Perhaps one of my more difficult travel pieces, shopping has been a constant challenge for me. “Browsing” is a condemned term in my vocabulary – unless of course you are in a bookshop. I have learned to be a smart shopper as spending endless hours looking for the “right” pair of shoes has been beyond my comprehension. One of the rare females of the world not committed to shopping days, I knew traveling the popular fashion districts in Toronto would be both a challenge and an exciting adventure; it did turn out to be both.

Previous jaunts to Toronto for the Arts & Culture article, and the Toronto Cuisine article had me walking to discover the splendour of the city, but this time I was quite determined to navigate the downtown core via the tram system. Only good comments can be said about the tram system as it is an incredibly clean, efficient, and cheap way to navigate Toronto. Many of the tram drivers were delightful to converse with and many had stories of the cities people to tell me about. Most of all, the tram drivers were helpful in answering my endless questions about this mode of transportation around Toronto. For shopping purposes, hopping on and off the trams is a great way to get around without walking for dozens of blocks with all those great “shopping finds” you will be uncovering along the way.

Where to stay: The King Edward Hotel – The Distinguished Edwardian Gentleman

The King Edward Hotel is one of those landmarks in Toronto not to be missed. A fantastic memory of how we were and still are linked to the British Monarchy, the King Edward abounds with large white pillars and a grand square entrance with a balcony reminiscent of a palace. An impressive painting of the King Edward the hotel is named after hangs in the lobby, and a certain regal air makes a customer feel they have just had a wonderful interaction with a great distinguished gentleman of days gone by.

Endearingly called “The King Eddie” by locals, this establishment has been host to legendary moments in history; John Lennon and Yoko Ono had staged part of their bed-in for world peace in the Royal Suite and Richard Burton had proposed to Elizabeth Taylor in the Sovereign Ballroom with the now infamous Burton-Taylor Diamond.

The rooms are spacious and meticulously clean. If you book, or upgrade, for the Royal Club you will have access to the exclusive Lounge where hors d’oeuvres and drinks are served at night and a sumptuous continental breakfast (smoked salmon, muffins, cereals, variety of breads and cheeses, etc) can be enjoyed in leisure in the morning. The King Edward works in upscale understatement, so simply know that a great deal of efficiency and class is placed within these walls. The staff move about effortlessly and efficiently, showing a level of professionalism that is highly noticeable and yet works hard to seem almost invisible. Many weddings, meetings and wine tastings are held in the great banquet rooms laced with Grecian statues and stunning crystal chandeliers.

However I would recommend more than anything, and particularly on a shopping trip, enjoying their renowned Afternoon Tea at the King Edward Hotel. Read my full review of the King Edward Afternoon Tea here.

The King Edward is featuring a historical walking tour and afternoon tea package until October 10^th read here.

Where to shop?

So now that I had a clear idea of where I would be ending my shopping day with a good cup of tea and a refined selection of finger sandwiches, confections and scones, I had to determine my strategy for navigating the best of shopping that Toronto has to offer.

Of course, you can shop according to cultures by going through the Portugal, Indian, Chinese, Italian, and many more little countries within the city that have authentic clothing, jewellery, furniture and food shops. You can also navigate Toronto via the great bakeries, bread shops, dessert shops and any other shops that are independently owned and can make a fantastic sampling of what the city has to offer for an edible shopping spree. Truly though, we are in search of the great clothing sectors that will make you stand out from the crowd.

‘Who are you wearing?'

Very different than Montreal’s European and cosmopolitan feel, Toronto has distinct neighbourhoods for very distinct shoppers. A full street of Designer clothing shops such as Dior, Chanel, Tiffany’s, Benetton, and many more, hold court on Bloor Street & Yorkville; if you want to feel, and look like a million dollars, then this is the area for you. A long street full of the worlds’ greatest designers and what the latest season of fashion has to offer, consider Bloor and Yorkville the Rodeo Drive of Canada.

