I’m so excited J.Crew is finally coming to Toronto!  Word is Yorkdale mall will house it’s first Canadian outpost.  

I purchased the plum-coloured wool crepe dress above on my last trip to the U.S. It was on sale for about $70 and I believe I got another 20% off on top of that. It’s got such a great fit and the quality is amazing.  

I used to be a loyal Banana Republic shopper, but lately I’ve found their selection to be a bit boring and the fabrics are less lux than in previous seasons. I was personally disappointed by their late entrance into online shopping in Canada; the selection is less than what you’d find in stores and you can’t order shoes (mind you, the shoes are now made in China instead of Brazil, so it isn’t too much of a loss).

If you haven’t shopped at jcrew.com, give it a go.  They do ship to Canada, and when they offer free shipping — Canada is included! They automatically charge duty on top of your purchase, but if you subscribe to their newsletter, you often get special discount codes that make your total bill a little less painful. 

I think Mickey Drexler and Jenna Lyons are retail geniuses. They’ve taken the brand in a fresh direction and they know their customer inside and out.  J.Crew recently announced they’re being acquired by two private equity firms. It will be interesting to see how this will impacts the brand overall.