As is the case in retail, Canadian women have many more options than men when it comes to homegrown fashion and beauty publications. While Sharp may be the sole large-scale Canadian men’s lifestyle print magazine, the clothing conscious lads of Toronto traditionally have had to turn their gaze to international media outlets if they want a variety of fashion fixes. With the inaugural Toronto Men’s Fashion Week (TOM*|FW) running August 12th to 14th and Holt Renfrew opening their new menswear-only boutique at 100 Bloor Street West, it could be argued that being a well-dressed man has never been easier or more imperative in Hogtown.
While it is fun to grab one of the global gentlemen’s glossies at Pearson or Billy Bishop on occasion, they lack a certain Canadian je ne sais quoi. Blame it on an obsession with seeing our local talent succeed or the fact that we need trend forecasts to accommodate our insane weather forecasts, but Torontonian men are hungry to be hip with perspectives from their hometown. The solution? Bloggers, d’uh!
Check out our picks of the top menswear fashion bloggers in Toronto…
Christian Dare: Edited
Clothes? Check. Cocktail recipes? Check. Cool factor? Check, check, check! With over 15 years experience in fashion retail, Christian Dare provides his followers with a seasoned sartorial eye matched only by an uncanny knack for being candid without being catty (read: he’s totally catty sometimes and we love it). As co-founder of Canadian fashion mecca Stylist Box, Dare is not only privy to fashion news before it becomes publicly available but is also a well-known staple at all of the city’s most exclusive social events. Translation: This boy knows where it’s at in T-town.
It’s All Style to Me
Fact: Anyone who is anybody probably knows Spiro Mandylor, even outside the GTA. A favourite photographer at all of Toronto’s major fashion events, Mandylor turned his insider access into a highly-addictive blog that features quick pieces on all the most fabulous fetes in the city. For men’s fashion and events, Spiro is not only the man to follow but also the man to know.
Mr. Cavaliere
Voted “Canada’s Sharpest Man” in Sharp Magazine in 2012, Jonathan Cavaliere continues to be one of the city’s top fashionable fellas. Besides educational posts that make unusual materials and patterns palatable to the average consumer, this dapper dude makes it easy to emulate his awesomeness by including a Get the Look scrollbar at the bottom of each post that links back to individual product pages on their respective retail sites.
Freshly Educated Men (FEM)
FEM, the tongue-in-cheek abbreviation of Toronto lads’ lifestyle blog Freshly Educated Men, was founded on the principle of elevating and evolving the city’s barbaric boys into manicured men through art, culture, and fashion. In fulfilling this rather daunting mandate (ha, mandate… excuse the pun… or don’t), FEM regularly includes posts on topics such as the latest emerging menswear designers in the GTA, street style editorials, and new shows to catch at the theatre.
BONUS: The Vancouver Man
Given that we have so many fashionable Vibers on the Pacific side, we thought it would be pertinent to throw some love out there as well. The Vancouver Man brings to the table impeccable photography, styling, and taste as he navigates the choppy waters of casual, coastal living without looking frumpy.
Who are some of your favourite menswear bloggers in the city? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @ViewTheVibe.
