We’ve all heard of the locavore food movement, and Frugal Fashion Week is Toronto’s fashion equivalent, billing itself as “a charitable, community-based initiative created to support Canada's retail/design communities.” This year’s festivities are centered on boutiques in Summerhill and Rosedale — marking the organization’s fourth successful year.
The event kicks off Thursday evening with a shopping event at Roots, appropriately called “Made In Canada.” The Rosedale location will host stylish revelers in a cottage-y and, dare we say it, Canadian atmosphere. The event is open to all, with tickets costing $10. The proceeds will go to The Stiletto Project’s 1000 Acts of Frugal, an organization that collects clothes from Toronto’s stylish women to donate to those in need. Guests will sample homemade sodas from Nyood’s Ariel Coplan and sandwiches from Fran’s Restaurant. Signs also point to some seriously covetable gift bags courtesy of, you guessed it, Roots.
Trendy resto-lounge Nyood is stepping up again on Saturday and playing host to Le Pop!, a brunch and pop-up shop that will feature established and emerging Canadian collections. Brunch reservations are recommended, but one and all are welcome to drop by and shop from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. as midtown’s stores are brought to the Queen West Crowd. One such shop is Homegrown Boutique, a Yorkville space that sells only Canadian designers, including LABEL, Sarah Stevenson and Emily Woudenberg. All of the wares at Le Pop! will be sold for less than $100, with scarves at $50 and leather wrap bracelets at 50 per cent off.
Other economical fashion events include cocktails and tons of savings on clothing at The Narwhal on Friday, and then on Sunday, there's a DIY Shop crawl where shoppers explore the darling boutiques of Rosedale and Summerhill.
Do as “frugalistas” do and arrive early to get the best of the deals.
Frugal Fashion Week runs from July 26 – 29
