The city’s definitive best-dressed list: Toronto’s 12 most stylish people
This year’s inductees, as chosen by Toronto Life’s jury of experts: Fashion editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra, The Bay’s Christopher Sherman, style blogger Anita Clarke and torontolife.com’s Kevin Naulls
See Toronto’s 12 most stylish people »
JANO BADOVINAC
– 34–
Stomping grounds
The Annex.
By day
Industrial designer; creative director of Fugitive Glue, a design consultancy; model.
Look
“Mountaineering rugged dude.”
Fashion staple
“I have a sailor hat that I like to rock. It’s sort of a Gilligan thing that fits in my pocket. It’s great for bike riding.”
Known for
Silent movie–villain moustache. “It began to take form four years ago and stuck. Every time I go to cut it, something stops me.”
Fall must-have
“A chunky sweater with interesting buttons.”
The Jano scent
Lavender essential oil. “I was never a fan of smelling like everyone else. The lavender mixed with my own natural scent seems to work.”
He’s wearing
Philip Sparks pants, American Apparel shirt, Swedish army jacket.
Ashleigh Dempster and Amanda Blakley
– 33–
(and both seven months pregnant in this photo)
Stomping grounds
Yorkville for Dempster (left), Summerhill for Blakley (right).
By day
Proprietors of The Society, which they describe as “a social club for the creative class.”
Look
Uptown polished.
Fall must-have
Dempster: A goat-hair vest. “Our friend Alana Ka’Kia recently launched a line, and I’m lusting after this vest that will go with everything from a cocktail dress to jeans.”
Style credo
Dempster: “Always dress to the beat of your own drum.”
Maternity look
Blakley: “I tend to dress up more now—more dresses!”
Dempster’s wearing
Azzedine Alaia dress, Zara jacket, Nicholas Kirkwood shoes, Jenny Bird rings.
Blakley’s wearing
Moschino jacket, Proenza Schouler dress, Louboutin shoes, Jenny Bird ring.
Tu Ly
– 45–
Stomping grounds
Av and Dav.
By day
Fashion designer; creative marketing director, Ports 1961.
Look
Eclectic luxe.
Closet staple
“I’ve never met a skirt I didn’t like. My first year at Ryerson in the ’80s, we had to design a skirt for a project. I made one for myself and wore it before any skirts were seen on men on the runways.”
Fall must-have
“Maison Martin Margiela leather tote in a murky army green–brown that goes with everything.”
Icons
The fashion mavericks of the ’70s—David Bowie and Mick Jagger.
Style credo
“Buy the best you can afford. Don’t break the bank, but get something of quality rather than a lot of fast-fashion pieces.”
He’s wearing
Dior Homme jacket, Prada shirt, Robert James tie, Comme des Garçons upside-down jacket skirt, Junya Watanabe pants, Prada studded shoes, Hermès rings, onyx rings from Santa Fe.
Maryam Keyhani
– 29–
Stomping grounds
Yorkville.
By day
Jewellery designer.
Look
Clean lines with a touch of the surreal.
Known for
“I started wearing hats after falling in love with Marlene Dietrich’s top hat in Morocco. I love the play between the masculine and feminine.”
Why make jewellery?
“My wardrobe was always simple, so I felt like it was lacking a way to express my over-the-topness. So I thought, why don’t I make these pieces myself?”
Style credo
“Everyone has that one thing that they feel comfortable in or that looks great on them, that one silhouette. It’s really about taking those elements and pushing them.”
She’s wearing
Vintage hat, Givenchy leopard jacket, Cos pants, Jil Sander for Uniqlo top, Fendi belt, Maryam Keyhani necklace.
Sarah Chavez
– 27–
Stomping grounds
Yorkville.
By day
Freelance stylist and girl about town.
Look
High-design free spirit.
Current obsession
“Right now I’m collecting tabi boots—they sort of look like little cat feet or ninja feet—by Maison Martin Margiela.”
Hunts for
Designer consignment. “I like finding moments in fashion. I remember the collection and then find it on consignment. It’s the thrill of the hunt.”
Style credo
“I always buy my clothes for living. I like to have things I’ll be able to wear when I’m 60.”
Bons mots
“Go against the grain. If you’re too trend-driven, you’ll ignore your own spirit and mood.”
She’s wearing
Vintage crop top, Dries Van Noten pants, Maison Martin Margiela jacket, Balenciaga shoes.
Tony Pham
– 27–
Stomping grounds
Yorkville.
