A Bit of Autumn Shopping...

If I have one RTW weakness it's Club Monaco. I come by it honestly. I was there at the CM opening in the early 80s. I had the T shirt (my kid wears it now). And, over the years, things have only improved, in my opinion.

Well, allow me to clarify: I believe the brand is more fashion-forward than ever, if slightly out of my age demographic at this point. The garment quality is excellent. I did prefer it just before it was sold to Ralph Lauren in 1999. Mind you, that transaction was fairly seamless and it brought CM to a broader market than before. If only Ralph Lauren hadn't killed Caban, I wouldn't have to hate it.

But back to the topic at hand...

There's a point to be made that CM caters to a slender, straight frame. It's true that many of the more sophisticated designs, dresses especially, fall into that category. But there are terrific t-shirts and the knits are fantastic. They do great denim and awesome accessories. IMO, the best high-street cashmere anywhere is at Club Monaco. (BTW: You pay for that quality.)

If ever I were to start a brand, I imagine it would design and stock many of the clean, luxe items the likes of which one finds in the windows of CM (of course on a smaller scale, if only to be exclusive :-)). Everything feels beautiful. It's a tactile dream. And I do LOVE the interior, architecture and ambience of the flagship at Bloor St. and Avenue Rd. Yeah, peeps'll try to tell you that the flagship is in NYC but that's bullshit. This is a Canadian company, created by two sportswear pioneers (Joe Mimran and Alfred Sung), and it feels that way. To Wit: You can open TopShop wherever you like, but it's always gonna be English.

Anyway, for a couple of reasons - namely that I make my own clothes and I'm not as architectural in shape as certain of the more exciting, recent offerings - I don't shop there much these days. Time was, I had a problem walking by without spending half a paycheck. In truth, during the Xmas sales it's practically impossible to stay away. The guy stuff is as nice as that for women and the accessories work for everyone.

However, while lulled into shop-mode vis a vis the child's back-to-school needs, I found myself checking out the latest collection and, ahem, making a couple of purchases:

Mia Printed Sweater

I should mention that this top couldn't fit more differently on me. I bought a medium and it's closely fitted. Furthermore, my sweater has much less white to it; the background is heather grey. Plus, mine looks like an actual slim-knit sweater - not like a sweatshirt (as the photo makes it seem). Sorry, Adorable Model, it looks better on me.

I also bought these awesome leggings (a continuity garment, though they routinely update the look with new fabrics and colourways) - which couldn't look more real leather and HOT if they tried:

Tasha Leggings

Apparently, you can hand wash them?! (Don't quote me on this, I have to do some research.) The 4-inch wide, high-waisted waistband is SO my scene. And, unsurprisingly, they feel like leggings! Note - they look like tight leather pants. I'll be happy to wear them with a long-ish, fitted top (see above). But I've got to sort out footwear. They'll seem weird with boots and I'm not gonna wear them with pointy heels - just not practical!

While writing this post, I checked out the website - for photos - and discovered that there is a pretty sweet sale that started today (with an extra 50 per cent off off the sale-priced items). A lot of the good stuff is already gone, but you might get lucky. Oh, and check out the new, high-end CM line: Collection. It's a bit Stella McCartney and the prices seem to be about 30 per cent higher than those of the regular line. Mind you, it includes beautiful cashmere and fur.

Today's questions: What's your go-to RTW brand? What do you think of Club Monaco? Is it a notably "Canadian brand", in your opinion? What do you think of my new purchases? Let's talk.