Working her fashion magic at Rue Pigalle
Isabelle Fish runs studio from north Toronto home
Astonishingly, Isabelle Fish identifies the designer of my necklace, purchased an indeterminate number of years ago at her Queen West accessory boutique, Rue Pigalle.
“You are wearing a piece by Michèle Forest — I recognize my clients by their purchases,” she says.
Fish is French and as impossibly chic as her Gallic sisterhood. She is possessed of the innate ability to work wizardry with a simple scarf, like those she stocks in her latest iteration of the boutique: a beautifully appointed studio downstairs in her stunning north Toronto home.
In addition to jewelry and scarves, she carries hair accessories, bags, totes, belts, umbrellas and curated clothing. Price points start at $200 and escalate to $1,200.
Rue Pigalle references the red-light district in Paris. “It’s temptation, the sin,” she grins. “You don’t want to come in but can’t resist the forbidden fruit.”
Her fruit plate is exotic and exclusive; lines no one else has. Like French clothing label Margareth et Moi; Italian line Dianora Salviati (great caftans); and Noritamy jewelry from Israel. Her jewelry lines feature unexpected materials: Michelle Lowe-Holder is known for eco-hybrid pieces including fabric clutches and jewelry.
“All my designers are young and emerging — not big brands,” she em- phasizes. “I am supporting artists with tradition and savoir faire who do their own story.”
Fish was originally a corporate lawyer, but gave it up when she came to Canada in 2000. She met her husband, Simon, in law school in the U.S.
She launched her fashion career in Calgary after meeting a concert pianist who sold French fashion and accessories, and home decor, and recruited Fish to help out because she spoke French.
After running a Yorkville boutique from 2010 to 2012, she moved to Queen West and closed after three years. “I was exhausted — it was a lifestyle choice.”
She has been working out of her home (by appointment only) since September 2016, due to popular demand. “My clients kept calling,” she explains. She has a website that enables her to reach the U.S. market.
Why working at home works for her: “I can manage business with family life more easily. It is my home and it makes the relationship with the client much more intimate. There is no pressure.” Why working at home doesn’t work for her: “It is complicated to separate business from home but as an entrepreneur, I think about business 24/7. I am on call 24/7. Clients come in at 7 a.m. while en route to Bay St. Clients come at 9 p.m. and on weekends.
If they have a jewelry emergency, I’ll drive to wherever — their office — to help them. It can also be isolating to work at home, especially since a lot of business is done on the Internet.” How she combats cabin fever: “I am mindful of getting out and having a real life. I put makeup on, the full thing; it’s like I’m in the office. I am strict on having a lunch break. I go out for lunch or I grab a coffee midday to get out of the house. Four nights of the week I go out. How she separates work from home: “It is an upstairs/downstairs situation. If I don’t have a client I don’t come downstairs; nothing gets done upstairs. I start at 8 a.m. and I leave my desk at 6 p.m. every day, no matter what.”