Madewell’s Canadian fans are breathing a sigh of relief: its online shop has launched and yes, it ships north of the border.

Build your outfit from head to toe at Madewell.com. This flirty pointillist dress (pictured, US$148) would turn Seurat’s head. Pair it with the strappy Cypress sandal in brown or black (US$98), and finish the look with a statement necklace like this one in twisted metal and crystal (US$98). 

Don’t even get us started on the denim bar.  Suffice to say, all’s well that’s Madewell.

So you’re not quite as swift with the Singer as your mom once was.

Thank goodness there’s another mother who’ll whip up a gorgeous handmade dress for your budding fashionista. With au courant details like 1920s drop waists and Liberty of London fabrics, the modern frocks by Vancouver line Mette will have her standing apart from the crowd.

And not because she’s wearing a bright orange polyester shift—that was you at age 4.

Dresses from $40, www.mette.ca

Summer’s arrival means weddings and garden parties have suddenly packed your social calendar.

We know at least two lovely ladies that found their perfect frocks at Cabaret Vintage. Inside the boudoir on Queen, a bride-to-be pounced on her dream 1950s mermaid gown. Another walked in with a swatch of Tiffany blue fabric and left with a dress Mad Men’s Joan Holloway would die for.

Cabaret’s selection is impressive, regularly refreshed and reasonably priced. Look for the owner, Tao, who will listen patiently to your needs and offer gentle suggestions.

He also knows the best seamstresses in town, useful if you don’t have Holloway’s hourglass curves.

Cabaret Vintage, 672 Queen St. W, Toronto, 416-504-7126, www.cabaretvintage.com

If this lovely spring weather is making you want to freshen up your wardrobe with a new flirty frock or two, we know just the place.

Open only a few weeks, Robber is brimming with delightful warm-weather options like a Franziska cotton chambray jumpsuit ($210) or a pretty plaid dress ($239) from Vancouver’s Dace.

Look for other Canadian labels such as Sunja Link and Erin Templeton as well as some ultra feminine pieces from Sweden’s Dunderon and Australia’s Life with Bird.

Here’s to patios, Pimm's and dressing pretty for summer.

Robber, 863 Queen St. W., Toronto, 647-351-0724, www.robberstore.com

A rising star in Toronto’s fashion firmament, Ashley Rowe’s latest collection of patent leather bustier dresses and punchy-hued shifts is sure to cause a buzz this season.

We asked the one-time Fashion intern for some of her tips and picks for spring.

Have you spotted any runway trends at recent shows that will translate happily to your everyday life?
I love the idea of contrasting colours (think hot pink and red). Expect to see this in upcoming miss rowe collections.

What item in your wardrobe is pining for warmer weather?
My miss rowe a-line dresses (I have one in every colour) are just waiting to be worn sans tights with a pair of flat sandals and great bag.

Is there an accessory you can’t live without?
I absolutely love my Jessica Jensen grace portfolio clutch, I have one from each of her collections. They are the perfect accessory to take from day to night

Do you have any favourite Toronto designers?
Mikhael Kale. He is extremely talented and has been like a mentor to me. His designs are so intricate and time consuming that I just sit back and watch in awe!

Can you pick a favourite piece from your Spring/Summer 09 collection?
The hot pink leather A-line dress, it wears and photographs beautifully. 

The miss rowe collection is available at TNT stores.

A new line of ultra-feminine frocks is sure to warm the cockles of the girlie girl in all of us. After all, who doesn’t love feathers, crystals and bows?

Designer Marika Brose brings charm, tailoring and nostalgia to the world of dress-up. Her vintage-inspired pieces are layered with lovely details from ostrich feathers and crystals to beautiful fabric linings sourced from European couture mills.

Nothing says party dress like a satin-feathered tutu ($595). But if it’s high tea with the soon-to-be in-laws, the more demure ‘Kelly’ frock ($565) will guarantee triple helpings of petits fours.

Available at Jacflash, 1036 Queen St. W., Toronto, 416-516-8766, www.jacflash.net