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| - Before I begin, who in their right mind writes a review on Holt Renfrew... only to talk about jelly donuts? Are you insane? What's wrong with you? Can I one-star submitted reviews? Is that a thing? You just tanked a high-end clothing store's business page to complain about JELLY DONUTS?
Ahem.
When I first heard of Holt Renfrew coming to Square One, my first thought was "they really have gone upscale". This was the vanguard of an initiative to make the mall more high-class and upscale, but I'll be damned if the new wing (of which this has more or less taken over as the flagship store, stealing The Bay's thunder in the process) doesn't work. They've converted a formerly-barren wing of the mall into a mecca for the vain, rich and extravagant among us.
Walking into this place is a bit overwhelming. While I had been to the Yorkdale location many moons ago, the sheer volume of expensive stuff in here is quite something. If it's not the (for lack of a better word) outdoor exhibits that showcase some of the new fashions on sale at the store, it's the way the place assaults you with row after row of designers. You can't even step three feet in the door without standing in the middle of a beauty section outfitted with a salon and eager reps who are all too happy to hand you samples.
If there's one thing this experience taught me, it's that I am not well-off enough to afford any of this stuff. I went in looking for a specific type of cologne (Frederic Malle's Musc Ravageur), and I was a bit confused but not entirely surprised when I learned that it ran about $300. I saw rows upon rows of suits that ran into the thousands, and in between, I saw rank-and-file visitors dressed in schlubby fall coats and jeans with glazed-over looks in their eyes as they wandered through and tried to comprehend what was going on.
Like I said, I'm not the target audience for this store, but I respect what Holt Renfrew is trying to do - the store lends a certain air of respect and class to the mall, and it's not hard to see why a certain caliber of visitor would shop there. If I had to make any suggestions, I'd say that the reps need to lay off the sales pitches a little.
Otherwise, this location is well worth visiting if you have the cash to spare and/or know what you want in terms of expensive designer clothing.
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