Fashion Stores
Gotstyle
Gotstyle is a menswear shop that filled a much-needed shopping gap for Toronto's dapper male-folk. I gotta say, guys, you really get ripped off in the fashion department. Unless you have the dough to buy ultra-high-end, the affordable options tend to be boxy, void of colour, and Yawnsville. I hear this complaint constantly. Gotstyle falls neatly in the middle, offering under-$1000 full suits in current slim cuts, and casual apparel infused with saturated hues.
Gotstyle's migration from their old 2nd-floor King Street location to new street-level Bathurst and Wellington digs only required closing shop for a couple of days. Owner Melissa Austria tells me that it was business as usual for "The Menswear Shop" even during construction. On my visit, a mere two weeks after opening, the only remaining signs of reno are in the yet unfinished barber shop. This service, moved from the old location, is provided by Pamela who is described as "part barber, part psychiatrist". While the barber shop takes shape, Melissa laughs that there are "a lot of disheveled men in Toronto" right now.
Also, Gotstyle's resident "greeter" - Hector, the Bernese Mountain Dog - has resumed his duties in the new location.
The new space is roughly the same square-footage as the old, but the difference is in the layout. Previously, the open concept was overwhelming for Melissa's customers. She addressed this concern in the new location by creating an intimate feel via sections separated by occasion. Casual clothing flows into social wear ("going-out clothes") then into formal suiting at the rear of the store. The details are divine - dark wood antiques contrast beautifully against modern concrete floors and rich dove-grey velvet dressing room curtains.
I spend time browsing the social shop, marveling at how colours like royal blue, purple and deep teal can do so much for the typical neutral palette of menswear. Melissa has made it her mission to get men away from denim, and pushes "alternative bottoms" - pants that are made from traditional fabrics, but in modern cuts. In social wear, I also find adorable plaid and pin dot bowties, and neckties with cheeky prints. Boys, it's finally time to have fun with fashion! Of note are Full Circle wool cardigans (these are not your Grandpa's sweaters), charcoal Ted Baker blazers with grosgrain piping and gorgeous lining, and lots of Canadian designer representation.
In suiting, Melissa explains that any body type can wear a modern fitted suit. The idea is "trim" not "slim". Even stockier builds can pull off the look, I am told. Technicolour ties pop against the dark wood - bold patterns of updated paisley and thick stripes come in purples, intense shades of blue, and even orange. Canadian content rules here, too. Gotstyle's private label suit collection is manufactured in Montreal. The formal area also houses their made-to-measure service and in-house tailor - services that are becoming more in-demand at the shop these days.
David Clemmer, the new fashion consultant on CBC's Steven & Chris, encouraged men to inject more colour into their wardrobes during a segment that aired last week. Daunting as it may be for some men, Gotstyle proves that it's easier than it looks. Go see Melissa. Tell her I sent you.
Photos by Dennis Marciniak.
Discussion
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I hope people understand that business owners are constantly changing and adding to their business as they learn more about what their customers want. I think it's always important to re-vist local establishments (be it retail or restaurants) to see what's new.
The staff weren't pushy or pretentious like Harrys or Holts which is something I appreciated.
The suit selection is good and reasonably priced for half canvas in a downtown retail shop.
Unfortunately for me, they didn't have much in-stock for size 42R probably because it is the most common size and I guess they sold out quickly. I'd call in advance before heading down so you don't waste your time.
The other option I found when looking for a good suit is Gilt.com ---but they only ship within the continental US so you'll need to have it shipped to a friend in the States.
it doesn't move well. it is not breathable. while the cut is clean and modern, the detailing and stitching leaves a fair bit to be desired. it's made of polyester on the outside and acetate on the inside. and it's fused.
while none of these things are crimes, in the $600 price range i find there are many, many superior choices.
I checked the fabric content of all our Cinque suits and they are all 100% wool, they might have had some fabrics in the past that had poly in them but they have moved most of their fabrics to wool including the basic for $595. The lining is a rayon/viscose blend, as most suits are either the same or are 100% viscose.
My staff might have compared it to Boss because we recently had a product knowledge on suit construction and Boss, Tiger of Sweden, Strellson, Cinque (and others) are all a fused garment. Not that their is anything wrong with that as the materials for fusing have improved dramatically over the years and all these brands offer a great trim silhouette -Cinque just offers it at the best price point.
When you go up in price we would rather educate guys on buying a half canvas garment instead, as the suit will mold to your body, breathe better and hold up better after drycleaning and repeated wearings.
I tell the lady what I am looking for, she hands me something (without taking any measurement) It was terrible...
by the time I could try it on, the lady (I think the owner) was helping someone else.
The store wasn't busy, I was one of two customers there and there were two employees working.
I was very disappointed after reading such a favourable reviews..I went and bought a suit at ted's style shoppe instead...I highly recommend that store.
Also, don't know if I am the only one, but kinda gave off a douche vibe.
