Nestled at street level of a Midtown Toronto condo just west of Yonge is Minling Pan Studio (aka Shining Image), an image consulting business and clothing boutique selling unique items not found elsewhere in the city. Born and raised in southern China, Ms. Pan came to Canada to study Fashion Management and Image Consulting at George Brown. After spending three years working for other people, she started her own business. At first, it was a “typical” image consulting service, where she worked with people in their homes or her office, but decided to open a boutique after clients’ suggestion that she have a studio that offers products as well. Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with Ms. Pan on…

A look at the store from the entrance

…her workshops, personal shopping services and how they help:

In a workshop, I briefly introduce color theory and offer some style tips to the audience. Some women feel more comfortable seeing an image consultant in a group setting while personal shopping is good for people who would like to invest in their wardrobe. Depending on the customer’s need, there are different aspects for personal shopping. Some customers want to put together an outfit but some are working to build a functional wardrobe with a budget.

… on what she believes is the biggest mistake women make in fashion:

Women who blindly follow trends – faddish trends are not for everyone, and in my opinion, staying current with a suitable personality is always better.

Some earrings sold at Shining Image

… on whether there are any differences between women in China and women in Canada on how they look at style:

Comparatively Canadians have more outdoor lifestyles than people from my city, which is in southern China.  Canadians are more easy-going and relaxed compared to my home city where people are always on the go.  In terms of style, not only are Canadian women pay a lot of attention to materials and workmanship, but enjoy excellent cuts as they are more likely to have curvier shapes.

… on her private label, MIN:

After 18 months in the Yonge & Eglinton neighborhood, I started to get feedback from my customers about designing my own line as they like my style of putting things together. I get my inspirations from my customers. To me, each of them has his/her own personality; each of them is special. The first collection of handbags is in production now and will be soon available. In the near future, I will try designing clothes too. It will be a new challenge for me.

Clothes hanging behind the check-out

… on where she’d like to see herself in five or 10 years:

My goal in the next five years is to raise the public awareness of my private label MIN and distribute it Canada wide. And I would love to bring this label to where I was born, Canton, China. I picture my business becoming international in a decade.

In addition to MIN, A Shining Image also sells Hong Kong-based label, A.Y.K., an affordable line by Daniel Wong.  The affordable collection was established in the late 90s and has boutiques in popular shopping destinations in the region (Tsim Sha Tsui and Causeway Bay, for example) as well as Singapore, Australia and South Africa.  The pieces are current and aim at the 20 and 30-something woman who wants to be current and stylish without having to spend hundreds on designer pieces.

Minling Pan’s boutique and studio is located on 158 Eglinton Avenue West.  Its hours are Monday to Friday from 10 to 7 and Saturday from 11 to 7.  Many of her pieces are also available online.