MacMat

The next time that I hope to have to wear a suit and tie is at my funeral! The dead do dress quite spiffy if I must say.

seamonsta

Ehem!!

I do not wear kappa jackets and burberry baseball caps thank you very much!!

Actually so long as TO has a GAP I should be fine as most of my faded boot-fit jeans and fitted t-shirts are from there anyway!
Hope they have some decent hairdressers in TO. Anyone know of any? That Canadian Billy-Ray Cyrus mullet just isn't me!

:scared:

Cathairtumbleweeds

They have a "Old Navy" which I believe is the same as "GAP".
Eaton Centre is ha-YOOG!!! I didn't get round it all, but I did visit "Old Navy". Only reason I remember it is because I bought my pooch a purple bone from "Old Navy" and it has the name of the store on it. Useless and pointless, but hey, you never know, my hound may become fashion consious.

... but seriously, has anyone seen a Vidal Sassoon in TO?
Hubbie's decided that he's not going for the mullet (as he's "thinning oop top) so he's giong for the baldie slap heid with a beard look. *yum*



Wendy

seamonsta

:scared: Nightmare! No GAP?! I thought they had Gaps everywhere!!
What about Top Man, Next, French Connection, River Island?! None of those?
I'm gonna have to fly back to London once a year just to get kitted out!!

Cathairtumbleweeds

PM'd you with links .... fret ye not... You shall remain a dapper Dan.

Wendy

Cathairtumbleweeds

hehehehe..

http://www.mulletlovers.com

but this one has the Great Canadian Mullet...
http://www.mulletlovers.com/regular_men9.html




... and this should be listened to whilst wearing your checked shirt, trackie bottom with white socks and sandals...

http://www.chartattack.com/damn/2003/03/1105.cfm


Wendy

seamonsta

Oh, the shame! You mean come a year's time I will look like that!?
I'm really beginning to go off this Canada place!!!

Cathairtumbleweeds

... dunno if a year's growth will be enough to make it to the minimum required mullet length.

I think that you need at least 6 inches "party at the back" to officially qualify for a mullet.



Wendy

iaink

I hate to burst anyones bubble, and without wishing to offend anyone, I have noticed nearly all the mullet conversation is from people still in the UK. Sadly I've been here 6 years, and I know only one canadian with the dreaded mullet. He has been warned but continues to offend. I believe it is related to Hockey and the need to have some padding under the helmet, but not to have hair in your eyes, but this could be wrong. It does seem to fit the facts and the peculiar regional nature of the affliction, and the fact that most of those with the mullet are "dentaly challenged".

Sure, the dress code is casual, maybe those of us in Canada have become hardened to the sartorial slaughter around us over the years, cos I remember thinking "Yikes!" when I arrived, but i dont notice now, unless its really horrible.

FWIW, Last time I was in TO (granted a couple of years ago now), there were a fair number of Gap stores, Old Navy is just the "Economy" Gap brand, kind of life RL Chaps is to RL Polo. And yes there are decent hairdressers, its the 5th largest city in N America, so it caters for most tastes. I even saw a French Connection once.

Without knowing any of you, and making some sweeping generalisations, my suspicion is that you shop in these stores because they are fashionable, and to some extent everyone else goes there too, so its a safe choice, you look good, but dont stand out too much. Thats why I used to. Unfortunately, when you get over here, most folks will be a lot more casual, and you will stand out, so my money is on most of you within 3 years going native, and wearing stuff from Roots, Banana Rebublic, Hilfigger etc.

my 2c

Iain

mickj

Being a "TAILER TRASH" is not an option many brits will be willing to take up after a few years in Canada, especially the ones coming from London.

I can not see a Londoner that had it all together before leaving blighty, all of a sudden wearing trainers, lumerjack shirts, jeans, jesus sandals, loin cloth, and driving a truck everyday.

