By Ray Lontoc
High-end handbags (Image: Ray Lontoc)
Opened early last month, Mulberry is the latest high-end retailer to join the Yorkville neighbourhood. While the brand also opened a spot at the Yorkdale shopping centre last month, the Bloor location is Mulberry’s first standalone store in Canada.
In case you are unfamiliar with the luxury boutique, the British retailer specializes in bags and women’s accessories, but it also stocks ready-to-wear clothing for women and a few male accessories, such as leather cardholders and business cases.
The store doesn’t exactly cater to casual shoppers who are looking for the next discount or sale. Instead, Mulberry products are for those who understand that the price tag reflects the quality of the goods. It’s tradition, quality and style over fast fashion and trends.
Though the shelves don’t overwhelm with a sheer quantity of merchandise, it’s still hard to pick and choose standouts, especially when almost everything becomes part of your wish list. Mulberry’s aesthetic is described as “le style Anglais,” which is a combination of traditional looks with modern fixtures. With a high-end retailer of this magnitude, almost all the goods have an air of sophistication and crafted care about them. It’s easy to see however, why the handbags are Mulberry’s lifeblood.
The Bayswater bag ($1,850) is fused from 60 leather pieces that are hand-stitched together and finished with a gold postman’s lock. If you love the traditional look of the bag but are longing for a bit of colourful bravado, you can opt for the pink rather than the brown. Or, if you’re feeling really adventurous, the Bayswater also comes in full ostrich leather, coloured in an elegant aubergine or emerald ($7,500).
Another popular bag, the Alexa, is named after Alexa Chung, a British fashion icon. Upon first sight, the Alexa is a combination of the Bayswater and a briefcase. The Alexa is made of 51 hand-stitched leather pieces ($1,500-$4,200, depending on the colour and size), and like the Bayswater, it also comes in an array of colours and full-on ostrich leather at the top of the totem.
Stationed alongside the bags is the women’s ready-to-wear fashion line. A wool and spandex black dress ($2,800) comes in two styles: as a cocktail dress or a long skirt, both sporting a silhouette that is slim and fitting. The black is accented with gold beads that are attached by hand in India to give the dress a sense of motion.
This section of Bloor is quickly becoming the Fifth Avenue or Bond Street of Toronto. And with a high emphasis on tradition and quality, Mulberry simultaneously fits in perfectly while having enough flair to stand out.
Mulberry, 131 Bloor St. W., Unit 103, 416-944-8251
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