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Hot Shopping: Toni Plus Celebrates 20 Years of Style

Toni Plus founder Toni Tiraborelli

In an industry whose unspoken mantra is “thinner is better,” Toni Plus is a successful standout. The plus-size label, which this month marks its 20th anniversary, embraces curves and style for women in sizes 14 to 22. Like many memorable concepts, the branchild of founder Toni Tiraborelli began with a simple wish: to provide quality, on-trend wardrobe options for full-figured women. The first store opened in 1992 at Bayview Village Shopping Centre—the mall’s then-owner, Ori Fidani, was Tiraborelli’s biggest champion—followed by five more boutiques and, most recently, a shop-in-shop at The Bay’s Queen Street location. Bright shades prevail for this spring’s collection, whether in colour blocking for a graphic look or punches of coral and mango for a bold burst of hue; or go wild with tribal prints, garden or paisley.

Hot Shopping: Scene in the City: Spirited Downtown

The long-awaited return of the NHL has brought new life to Winnipeg’s downtown shopping scene.

Steeped in history, The Bay at the intersection of Portage Avenue and Memorial Boulevard sells designer fashions, furnishings and cosmetics. Face east, and let your nose lead you across Vaughn Street to Perfume Paradise, where hundreds of popular, rare and even discontinued fragrances stock shelves. At Portage Place, head upstairs to Argento World of Silver to peruse beautifully hammered sterling silver jewellery. The Winnipeg Jets are back, baby, and Jets Gear has team merchandise for every fan. Take the skywalk from Portage Place to the MTS Centre to pick up a pint-sized souvenir (pictured). Walk a block east on Graham Avenue to Millennium Library to find clever literary themed accessories and objects at Best of Friends Gift Shop.

Dishing With a Real Housewife of Vancouver

Reiko Mackenzie, of The Real Housewives of Vancouver

Where The Real Housewives of Vancouver’s Reiko Mackenzie Shops, Eats and Plays

By Caitlin Dawson

If variety is the spice of life, then Reiko Mackenzie is hot as habañero. Not only is The Real Housewives of Vancouver star an über-glamorous housewife and mom of two with a minivan, she’s also a martial artist with a collection of luxury cars.

Following in the Prada-clad footsteps of Orange County, New York, Atlanta, Beverly Hills, New Jersey and Miami, The Real Housewives is a no-holds-barred peek into the lives of five of Vancouver’s most affluent women. In true Housewives style, Mackenzie has a personal chef, but she lists Vancouver stalwart Don Francesco as her top spot for eats. Why? “They treat us like family,” she explains.

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Hot Shopping: Lighten Up

Luminaze Catalytic Skin Tone Illuminator

Want a flawless complexion? Try Luminaze Catalytic Skin Tone Illuminator. This new product targets excess pigmentation, evening out skin tone and eliminating dark spots and discoloration. Whether your skin is pale or dark, damaged by age or acne or the sun, you’ll see results in as little as a week. Consider it cosmetic surgery in a bottle. Visit www.luminaze.com for more information. Available at The Bay for $120.—Sheri Radford

Hot Shopping: Hot Heritage at The Bay

Heritage-inspired silk scarves at The Bay

The Bay continues to delight both fashion fiends and collectors with the reimagined Hudson’s Bay Company Collection. An item sure to tempt history buffs is the historic-looking charter scarf (pictured, $125 each). Every one of these silk kerchiefs features an intricate sketch of Canadian history on an archive scroll—textbooks be damned—and comes in warm yellow, blue and red.—Jennifer Patterson

Hot Shopping: Navigate Toronto Malls During the Holiday Rush

Malls like the Toronto Eaton Centre go all out for the holiday season (photo by Rasheed Clarke)

Have you finished your holiday shopping yet? We know, finding gifts for everyone
on your list can be a daunting task. If you’re inclined to get all your shopping done in
one shot, the city’s premier malls and department stores offer multiple ways
to ease the experience.

