Silke Rampf, the owner of Gretchen and Co, is collaborating with London based designer Minna Hepburn to create a new clothing collection called, Minna.

Minna will be sold exclusively at Gretchen & Co and Canadian shoppers have the opportunity to snap up these wares in a pop-up store. The spring/summer 2010 women’s wear collection takes its inspiration from blooming gardens, merged with feminine ivory, nude and cream tops, and dresses that are hand made using Scottish lace, organic cottons and silks.

Between June 26 and July 5, customers can choose a fabric from Minna’s vintage fabric archives to be made into a personalized custom-made dress. Designer, Minna Hepburn will be at the store on July 10^th to meet customers and to answer any questions.

Minna’s S/S2010 collection is available to purchase from June 26 to July 17, 2010.

Location: Gretchen & Co., 42 Eglinton Avenue W, Toronto, Ontario M5N 1A2

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Last week a new Drake General Store opened its doors on Bathurst Street carrying a unique selection of home decor, classic general store type wares and clothing from Shared. The Drake General Store merges the concept of the traditional hotel gift shop with the classic corner store and flea market stand.

This new location also carries Italian goods by Seletti, Canadian industrial design favourites by Imm Living, Generic Surplus shoes, swimwear by Insight and a great selection of cooking and design books.

The Drake General Stores have a lot of character and is the type of place you can spend hours shopping in.

 Locations: 82A Bathurst, 1011 Yonge Street and 1144 Queen Street West, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

There were a few events I couldn’t attend last week and LAB’s launch party was one of them. From the sounds of it LAB had a packed house with guests, such as Evan Biddell, Nadia Litz, k-os and Sarah Taylor in attendance to lend their support for the newest consignment store on the Queen Street West block. Included are a few photos of the night.

About LAB Consignment: founded by Lauren Baker in 2009, LAB Consignment is a new consignment service specializing in the resale of chic, gently used, designer and vintage ladies clothing, shoes and handbags. As a long-time Queen West denizen, Baker sources her exclusive inventory from the wardrobes of her many fashion-forward suppliers: actors, musicians, stylists and hipsters alike. LAB carries a mix of affordable vintage and contemporary wares, as well as designer-label pieces by such names as Yves St. Laurent, Dolce & Gabbana, A.P.C., Marc Jacobs and Diane Von Furstenberg.

After launching online (www.labconsignment.com) and hosting various pop-up sales, LAB Consignment now moves into the physical realm with a new retail space located in the rear studio area of Silver Falls Vintage (15 Ossington Ave). It will open to the public on May 20, 2010.

Hours: Tuesday - Friday 12pm-6pm, Saturday 12pm-7pm and Sunday 12pm-6pm.

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Photo credit: Ian Worang

Recently, I attended the opening of the Judith & Charles boutique at Bayview Village. The boutique is named after its Co-founders, Judy Richardson (also chief designer) and Charles Le Pierrès. This husband and wife team are the founders of Teenflo in Canada and are in the midst of rebranding the line to appeal to a wider audience.

The new name is more appropriate for the label because the designs aren’t aimed at teenagers as the former designation implies. The look of Judith & Charles is geared towards sophisticated career women with some trendy designs. For spring 2010, the collection includes military and nautical uniform inspired styles, vibrant prints and array of separates and wardrobe staples.

Spring 2010 collection