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This past Saturday, our family went to downtown Toronto in order to pay a visit to China town (my daughter is decorating her bedroom with a Chinese theme and of course, the best place to get decorations would be there.) Anyways, on the edge of China town is the fashion district (on Spadina Avenue and Queen Street). This is a fashionistas paradise! You can get everything from material to make your own garments to the latest in cutting edge fashion and accessories. We went into some bead stores that feature not your average glass beads, but a plethora of beads made out of any type of material to choose from (such as wood, shell and even crocheted beads!). The other cool thing about downtown Toronto (while being the money capital of Canada, it also is home to several universities and many artsy sites) is pretty much no matter what you wear, you are in style. Trendy stores likes Roots and Le Chateau make their home on Queen at Spadina.

Roots, if you are aware or not, is a Canadian company that features outdoors wear. Founded by Michael Budman and Don Green in 1973, the store was based on the summers the pair spent in a rugged Ontario provincial park (named Algonquin Provincial Park). The company originally sold footwear from its lone store in downtown Toronto. They now boast a product line of clothing (Roots Athletics); kids and baby clothes; leathers (purses, bags, luggage, and shoes) and Roots Home (linens, furniture etc.). Though not cheap, (expect to pay upwards of $40 for a sweatshirt) the stuff they sell is quality.

Roots is probably best known for the role it has played in past Olympics. Roots has been the official outfitter of clothing for countries such as Canada, The United States, Great Brittan and Barbados and made their name during the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, were Roots introduced their poor boy hat, which in turn sold millions.

Toronto, like any city has trendy shopping areas (which Spadina and Queen tend to be) and more upscale areas for the noveau riche. That part of town is called Hazelton Lanes. Located in the Yonge, Bloor and Avenue Road area of Toronto, it is here you can spot stars that while in Hollywood North, they like to drop some serious cash and buy clothes and trinkets while working in Canada.

Hazelton Lanes is the serious shopping destination for people with money. Stores here include such ones as TNT Woman; Nex Bags; Browns Shoes; Whole Food Market; Urban Voyager (sports wear) and the Running Room (sports as well). It is fun to walk through the mall and the surrounding area and though nice, be prepared to pay upwards of $200 for designer jeans, $100 for a pair of earrings, well you get the picture. This is not the place for the average joe to be able to spend some time and some cash, but is still quite the shopping experience and who knows who you will run into!

Vaughan Mills, which is just north of the city is also a great place to shop. While not as large as the Mall of America (located just outside of Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN), it is still a mall to contend with. Vaughan Mills boasts the size of two football fields and features many outlet stores to boot. It features stores like a Tommy Hilfiger outlet; La Coste; Laura and Liz Claiborne, among many other stores. It is truly worth the drive to see and experience the mall just once.

Vancouver is also a destination that those on the cutting edge of style will want to visit. West Vancouver has some interesting shops and stops that will interest just about anyone. Downtown Vancouver is also the place to shop and be seen. Robson Street (right in the heart of Vancouver) is the hip and happening place that you would expect to see in any downtown.

Montreal, too, is not without its own fashionable districts. On Ste-Catherine Street (right downtown) one of a kind shops can be found which are worth paying a visit to. These stores are where all the trendy and fashion conscious people spend their time and their money. If you dislike Canadian winters, not to worry, there is a concourse of underground shops that you will want to check out. Malls such as the Centre Eaton de Montreal(University and Ste Catherine); Complex Les Ailes (right downtown) and of course China town is an experience in itself.

So no matter where you find yourself in Canada, it will not take much doing to find some wonderful fashion shopping experiences that will you truly enjoy and remember.