Store Opening: Footwear brand Vince Camuto opens Toronto flagship

This morning, I had the pleasure of attending the grand opening of the new Vince Camuto store at Toronto’s Yorkdale Shopping Centre. The footwear designer, who was co-founder and former-creative director and CEO of Nine West, launched his namesake line in 2005. This flagship is first Vince Camuto store in Canada, and the brand has plans to open at least 5 more shops across the country in 2015. (The line is also available nationwide at Hudson’s Bay, which also stocks its apparel collection.)

The store is packed to the rafters with chic shoes, boots, and handbags, with a smattering of jewelry, sunglasses and outerwear to compliment the collection.

While shoes are the focus, during my visit I was immediately smitten with a black leather backpack. Since pulling together a selection of bags in this surprisingly chic and posture-friendly trend for Best Heath’s September issue (see our round up of easy to carry picks here), I’ve been on the hunt for one of my own. I love the minimal detail on this one from Vince Camuto: The “Baily” backback’s leather body has quilted sides and a calf-hair flap with shiny silver zippers.

The best part: It’s shockingly light, meaning I’ll only be weighed down by what I choose to carry inside it (unlike with some leather bags that can feel heavy and bulky even when empty); and, the straps slip through the top handle at the back to quickly and easily convert the bag to be carried on one shoulder or cross-body. The timeless styling, quality materials, and versatility mean I’ll be carrying it for years to come.