Toronto shopping

[impossibleprincess]

I'm going to Toronto late Summer and was wondering if anyone could recommend the best stores there-I mean its not like New York where there are loads of books here (London) telling you where to shop. I know it all depends on everyone's personal tastes but what are the best known places?Can anyone tell me about the best chain stores (your version of Topshop or Express) the place where you can get all the designers (like Bond St over here) and the big shopping malls??It would be a great help...and also the best vintage stores!! thank u!xx

 

[FashionFreak]

actually you will be surprised, Toronto got some very nice spots to shop. Now I remember..

1- Eaton Centre : A mall sourrounded by many shopping outlets in the neighborhood.
2- mississauga Mall.
3- Downtown Toronto is another nice place to visit, somehow that spot reminds of NY. not as good ofcourse.

You will notice more verity in many brands in Toronto. Here in the US, they usually stock the latest and rack the old ones.

Generally, I think what's special about Toronto, is not the fashion or the food. Its the people. They are soooooo friendly in a way that you may feel insecure at the beginning . LOOL (yup that how i first felt after being invited to a house party by a couple of girls i just met).. but its normal, you will have lots of fun partying and shopping.
LEO.

Psst... not an Mcd fan, but did anyone notice how Mcdonalds fries taste alot better in Toronto compared to the ones here in the US.. ??

 

[pradaromance]

There are many designer boutiques (Prada, Gucci, etc) on Blur Street

 

[twilekboy]

Canadian high end department store Holt Refrew is also on Bloor... thats an excellent place... my personal favorite place to shop is Queen Street West, its a bit younger and edgier.... you can find some recognizable designer names, but you can also find local designers and unknowns and stuff in the shops and boutiques that line that street.... Also, Kensigton market is excellent for its endless vintage shops....

 

[pradaromance]

Originally posted by Pradaromance12@May 23rd, 2004 - 10:12 pm
There are many designer boutiques (Prada, Gucci, etc) on Blur Street

Woops, i mean Bloor street

 

[CelineChic]

Originally posted by FashionFreak@May 23rd, 2004 - 9:27 pm
Psst... not an Mcd fan, but did anyone notice how Mcdonalds fries taste alot better in Toronto compared to the ones here in the US.. ??

That is because our McD french fries are cooked in vegetable oil.

In the US they use some mixture of oil with animal fat.

The portions in Canadian McDs are also smaller. Our large is your medium in drinks and fries. The bigmacs are also smaller in Canada.

That being said, if one is willing to eat there then they might as well stick their head in a garbage can and eat out of there. Its the same thing.

I haven't touched it since 1990. Now I read books like Eric Schlosser's "Fast Food Nation" and the new "Super Size Me" Doctumentry and I no longer wonder why the US is the fattest nation in the world.

 

[chocsta]

You're coming to Toronto? It's the end of May and its still freezing here

As for shopping, definitely take a stroll down Bloor Street, the stretch east ofAvenue/Queen's Park/University Street. All the brand names are there - Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Hermes, Escada... intermingled with the not so brand-names such as Sporting Life, Nike, Gap, Roots and Zara. You'll also find Holt Renfrew on Bloor, which carries a lot of brands along with their own private label.

After Bloor, you might want to check out Yorkville, which is very close to Bloor. It's a small charming area filled with cafes with patios and restaurants, but also has unique little stores from antiques to paperies to candy stores.

For vintage, go to Kensington market. However, the vintage in Toronto is not so recommendable. From my experience, a lot of the stuff is not in good condition, and many stores there try to pass cheap mass-produced clothing as vintage, so be careful

Shopping malls.. all of them are pretty similar as they all carry the same generic brands. So if you've been to one, you've pretty much been to all of them. The closest one downtown would be the Eaton Centre. But trust me, you only need to see one...

And if you have time, check out Queen Street. There's also many stores there that are pretty interesting, especially if you like funky, independent designers.

Enjoy Toronto and have fun shopping!

 

[impossibleprincess]

My dad has a business trip, and i've been before-but when I was like 14, so i did all the sight seeing stuff then. So I'm going to have to fil up my days with shopping!! I love more independent stuff too, you know, stuff that you can't find anywhere else and that no one else will have,so I'll definitely be checking out Queen Street too! And hoping it'll be warmer by september!

