The top Toronto-based online fashion stores are the future of shopping. Though it's nice (and moreover, favourable) to see and touch products in the flesh just before making a purchase, e-commerce is on a steady rise. With services like free shipping and return policies, it's becoming more and more convenient to choose shopping via World Wide Web over the hassle of sifting through racks and waiting in line. These particular web shops make the guilty pleasure of sitting at home and browsing for hours feel so right that some don't even need to exist as a brick-and-mortar retailer.

Here are my top online fashion stores in Toronto.

Uncle Otis
Uncle Otis's online shop is the product of meticulous, dedicated work - and it shows. The straightforward layout takes nothing away from the clothing, which is always photographed and posted ASAP, and is sometimes modeled by the store's very own. Brands like Wings + Horns and Kin are represented so immaculately, it's almost like seeing the real thing.

Bicyclette Boutique
Bicyclette Boutique's brick-and-mortar shop is like a dreamland for girly girls, with its pristine appearance and slew of feminine products by brands like nOir Jewelry and Wildfox Couture. Their online boutique has successfully translated this atmosphere to the virtual world; the sparkly splash page and cutesy girls modeling the clothing almost feel like a unicorn sighting.

Shopcaster
Shopcaster knows it can be hard for small-time Toronto retailers to create a significant web presence, so they've made it their mission to be the best online platform for local brands. Each hosted store has the freedom to decide how to shoot their merchandise and when to update, but Shopcaster's simple layout makes them all pleasant to peruse; it's no surprise names like Coal Miner's Daughter and Of A Kind have opted for this type of web shop.

Sydney's
Just like their clothing, Sydney's online presence is tailored and all about the details. Visitors who are shopping for only the best menswear (but have no time to waltz into the Queen St. West store during work hours) are welcomed with an artsy slideshow uninterrupted by the clean navigation bar. A white background with the faintest bit of imagery creates visual interest and multiple views of the merchandise put the cherry on top of a pleasant shopping experience.

Shrimpton Couture
The queen of all vintage web shops, Shrimpton Couture owes all of its success to founder Cherie Federau's almost-suffocating standards of quality. Everything from her unlabeled flapper dresses to her massive selection of high-end names is guaranteed to be in the best condition possible. Plus, with a killer return policy and layaway services, you have nothing to lose.

Nomad
As one of Toronto's menswear favourites, it only makes sense that Nomad would take advantage of the growth of e-commerce. After all, the less time a guy spends in a retail store, the better (although what a good-looking retail store it is). The super minimal website leaves the clothes to do all the talking, and combined with a frequently updated blog and accessible promotions, Nomad's online shop is unstoppable.

L A B & iD
L A B & iD is one of the very few Toronto-based stores that are really pushing the boundaries of fashion for both men and women. The products, styling, and aesthetic of the entire web shop are unconventional to say the least; the selection of designers they carry - like Proudrace and Roberto Piqueras - come together to create the perfect mix of minimalism and maximalism, but with an urban twist.

Ukamaku
Ukamaku is the link between small-but-talented Canadian designers and the world. With a community of about 50 high-end as well as casual brands - including Toronto's own Emily Woudenberg, Rachel Sin, and Sarah Stevenson - the strictly-online website is a clean, professional platform from which to buy local, all in the comfort of your own home.

Lead photo showing items from Ukamaku