Fashion Stores
Drool
Craigslist gives us many things: Super Nintendo systems and old Ikea furniture for sale. Potential anonymous sex partners. Apoplectic customer service rants. A place to search for obsessively search for missed connections written about yourself.
A.J. Januszczak had her own unique Craigslist MO - she used it to find local designers to feature in her newly opened shop in Kensington Market, called Drool.
"I was looking for anything unique and one-a-kind - something that you wouldn't walk into a party and see someone else wearing the same thing," she said. "And maybe a little bit out-there."
Due to Januszczak's unique buying strategy, the store features a mish-mash of styles and offerings from around 45 GTA-based designers. When I visited, I saw an explosion of Kensington-style streetwear, with everything from the usual screenprinted t-shirts to Goth-approved corsetry.
My favourite line was Yeah by Eleni Nikoletsos. The Emily Carr student was growing bored of her clothes, so she began to bleach and dye them to give them new life, as well as imprinting them with statements beginning with "Yeah..." Examples include, "Yeah, you're my favourite" and "Yeah, I wear my heart on my sleeve" ($30).
Most of the offerings are indeed out-there, including corsets and tulle skirts ($129) from Decadent Designs, fluorescent tank dressed adorned with black ruffles by Juicy Soulja ($30), bespangled bikinis from Brie and Snail, tropical-print Baby halter-dresses ($59), and bracelets made from toy soldiers melted together ($10).
For the less wacky, there's a few standard-issue cotton sundresses by Device ($98) and deconstructed patchwork pieces from Embody.
Thanks, Craigslist!
Photos by Alex Russel
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Shaun
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