The Ultimate Toronto Thread

[dad2bandm]

Took advantage of many of the sales during COVID times, from hard-pressed retailers. Def bought more.

 

[7_rocket]

Took advantage of many of the sales during COVID times, from hard-pressed retailers. Def bought more.

I also took advantage of sales. However, I gained 10 pounds so none of my clothes fit now. Thankfully it hasn't been TOO expensive as I'm only wear casual clothes. I haven't even tried on any of my dress shirts, they probably don't fit either lol.

 

[KWang94]

Money usually spent on work clothes (suits and dress shoes) now being spent on casual stuff for WFH (selvedge jeans and boots).

Y'all wear shoes at home?

 

[KaleidoscopicK]

I've bought some WFH clothes (Lululemon pants) but not much else. I'd say the one thing I've noticed is how small my wardrobe has become day to day as I WFH. Most weeks I'll wear t shirts, hoodies and sweat pants, unless I have meetings in which case it's pants and a nice sweater. But 75% of my closet, including boots, socks, workout clothes, dress clothes, jackets, etc. are unused. I've probably worn 25 different articles of clothing in the past year. I also do laundry way more often because I dont care if my t shirts and WFH clothing gets ruined/shrinks. Anyone else doing the same? Puts into perspective how much clothing I actually dont need...

I'm the same in that I've seen myself wearing less of my wardrobe, but I've noticed that I don't need to use the washing machine as often given the smaller rotation. I almost never wear anything that requires dry cleaning.

I'll still wear my casual button-ups on some days, along with my long sleeve Uniqlo tees. Sometimes, I'll throw on a cardigan if it's a little chillier. Pants are almost exclusively chinos and easy pants now. Wearing my "nicer" stuff has become more of a conscious decision: I find myself reaching for my Uniqlo or other old mall brand stuff more often than not, and then go "yeah it's chilly, might as well wear my Margaret Howell or Junya Watanabe cardigan now".

I kinda went nuts buying clothes and shoes during the Spring/Summer last year, but I started spending less once Fall hit, to the point where I've now made no clothing/shoe purchases since January 4th. I've been able to enjoy wearing the clothes I already have a little more as a result. Like maebach, it reinforced the idea that I really don't need a good chunk of the stuff I already have. I've also lost weight since the pandemic began, and some piece that didn't fit well fit a lot better now.

So I think the more interesting conversation topic is what is on everyone's buy list for SS21?

Every year, I tell myself I need two pairs of pants - one in beige/tan, and one in white or stone. And every year, I buy yet another floral camp collar shirt or another reversible kimono jacket from Blue Blue Japan. What are priorities? (Admittedly, I'm eyeing a couple floral camp collared shirts right now...)

A pair of casual loafers would be nice too. Too bad Castaner don't work for my feet.

 

[chiggyv]

I'm the same in that I've seen myself wearing less of my wardrobe, but I've noticed that I don't need to use the washing machine as often given the smaller rotation. I almost never wear anything that requires dry cleaning.

I'll still wear my casual button-ups on some days, along with my long sleeve Uniqlo tees. Sometimes, I'll throw on a cardigan if it's a little chillier. Pants are almost exclusively chinos and easy pants now. Wearing my "nicer" stuff has become more of a conscious decision: I find myself reaching for my Uniqlo or other old mall brand stuff more often than not, and then go "yeah it's chilly, might as well wear my Margaret Howell or Junya Watanabe cardigan now".

I kinda went nuts buying clothes and shoes during the Spring/Summer last year, but I started spending less once Fall hit, to the point where I've now made no clothing/shoe purchases since January 4th. I've been able to enjoy wearing the clothes I already have a little more as a result. Like maebach, it reinforced the idea that I really don't need a good chunk of the stuff I already have. I've also lost weight since the pandemic began, and some piece that didn't fit well fit a lot better now.



Every year, I tell myself I need two pairs of pants - one in beige/tan, and one in white or stone. And every year, I buy yet another floral camp collar shirt or another reversible kimono jacket from Blue Blue Japan. What are priorities? (Admittedly, I'm eyeing a couple floral camp collared shirts right now...)

A pair of casual loafers would be nice too. Too bad Castaner don't work for my feet.

I'm getting into the camp collar shirts, any suggestions?

My big purchase this year was a pair of Alden 968. Been craving a pair of NSTs for a while!

 

[KaleidoscopicK]

I'm getting into the camp collar shirts, any suggestions?

