Style

Street Style: 27 looks at the ladies who lunch in Yorkville

Street Style: 27 looks at the ladies who lunch in Yorkville

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Words by Kevin Naulls | Photography by Jenna Marie Wakani

In the 1960s, Yorkville was referred to as a “festering sore in the middle of the city” by MPP Syl Apps, due to its population of beatniks, burnouts, barefoot hippies and folksy singers (Joni Mitchell and Neil Young were known to hang out there during the neighbourhood’s bohemian era). But Yorkville now is far removed from its gritty days, with choice shopping at every turn, high-end restaurants, five-star hotels and Toronto’s only Whole Foods. For this week’s Street Style, we sought out Yorkville’s ladies who lunch—we imagined we’d encounter the kind of women who carries a status bag, sips chilled pinot grigio on a patio and, um, doesn’t work. But we found Yorkville isn’t solely a mecca of Real Housewives types who pile on labels: we met some quirky gals with even quirkier style, and some impossibly smart-looking ladies (obviously, those were the ones in their 60s and 70s).

27 looks at the ladies who lunch in Yorkville »

Some ladies (and one gentleman with a toy dog) did wear the uniform we had imagined: an ostentatious, label-heavy outfit accessorized by a Celine purse and an armful of shopping bags from nearby boutiques. But we also met marketing professionals in sensible outfits who were skipping lunch in favour of client meetings, and a cool shop girl who spent her lunch break shopping for groceries. Of course the gentrification of Yorkville has its critics (a pair of women passing through, dressed in the bohemian uniform of the ‘60s, made it very clear to us that they weren’t “Yorkville women”), but we found the neighbourhood was a much more inclusive environment than it’s often perceived to be. It’s the home of wannabes, glamour girls, the fabulously rich and gaudy, and sophisticated 70-somethings—we even spotted someone who could have easily been in the cast of Hee Haw.

Topics: Best of the City Joni Mitchell Neil Young Street Style Syl Apps Toronto Whole Foods Yorkville

30 thoughts on “Street Style: 27 looks at the ladies who lunch in Yorkville”

  3. 20, 25 and 26. Yikes. Hard to say which one is worse. Capri sweat pants and jean shorts. Seriously!!!

  6. Some of these look like gals auditioning for Jersey Shore…maybe a new reality show called Woodbridge Crew

    is photo #19 referring to the dog or the transexual?

  8. Hands down the most stylish is the older lady with the striped top, long white skirt, big glasses and straw hat.

    Some of the pose hards (you know who I’m talking about) are just to tragic looking for words…

    P.S. @Clara- your comment about the dog or “transexual” is really ignorant. Not cool!

  9. from the 1st photo of the young woman who’s trying too hard to be cool the styles quickly slide downhill. couldn’t make it through. however am not sure why the guy with the dog is allowed in a ladies who lunch segment. SMH

  10. I loved this. I enjoyed the mixture of stylish women with tacky, old and young, and even someone bending gender definitions….. Well done.

  15. The amount of hate that is constantly battering this website is disgusting. Grow up or piss off.

  16. Jeez. Are you serious? Can’t tell you the last time I was in Yorkville and ran into 27 white people, much less 27 stylish ones.

  17. The woman in the straw hat in photo 27 is AMAZING! Such grace and style…love her!

  18. Aww, #13 is beautiful. She may have simple style but she is so well put together.

  19. this is a really bad set of photos! get the full body pic, editorial style so it doesn’t look like they are posing and we want to see shoes! isn’t this meant to be sartorial?

  21. No. 16 is a fox and her dress is pretty, though she is rocking that “cute but asexual” look Toronto women do so well. I miss my days living on Hazelton Ave. — the Japtastic starbucks, the old rich ladies wearing weird stuff that can’t conceal their inner Canadian frumpiness, the Russian imports, the Woodbridge Shore types … ahh TL thanks for this great trip down memory lane.

  22. I have to agree with the “hate” factor…it’s a bit much. As far as those with the most style sense, it’s definitely the more mature ladies who obviously rely on timeless classics. They carry themselves with more poise and grace and confidence without feeling the need to compete with each other. The woman with the striped blouse, straw hat, long white skirt, and those great shades, is absolutely stunning.

  24. The older ladies definitely know how to keep it classy. Some others should check the mirror before they leave the house.

  26. Hmm, all of these ladies who lunch are white. I’m not surprised… You couldn’t find a stylish person of colour? Any colour?

  27. ‘but we found the neighbourhood was a much more inclusive environment than it’s often perceived to be.’ Wow! This article has absolutely just reinforced my perception of it’s lack of inclusion. If that’s your picture of inclusive then you’re definitely not living in my Toronto (and I’m pretty sure that’s also not my reality of Yorkville)… I’m sick of the mono culture style pics… Can we get some actual diversity represented maybe by hitting up Chinatown(I realize the irony of the name but let me finish) or Gerard where I can sit in a vietnamese restaurant with an indian, korean, and japanese eating next to a table to spaniards while crossing all levels of class and dress?

  29. Yorkville is just ordinary,the women have no fashion or style sense.BIG SUNGLASSES on half of them,just followers not trendy at all. Toronto has no trend setters.Your magazine does a good job each month showcasing how boring this city is.

  30. wow had no idea yorkville was mostly “white” rich women. A little diversity would be nice unless these are the majority of people who buy your magazine……

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