Perhaps a Canadian landmark of the fashion industry is Holt Renfrew, where you can purchase anything from Manolo Blahniks to Yves Saint Laurent. The space is bustling at all times in order to keep the three layered store efficiently run. A newly renovated third floor has tongues-a-wagging as a throwback to bold and vibrant colours of the 1980's was the daring inspiration to pleasantly affect any shopper’s mood for this new display. The new third floor is as visually stimulating as heading to a local art gallery to look at contemporary art pieces. Take the time out of your busy shopping day to discover where the Haute Couture lives in Canada.

Of course, you could slip on a little black dress, oversized matching hat and glasses and head to Tiffany’s to oogle the stunning pieces of fine jewellery. Hard to believe, Tiffany’s has every shopper in mind with pieces that look like they should be housed in a museum; even down to the affordable and beautiful necklaces shaped like the famous blue tiffany boxes.

Amidst the elegance and grandeur was a proud piece of Canadiana as the world famous Lululemon. Founded with headquarters in Vancouver, Lululemon is the company that provides fashion forward yoga wear to millions around the world and even in Yorkville.

Where do ‘normal’ shoppers head?

So perhaps Bloor and Yorkville is beyond your budget and imagination. Where do the everyday trend seekers get affordable fashions? Expect to find a lot of the mall fashion like American Outfitters and Old Navy, but also some really great non-franchise shops that will keep you looking fashion forward on Queen Street West.

But Queen Street is more than trendy shops, as it has a great urban feel to it. Intermingled with unique shops like Lavish & Squalor are restaurants, tattoo parlours and a distinct flavour of the MuchMusic headquarters, making the street a complete shopping experience. It's somewhere you could spend a day browsing, trying outfits on, having a pleasant lunch and having just a good time out with friends.

Commonly referred to as Queen West, this area is known for being a hub of Canadian broadcasting, music, fashion, performance and the visual arts. In the last few decades, Queen West has become an international centre and is a popular spot for tourists. Again, this area of Toronto has a great urban feel to it and really seems to capture the essence of the city.

The “Best Finds” hunter...

What has been described as “vibrant vintage” a new and very popular trend towards fashion of retro-fashion has developed considerably at Ossington and Dundas. An area still searching out its greatest assets, this area has become a good derivative of hippie-chic or the ultimate locale for hungry vintage shoppers looking to build a fabulous and unique collection.

At present, this area is being called West Queen West, as if Ossington and Dundas was derived from the same gene pool as its predecessor. No doubt about it that this area, although not new, is currently shaping itself into a stylish hub, but with an almost anti-stylish attitude. Ossington and Dundas has a great feel of being too cool to play with the cool kids, with an entire approach of debunking the ultra-trendy; A yin to Bloor and Yorkville’s gregarious yang.

You can find some great shops that have quality vintage items, and even designer vintage, like Silver Falls Vintage, and I Miss you Vintage, which was voted in 2009 by Toronto life as the best place to shop for vintage clothing and accessories. Renowned designer vintage store The Paper Bag Princess, known for its upscale attitude towards vintage is a little off the Ossington track, but worth making the redirect for.

Perhaps if your taste lingers towards still being a bargain hunter then Badlands Vintage and Vintage Mix 1 are the spots for you.

Canadian By Design....

Perhaps the most delightful shopping travel experience is in support of the wealth of talented Canadian Designers who are as vibrant a community as the clothes they create. A wonderful resource of shops exclusively dealing in Canadian designers can be found here.

However, one boutique recently opened this summer worth mentioning is Eleven on 116 Cumberland Street in Yorkville. This is a boutique of multiple Canadian designers like the incomparable Linda Lundstrom, Thien Lee and Joeffer Caoc.

A relatively comprehensive list of where to Shop in Toronto can be found here.  

After a long couple of days searching out the best and brightest shopping areas of Toronto I was quite exhausted and very hungry. The afternoon tea at the King Edward was simply delightful, but I was looking for a monumental meal that would express a sense of delightful finality to this shopping trip. Luckily, I discovered one of Toronto’s best East Indian restaurants, 309 Dhaba. Read my full review of the delicious experience here.

To read the rest of the Toronto travel blogs series click on the links below:

A Taste Of Toronto Cuisine

Sojourning Through Cultural Toronto

Written by :

Kindah

 

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