When Nicole Manek welcomes me to her home in The Junction Triangle, she is warm, vivacious, attractive and accessorized masterfully — I want to tear that incredible necklace from her neck.
It is by Michelle Ross. Manek knows her brands: She is a stylist, on-camera fashion consultant and former owner of the iconic brick-and-mortar vintage store Life of Manek at Dundas and Dufferin Sts. She now operates the online boutique lifeofmanek.com, offering environmentally friendly repurposed items, such as sequin clutches, made from vintage dresses because “no one wants another sequined dress but everyone wants a sequined purse” and inventive backpacks of vintage fur coats backed by recycled leather from pants.
Manek, who grew up in Bramalea, studied art history and design in Toronto and Milan, worked as a costume designer and consultant on film and TV productions, including Sugar and The Listener, and has a cult following among fashionistas, celebrities and musicians, such as Molly Ringwald and a Jonas brother.
The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, One Yonge Street, 4th Floor, Toronto, ON, M5E 1E6. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please contact us or see our privacy policy for more information.
Our editors found this article on this site using Google and regenerated it for our readers.