Salt Chuck is a style destination specializing in effortless cool, casual (without being sloppy) men's apparel — and specifically underwear. Rather than boring "tighty whities" that deserve to be hidden beneath denim, founder Tiffany Ho puts underwear at centre stage. At Salt Chuck, the clothing selection grew from the underwear department, not the other way around.

Originally from BC (the store's name, derived from Chinook, refers the straits that run between Vancouver Island and the mainland), Ho designed women's clothes before switching to men's underwear in 2011. She specializes in what she calls "technical hybrid" underwear — fighting off moisture, her boxer briefs are anti-bacterial and odour-resistant, and they fit loose in the thighs and derriere for optimum movement. But unlike the specialty briefs you buy at drugstores in inoffensive black, Ho's designs come in fun colours and saucy patterns like floral. And they feel like silk to the touch.

Deciding it was time for a change, Ho and her fiancé packed up all the underwear (and her dog and cat) to drive across the country and start anew in Toronto. Salt Chuck's location on Harbord Street started out as a studio space so Ho would no longer have to design in the basement at home. But realizing she had a convenient storefront in a nice neighbourhood, she decided to expand the shop to include the independent men's labels she'd recommended to friends for years.

"I've talked to a lot of guys about underwear," she says. "And guys like things simple, easy, and comfortable." That description not only describes her designs but the store in general, which Ho intends as a one-stop, curated collection of clothing, underwear, gifts, and beauty products. "I guess you don't call them 'beauty products' for men," she laughs.

"The clothing is based on what I like a guy to be in," Ho admits. "It's not uber-trendy, but it's classic. It will last in your wardrobe." The selection isn't huge but represents a cross-continental mélange. To BC labels like Brixton and Lifetime she's added Publish from California, Weekend Offender from the UK and a Danish brand called Minimum, among others. Even with all that international clout; Salt Chuck clothes don't cause sticker shock. Ho's underwear is $30, while the priciest items are around $200.

On the higher end of the spectrum is a Minimum winter jacket with genuine fur trim. "Real fur doesn't go down in Vancouver, but Torontonians seem okay with it." Has she noticed any other differences between shoppers here and on the West coast? Ho shakes her head. Guys are pretty simple, she says. They want to look good without spending crazy amounts of money. They want staples with a little bit of edge.

Since opening in September, Salt Chuck has been building a clientele beyond friendly neighbourhood UofT students, encouraging shoppers to make the trek down from the Annex and Bloor Street just to the North. In fact, Ho has been getting so many girlfriends and mothers she may cross one more frontier and introduce women's clothing.

Salt Chuck is open Tuesday-Friday, 12pm-7pm and Sunday, 12pm-5pm. Special visits can be made by appointment

Photos by Jimmy Lu.