Your weekly guide to the city’s retail scene.
SALES
■ Spectacle, a Toronto eyewear chain known for its extensive range of international designer frames, will have over 1,500 frames on display at up to 50 per cent off as part of its annual year-end sale. Brands offered at the boutique include Oliver Peoples, Ic! berlin, Anne et Valentin, Alain Mikli, Dita, and more. The sale continues through Jan. 6. Participating locations include 752 Queen St. W. (416-603-0123) and 3342 Yonge St. (416-484-9000).*
■ Parkdale’s Studio 1686 (1686 Queen St. W., 416-533-5400) holiday sale begins Dec. 14, with 10 per cent off the HST charged on the shop’s stock—much of which is already reduced by 50 to 80 per cent. Designer duds include a smart collection of LBDs and labels like Zac Posen, 3.1 Phillip Lim, Elie Tahari, Tibi, and menswear by Hugo Boss and Paul Smith. A range of pieces by jewellery designer Trish Rogers are also up for grabs, and several draws for the shop’s $35 signature star T-shirt will be held.
■ Drop by the Burroughes Building (639 Queen St. W.) for the Caitlin Power and M.W.L. Holiday Flash Sale on Dec. 15. Power, known for her strong tailoring and architectural aesthetic, collaborates once again with designer Ana Bogdanovic, whose Made With Love (M.W.L.) accessories line appeared in Power’s fall 2012 runway show at World MasterCard Fashion Week last spring. The sale, with discounts of up to 60 per cent off, runs from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
EVENTS & POP-UPS
■ Fashion Cares’ 25-year retrospective book is an homage to the now legendary HIV/AIDS fundraiser. Attend the Dec. 14 launch at Gaspard, hosted by owners Jennifer Halchuk and Richard Lyle (913 Queen St. W., 416-546-7480) from 7–10 p.m., or join Fashion Cares artistic director Phillip Ing at the MAC and Teatro Verde–sponsored launch at the MAC store (91 Bloor St. W., 416-929-7555). All proceeds from the book’s sales benefit the Toronto AIDS Committee and the Elton John AIDS Foundation.
■ Expect plenty of sequined splendour among the upcycled vintage clothing finds at the Bridge+Bardot holiday party on Dec. 15. From 6 to 10 p.m., shop the stylish, handpicked fall/winter collections of B+B’s owners Gurjeet and Gagan Bassi and Rose Broadbent at their Dundas West boutique (1138 Dundas St. W., 647-748-1138). Skilled trendhunters will also find offerings from local lines like Muttonhead, Cuchara, Felt Your Heart Beat, Kak’ia, and O’Keh. Cupcakes and bubbly provided.
OPENINGS
■ Raindrops has moved to a new location on the concourse level of 50 Bloor St. W. (416-203-7246).Twice the size of its former location at the Fairmont Royal York, the shop carries more than 800 different umbrellas, including Fulton’s iconic “Birdcage” umbrellas, Swarovski crystal–studded styles, and designer models from Jean Paul Gaultier. The shop also stocks a large inventory of women’s, children’s, and men’s rain gear.
Know of any new shops, pop-ups, or major deals? Email thedrop@thegridto.com.
CORRECTION, DEC. 13, 2012: The original version of this article—as it appeared here and in the Dec. 13, 2012 edition of The Grid—listed the wrong phone number for the Yonge Street Spectacle location. This information has been corrected.
