Spotted

Check out singing sensation Hilary Weaver sporting Fashion Crimes! She was spotted wearing two dresses from our lovely collection during Canadian Music Week, the launch of her new album, and a fabulous appearance on Rogers Television where she cinched her fabulous frock with one of our stand-out leather belts!

Follow Hilary Weaver by clicking the Twitter T!

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A Dragged out Affair

Olga Barsky is an awesome stylist from She Does The City who is running a fundraiser event for her kick-ass upcoming production, perfectly titled; A Dragged Out Affair.

We will all be there, and have even contributed a cute frock to be raffled off!

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Girls Night at the Drake Hotel

What a perfect way to spend a birthday weekend, Mother's Day or Girls night...

Package includes all kinds of goodies like gift bags, cocktails, Fashion Crimes VIP shopping cards and a $100 Gift Certificate to a selected Queen West boutique!

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"Take that Cupid..."

LOVED working with Olga & the glamour-gods at She Does The City for this shoot, makes a somewhat un-inspiring "holiday" a whole lot more inspired!

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Nuit Blanche & Out of Sight on Queen West

Next week-end the city will be alive all night long with the dynamic installations for Nuit Blanche 09 and this years' "Out of Sight" festival, curated by Earl Miller for Queen Street West.

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TIFF '09 Red Carpet Roster

Gorgeous garments and glitz were all over the red carpet for TIFF earlier this month, and we are so happy to see that many of the designs were from here at home in Toronto!

Some of the FC features include:

Actress Monika Schnarre attends ET Canada Presents "Glorious 39" Gala at 144 Cumberland Street on September 14, 2009.

Photographer - A. Moore

Actress Tara Spencer-Nairn and dancer Jean Marc Genereux attend the Holt Renfrew launch of Vignettes with Alexa Chung, Coco Rocha and The Stills held at the Burroughes Building on September 12, 2009.

Ainsley Kerr attends the "Steve Nash Shoot For The Stars" at Harry Rosen, as well as the "Antichrist" North American Premiere After Party held at W Studio

on September 10, 2009.

Photographer - George Pimentel

Liz West was reporting live from the red carpet all festival long for CP24. Her wardrobe choices for all of the events were exclusively Fashion Crimes.

Co-founders of the Style Box, Amanda Brugel (at the Holt Renfrew launch) and Gail McInnes (at the "Steve Nash Shoot For The Stars" gala), both shot by photographer G.Pimentel





...and a little peek at what happens behind the scenes when dressing the stars, courtesy of The Style Box for FASHION MAGAZINE:

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Queen West History

As you may know, Fashion Crimes is one of the only original establishments remaining on Queen Street West since the take-over of the big-box chain stores, starting with the GAP in 1995.



We are always happy and willing to share the history of Pam & FC and thought that we would dig a little deeper to reveal some more information for you. The person to go-to for this task is the man who knows the city's roots better than anyone, Toronto historian Bruce Bell. Bruce has been a grand friend of FC for many years; this opportunity to feature him within the blog is very exciting! You may have heard him (many times) featured during interviews and special segments on CBC radio or Breakfast Television.



Bruce found plenty of great shots while compiling information for the feature about one of your favourite Toronto neighbourhoods, subsequently posted.

The storefront to the furthest left side is where you will now find Fashion Crimes.

(1910)

The building featured here is now CIBC. Aside from a few small details in the architecture it is almost hard to believe that this is Queen & Spadina. (c 1900)

"Midtown Upholstry Sales" is now the Addidas store, and the beloved "Barney's" has become a "BBQ Express". (1957)

All photos courtesy of Toronto Public Library

A Short History of Queen Street West

By Bruce Bell

Queen Street for its first sixty years was referred to as Lot Street as it was once the northern boundary of the original city when the rich and powerful families were given ‘lots’ from present day Queen to Bloor Street to build their great homes.

The largest estate above Lot Street the Grange, once home to the Boulton family is now encased within the Art Gallery of Ontario.

With its sweeping lawn and long carriage drive this great Georgian home on the edge of town was then surrounded by a forest of trees and babbling streams was for over 100 years the centre of social life in Toronto.

Today John Street from Queen northwards to the Grange was once a tree lined carriage way leading up to the great manor home.

In 1851 as Toronto grew and the boundaries were expanded Lot Street was renamed Queen Street for Queen Victoria.

The term ‘Queen West’ the area generally known as the section between University Avenue and Spadina generally refers to the collection of neighbourhoods that have developed along and around the thoroughfare and today has become a vernacular for all things trendy and stylish.

The earliest known nighbourhood to spring up along Queen West around the mid-19th century was known as Claretown, an Irish immigrant enclave around Queen Street West and Bathurst Street.

In the 1890s to the 1930s, Jewish immigrants came into the neighbourhood then known as "the Ward" (after St John’s Ward, its voting ward name) and during this time the garment trade was born making Spadina and Queen the centre of the city’s clothing industry.

During World War II Queen Street between University and Spadina became lined with inexpensive appliance stores, greasy spoon restaurants and second hand clothing stores.

From the 1950s through the 1970s gentrification of the area caused most recent immigrants to move to more reasonably priced areas of the city and Queen West like other up-and-coming areas of Toronto became lined with boutiques, chain stores, restaurants and all night clubs.

During its long and varied history Queen West has managed to hold on to its unique allure with classic hangouts like the still thriving Rivoli and Horseshoe Tavern and in keeping with its garment trade history the totally unique clothing boutique Fashion Crimes all giving the street its matchless charm that has endured to this day.

The dashing and ever so eloquent Bruce Bell.

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A local perspective

If you are planning an excursion to any one of the glorious cities within Canada you should pick up a Modern Urban Guide. Being guided by MUG is great, as they tend to focus on the unique original local businesses that give each city character.

... I highly doubt that you will find the Toronto Eaton Center as a recommended shopping destination in this guide.

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Glamorously Trotting across the Country

We have recently been introduced to Laura Fairweather, Director of Global PR for the Canadian Tourism Commission. She had the perfect excuse to wear a luxe FC dress last week at the Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise Sports Invitational. See the charming belle above with Roger Petersen, newsanchor of City TV and Noelle Aune, Executive Director of Travel Media & PR for Travel Alberta.

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Erica loves FC dresses

Chances are good that have you seen this advertisement:


Stylists for the new CBC show Being Erica frequented the store often during filming, as Erica's girly style perfectly reflects Fashion Crimes garb! One piece in particular- the infamous one shouldered red dress is a hit. The FC prom collection '09 features this dress in sooooo many colours.

Kudos to CBC, this show reflects great perspectives...

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