A few of you have asked where I shop in Toronto so I figured I’d do a guide that is relevant as of today’s date; therefore if you read it 5-10 years later and the shop has changed, then please don’t blame me 🙂

THE THRIFT & CONSIGNMENT STORES

Courage my love: 14 Kensington Aveue @ Spadina Station (South of it at Dundas Street)

• Lovely pieces here from all over the world including kimonos and obis from Japan
• Lots of cashmere sweaters for around $30… $30!!!!
• Pashminas also available, and for a decent price, around $10 each
• The usual kind of thrifted jewellery — wooden, metal, tribal, etc
• No high-end labels, mostly interesting ones that are a whole range
• More vintage stuff

The Rage (Consignment): 2 Kensington Avenue @ Spadina Station (South of it at Dundas Street)

• A mix of vintage and high-end pieces
• Fairly cheaply priced considering some items are really wonderful designer pieces
• Great selection of retro handbags that are beaded or embroidered

LAB Consignment:15 Ossington Avenue @ Ossington Station (South of it at Queen Street)

• NOT a “thrift” store, but it is secondhand
• High-end labels that are carefully picked by the owner
• Lovely bags, shoes, and interesting vintage and designer pieces
• Prices are a bit on the high side, not $30 for a designer skirt, but maybe $130

THE INDEPENDENTS

Cat’s Cradle: 596 Yonge Street @ Wellesley Station

• Bionic wrap dresses are heavenly
• Other great independent designers here
• Love their accessories as well
• Convenient location downtown 🙂

Propaganda: 686 Yonge Street @ Wellesley Station

• The owner is always mixing it up, which makes the store fun
• Etsy-like jewellery which means = BEAUTIFUL!
• Known to me, mostly for their wonderful accessories <– my go to place
• They have odd things too like books, interesting gifts for guys & girls

Labour of Love: 242 Carlton Street @ College Station (East)

• Also owned by Propaganda, a sister store apparently
• More jewellery here if you are interested but they also have housewares and fabrics

Phi & Me: 2616 Yonge Street @ Eglinton Station (Northbound on Yonge)

• What I really want you to go here for are their amazing leather belts
• They are structured obi belts, and more of a natural wrap style, around $89 – $99 each
• Clothes are very minimalist and clean in neutrals like black, white and tan
• Moderately priced at $50 – $100 each

Girl Friday: 740 Queen Street West @ Bathurst Station (Southbound at Queen)

• Lovely pieces but are pricey in my opinion, although quite interesting
• Made a lovely purple wrap dress a while back which I wear obsessively 🙂

Chockys: 2584 Yonge Street @ Eglinton Station (Northbound on Yonge)

• Go here for high-end-retail-like t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, bandeaus, leggings and tanks
• The quality is quite high, they buy from actual retail suppliers of American Apparel and Aritizia for example
• It’s super cheap; I paid $7 for a top that I would have seen on sale for $30 or more if it had a different label on it

THE CHAINS

Cassis: 100 King Street West @ King Station

• Actually found them in Montreal originally
• Awesome casual, business casual and business formal clothing
• Decent quality that feels solid and wearable
• Reasonably priced around $30 – $150 for nicer, classic items

Forever 21: Many store locations 2 @ Eaton’s Center

• AWESOME for fast trends that are cheap but I don’t go there for them
• I mostly go for the accessories (cheap and cute)
• Rarely buy any clothing here, I find it wears out too quickly

Dynamite: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• Love them for faux leather jackets ($60 in store right now)
• Wonderful business casual pants
• They have decent tops as well, but the quality is hit and miss
• Accessories are limited, so I’d go elsewhere

Smart Set: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

•  I like them for simple sundresses, pants and tops
• Accessories are limited but they have a decent selection although quality is suspect sometimes
• Decent quality in their items, depending on what you buy
• Awesome basics like t-shirts with a twist

H&M: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• I like them for everything, including accessories but quality is hit and miss
• Hit and miss; have to go seasonally to check out the array
• Their H&M Denim brand feels a lot like high-end premium denim like 7 for all mankind
• I go mostly for the simple sundresses ($15) and trendier pieces I don’t want to spend $$ on
• Their coats are nice as well

