Lawrence Park has an unusually fashion-forward new boutique for kids
Chalk, a stylish new kids’ store in Lawrence Park, is the latest addition to the increasingly posh strip of Yonge Street between Blythwood and Eglinton. Owner Asli Tusavul, who opened the shop after becoming fed up with children’s shopping choices in the neighbourhood (or lack thereof), stocks the store with chic European brands—like fair-trade footwear label Veja and Copenhagen-based Petit Nord—for children and teens aged four to 16. The goal of the store, says Tusavul, is to “let children draw their own style in high-quality, comfortable clothes.” (The “drawing” part is what inspired the name Chalk.) Since last month’s launch, one of the shop’s bestsellers has been a colourful—and extremely warm-looking—down jacket from Italian brand Al Riders on the Storm ($399), which comes with a face-covering hood and built-in goggles for frostbite-free cheeks. Despite the awkward name, Parisian label Finger in the Nose, which designs effortlessly fashionable, pint-sized apparel (and these ridiculously cute baby snowsuits), has also been a hit with neighbourhood moms. Of course, the down side to outfitting your offspring in hard-to-find European brands is that it rings up quite the tab: visitors should expect to drop between $50–$250 for most items, with winter jackets selling for up to $560.
2647 Yonge St., 647-349-7422, chlk.com
![](http://www.facebook.com/sharer.php?u=https://torontolife.com/style/lawrence-park-unusually-fashion-forward-new-boutique-kids/&title=Lawrence Park has an unusually fashion-forward new boutique for kids&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/CHALK-INTRO-624x395.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_301138" align="alignnone" width="656"] (Image: Chalk)[/caption]
Chalk, a stylish new kids' store in Lawrence Park, is the latest addition to the increasingly posh strip of Yonge Street between Blythwood and Eglinton. Owner Asli Tusavul, who opened the shop after becoming fed up with children's shopping choices in the neighbourhood (or lack thereof), stocks the store with chic European brands—like fair-trade footwear label Veja and Copenhagen-based Petit Nord—for children and teens aged four to 16. The goal of the store, says Tusavul, is to “let children draw their own style in high-quality, comfortable clothes.” (The "drawing" part is what inspired the name Chalk.) Since last month's launch, one of the shop's bestsellers has been a colourful—and extremely warm-looking—down jacket from Italian brand Al Riders on the Storm ($399), which comes with a face-covering hood and built-in goggles for frostbite-free cheeks. Despite the awkward name, Parisian label Finger in the Nose, which designs effortlessly fashionable, pint-sized apparel (and these ridiculously cute baby snowsuits), has also been a hit with neighbourhood moms. Of course, the down side to outfitting your offspring in hard-to-find European brands is that it rings up quite the tab: visitors should expect to drop between $50–$250 for most items, with winter jackets selling for up to $560.
2647 Yonge St., 647-349-7422, chlk.com){kind=link}
As the mom of 5 boys now all almost launched, this is just a stupid message to kids. Sorry. But it is.
Out of sincere interest, what is it about the message that you disagree with?
I’m probably on your side, by the way. Expensive fashions for kids are not something I have ever really agreed with – partly since they’ll grow out of it before maximum usage can be had, but mostly because it instils very elitist type views (e.g. “my clothes are fancier than yours”) at a very young age, which can be damaging.
I ask specifically because I’m in the final year of a bachelor’s degree in fashion, and peoples’ views are always of interest to me.
Exactly what you said :) I think to start kids on the road to materialism this young is a bad thing for our world in general. There is lots of time to become elitist, lol, and you are much less likely to do so if you have been raised to assess the value of money as you grow up. It also puts the focus on appearance, not function. You don’t need to spend big bucks to look great, and I would rather my sons grew up respecting money. Now that a few of them are earning their own money, they can choose their own values on that one…..but I would rather see parents focus on teaching kids some more important core messages….like being kind, giving to others, etc….and not already focusing on that which is more contrived. We have already become a me-centric society, and not that I am a socialist in any way, shape or form, but I don’t like the excess, period, let alone for children.Good luck in your career!