Hey, girlfriends!
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Lola & Emily invite you over to pillage their closets
by GENEVIEVE PAIEMENT
What's with women compulsively borrowing each others' clothing? Maybe it's the idea of shopping (for free) in the comfort of your friend's pad. In any case, it was only a matter of time before somebody latched onto the idea and brought it into the realm of retail.
"We want the environment to be as comfortable as your best friend's Plateau apartment--the point is to make you forget that you're in a store," says Marnie Blanshay, of Lola & Emily, a new shop she runs with friend and creative director Sally Scott.
"The name is based on two of my best friends," Blanshay explains. "Lola is colourful and into fashion whereas Emily, who's kind of based on Sally, is always looking for the perfect black turtleneck. The idea is that everyone knows a Lola and an Emily and that everyone has a bit of both in them."
As you enter these fictional girlies' digs, you pass through the kitchen (note the dishes and breakfast table), the living room and the bathroom (complete with assorted yummy-smelling products) before you hit the bedroom area. On the right is Lola's bed, littered with cushions, kooky socks and a closet full of Toronto label Preloved's vintage remakes. On the left you have Emily's minimalist side, where beige and black basics rule.
The entire store is a projection of what Blanshay and Scott see as what women just like them want. "We're targeting women who work and, on the weekend, they're not wearing their shirts tucked into their jeans; they're wearing combat boots and Preloved jean skirts," Blanshay points out. "Women between the ages of 25-35 are a lot different than when our mothers were our age--we all work and most of us don't have families."
Although working women may have more spending power than ever before, Blanshay is quick to point out why they haven't gone the ultra high-end route. "Some people won't be able to buy the $200 pair of Earl jeans, but they'll buy a $17 lipgloss," she muses. This goes along with the whole Lola & Emily mix and match concept.
"I didn't want to limit or pigeon-hole the store by selling just clothes or making it just a place to get T-shirts or sweaters. Anything we see that we like, we'll bring it in." This includes cosmetics, notebooks, furniture, candleholders, vintage scarves, frames, dishes and, maybe even the kitchen sink. Somewhat like upscale one-of-a-kind showroom The Apartment in New York, but much more accessible. Plus, no snooty attitudes or other conventional store trappings allowed. "It's just a nice place where our friends like to hang out," Blanshay pauses. "But, you know, we do want to make some sales!"
Lola & Emily, 3475 St-Laurent, 288-7598
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