BRAVO UFFICIO

Wednesday wasn’t the official opening of Ufficio Italian pescatarian resto at 1214 Dundas St. West in the trendy stretch just west of Ossington. It was a preview for press and assorted investors, chefs and scenesters. And the food flowed: loved it all, especially the octopus and escargots. When was the last time you had really memorable escargots? Certainly not at The Keg. For some inexplicable reason, The Keg puts curry in theirs. I didn’t order it. I was just an innocent bystander and credible witness.

Impossibly cute and capable bartenders Adam and Rob kept us hydrated.

Loquacious director Bruce McDonald is not a two-fisted drinker. He is merely transporting another bourbon concoction for a friend.

 

Back is beautiful, as this bareback beauty working at Ufficio attests. She has zero body fat. Bitch!!!

This was our table at the dinner. Coincidentally it came from my favourite installation of dining room tables at the recent Monogram Dinner by Design at the Design Exchange exhibit. It was a Victorian tableau executed by Commute Design, who also did the décor at Ufficio. Fittingly, Commute partner Sara Parisotto sat at our table.

COLD FEET

On Tuesday night, the Bata Shoe Museum launched its latest exhibition, Art & Innovation: Traditional Arctic Footwear, drawn from the museum’s circumpolar holdings and augmented by field trips to Arctic nations including the Canadian Arctic, Greenland, Alaska, Eastern and Western Siberia and the Sami homeland in Scandinavia.

Mary Symons, luxury goods publicist, and Grant Ramsay, theatre publicist, contribute to a set decoration at the Bata Shoe Museum.

Two throat singers who performed at the Bata Shoe Museum Arctic Footwear exhibit opening. One was barefoot; the other wore sealskin boots made by her grandmother.

My favourite piece at the exhibit, which included clothing and tools as well as footwear. It is a squirrel-skin parka from Eastern Siberia.  Hmmmmm. Squirrel skin. This puts a whole new light on all those critters in my backyard.

HEAD TRIPS

As I wend my way around town, generally via TTC or on foot, I spy with my little eye lots of goodies -- some of which form a pattern. Herewith I give you some for instances:

 I keep encountering this young woman, a student at OCAD, on the streetcar. She always makes me smile with her head gear, which on this particular day consisted of a floral piece.

A vintage mannequin in the window of a hairdressing supply store somewhere on Roncesvalles. I was meandering.

A heady piece that reminds me of Lucille Ball featured on a display table at the back of Morba on Queen St. West at Bathurst, one of my favourite poke-around haunts.

A whimsical jungle cat in a suit with an eye-patch pillow at Morba. My cats can unclench. I would never inflict people clothing on them.

Unlike some dog people. A selection of dresses for doggies at HomeSense on Spadina. Seriously? This is just asking for your dog to turn on you.

A fantastic window display at Dolce & Gabbana on Bloor Street. It’s like Willy Wonka meets Betsey Johnson.

SOCKS & THE CITY

Since my hands and feet are perpetually cold, I wear finger-less gloves (all the better to type with, my dear) and socks all year round. For me there is nothing like the joy of socks: snagging ones that don’t rip easily at the toes or pool around the ankles like the ones Ruth Buzzi wore as the decrepit old hag on Laugh-In.
 

Naturally I was pumped to hear about the pop-up Richer Poorer socks shop at 356 Queen St. West, a collaboration with Shoes.com, whose space they were taking over. The brands formed a partnership in late 2015.

Richer Poorer is a California fashion sock and innerwear brand known for “honest hustle and kick ass goods.” Its founders are Tim Morse and Iva Pawling. Morse, 41, was on site. He is a native Californian, a surfer/skate boarder with a tech background; she is into fashion with an emphasis on jewelry.

He is co-founder and president; she is co-founder and CEO. They started the brand in 2010. “Excessive bedazzled jeans were out, it was about rolled-up jeans with cool socks and Converse (sneakers),” he explains. Indeed, it is all about the kicks culture now.

They distribute to 15 countries and have 600 accounts in the U.S. including Saks, Nordstrom and Bloomindales, going toe to toe with J. Crew and Gap. This was their first retail pop-up.

Sean Clark, 35, a Canadian, is co-founder of Shoes.com/ Shoeme.ca, launched in January 2012 when Zappos folded in Canada – Zappos only ships to the U.S. now.

The online presence of Shoes.com is arguably one of the biggest in the country. They offer free shipping and returns, and even have a two-hour delivery feature in GTA. General delivery is three to five days.

They carry 500 brands and 30,000 products.  Price points range from $40 for Converse to high-end Charlotte Olympia and Louboutin.

Shoes.com is renovating their pop-up into a permanent showroom with selected stock -- guaranteed to get major foot traffic.

These two impossibly cute entrepreneurs are guaranteed to blow your socks off. Tim Morse, left, and Sean Clark bond at the Richer Poorer pop-up in the Shoes.com space.

Tote bag and matching socks, what a concept. It really works in animal print but silver lamé probably not so much. A little too Tin Man methinks.

Richer Poorer concentrates on inner-wear as opposed to outerwear or “top drawer” merchandise, as in undies drawer. Price points range from $10 to $24 for socks. Boxers are $24.

Sock it to me. They have women’s socks including Pointe Studio, an athletic line for ballet, barre, Pilates and yoga. Some socks feature gummy grips on the bottom ideal for general wear around the house avoiding those nasty falls on wooden floors and stairs. I am test-driving a pair for spinning.

A cool street musician at Queen and Spadina making the most of a sunny winter day.

My go-to vegetable market at Bloor and Palmerston, with fresh produce and line-ups from a.m. to p.m. and/or can’t see to can’t see.

 

SEVENTY-FIVE PER CENT OFF OR BED

My claim that I won’t get out of bed for less than 75 per cent off original price was put to the test this week and I totally aced it. I know there is nothing we NEED out there but there are bargoons to be bagged too delicious to pass up. Here are a few of my favourite scores:

I was killing time after my 3,000-mile eye check-up and dropped by my local Kind Exchange just for the exercise. I bagged a pair of brand new black leather Gap jeans for $10. And they fit perfectly!!!!!

Yeaaa me.

Flash forward two days later when I was poking around Yorkville and a saw a huge SALE sign in the window of Kumari’s shop on Bellair, which has exotically flamboyant clothing and accessories.

I scored two caftans for 75 per cent off: A long one for $48.75 and a shorter one for $31.25.

Hurry up summer.

And then I get an email advertising an extra 50 per-cent off already reduced merch at The Room at Hudson's Bay, with the sale moving to the Arcadian Court upstairs. The deals went up to 85 per cent off.

I am so there.

I concentrated on the coat racks because I have an obsession with outerwear. I staked out a dressing area at the back with my finds and attracted an entourage. We tried on each other’s rejects like a high-end swap meet. All we needed were cocktails.

Three of my fellow bargain-hunters at the Bay, rocking the same Carven coat, reduced from over $2,000 to $400. I am interviewing a fake fur Big Bird-yellow Moschino coat going for the same price. They sold out of the Carvens -- sorry.

Who wore the Moschino better, Dale Harrison, a staffer at The Room, or me?