Suzy Shier: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• A great place to go for cheaper suits (the other mid-range one is Jacob, then Banana Republic)
• Their pants aren’t so bad either, neither are their tops
• Accessories are better looking than in other stores like Dynamite or Smart Set

Zara: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• I love their basic tops here; found a great striped one
• Haven’t purchased anything else from them, but it looks high-street chic
• Decently priced depending on what you are lookin for

American Apparel: Many store locations 1 near Eaton’s Center

• Loathe their marketing
• I only go here for basic t-shirts and tank tops because they haven’t pilled, faded or stretched

Jacob: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• Love their classic wool coats and their suits!
• They have a decent business casual and business formal selection
• Their clothing is classic but with a slight twist
• I like their classic accessories — the quality is quite high but you pay more
• Nice basics in mostly neutral colours: black, ivory, white, taupe, tan, etc

Banana Republic: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• Their pants fit me perfectly here and are well made (I like the Martin fit)
• The pants are mid-to-high rise which means no butt cleavage 🙂
• I’d avoid them for tops or anything else, it’s too pricey for the quality
• Their accessories are higher end but I haven’t found anything worth its price to buy

Club Monaco: Many locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• I haven’t purchased ANYTHING from them as they are pricey
• However I’d buy their cashmere wraps here; decently priced for the quality but colours are limited
• Their accessories are the perfect mix of classic, bold and modern however

Le Chateau: Many locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• I only go here for pashminas at around $15 each
• The rest of their stuff is kind of pricey for the style & quality
• A few gems here and there, although you can find good basics here too

Lululemon: 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• I only bought jackets (scuba hoodie, running jacket & wrap) and bags from them
• I haven’t found anything else to purchase other than one of each of the basics
• Other than that, I find their yoga pants too tight for the most part although they don’t stretch out but I wear $10 leggings instead of their $100 pants

Anthropologie: 78 Yorkville Avenue

• Quite pricey, which is why I avoid it until I know there might be a sale on something I want (I stalk the sale section)
• They have quirky pieces that are still classic, which is why I like them and they are unusual!
• Fit is frustrating because they use independent designers and I range from a size 2 to a size 8 here
• Note that a lot of pieces will look cheap/vintage/flea market-ish, but be priced like J. Crew 😛

J. Crew: Located at Yorkdale Mall

• Lovely for basics like cashmere sweaters and ballet flats
• …but is too pricey to purchase from unless it’s on sale 🙂
• Love their coats and dresses however

Rudsak: 315 Queen Street West @ Osgoode Station (West)

• I only go here for their leather bags
• …although cheaper than M0851, the leather is of slightly lower quality as well
• Quite pricey but their stuff is minimalist and simple
• Their clothes are too pricey for the quality

M0851: 38 Avenue Road (Opening Soon)

• Found them in Montreal
• Rather enjoy their bags and styling of them
• Very minimalist and clean, and the leather is HEAVENLY
• Very pricey, in the $200 – $400 range

THE SHOES

Get Outside: 437 Queen Street West @ Spadina Station (Southbound at Queen)

• I go here for Birkenstocks and Frye Boots (amazing!)

Camper Shoes: Many store locations 1 on Queen Street at C Squared 365 Queen Street West

• Quite cute and comfortable sandals and shoes
• Pretty pricey as it’s a European brand
• Well-made

Nine West: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• Love them for work pumps and classic shoes

Steve Madden: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• They’re sold in chain stores like B|2 and so on, but I like the brand very much
• Great pumps that are comfortable and slightly trendy

Ecco: Many store locations 1 @ Eaton’s Center

• Bought my favourite pair of flat brown boots here
• Also bought my winter boots here
• Hit and miss on styles, some times I love other times, I HATE!

Other than the stores listed here, I kind of just wander around places like the following:

• Westbound of Yonge Street on Queen street (my fave!!)
• Northbound and Southbound of Yonge (the whole stretch)
• Little Italy usually has some nice bags like Mat & Nat
• Westbound of Spadina Station on Spadina Street
• Pape Station’s area
• Westbound of Bathurst on Dundas Street
• Kensington Market for vintage/thrift stuff

You can find gems almost anywhere if you pay attention although I sometimes just Google or Yelp locations that others find interesting or cool.