 

[sweetjane]

i definately recommend queen st west for the best shopping...not too expensive but funky and different. THere is also some vintage on that street too.

also kensington market is worth checking out. its a fun place to stroll around but you have to dig harder for great finds

 

[impossibleprincess]

ok sorry about my confused mind but which out of all those places is the best where I can pick up seven jeans/blue cult, etc? Sort of like the Barneys/Bloomingdales/Selfridges of Toronto?? thank u....

 

[banana]

I think Holt Renfrew would be the only place that would have those brands. But everything is so behind here that if you are looking for the latest cult trend you might not find it.

There are some Canadian chain stores that sell some nice stuff for a cheap price. I won't list them all because I'm afraid people will laugh at me but if you end up going to the Eaton Centre or Square One shopping mall in Mississauga they will all be there. Oh and if you REALLY want to do some cheap *** shopping, like rooting through bargain bins and clearance racks there is the Dixie Outlet Mall in Mississauga. But if you're into fancy designer stuff you won't find anything you like there.

Oh and definately take a trip to a MAC store. I think the makeup is cheaper here.

 

[impossibleprincess]

To be honest i'm kind of into everything-i like to mix and match stuff, so I'll go everywhere!

 

[kathween555]

bloor. queen. Yorkdale Mall. Yorkville (just behind bloor, around the corner from the 4 Seasons), and Hazelton Lanes (branches off of yorkville) are god.
Sevens/blue cult? Holt, Over the Rainbow on Yorkville, Aritzia ( in Eaton Centre, on Queen, and Bloor) and lots of little shops down Queen. happy shopping.

I'm tired of Canadian Shopping, what's good in NYC?

 

[Fashionista Babe]

the post above pretty much said it all to find jeans such and Seven and Blue cults another good place to go to find jeans like those (also juicy, miss 60, diesel, citizens, notice jeans, paper denim, chip & pepper, Rock and republic etc) is TNT Blue and TNT Woman which are are in Hazeltons lanes near Yorkville and there is another location also on Yonge and Eglington. Inside Eaton centre there is only one store that carry those brands which is called Blu Marine. Another secret location is in a place called WONDER BOUTIQUE in a chinese mall called China town Centre...its jam packed with Miss 60 and diesel...and u can can get 10% off if u are a student...

Yeah seen it all in TO...need to find new treasure...NY sounds good..

 

[*AndoraStar*]

Be sure to check out Square One.. it's in Mississauga, just 10 mins away from Toronto

and if you like email me or pm me I'll tell you more

 

[impossibleprincess]

Thanks all of you...I wouldn't have known where to start! You know when you read guides in the hotel and they pick all these touristy places and you get there and are like " !!!" (esp when you're a die-hard shopper like me) but know I will! So thank-u!

 

[xclusive]

...if you want designer labels(LV, Prada, HugoBoss, Gucci etc.) go to Bloor St W; we have a chain of stores, Holt Renfrew it's like a huge department store but it's upscale, they carry different labels. The Bay is another department store but it's not very good..Liz Clarborne(or something like that) should give you an idea. Also don't forget Yorkville and someone already said.

...if you want more creative urban stuff, go to Queen St. W

...if you want fakes and some cheap stuff go to 660 and up towards Eatons Centre on Younge Street

You could also try Eatons but I wouldn't presonally recomend it. The nicest stores they have are Zara, Bebe, and ALDO..also Sears.

As for other malls, Sherway Gardens is not bad, there's a BCBG store there; also Yorkdale is okay.

 

[LaceFab4]

Quaint Toronto shops/boutiques

I have a weekend to do some serious spending

and since I cannot get over to nyc, I have decided that I will be heading up to Toronto. I was hoping that someone could inform me of shops that are ecclectic and even as to where I can find some cute vintage places! Actually, any shops would be great to know about! Thanks

 

[sweetjane]

take a stroll down queen st. west, and then go through kensington market

 

[ms_prissy]

black market and tribal rhythm (sp?) on queen. be wary of kensington market as a lot of the stuff there is either in bad condition or what i call "fake vintage" stuff that looks vintage but is really mass produced crud. don't get me wrong you can find some truly awesome stuff there it just takes time. while you're in the area check out chinatown, most people write that area off, but you can find some funky stuff there. if you're looking for funky jewellery little india on the east side of toronto (gerrard st.) has some cool indian jewellery with neat earring and bangles.