Spice Invasion at Holts

Spice City is all a buzz about spotting of Spice Girls. Yesterday my phone kept ringing with updates on which sections of Holts they were shopping in. Hoards of fans stalked them around the store. I'm not into stalking, so I stayed home waiting for the next update.

Posh apparently had her personal stylist pre-shop for her. She told a sales assistant that her sons were having a great time here and were especially loving all the snow. (Well, at least someone is.) A truck came to pick up all Posh's merch (estimated $50,000 worth) - now that's how you shop! The girls ended up staying in the store after it closed. General consensus was that they all love Toronto and they were saying how everyone was giving them their space and not hassling them. (Canadians are so polite.) Then they ate in the Holt's cafe where supermodel, Gisele Bunchen joined them. One of those scoopers was I Want - I Got who gives her insights on her blog.

They are playing their first Toronto show tonight. I'm going tomorrow!

To be honest, I feel a little Spiced out.

Vero Moda

Affordable European clothing stores are taking over Queen West. After the addition of Spain's Zara, then the much anticipated Swedish H&M, the Danish line, Vero Moda decided to open it's first North American store in Toronto. Having over 700 stores internationally, selecting Toronto as its first store location in North America is a bit of a risk considering the city's more conservative relationship with fashion.

Sure, we flocked to H&M and Zara on opening weekends, changing in the middle of the store to avoid the hour long waits at the change rooms, and the same with the recent addition of California chain, Forever 21, but do we really need another cheap knockoff retailer? Even the location gives pause for thought, being more West Queen West than simply Queen West. (The store is located just west of Bathurst at 632 Queen.)

Perhaps being able to boast about having former Victoria Secret model, Gisele as the brand's spokesmodel will help create a buzz, but so far no one seems to be talking about it.