For those of us in Canada, Aritzia is an old "standard". It's been around for a long time, first in Toronto I think, where the store on Bloor (right next to HR at the time) was a very eclectic mix of high end brand names and fun lower price pieces, all marketed and merchandised to appeal to the 25-35 year old. I quite liked to check in there every time I was in Toronto, and it was where you could buy bridge designer stuff not readily available anywhere else. I bought some Juicy Couture (I know, I know , but it was the 90's) Havianas (before you could get them anywhere else), and other assorted nifty things. Then they went in-house and started to develop their own brand identity and kind of lost their way for awhile in terms of customer base. Their in house brands go from inexpensive to pricey, and now they have Rag & Bone booties, Frame denim, $500 Marc Jacobs bags, high end leather jackets etcetc all mixed in with their lower priced "gritty teenager" stuff. I rediscovered it while shopping with my daughter, and while she was looking at plaid shirts and hoodies, and Cowichan sweaters, I was finding Babaton and Wilfred stuff that was perfect for me for work. They aren't over the top trendy , and tend to repeat a look over and over and over, but here's where you'll find culottes, sleeveless coats, great t's and tanks, pretty silk tanks and camis and good scarves. I notice that while the store is full of annoying teenagers, lots of them are there with their moms, who are doing the same thing as I am. I have probably 4 pair of pants, some denim, some tshirts, a fantastic scarf, a few silk tops, and several sweaters from this store, and the prices don't make me feel like I'm blowing $ on something lousy . The Wpg store has just been renovated too, and it's quite lovely. I've never noticed loud music, and I'm the first one to complain about that. To wrap up my thesis here, it's where you go to add some youth and a bit of trend and newness to your closet. A lower-priced Club Monaco, as it were. Oh, and they have fantastic winter parkas at a really good price.
