Store Guide: Craft and Guile, a trendy new women’s boutique in Yorkville

By Michelle Reddick | March 5, 2013

By Michelle Reddick | 03/05/2013

Store Guide: Craft and Guile

Name: Craft and Guile
Sells: Women’s clothing and jewellery, and vintage designer bags and shoes
Contact info: 70 Yorkville Ave., 416-924-4369, craftandguile.com
Hours: Su–W 11–6, Th–Sa 11–8
See it on a map »

Craft and Guile, a womenswear boutique that soft-opened on Yorkville Avenue on Saturday, caters to the twenty-somethings in the nearby condo towers, rather than the society dames who venture south from Rosedale to shop. The merchandise includes brands favoured by Nicole Ritchie and the Kardashian sisters, and is squarely on-trend (right now, that means peplums, faux-leather accents and pastel mint and pink). Label junkies can also find—or consign—vintage shoes and handbags, like Gucci and Louboutin pumps ($400-$750) and Balenciaga and Chanel bags ($600 and $3,100, respectively).

First-time store owner Chloe Liu is a fan of nearby upmarket institution TNT and says she looks for pieces that are equally well-made, but at a slightly lower price point. The focus is on up-and-coming brands, largely out of the U.S. and Paris, and Craft and Guile is currently the sole Canadian carrier of labels like New York’s Generation Love and L.A.’s Harlyn. This spring, the store will also have some high-end designs from Russian line Lublu Kira Plastinina and, next fall, down jackets from Pyrenex—though we wonder if the latter will catch on in this Canada Goose-fixated city.