Toronto Tuesday! Fashion Crimes and Fresh Collective.

What do you do when you have a girlfriend coming into town? You go shopping of course! Obviously I am dirt poor right now, what with still not having found a job, but it's still so much fun to drool over locally made dresses!!

I would like to highlight two of my favourite stores from our downtown misadventures! Hopefully this will not take forever! The extent of my willingness to gush over these boutiques is legendary in its vastness.

The first is Pam Chorley's Fashion Crimes. The original Queen West boutique! Full of glamorous dresses for all ages, glittering accessories, loyal and enthusiastic employees and customers searching for a unique garment (or two). They always have amazing window displays and as soon as you enter it's like walking into a VERY large (and surreal) closet with dresses hanging from all available spaces. It's comfortable and cozy from the second you walk in but it is incredibily exciting each and every time you come back! 

This store is awe inspiring.

I was once lucky enough to get a gorgeous trench, 3/4 length sleeves, white with blue flowers and green leaves, matching fabric covered buttons and a waste tie for 50$ on sale from 400$. It's finally going to be nice enough for me to wear it as Toronto is on the verge of a freak hot spell (upwards of 25 degrees C!).


The second boutique I would like to cover is second only because it is newest to me. Certainly not because it is lacking in great fashion! Fresh Collective is a designer run collective with a bit of everything. Adorable dresses, silk screened t-shirts, baby clothes, re-purposed knits with witty animal appliqués and (my personal favourite) a lot of unique jewellery! After falling in love with a brown corduroy dress featuring a retro bird print in blue, green and red in a 60s housewife cut (a total steal at 49$) and a quasi sweetheart top with puffed sleeves (for 85$) I was informed the designer was none other than Laura-Jean herself, store owner and designer of  Fresh Baked Goods.

I did not end up with either of these items (although I am still kicking myself over that dress) but instead got a forest green sweater vest with a silk screened image of a deer with a tree sprouting from it's antlers and a deep v-neck shirt with a lovely layering of trims running from the bottom, up behind the neck and then down around the front once more. Marie purchased a lovely tote bag by Norma W in houndstooth with a little robot appliqué.

It was easy to fall in love with this shop. See the website for a complete list of designers!