4 Reasons To Visit Toronto’s New John Elliot Boutique
Last month, Los Angeles-based designer John Elliot crossed the northern border to set up shop at 83 Yorkville Avenue. The downtown Toronto location is John Elliot’s sixth physical store to date, and it marks the first international flagship for his eponymous label. Modern and minimalist, the building slides right into Yorkville’s upscale scenery. Sunlight streams through the glass doors, anchored by rustic materials and sharp lines. The light-grey storefront captures an overcast calm, bringing quiet to the buzzing city centre. No matter how beautiful the veneer, though, it’s the inside that counts. Scroll on to see our favourite features of the new John Elliot location and highlights from the Spring/Summer collection.
It’s A Gateway to the Golden Coast
Warhol might’ve said that everything in Hollywood is plastic, but today, the west coast is full of real materials. John Elliot’s first brick-and-mortar store on Melrose Avenue opened with an industrial and utilitarian feel, featuring steel fixtures and concrete floors. A nod to its Southern California setting, the Melrose boutique effortlessly integrates the surrounding cityscape.
International expansions tend to go one of two ways: some brands blend in with the local topography, while others carefully import their homegrown aesthetic across the border. The Yorkville store — John Elliot’s first passport stamp — firmly belongs to the latter group. Crossing into Canada, John Elliot brings California’s laid-back ease to Ontario’s biggest city.
The building’s façade fits in with Yorkville’s luxe faire, to be sure, but the Pacific’s balmy fingerprints are everywhere. Stephan Wiemer — the architect behind John Elliot boutiques in Los Angeles, Miami, Soho, Madison Ave, and Aspen — took his expertise to Toronto for the new Yorkville location. To design the space, Wiemer started by “refining the use of minimalist and utilitarian construction.” West Coast roots show up in the boutique’s neutral palette, offering a rare but welcome interlude in the middle of a vibrant and sizzling neighbourhood. It’s a clear-headed and calming refresh.
At the Boutique, Inside Comfort Meets Outdoor Ease
John Elliot: Toronto Boutique
John Elliot: Toronto Boutique
John Elliot: Toronto Boutique
John Elliot: Toronto Boutique
John Elliot: Toronto Boutique
Once inside, John Elliot’s understated exterior cracks open like a coconut to reveal a tapestry of ethereal whites and stormy greys. Shimmering and iridescent displays punctuate the misty interior. Natural light floods the boutique, pouring in through lofty skylights. Above, white bulbs above hang long and thin, augmenting the sunlight with an electric glow.
Stone-grey slabs form a smooth pathway through the racks, accented with bamboo plants that break through the greyscale filter; vibrant green leaves glimmer next to Japanese matte-white tiles. To separate each section, the boutique brought in a river of natural rocks, infusing the clothing store with a grounding presence as they wind through all 2407 square feet.
See Recognizable Silhouettes, Reimagined by John Elliot
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
On the hangers, the John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024 collection plays with vintage stereotypes to great success. As Elliot told WWD, “The whole collection is like the rejection of prep. It’s almost like if you took prep and you left it in the back of a pickup truck in L.A.” From cropped fleece hoodies to cloaked linen button-ups, the collection is steeped in authenticity.
John Elliot works from a ‘prep’ template, tearing at the seams of style archetypes to subvert expectations. On a crewneck, for instance, drooping sleeves and a deep neckline offer a lived-in feel while its cinched hem recalls a more familiar silhouette. Brushed wool sweaters sport an inside-out look with dropped shoulders and rib-knit cuffs. Cargoes feature heavily, straps dangling from pants and shorts with a breezy, yet rugged confidence. Rip-stop pants offer an elevated, almost ironic take on the utilitarian ‘pants-that-turn-into-shorts concept’ — the zip-closure detaches just above the knee, retaining playful flap pockets.
John Elliot Spring/Summer Presents A New “American Dream”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024: “Fading Prospects”
When he designed the Spring/Summer collection, Elliot wasn’t just flipping through fashion catalogues — he was also inspired by the finance section. Early last year, the collapse of the Silicon Valley Bank led Elliot to title his new collection “Fading Prospects.” The clothes take inspiration from a bygone era of the ‘American Dream,’ subverting once-classic looks to emphasis the deconstruction of old values. “It kind of just dawned on me that this idea of the American dream is, like, bullshit for my generation and for the younger generations,” Elliot explained in an interview with WWD.
That’s not to say his collection is disillusioned or anarchistic; instead, the clothes capture a sense of confusion that’s unmistakably of-the-time. Weathered and distressed, the modified garments communicate “a rejection of the promised prosperity and success, embodying a collective disillusionment with the fading hope of attaining the American Dream.” Through this lens, oversized rugby shirts take on a new meaning. Frayed hems and bleached-out colours symbolize the rugged, bold declaration of American decay. Meanwhile, stripes are painted with negative space, forging art from material absence.
The new John Elliot boutique is located at 83 Yorkville Avenue, Toronto. The first instalment of John Elliot Spring/Summer 2024, “Fading Prospects” is now available in store and online.
