Loding store review
I walked into Loding Toronto for the first time and immediately felt at home. That familiar smell of a Havana walk-in humidor I love so much. The dark wood shelves. The big leather furniture. The relatively new Yorkville location of the French retailer is cozy and warm, in that manly mahogany library way. The shoes, ties and shirts are gorgeous and elegantly displayed. While the shirt collars are of the trendy spread variety, almost everything in the shop would fit in the wardrobe of any clotheshorse who prefers a “classic” or “traditional” approach to dress. And the staff are friendly, not in a false way. They seemed to be genuinely interested in me and my style choices.
Loding started in France in 1998 and this is their first North American location, which came about because of serendipity, not Toronto’s sartorial allure. Franchise owner Yannick Bigourdan – of Nota Bene restaurant – happened to be a long time customer and friend of the Parisian locations so when he suggested a Toronto shop, owners Julien and Marie Moga went for it. Loding has a very simple premise: high quality clothes at uniform sizes and prices. “Making luxury accessible,” according to store manager Zofia Liddell. In fact, no prices are on the items themselves. Instead, there is a simple price list, like a cafe menu, posted around the store. All leather shoes, regardless of style or size, are $315, all shirts are $95 and all ties are $70. Belts, pocket squares and socks follow the same pattern. The point, as store manager Zofia told me, is to appeal to the way a lot of men shop: they know what they want and the less fuss the better.
The limitation to this approach, however, is in selection. Each item, be it shoes or shirts, comes in just a few size options. Despite this, said Zofia, they still work for the majority of clients.
Sadly, when it comes to shoes, I am not in that majority. Try as she might, Zofia was not able to find an all-leather shoe that fit my rather wide feet. There were rubber-soled derbies and boots that would work, but no leather options. It is a shame because the shoes look top notch, made in Spain and Portugal with Italian leather. The shirts come in a few more options, but require trying on to assure a good fit. There are 6 “sizes” of shirts that roughly correspond from very small to very large. Unfortunately, this means that collar size and sleeve length will never be spot on. There are two overall shirt fits; “regular” which despite the shoulder pleats in the back is still quite fitted, and their slim fit called “tailored.” As an aside, that name really bothers me. “Tailored” means a garment that has been made or altered by a tailor to fit you perfectly, it is not a synonym for “slim.” Regardless of my own persnickety thoughts on semantics, the shirts are made of Egyptian cotton in Egypt and Turkey. You can read my review of a shirt I bought in my guide to the city’s best dress shirts under $100.
In addition to the shirt, I also purchased a pair of calf-length, baby blue cotton socks for $14. They are soft, comfortable and holding up nicely after a few washes. Over-the-calf socks are not also available.
Zofia told me that a second Toronto location of Loding is in the works, opening in First Canadian Place at the beginning of November. The combination of good quality, classic items with reasonable prices and a non-fussy approach make this a great option for Toronto men hoping to dress better without completely emptying their wallets.
1 Comment
Daniel O'Brien
October 12, 2014 at 6:16 pm
Hello Pedro –
Interestingly, this shop is just in my neighbourhood and I haven’t had a chance to check it out. I thought your comments were very insightful and it gives the reader a very good idea of the store. It is great to see more European influences starting up in Toronto, besides the big names that we see everywhere.
Take care
Daniel