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Preloved
Category: Shopping Fashion Women's Clothing Women's Clothing [Edit]
881 Queen St WToronto, ON M6J 1G5
Neighbourhoods: Niagara, West Queen West
(416) 504-8704
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
12 reviews for Preloved
12 reviews in English
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Review from Denise S.
2/2/2012 1 Check-in Here
Yay! I'm a fan! Yes, that describes how I feel about preloved pretty well. This started off as a small Toronto shop selling clothing made from reclaimed vintages fabrics, and now there are offshoots in Montreal and Sydney! Pieces are pricey, but well-made and one of a kind. Their clothes feel comfy and familiar, like your favourite sweater, but still fresh and new. It's the perfect place to pseudo-vintage shop. I have a couple dresses from this store. One of them has sleeves made from the softest cashmere ever -- aka probably made from a very luxurious cashmere sweater I could not have afforded new. Another dress is made from an old Pierre Cardin garment in navy wool pinstripes. The styles are quirky patchworks of different pieces. Some of the ones with clashing prints are a bit hard to pull off, but others are more simple and work-appropriate. They also carry adorable accessories, homeware, and a very limited selection of items for men, children, and pets.
Look out for their sales. They have at least one big warehouse sale each year, plus boxing day sales, plus random ones, e.g. the 'hopscotch sale' (they had hopscotch in the store, you throw a bean bag and whatever square it lands on, you got a different discount 20-50% off).Listed in: Shop 'til you drop
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Review from Hilary S.
12/22/2011
Looks like almost everything in this store was made from vintage/recycled sweaters.
It works sometimes, and it doesn't work other times.
They use other materials, too...I saw some suit-like material, felty materials, chiffon/gauze...
There was some stuff here that I really liked. They have the cutest shorts ever, in multicolour floral prints (depending on the fabric) that was adorably ruched near the front.
There were some cool dresses (not sweater-like).
There's also an amazing sale right now. For example, the shorts were marked down from like $120 to $40.
I also heard another customer checking out, and asking about a slight imperfection on her item. They sewed it as she checked out. I have a feeling they can alter for you too if you need. -
Review from Crystal H.
Vancouver, BC
10/25/2011 1 Check-in Here
Confession: I am an addict.
My addiction: leggings.
There's a name for this condition: Legging-a-holic or Jegging-a-holic. I'm the former, not the latter.
The first step is acknowledging you have a problem. The second step is branching out from leggings.... into Legwarmers! And you can get the support you need at Preloved, with their wide range of full leg legwarmers made of reclaimed wools.
Their staff are sweet, chatty and fashionable. I probed and prodded about how they wear their own legwarmers and she was more than happy to share (slouched to just above the knee, over skinny jeans or tights, with boots).
These pieces are all one of a kind, and with a wide variety (blazers, sweaters, scarves, socks, slippers, skirts, hoodies and more) you could fully adorn yourself in one of a kind wear. It's pricy ($40 for legwarmers, $130 for aline skirts) but it is nice to know you're saving so many wool sweaters from the landfills, and supporting a Canadian company.
23/30: 30 Day ChallengeListed in: 30 Day Review Writing…, Toronto Musing
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Review from jocelyn l.
7/10/2011
Interesting vintage fabrics remade into new dresses, skirts, tops. I like it on the shelves and hangers (and the sales ladies), but it's not really my style.
However, it'd look great on others.
Service: the 2 ladies working on 7/9 were so friendly and nice...my friend ended up buying a versatile yellow scarf that evidently can be transformed into anything and also make pancakes on Sundays. -
Review from Avitania B.
Toronto, ON
8/1/2010 1 Check-in Here
I love preloved! While some of the styles here can be hit or miss, I love the concept and the one-of-a-kind gems you'll find here. This location is quite popular, so I prefer their "pop-up" location on Danforth, which has a selection that's much less picked-over (not to mention has more stuff in sizes L and XL for people like me that are not-so-svelte).
The stuff here is pricey, but a) it's locally made, and b) the workmanship is great. The items aren't sewn or constructed cheaply and every piece is definitely made with love. At this time, lots of stuff is on sale so you can pick up something pretty for a discount. That said, I do wish more of their pieces were universally flattering - the silhouettes tend to work best for those who are tall and skinny - but I think everyone can find something here.Listed in: Toronto Favorites
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Review from Daisy C.