This ended up being a lot longer than intended, but:

Portuguese Flannel is a good brand to check out. Shirts are their thing, and they have a decent variety of solid colour and printed camp collar shirts during the summer. Locally, Muddy George and Park & Province carry them and have a good selection this season, as well as some leftover styles from past seasons at a 20% and 40-50% discount respectively, albeit in limited sizes.

Norse Projects' Carsten shirt is their camp collar shirt that they make every spring/summer. It can come in both solids and prints, with a relaxed fit. Last summer, I tried on the floral printed one at Uncle Otis during sale season and I had one of those "it just felt right" moments when I tried it on in store. (Needless to say, I walked out with it.) Other than Uncle Otis, Lost & Found also carries the brand.

Monitaly also makes great shirts. Yuki Matsuda has a great eye for fabrics (some of them being proprietary) and often has them made within our continent (USA or Mexico). The brand takes inspiration from Matsuda's passion for americana and military styles, yet the camp collar shirts can fit in most casual wardrobes. Their handmade Guayabera shirt has been a hit with the NMWA crowd and I admit to being curious about it. Uncle Otis has that and a couple of offerings this season.

This brand's rockabilly aesthetic doesn't tend to resonate with the CM-leaning crowd of this thread, but I love Wacko Maria's camp collar shirts. They have both long and short sleeve iterations, and if you check out the link in this paragraph, you'll see that they have a large range of colours and prints that vary wildly, from "normal" single coloured shirts to allover printed graphics to gaudy snake prints for the ultimate '50s rockabilly sleaze. Myself, I prefer their two-tone and floral prints. Something to keep in mind is that they have a penchant for using more lush/delicate fabrics like lyocell and rayon in their shirts at times, which means you will notice the shrinkage if you throw them in the washing machine. Haven's regular buys for the brand often aren't the best representation given their crowd, and the brand is pretty pricey, even at JPN pricing. (The fabrics, Japanese labour, their brand proposition, FX rates and shipping costs drive the price up.) I usually shop second hand for Wacko Maria.

Lastly, I think Simons' shirt selection is worth a look. I think they do a good job aping other fashion labels catering to different tastes and audiences across their in-house labels: while not every offering of theirs hits, I rarely find them to be boring. They have a good variety of styles and are relatively affordable at full price, doubly so during sales season. Of the ones I saw in the link, I like the burgundy red, allover orange/white leaf print over navy, the floral print on off-white, and the burgundy/white/olive/pink retro stripe shirts.

My big purchase this year was a pair of Alden 968. Been craving a pair of NSTs for a while!

I caved and bought a pair of Colour 8 Alden loafers last year in an effort to find something other than sneakers to wear during the summer, but I still find myself wearing only sneakers...

 

[nqtri]

I'm getting into the camp collar shirts, any suggestions?

My big purchase this year was a pair of Alden 968. Been craving a pair of NSTs for a while!

So far my favorite has been Gitman Vintage and Kent Wang if you like prints

 

[7_rocket]

Gentleman,

I am in need of saphir products. Where can I find them locally at the best prices?

 

[rwtc]

Gentleman,

I am in need of saphir products. Where can I find them locally at the best prices?

Rob’s Best Foot Forward, 20 Toronto St., in the Financial District

 

[whirlwynds]

Gentleman,

I am in need of saphir products. Where can I find them locally at the best prices?

you can also try valentino garemi online.

 

[djdanniedee]

Rob probably has the cheapest Saphir prices in Toronto, plus he's willing to order in Saphir products if he doesn't stock them. I had asked him for the Saphir Reno spray for Suede which he didn't carry at the time, told me he'd make some calls to come back in a few weeks, man kept his word.

GTA shoe shine also carries quite a wide range of Saphir products.

Rob’s Best Foot Forward, 20 Toronto St., in the Financial District

 

[siddeh]

If you're in Barrie and need Saphir products, I would highly recommend Fix-Em-Up Shoe Repair. Corey is an A+ dude.

 

[suitforcourt]

If you're in Barrie and need Saphir products, I would highly recommend Fix-Em-Up Shoe Repair. Corey is an A+ dude.

Also one of the best cobblers in the country. I have a few pairs with him now. I will post pics once they are done.

 

[siddeh]

Also one of the best cobblers in the country. I have a few pairs with him now. I will post pics once they are done.

Yup - I actually drove to his store (from Brampton) to get some work done due to your posts. Thanks bud.

 

[7_rocket]

Thanks for the replies.