J.Crew’s first Canadian “Collection” store is now open on Bloor Street West

North America’s go-to prep supplier employs a two-tiered approach to fashion: there’s the regular line of well-priced basics, and then there’s the “J.Crew Collection”: a special trove of sparklier, more-complex pieces, with price tags to match. Befitting its location on Toronto’s Mink Mile, J.Crew’s newest boutique is stocked primarily with the latter. Along with a curated selection of shoes, jewelry and handbags, the boutique’s racks carry a mix of classic pieces in luxe fabrics—a textured lemon-yellow shift dress, for instance, finished with delicate grosgrain ribbon—and boldly embellished spins on the brand’s signature preppy designs, like a tailored short-sleeved button-down decorated with opalescent shoulder studs. The 6,500-square-foot space isn’t quite big enough for a dedicated men’s store, but mall-averse gentlemen need not despair: a small section carries sufficient denim, suiting and Italian cashmere to keep preppy male closets well-stocked.
J.Crew, 110 Bloor St. W., jcrew.com
I went the day they opened and again on Saturday. It’s mostly Collection pieces, so those searching something from their “regular” line up would have better luck at the Eaton Centre or Yorkdale (if you’re female). Store is a bit smaller than I had expected.