By day
Stylist at Hair on the Avenue.
Look
Far East fashion vanguard.
Fall must-have
“Thigh-high leather boots and anything from Ezra.”
Icons
“I love the Milan-based stylist and designer Marcelo Burlon. His style is amazing. And, of course, Vogue Japan’s editor-at-large, Anna Dello Russo, for her fabulous use of colour.”
Designer insider
“My friend Thomas works at Antonioli in Milan and lets me know when all the new stuff comes in.”
Style credo
“I get dressed in five minutes. My thing is, whatever you wear, you should be comfortable and you shouldn’t worry about how other people perceive you.”
He’s wearing
Ezra Constantine top, Damir Doma jacket, Kokon to Zai hand piece, Alexander McQueen ring, glasses by Jeremy Scott for Linda Farrow.
Suzanne Timmins
– 55–
Stomping grounds
Roncesvalles.
By day
Fashion director of The Bay.
Look
Rock-chick glam.
The feel
“I like to get dressed based on my mood. When I travel, I bring dozens of options because I don’t know how I’m going to feel from one day to the next.”
Seeing double
“There are two Sues—the T-shirt-and-jeans person and the dressed-up fashion person. They’re both fashion people, I should say.”
Style credo
“When you see somebody and you like their style, it’s because they’re totally comfortable in their skin.”
She’s wearing
Arthur Mendonça gold dress.
Joe Amio
– 35–
Stomping grounds
King West.
By day
Production editor for Fashion Television; style blogger, joeisthenewblack.com.
Look
Military Canadiana.
Icons
Tyler Durden from Fight Club. “I like his mix of different styles: vintage, rocker, punk.”
Collects
GQ magazine. “I got my first issue in 1990, and I’ve been collecting ever since. It wasn’t until I moved to my current apartment that I realized, geez, I’ve got a lot of these.”
On the blog
“Every day I post a photo of my outfit on Joe Is the New Black. It forces me to use more of my closet and be more creative when I get dressed.”
He’s wearing
Club Monaco bow tie and shirt, Timex watch, vintage jacket, Nudie jeans, All Saints boots.
Gloria Sharp
– 67–
Stomping grounds
Lakeshore, west end.
By day
Marni sales specialist at Holt Renfrew.
Look
Timeless, with a little frivolity.
Fall must-have
“A colourful, edgy coat paired with the most fabulous boot.”
Closet staple
“This is very cliché, but I always feel that you can’t go wrong with a well-cut black dress in a beautiful fabric.”
For a night on the town
Oscar de la Renta. “He is the master of female fashion. He is so in tune with what a woman wants to look and feel like, and he never disappoints.”
Style credo
“Stay true to your own self-image, but at the same time, be brave enough to experiment.”
She’s wearing
Vintage Issey Miyake jacket and skirt, vintage Chanel jewellery.
Ryan Oakley
– 33–
Stomping grounds
Black Oak Triangle (near Bloor and Lansdowne).
By day
Restaurant server; first-time novelist (Technicolor Ultra Mall); blogger, thegrumpyowl.com.
Look
21st-century Beau Brummell. Icons Birds. “They have an amazing sense of colour.”
Known for
Bespoke suits. “My appreciation for bespoke began when I stopped spending all my money on drugs and drink and found I could afford vanity.”
Style credo
“I’ve always viewed dressing as an art. I like suits because they’re a standard form and you have to colour within the lines.
He’s wearing
Bespoke suit and shirt by his tailor of choice, Don Fabien Lee, shoes by Peter Feeney (both designers at Trend Custom Tailors), Ted Baker tie.
Martin James
– 38–
Stomping grounds
Parkdale.
By day
Manager and buyer, Uncle Otis.
Look
Guy Ritchie rogue hero.
The Brit ethos
“I was taught that you should be able to go into any store and pull anything that speaks to you and make it work with what you have. This is fashion, as opposed to someone dictating how you should dress.”
Style credo
“I like abusing the norm. Contemporary with a twist.”
Obsession
“I’m a shoe whore. I used to have about 600 pairs in my closet.” He now guesses it’s between 300 and 400. Icons “My mum and dad were mods. Mod-esque style feeds through my wardrobe.”
He’s wearing
Wings and Horns suit, vintage vest, Surface to Air shirt, The Generic Man shoes, Rag and Bone hat.
boy, i’m so glad that there were no “overweight”, “mildly obese” or even heavy-set people on that list. it is definitely easier to hang nice clothes on human hangers; the draping sits so easily
@carey
Martin12 is no hanger. That’s for sure. ;) give him a hug next time you’re in Uncle O. But I hear you.
