Stella Luna a style destination
Stella Luna, purveyor of designer, retro and vintage recycled clothing, is tucked away in an innocuous retail strip at Queen St. W. and Roncesvalles Ave., between Sam the Chandelier Man and assorted antique shops.
I am stopped in my tracks by the $5 sales rack at the front, where I gravitate to a ’60s Christian Dior navy pinstripe, cropped jacket in pristine condition.
Why is it only $5? Because people are afraid of its slightly pointy shoulders.
Tell that to Balmain fans, who drop $7,000 for a jacket with shoulders like that.
The boutique has been in this location for17 years, one of an original coterie of shops dubbed “the Sunnyside 25,” many of which closed, victims of the recession.
But with new condos creeping in and a resurgence/gentrification of Roncey, once primarily known for kielbasa and perogies, owner Crispian Underwood is staying put.
The shop is tiny — the space of an oversized walk-in closet — without being claustrophobic, and stocked with inventory from estate sales, local residents, movie productions and “here and there.” A favourite destination of stylists, it is not a repository of crazy-old-lady clothes; the pieces easily integrate into a contemporary wardrobe.
Everything is colour-coordinated on the racks and prices are low — few items go north of $50 — because it’s what the regulars will bear. Underwood says dealers routinely scoop up the bargains and crank up the prices for resale.
Labels include Marilyn Brooks, Lipton’s, Alan Cherry, D&G and — wow! — I spy a Marni blouse for $28. Contemporary tuxedo pants
I love the tweed menswear jacket with built-in vest for $30, but it doesn’t love me.
by Jennifer Nicholson, Jack Nicholson’s designer daughter, are on trend with a velvet stripe down the side and only $30.
I love the tweed menswear jacket with built-in vest for $30 but it doesn’t love me.
I fondle a rack of Italian cashmere sweaters in delicious colours ticketed at $34, way lower than J.Crew, and I’m attracted to a fuchsia shantung jacket with a Holt Renfrew label and cut like a trench coat ($28). But it’s eerily déjà vu; I swear I’ve already owned and sold it. I flip through a selection of LBD’s, including a pleated, cap-sleeved number that some hipster will snap up for $42, cut off the bottom set of pleats and rock with a pair of booties. Sigh. Too bad I don’t know anybody who could squeeze into a tiny Chinoiserie dress ($42) that is a ringer for the slinky chartreuse Dior number Nicole Kidman famously wore to the 1997 Oscars. There are accessories galore. This season’s de rigueur clutch bags as well as shoes, hats and bijoux, including a necklace by Kenneth Jay Lane, pieces by Monet and a couple of $38 dress clips made of Bakelite. All the prices include taxes. I cash out with the fuchsia jacket because I feel I have to have it — again! Stella Luna is open Wednesday to Friday from noon to 6 p.m. and weekends from noon to 5 p.m. It’s cash only, but there is a reliable ATM at the variety store across the street that won’t eat your card.