8/20/2011
Way too expensive for these patchwork clothes
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Review from Melinda M.
Toronto, ON
12/18/2009
ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE CLOTHES! The staff is lovely too. I was just there. OK sure, not everything in the store fits me but I really found the styles contemporary, flattering and the quality very high. Considering I had been in about 6 stores around the city before stopping into Preloved, and Preloved was the only place I found worth buying anything.
Lovely dresses, skirts, sweaters, everything! They have good sales and specials, and the staff is really helpful and friendly. I'll be back! -
Review from Connie T.
Toronto, ON
11/24/2008 1 photo
I love the idea of this place. Reworked, reused clothing? Pushing the boundaries of creativity? Local designers? Great idea! I support you! Enter Molly Ringwald and cue OMD's "If You Leave", now.
Unfortunately, as with Andie Walsh's reworked (and disastrous) Pretty in Pink prom dress concoction, sometimes the execution of the clothes is totally not my style. Not only that, it appears only fitting for svelte small-framed types. After a couple of years, however, I did find one item that fit nicely, but unfortunately got sick of rather quickly.
Having said that, I do support what they do, love their sales, and I'm sure there are enough people out there who dig their stuff.
(Please let me off the hook, crafty critics. Please.)Listed in: Toronto: On the vintage trail
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Review from Melissa J.
Toronto, ON
11/24/2008
I'm going to have to agree with Anna on this one. Sure, preloved is doing a great thing with old clothes by making them pretty and charging a small fortune for them. But, really, how much patchwork can a person take?
Some of their high-end items like coats and blazers that they just re-fit to sell are pretty, and their latest stuff from Fashion Week was pretty decent. But the majority of the stuff they carry in the store looks like what I used to make in high school, except all my weird off-the-shoulder sweaters were done with old band t-shirts and actual band logo patches. And I'm no seamstress, but I have basic sewing skills and usually if I buy vintage clothes that don't fit properly, I just fit them myself. So I feel like I could make half the crap here that they charge a fortune for.
Yeah, yeah, yeah, they're so unique and innovative, it's so great that they're putting Toronto on the map in the fashion world, blah blah blah. Personally, I'd rather shop elsewhere and not look like I went to Value Village and sewed a bunch of grandma sweaters together. -
Review from Vanessa G.
Toronto, ON
9/11/2008 1 photo
Preloved is one of those stores that makes Toronto such an unique city when it comes to fashion. The folks at Preloved specialize in taking vintage pieces are redesigning them with a modern flair. Talk about going green!
One of the great things about Preloved is that every piece is different, which means you won't be caught wearing the same buttoned jumper dress as every other Torontonians.
One of things I find so frustrating about second-hand clothes shopping is although a lot of pieces are great, their shape is outdated. Preloved designs all their clothing with modern cuts so that clothes fit well and look stylish - not like those baggy potato sack '80s sweaters.
Although their website says they charge affordable retail prices for their clothes, I'd have to disagree. Their clothes are slightly more expensive than a sweater you'd get at H&M, however, I personally feel paying for that hand-crafted unique design is totally worth it. -
Review from Anna V.
Toronto, ON
11/6/2008
I'm not into Preloved. I've never been into the fashion part of it. I can totally get behind the idea that it's reused clothes that are reworked. I mean it's a green option, which is really popular these days, and it's also a great way to re-work something a little too big or baggy or dated. They do custom work, but overall, people buy their designs. And that's the stuff I find a little nineties, a little hippy and a little bunk overall. Of course there's always gems here and there depending on who's designed it. I wouldn't rule it out, but they definitely cater to a specific taste. I hope we see more stores like this in the near future. It's a great idea and if they took it all the way to the designer level, it could be real dope.
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Review from Luisa S.
Vancouver, BC
10/4/2008
Contrary to what the other reviewer said, what I find frustrating about vintage finds is that while the pieces and shapes are great, it's the material that is often outdated. Despite this, however, Preloved is fantastic. In keeping with the new and trendy eco-slant that fashion is heading, they resuscitate expired clothing and give them a new life with minimal damage to the environment by limited wastage. Style are consistently interesting and fresh.