Meanwhile in Africa…
this is the most boring list ever. there have to be some more interesting/ stylish people in toronto than this crap. you should have let the people vote instead of throwing something together overnight.
My mom is more stylish than these hipster-yuppie try hards. Gawd awful.
Like virtually everyone in Toronto, milquetoast… to a person.
What’s with renaming the Junction Triangle? Is Ryan to hip to refer to his neighborhood by its actual name – too low brow perhaps.
A bit of a let down here. Rather than hitting the usual suspects, might have been better to pick a few new faces. We’ve seen most of these before. “Designers” and “stylists” aren’t the only ones that know how to dress, ya know.
4 of your 12 ‘stomp’ around Yorkville and another sells for Holts. Jano is a “Mountaineering rugged dude,” you guys really nailed Toronto with this article!
Gonna break-away from the usual negative, condescending, TL comments and say Maryam looks fab. Love a good hat.
Both “overweight”, and “mildly obese” people you describe are in quotations, but the heavy-set people – are not ?! What is up?
ultra-boring as usual toronto life – pablum. this is why real people with class and style don’t play or shop in canada. canada has a horrible art and fashion scence. all these lame bloggers and magazines, whatever media just support each other like a 12 step program….no substance, one big pathetic family. anythign for swag! come on, have some discretion. really this is too pathetic, “I shop in Yorkville, so you have to respect me, i take pics of my meals at restaurants and tweet them”….get a life. useless, just tired of all these twits who get attention fo rdoing nothing ehen the real talent is left in obscurity b/c they’re not attractive enough. all these flakes are social-climbing vapid PR idiots who contribute nothing to society except marketing each other’s crap. Ya, menawhile in Africa and we just Layton….now that’s a shame…but i know where these idiot’s buy their image from !!! blaaahhhi hate living in canada, so boring, i don’t want to be around these louses when i go out to check out something, can’t wait for vacation to france and sweden
Dear cl,
PLEASE go to Sweden or France.
awww. someone is a loser who looks up to louse….did the truth hurt yoru feelings. haha, ya babe, i’m going to france and if you found out who what why and where of my itinerary (or who i am) you would wet your pants. you are a bore, don’t be jealous, own your mediocrity
i’ll save you my swag bags form TIFF, i never even take that crap – who wants to carry random shit around like a plebian
What a horrible list – all unattractive people except for the lovely pregnant ladies. This a true reflection of the judges; themselves not at all the least bit stylish or have any sort of taste (Anita Clarke?? Please..who dresses her?); also a reflection of Toronto – how embarrassing – these are our fashionable people omg!!; you should have stuck with the regular style setters of the city. This is why Toronto will never be a hip city or ever command any attention internationally; we have morons who think people like this list are the city’s best – better luck next year; won’t go out and buy this mag. Btw – the cover girl looks like she woke up from 1978 – that look isn’t’ even in style…
Bought the style issue a few days ago. Great job. Bloody Toronto haters never give up! I think it’s a great list of 12.
@cl
You must be very important and famous indeed. That’s why you’re here trolling the pages of Toronto Life. Eurodink!
@cl
you need help. get some help.
hey toronto life, your next issue should feature the 12 ANGRIEST people in toronto. you’ve got your top 3 right here. lighten up people.
That Joe Amio is quite good looking. I find him attractive.
@cl:
You also need to sober up and/or go back to school to learn how to compose a coherent sentence.
Other Toronto haters:
Take your self-loathing and smother yourselves with it. So sick of the whining.
???
Maybe if I worked in retail/fashion and got my clothes free/discounted I could be on this list too.
@ Carey
All of the people on the list had healthy-looking bodies, I don’t know what you’re complaining about. “Obese” is in no way easy to look at, no matter what its wearing.
@CL – You seem like the sort of person that bores easily. What makes you think that you’re going to find what you’re looking for in either France or Sweden? I’ve had it up to *here* with self loathing bums that are so convinced that they need to travel to the other side of the planet for style and sophistication. Get your head our of your ass, why don’t ya?
Also Bruce (“meanwhile in africa”) I think you’re reading the wrong publication. lol.
The “definitive” list of Toronto’s best dressed ? No. But that’s the great thing about fashion. It’s highly personal.
In my personal opinion, with the exception of Ashley, Amanda and Samantha (boring up-market off the rack “Oooh look at me !! I have money and shop at the right stores therefore, ipso facto, I have taste and style..”) the rest of the people on this list show flair and confidence in who they are. Props.
