Fashion Focus With Joelle Allen: First Stop Toronto

On a recent trip to Canada with my two daughters, we got to sample the fashion, food and sights of Toronto and Montreal. On Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, I found high-end boutiques from international designers including Gucci, Channel, Vera Wang, Prada, Escada and also Canadian gems like Holt Renfrew, Costa Blanca and The Bay. At these stores you will find the latest and hottest fashion trends of the seasons.

Holt Renfrew reminds me of Saks Fifth Avenue.  They carry many high-end fashion designers from Canada, Europe and US. It’s a wide range from evening wear to casual, offering special services such as “made to measure” suits for men and personal shopping service that helps make shopping a little easier, editing your wardrobe for you.

I also visited the west side of Eglinton another “must visit” area for those who love fashion.  W Egliton area is located a little outside of downtown Toronto on hills.  It’s less traffic and a little less busy then downtown Toronto.  There we visited the beautiful gated homes of West Eglinton.  It’s shopping area reminded me of a smaller Soho in New York.

Boutiques with unique women’s clothes such as TNT and Couture Revival carry lines from Canadian and European designers.  At TNT Gallerie, focused on more young fashion with lots of fun pieces, I saw a color block made of bright orange pants worn with a yellow top that reminded me of ‘90s music videos.

I fell in love with a high-low skirt – the skirt came above my knees in the front and to my feet in the back.  It came in in bright yellow, green, red, white and black.  It can be worn during the day out at the beach or going for lunch hanging out with friends. Also love the pocket jumpsuit and the open shoulder tee that can be worn with a long or short skirt accessorized with a thin belt on the waist, a chic touch for a cocktail evening or out for to lunch with friends.

They carry designers such as Alexander Wang, Hemut Lang, Citizen of Humanity, Modern Bintage..

I also discovered Revival Couture, a more mature and elegant boutique for women.  They carry designers such as Chanel, Chloe, Christian Dior, D&G, Burberry and Fendi.  It’s a very high end boutique and there I was able to find some very unique and detailed pieces – very dressed and chic wardrobe.

While in Toronto, I also enjoyed great food. I was thrilled to find one of my favorite grilled chicken restaurants: Nando’s, which takes me back to my travels around the globe.  The unforgettable time I was in Cape Town, South Africa where we travelled for our wedding, the fun times I have had with my husband when we were in London and Scotland and needed a quick meal. It’s unfortunate that I’m not able to find this restaurant here in the United States, but I was excited to have the chance to introduce this restaurant to my girls and they loved it.

A highlight of my Toronto visit was taking a boat to Toronto Island and having a beautiful view of one of the tallest towers in the world: the CN Tower. The island offered fun for my whole family, with bike and boat rentals and an amusement park my girls enjoyed, the beach and breathtaking views of the island.

I can’t wait to bring you my next column about Fall 2012 Fashion trends and style. Hot colors of the season, must-have’s for your closet and how you can perfectly make these top trends work just for you.

Have a fun and fashionable week!

For more about Joelle Allen, NFL wife and fashionista, click here.