hampagne & Cupcakes is Queen West’s new retail shop for girly sleepovers and playing dress-up. That is to say, C&C is so fraught with estrogen that a manly man like, say, Pierce Brosnan, would probably melt on the spot like the Wicked Witch of the West. No matter though. Owner and designer Caroline Lim isn’t looking for male attention. She’s quite content to cater to the ladies.

Since the shop’s opening in mid-April, all kinds of women looking for a piece of Lim’s creative dress designs have been perusing the racks. Lim’s dress line is whimsical. Her designs are for the truly feminine female - and the best part is they’re affordable.

The whole premise behind Champagne & Cupcakes is based on affordable luxury. In these dresses that go for $79-$200, a girl can look like a million bucks (or, at the very least, over a grand). Twelve-year-olds have been dropping in to buy their grade eight grad dresses while grandmas are dropping by in droves looking for something to wear to their first grandson’s first birthday party. And there is of course the regular stream of 18-year-olds looking for a prom dress, but Lim has casual party dresses on the racks as well.

Lim makes her whole line of frilly frocks in the basement of her shop, which is a comforting thought in these carbon footprint troubled times. It’s also comforting to know that the talented Lim is always available to custom-make an outfit if the occasion arises.

A last-minute crisis of having-nothing-to-wear can be alleviated by a quick fitting with Lim that will have the dress of your dreams come to fruition for somewhere around $250, depending on the design.

It doesn’t hurt that the boutique smells like heaven, either. I followed my nose when first stepping into the shop to discover cupcake-shaped soaps by Open Sundaes, the popular Vancouver beauty and bath line. After getting over the slight disappointment that I couldn’t wolf down a tasty cupcake down right then and there, I was pleased to see the brand for the first time in these parts.

Lim is quite content with her new project after shutting down her wholesale Kity Clothing line of ready-to-wear separates. Her dresses always were her bestsellers so she has decided to focus on her strengths and go for dresses all the way. And she surely has. Champagne & Cupcakes is every girly girl’s dream shop. Go before you wake up. –J.T.

Champagne & Cupcakes
1114 Queen Street West
Toronto, ON
416-737-5504