Dear CL,
You sound like an utter bore!! I too am going to europe London Italy and Greece and my daughter works for a major fashion designer in London, but all the clothes I am taking were bought in TO and I will look fabulous.
A “definitive” list – gotta love the confidence in your judgement, dear jury of experts. I’d say “a definitive list of best dressed people I know from parties, shopping at Holt’s and having martinis at the same bar”.
Maryam, tough, looks fabulous.
@suchick
Totally agreed. Took the words right out of my mouth!
Other than those ladies, I think this was a great list.
Guess that Toronto Life dont really know who lives in this city.
Fair play Mr James…
The rest of you ….ya bunch of pikeys,
Why am i not on this list … what gives … is this some form of protectionsism ?
I want to leave the planet.
You must be joking!!!!
I must say I really enjoy the mild rage these text book sycophants and dilitantes inspire in the TO Life readers.
The readers comments are the best part!!
BTW, I agree with cl about TO vs France(Paris?)…..who wouldn’t?
Really, in an entire city of 2.5M+ people (5M+ if you count GTA), there are only 12 “best dressed” people??? Geez, how sad. And to publish an article on these 12 people, who aren’t even all that well dressed (I mean, come on, have you seen that thing around Tu Ly’s waist???) Geez, how provincial. God, I miss NYC.
Dear CL,
You represent ALL that is wrong with Fashion(and the world for that matter) Your angry, uber-critical negativity demonstrates that you know nothing at all about style. Clearly there would never be a list published that would please you because you would pick apart anything and anyone. Do you know ANY of the people on the list? (or are you judging on one outfit to encompass that person?) Style is like art, you can have an opinion but to act like you know what is well-dressed and what is not is a bit much. Like Art it’s about celebrating what you like about someone’s style even if it’s not your thing.
…and if you need to move somewhere where you need to be surrounded by “what you think is fashionable” then you got bigger problems.
so please leave. the less negative nancys the better. in TO and in life.
cheer up.
well said.
it’s too easy to be negative and critical.
So great to see two mums-to-be on the scene! Beauty and splendor come in all forms and its good to validate that having the bump does not mean style and joie-de-vive goes out the window.
black oak triangle???? the fact that you had to put the intersection in brackets says it all… call it what it is – the junction – you’ll sound way more hip that way.
Mad style props to Maryam ,Tony, Joe, Gloria, Ryan and Martin (is he single?) They are all absolutely killin it! The rest are just posturing and label whoring.
Maryam is flawless. Everyone else looks like they’re trying too hard. Typical Toronto.
@carey
This is Lucresia Linton here. You are a “cochon”! As a curvy person,(pardon the puns) I should just eat you!
What’s with the day jobs being listed as “Proprietors of The Society” and “Girl about town”? WTF?
More like lazy trust fund brats wasting $ on designer duds and using shopping as an excuse for a job!
To look at these oxygen theives, you’d start to think Toronto has been over-run by effete pole-smokers of various stripes, forever running late for their anal bleaching appointments.
The only person on that list with any sense of style is Gloria Sharp.
Nothing inspiring here, mostly expensive and ridiculous.
Has anyone seen Bernadette Morra and how she dresses? If the only fashion expert has no style, what do you expect from the list? Who are these people , never heard of them…
Ugh. What odious jackasses these people are. More useless food-tubes.
Despite certain people getting their panties in a bunch (including people who reacted to those who instigated it), I will admit that Maryam really does look the best in this piece. She’s straight out of Vogue but also has this butchy touch. She looks smart and it suits her. Hard to look tough in animal print. Uncle Otis guy looks pretty interesting too but that’s because he looks like he would be fun to have a pint with. The pregnant ladies look like they’re in a Sandra Bullock movie poster. So unnecessary but I get that you have to showcase a “diverse” group.
Western civilization is finished. Thanks for documenting it.
toecutter, you’re the best, sh@t myself laughing at your comment.
Living in Toronto and a few other cities in Asia and Europe through out the year ….seriously this is it? Other Tu … and Martin … i always liked Uncle Otis … well they carried Stussy in the early 90’s …. There are so many more forgotten style icons that still have it… hell in Beijing they tell me i am the coolest westerner they know and i live there 3 to 4 months of the year … but seriously wake up Toronto … u r not the centre of Canada let alone the Universe…. i miss the days of when the best dressed guys in the city were all working at Marc Laurent …