Opening: Red Canoe brings its Canadiana to Dundas West

Over the past few years, HBC‘s Olympic mittens and the Drake Hotel General Store have helped raise Canadiana from kitsch to cool. We’re not surprised, then, to find the first retail outlet of Red Canoe on one of Toronto’s coolest strips: Dundas West. Founded eight years ago by Sudbury native Dax Wilkinson, Red Canoe revels in northern Ontario vintage. Though they have been compared to what’s found at Roots, Wilkinson’s designs are more emblematic of old-school Sault Ste. Marie than posh Muskoka cottages. The showroom is decorated with vintage trinkets like military trundles and leather-cased cameras.

Much of the store pays homage to Wilkinson’s aviation fetish (the de Havilland logo, Wilkinson says, is the “Harley-Davidson of Canada”): ‘40s and ‘50s-era photographs of bush planes; black canvas bomber jackets ($150);  sweaters ($90) and T-shirts ($32.50) featuring the Royal Canadian Air Force insignia. RCAF tartan scarves ($30) can pair with preppy merino wool sweaters ($160) or slate-grey wool blazers ($370) for a dashing Pierre Berton look.