I was never a fashion slave before leaving the UK, i just love my dress shirts with cuffs, trousers, and a nice pair of shoes ( Not a gran pa shoes thanks ). Thank God H&M ( The swedish ) clothing store is opening 5 branches in Toronto on thursday, about flippin' time too.

The only chance of going native here, is if you were native to start with. If this is the case, the the jesus sandals and loin cloth awaits you. Oh....and a rural area to go with it ! :scared:

iaink

Hard as you will find this to believe, just cos I dont live in the GTA, I do not in fact wear lumberjack shirts, jesus sandles or a loincloth, and I dont drive a Truck, in fact I dont even drive a "domestic". Sorry to shatter your illusions. FWIW right now I am wearing a Ralph Lauren shirt and a Gant sweater, both bought right here in Canada. I will confess that I do own running shoes, I use them to run in.

Suffice it to say, if you want to dress smart, Canada will provide. There is really no need to fly back to London to get your shirts, unless you have a very heavy fashion habit, or are just plain pretentious.

Without even getting into the many specialty designer stores and local tailors, you can go to places like the Bay (Hudson Bay Company), they even have one in a backwater like Kingston. They have Armani, Boss, Polo, etc. If you want made to order, they will do that too. Hell, even canadian icon Wayne Gretzky has his own line of upmarket smart clothes,and they dont come much more canadian than Wayne.

My original point was that if you do dress "together", you will stand out more than you do in the UK, and some folks are not comfortable with that, so they will start to wear Jeans and trainers. I seem to remember a lot of folks in the UK wearing jeans anyway, and paying 60 quid for a pair of Levis that cost $60 here. (there, that dates it for you!)

Iain

seamonsta

TO has a GAP, H&M and an ****?
TO's nowhere near as bad as I feared then!
I'm not a crazy fashion slave, I don't wear Hugo Boss or any of that nonsense, but I do draw the line at typical Canadian attire! I'm not walking to the supermarket in dungerees and flip flops! No-way Hozay! Was Deliverance ever a big hit in Canada BTW?

mickj

For those that can be bothered to DECIPHER the message i am trying to put across from a personal point of view. Am an European, born and bred in London UK, that grew up dressing conservatively and smart, without having any labels on my clothes.

The fact that i wear shirts with cuff, trousers, and a nice pair of shoes doesn't mean they are designer gears. My clothes don't have labels, don't cost much, and i look damn smart in it. Wayne Gretzski might have a clothing line, but so does David beckham, Michael Jordan and the rest. They are well bigger than wayne world wide, and i don't wear their stuff, so why should i wear wayne's?

I don't even wear Polo and Gantt. Those of you that have shopped at River island, Topman and H&M know what am talking about. Even BHS do some nice gears. If you go back to blighty once in a while, you might as well bring back some gear with you, which is what i do.

Some of the stuff you see round here on people, are just total crap, and i won't be seen dead in it. Like i said, if you are rural inclined, there are places for you, and the gear to go with it.

seamonsta

I know what you mean mickj! I get all my clothes from ****, River Island etc. simply because for the price, it's very stylish. In France/Italy/Spain etc. you generally find very similar shops and people dress similar (discounting Chavs/scallies of course
)
I must say in the US/Canada the dress sense left a lot to be desired! I even saw a couple wearing matching dungarees with a smiley face on the front! ARGH! :scared:
Such people in the UK would be publicly hounded off the streets and rightly so!

mickj

Seems we are on the same wavelength mate. If people want to wear their Polo, Gantt, loincloth, jesus sandals and live intrailers, good luck to them.

Am glad am not the only one on this. The H&M stores are opening on thursday, its was on the news ( Toronto one ) yesterday. You know what am talking about, H&M gear does not have labels on them, am not into that crap, i just like clothes that look good and smart on me.

I have always hated labels. But i have two that i am proud of, My Team's home kit, and my bumper sticker that say GB ( Great Britain ).

PS: I don't know about deliverance, but TRAILER PARK BOYS is huge here !