White Crow
White Crow, a favourite Toronto-based online boutique, has opened a summer pop-up in the Borroughes Building on Queen West .
This isn't the first pop-up venture for White Crow owner Jin Ryu, but this breezy open space and prime location certainly makes browsing the flowy handpicked pieces much more enjoyable than clicking away at a computer.
I don't catch Jin when I stop by one afternoon, but her friend Seo tells me a bit about the pop-up. "We're going to be here until the end of the summer at least," she says. "We've been really, really busy."
So busy, in fact, that many of the favourites Seo wanted to show me had already been snatched up. Each item in Jin's collection is sourced from Korea, deliberately purchased in very limited quantities. For that reason, White Crow customers can be sure they won't encounter a Queen West strip full of people wearing the same "unique" pieces.
Jin launched the online boutique after a trip to Seoul in October 2009. Amazed at the great pieces she found at incredible price points, she decided to bring her finds back with her and offer them to the Toronto (and North American) market.
White Crow the pop-up is full of florals, pastels, light chiffons, and feminine pieces with an edge. The "Innocent Jane" cream eyelet dress ($69) is a unique take on the simple summer dress with short sleeves and a waist tie, and can be paired with some round John Lennon-esque sunglasses ($24) for a funkier look. Another great pairing is White Crow's oversized plastic bow ring ($14) with a pair of back leather shorts ($44), an all-in-one paradox of sweet and sinful. But everyone seems to gravitate toward White Crow's Circle Tees ($24) according to Seo, which are made of draped cotton with a wide neckline and available in several colours.
New additions appear in-store every week. The pop-up racks will be updated before the online store, so drop by the Borroughes first for the latest White Crow finds.