I attended two different store openings yesterday.  The first was the Banana Republic store at Yorkdale, which had been undergoing renovations for the past few months.  The new store, which is over 13,000 square feet, is designed with a completely new concept, giving shoppers a very different shopping experience.  Created with a “central boulevard” lined with “boutiques” housing clothing for various purposes, the idea is for a shopper to get what he or she needs for a specific occasion.  For example, there is a section filled with office-appropriate clothing and another that is more weekend-focused.  It has a more intimate feel, almost as if one is going through his or her own (albeit humongous) closet.

The humongous store has everything a Banana Republic fan wants.  In addition to the regular men’s and women’s collections, it also features shoes, petites as well as both the Monogram and Heritage Collections, found previously only at the Bloor Street (Monogram) and Eaton Centre (Heritage) stores.

The other store opening was for UGG Australia, which is opening its first Toronto store.  Located on St. Thomas Street, across from the Windsor Arms Hotel, the store was previously home to M0851, which is moving to Avenue Road.  With so many UGG fans in Toronto, the event was packed.  There was a short wait to be checked in, but once inside attendees were able to browse and shop for boots while nibbling on delicious appetizers and desserts such as chicken skewers, bocconcini and tomatoes as well as cake pops. Cocktails were also passed around. The UGG Australia boutique opens its doors to the public today.