St. Clair West is a fashion-forsaken style wasteland. I lived up there for a year, and was mighty pleased when I moved in that I would be far from the temptations along the Queen West strip or the vintage treasures chock-a-block in Kensington Market .

As irony would have it, I ended up living around the corner from the one decent clothing shop on St. Clair West, LIT . Located just west of Christie Street at 762 St. Clair West, this shop has been selling rock 'n roll-inspired pieces since 2006 to people who want something a little more edgy than the latest lame H&M tee.

Owner Linda Elfassy handpicks fun clothes that offer good quality for a reasonable price. Read: t-shirts may set you back a c-note, but they're pretty unique, and would be double at any of the Queen Street shoppes.

"My clothes definitely aren't boring!" said Elfassy. The colourful, boho glam vibe means plenty of soft jersey cotton pieces that come to life in the details, like colour-blocking in Sweetees dresses ($147), flowing Shine New York frocks gathered in all the right places ($165), and a

variety of cheapie tanks and drape-y tops in fun colours and with neat detailing like mesh trim or dangling ties.

For bottoms, there are some half-decent Fidelity and Meltin' Pot jeans that'll do if you need a new pair that won't cost an arm and a leg and another leg--the premium denim runs a reasonable $85 to $245 here. (Stay away from the Lady Dutch pants, however: the baggy khaki cargos and convertible synthetic capris scream nineties sport-casual awfulness.)

Men can delight in the rocker-type tees from the Montreal-based K채rv (I dug the embroidered lion on the celadon tee), Black Hearts Brigade , Plain Gravy , and Monarchy .

And those looking for big, manly, accessories that could double as a weapon if necessary can check out the selection of bold Brave belts ($65 to $190), which hail from Toronto. I'm sick to death of grommets (and anything else that looks like it might grace Avril Lavigne), but I dug the waffle-patterned one and the piece featuring an obnoxiously large winged crest.

Also worth checking out is the extensive collection of shoes from the Brazilian line Colcci ; they have a South American flavour, including long organic-looking straps, subtle patterns stamped into the leather, retro-style colour-blocking, and interesting shade combinations (brown and

teal, denim-blue and pink).

Matt & Nat bags, limited edition Foxy Originals jewelry, and a rainbow of Hanky Panky thongs round out the accessory offerings.

In a nutshell: If you're just gonna barf on that rocker tee or pill the crap out of that jersey dress, why not go somewhat cheaper? You'll still get the quality and unique detailing you need, but at St. Clair West prices.