TORONTO EATON CENTRE
Downtown’s largest shopping centre has cranked up its seasonal cheer with oversized snowflakes and giant silvery reindeer sculptures. The crowning gem is the Swarovski Christmas Wish Tree alight with more than 44,000 Swarovski crystal ornaments. In sight of this monolith, children can register to create their own holiday ornaments. Santa’s out in full force, too: bring your child to hear Saint Nick read a story, or schedule a 10-minute at-home Skype session with the jolly old man. Gift wrapping is available for a $5 donation benefitting the Children’s Wish Foundation. And when all your gifts are safely boxed and bagged, why not view the nearby Church of the Holy Trinity’s production of The Christmas Story? iPhone users can download the Toronto Eaton Centre’s mobile app to streamline their shopping experience.

YORKDALE SHOPPING CENTRE
Holiday stress often begins with packed mall parking lots. Yorkdale offers a remedy. The only shopping centre in the GTA to offer a mobile app for parking, which offers updates on your best parking bets every 15 minutes, plus streaming video of the mall’s upper deck lot. Yorkdale’s parking entrances are even equipped with electronic tabulators that note the number of spaces available, and valet parking is complimentary for MasterCard World cardholders. If you prefer public transit, visit with your TTC Family Day Pass and receive a $10 gift card when you spend $50 or more in the mall. Other bonuses include a complimentary coat check, Santa sightings, and a gift-wrap service.

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Hot Shopping: Christmas Decor from Homesense

Bird decorations from Homesense

Cheep Cheep Cheer

Even those who believe the holiday season is for the birds can’t resist adorable felt owls from Homesense ($4.99). Find more seasonal decorations that won’t break the budget at Sears and Christmas Street in The Bay.—Sheri Radford

More information:

HOMESENSE 493 Robson St. 604-683-4406. www.homesense.ca

SEARS Pacific Centre, 701 Granville St. 604-685-7112. www.sears.ca

THE BAY 674 Granville St. at Georgia. 604-681-6211. www.thebay.com

2011 Vancouver Holiday Gift Guide

Where‘s top picks for everyone on your Christmas list

By Jennifer Patterson

The Trendsetter

Ring in the holiday season with a piece of arm candy from Tiffany & Co. The Bracelet Bag comes in satin, velvet or leather, in colours such as Tiffany blue, burgundy or walnut.

Jacob’s new eau de toilette trio comes in Classique, with notes of pink pepper and citrus; Joie de Vivre, passion fruit and freesia; and Very Chic, vanilla and black amber.

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Where in Toronto: Bright Lights, Big Reindeer

The Swarovski tree and giant reindeer at the Toronto Eaton Centre (photo by Rasheed Clarke)

Each week, our intrepid interns reflect on life and times in the big city.

It’s amazing how Toronto residents go nuts at the first sight of snow. All it took was a few flakes falling yesterday morning for #snow to become a local trending topic on Twitter. That dusting didn’t really stick around, but the imminent arrival of the white stuff (along with the much-maligned early sunset) means it’s the time of year to test the power grid with millions of twinkling lights at the city’s festive displays. (more…)

Hot Dining: A Canadian Connection at Bannock

photo by Allison Woo

It’s hard to think of a more apt pairing than that of the nation’s oldest department store, The Bay, and its new restaurant, Bannock. Named for the flatbreads brought here by Scottish explorers—and adapted by Aboriginal peoples—this Canadian-casual eatery is at home within The Bay’s flagship Queen Street location, and offers both dine-in and take-out menus for a busy downtown clientele. Bannock ($12 to $14), of course, is a featured dish, alongside robust regional fare such as venison chuck chili ($15), wild sockeye salmon ($19) and pulled-pork tourtière ($16). If you’re in a rush, grab a gourmet sandwich to go, but do take a moment to admire the warm, woody surroundings, highlighted by pine and hemlock reclaimed from a more than 100-year-old wharf.