Mireille Watson has been a connoisseur of classic, high-end clothing ever since her first visit to Pierre Balmain’s fashion house with her mother when she was a young girl.
She was awed by the sophistication and the elegance of the colours, shapes, fabrics and cuts, and suddenly she found her calling.
Today, the petite French queen of couture has over 10,000 mostly European pieces in her collection of designer fashions—Christian Dior, Chloe, Moschino, Courreges, Chanel, Fendi, Pucci and Celine, to name a few—but also carries a broad selection of clothing and accessories by labels such us Tom Ford, Narciso Rodriguez, Mr. Blackwell, Emma Domb, Comme des Garcons, Issey Miyake, Lida Baday and Max Azria.
“I don’t buy anything I don’t like,” she says, holding up a gorgeous beaded tulle cocktail dress by Vera Wang that was tucked away at the back of her posh Leslieville boutique, Thrill of the Find.
New or vintage, almost every piece in Mireille’s collection is sourced in Europe and the U.S. She notes her prices are based on what she paid for something, not what they’re worth—which is often quite a bit more.