In my opinion, the best values at Gotstyle are the more conservative suits - 100% wool in solid navy, charcoal, or mid-grey. I purchased a solid navy SAND suit there a few years ago on sale for $600 (marked down from $800) and it remains my go-to. Agree with Melissa (owner, above) that the brands Gotstyle carries are better value than those at other stores. Hugo Boss suits, for instance, easily run more than $1000 at Harry Rosen, but are fused rather than half-or full-canvassed. Same fit + better quality + lower price = good value.
I do suggest caution when playing with wild stripes and colors unless you're in a creative industry (or are looking to go clubbing). Gotstyle also has lots of these louder garments. In my opinion, a plain/boring well-fitted garmet wins over a loud one any day.
And as for ignoring you, you're probably ugly, fat, and NASTY!
Maybe you should go to Value Village. I hear your type is accepted there.
If you need to wear suits for a living, you should go MTM. $1000 well spent.
Make sure the tailoring is done in Canada though. And make sure you nit-pick to get exactly what you want.
in response to "And as for ignoring you, you're probably ugly, fat, and NASTY!
Maybe you should go to Value Village. I hear your type is accepted there"
1) read the comment--2 sale associated, 2 customers....hmmm? (oxford learning centres can help you with reading)
2) built up anger....'google phyco-therapy toronto'...i think you might have some under-lying issues you need help with...all types are accepted there so you don't need to worry about hiding behind a computer screen.
Good Luck
And yes, I am mean. But again, welcome to the real world. It's not all gum drops and rainbows. Grow the F up.
One last thing. Cweed67, you're a blatant hypocrite. You're actually hiding behind your computer screen with your original negative blog post. Not me. I just outted your lack of humanity, and you hated it!
I have no problem teaching people how to show proper respect.
Peace!
the new store looks cool. i'm sure ground floor exposure will help them connect with their audience. i'm going to check it out. liking the airplane/butterfly tie.
i can't tell for sure from the photos, but it looks like a little injection of fun and personality would enhance the experience. i mean in terms of the space and perhaps having a little injection of street style in the mix.
Whether it's in a comment section or a complaint in-store, reaching out to help is still part of customer service. At least that's what we think, whether that's right or wrong can be debatable.
Nonetheless we try to keep our presence online consistent - feel free to tweet us at @gotstyle or checking out our blog if you have questions, concerns, or just wanna keep up with us!
yet, on the same day nasty comments directed at me appears, store employees also seem to be making comments?
...just a thought
Not sure what's fishy - I'm the only store employee commenting just now. I manage the social media portion of the store and occasionally Melissa comes online to check up on feedback.
I'm commenting just now because the Gotstyle profile was just updated by BlogTO & posted on the front page yesterday, so naturally comments & page views will begin to flood in. I apologize for not contacting you on Oct 31st when your original complaint was posted here.
I'd like to welcome both of you to give us a call at the store (416-260-9696) and asking for myself or Melissa to address any customer service issues with us directly. I'm at the store between 1pm and 6pm tomorrow, so feel free to give me a call and ask for me.
Again, I apologize for your bad experiences at the store. We're still in transition mode to the new location so we're trying to shape things back to normal.
-Reggie
The service at Gotstyle is absolutely second to none, and their fashion consultations are unpretentious - unlike a Holts or Harry. They just genuinely want to help all men look better, and do so by selling high quality, highly fashionable (but not overly "trendy") clothes that are a reasonable price, timeless and literally make you feel like James Bond.
And that's that. Anyone who has had a different experience I encourage to visit the new store, which is an even more relaxed and comfortable environment than the last one (which I admit, the old locked entry door was a bit frustrating, even though it wasn't their fault).
Cheers, have a great weekend everyone.
Robert
I have a boxy build, have used Maxwell's for MTM and have had good experiences and regularly get compliments on my suits, but a buddy of mine with a smaller, slender build didn't like the cut of his Maxwell suits and turned to Gotstyle MTM. He was pretty happy with the result. I'll have to check them out.
I like to support the smaller retail stores that work hard to get us good deals and exclusive merchandise.
I just checked out the new location, and I get a completely different vibe. The sweet Tshirt selection is gone, and the casual and semi-casual stuff is stripped way down. There were three flamboyant sweaters, and a whole ton of extremely boring stuff to choose from. Long sleeve henleys seemed to be well represented, but I can get that stuff at the Bay.
I'll go back in a few months to see if there's anything for me there. I'd love to see Gsus back in the shop, and maybe a modest selection of awesome Tshirts. I need some funk in my wardrobe - cmon, Melissa, set me up!
Thanks for the feed back - to be honest our new way of getting guys laid is more Mad Men style - sophisticated, slim fit suits, dapper dressing (we're tired of jeans and t-shirts, I want guys to dress up more!)Plus, we move away from super casual clothes in the Fall but will be back to t-shirts and funkier styles for Spring and Summer. Our semi-casual (or Social section) was stipped down because we have sold most of our Fall and Holiday inventory (yay!). Check back with us as we do get new shipments all the time - we just got in I.am, Marshall Artist, Company of We and John Varvatos in our Casual section.