsored the party—their logo was proudly displayed along the stairwell—but it seems they’ve just written about this club a lot. That, plus the Control Alt Delete–themed computer-and-hardware decor prompted one Postie to remark, “I kind of feel like I’m at work.” After the jump, a sexy run-in with Tyler Labine.

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Where to get a drink after 2 a.m.

Many of the city’s swankiest bars and clubs are jockeying for extended liquor licences, which will allow them to serve until 4 a.m. during festival week. An extended licence is a golden ticket to a mention in the next day’s gossip columns, given that it herds A-listers and their entourages through the doors.

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Preville on Politics

August 3, 2007 | 11:31 am

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The Bermuda Triangle in West Queen West

Lots of developments in the WQW Triangle file the last two weeks. The most recent development is that the city is being given a grand opportunity to really, really stick it to the Ontario Municipal Board, which, astonishingly, it might just decline.

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Preville on Politics

July 16, 2007 | 7:31 pm

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Cesar’s Palacio

[UPDATED] What other name could the city possibly give to the casino proposed by the councillor for Ward 17 – Davenport, if they choose to adopt it? Palacio’s proposal to study a casino is just one item on a busy agenda full of high-profile items, including off-leash areas for dogs, official plan amendments for the West Queen West Triangle, a new lawsuit against the city from Porter Airlines (how about that?) and of course the city’s proposed new land-transfer and vehicle-registration taxes. Palacio proposes the casino as a means of avoiding the new taxes. But there’s an odd similarity between the two proposals.

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Preville on Politics

July 12, 2007 | 11:30 am

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Two strikes against the bohemian city

Everyone’s been aflutter since the weekend over the news that creative-cities guru Richard Florida, who encourages cities to embrace their bohemians, will soon be living and teaching in the city. It was such good news that it took everyone’s eye off the ball in the West Queen West Triangle, the front line in Toronto’s battle for bohemian ascendancy, where Mayor David Miller has been dealt another blow.

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Preville on Politics

April 26, 2007 | 10:43 am

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Speeding through the Green Lane

An excellent story in this morning’s Globe and Mail warns that Toronto’s purchase of the Green Lane landfill near St. Thomas, Ontario might not work out quite the way the city had hoped. The reason: the Americans are still making noises about closing the border to our trash.

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