Girlfriends shop a turned-around Talbot's

I spent a few days in my former home city, Toronto, to see friends including a Susanfriend who treated me to a day that began with lunch and a spot of shopping and segued into tapas and a dance performance. In other words, Girlfriend Heaven.

What struck me after seven years of living in a poorer, grittier city was the sheer volume of high-end goods in two cities I've visited recently, Toronto and New York. In Toronto, I approached a navy peacoat, interested in its slightly metallic fabric; price, $3, 200. (Gucci.)

I thought, This is the city where I worked for over 35 years, how on earth did I get dressed?  The answer is the now-defunct bridge lines; Anne Klein's well-made separates, Holt Renfrew's (where I stroked the Gucci) elegant but relatively affordable house brand.

But girlfriends wanted to shop, so Susan and I walked a few meters east from Holt's, but a good trek down the luxury scale, to Talbot's, the store another friend calls Forever47. I held out little hope, but the   window advertised a 30% sale on tops, and I had a 40% off one item coupon.

Though I initially turned up my nose as if in front of an overaged wedge of brie, Talbot's surprised me.  After their scary fall/winter 2017 frill binge, the brand now offers more tailored, unembellished styles.

A tweed blazer can accommodate American prep, French BCBG, and "I'll wear whatever I like, thank you" tastes, about as universally useful as it gets.  Let's see how Talbot's do, compared with other vendors.

Left: Brora's Harris Tweed jacket, £449 (about  $US 590 ), in pure wool tweed woven in the Hebrides. Impeccably classic and up for a lifetime of wear. in that 'what colour is this exactly' mix Brora-lovers crave. (It is called "Ocean & pine", but there are also bits of russet and grey, among other hues.) I've never met a Harris tweed that wasn't rough, which is part of its charm, but you decide. With the import duties and shipping, this is a significant purchase.

Centre: Talbot's Shetland Aberdeen herringbone blazer, $US 169. The fabric is a blend of about half wool, plus poly and viscose.  A Norfolk back, princess seams for shape, vents at cuffs and centre back: all the details are in place. The teacup print lining may not be your cuppa, but you might consider relining the body if you could pick this up on sale. Also in pink, indigo and a handsome houndstooth. Available in Misses, Petite, Misses Woman and Misses Petite.

Right: J. Crew's Parke blazer in British-milled green Donegal tweed, very sharp but now s/o—and no specialty sizes. Sometimes they bring back a best-seller.  Price, $US 230.

Talbot's impressed me with its shaping; a little viscose and poly can soften wool, so it drapes better. With the 40% off one item coupon, this would have been a grabber had I wanted a blazer. The wool-averse might check out the velveteen version, $US 149.

Susan bought a Sabrina cashmere sweater at 30% off, in a subtle sea glass blue-green, very much like Brora's Counties Girl palette. Sale price was about $US 118 on that promotion, but it's still a decent buy at full price, and longer-length pulls, especially in Petite or Woman Petite, are hard to find. I'm showing the Donegal navy mix to underscore their departure from Skittles colours. (I suspect the sweater is pinned on the model; it's wider in real life.)

I was tempted by the Modern V-Neck in a cotton-modal-nylon mix, not too bulky under a jacket.  Shown in Merlot; regular price online is $US 79.50.

I cracked my 40% coupon for this quilted coat, regular price, $US 179. A good length, washable— and it saved me from hypothermia when the temps skidded into single (Celcius) digits that evening. Colour is a bit deeper than this shot, more olive than khaki.

You still have to pick and choose at Talbot's; maybe the "turned-around" in the post's title is a bit enthusiastic. (I love Corgis, though not on my chest.) But finally someone there has a hand on the grown-woman wheel.

This is not MaxMara, but a soft black leather pencil skirt in an adult length (Misses is 24 inches) was one-third the price and looked smashing.

And let's talk about how it feels to shop: no one acknowledged me in Holt's, though the floor was all but empty on 11 a.m. of the Friday of a long holiday weekend. At Talbot's, the staff were attentive, the dressing rooms spotless, well-lit, and fitted with built-in wide benches. I think I could live in one, if it had a shower.

They gave Susan the 40% off one item—same as me, though she had no coupon—and suggested she register for a free points card to get another 10% off. Now that's service.

Back on the street, women strode by in 4-inch heels the diameter of a chopstick, and trim Duchess-of-whatever fall coats. We had once been like them, running to catch the subway after work on Friday, buoyed by an extra day off (Canadian Thanksgiving). Now, we sauntered in sneakers. I was slightly abashed to carry the red Talbot's bag into the hip Bar Raval, but that's us, now.

We laughed at ourselves, stowed the bags under our stools, and ordered glasses of sherry.