Rue Pigalle, which is located at 927 Queen Street West, has unique and gorgeous accessories from designers from around the world. Photo courtesy of Rue Pigalle.

Rue Pigalle is one of my favourite accessories shops in Toronto—maybe my favourite anywhere. Its artful and gracious proprietor, Isabelle Fish, is as Parisienne as a Left Bank boîte. She’s also one of those women whose understated elegance induces serious envy/admiration. The former lawyer always dreamed of setting up an atelier with curated pieces from artists from around the globe. She opened her 927 Queen Street West store last year, and it has become a destination shop in the trendy district. Her collections include jewellery, scarves, sunglasses—and even select furniture pieces from the talented (and very charming) Toronto-based designer Jeff Forrest of StackLab. "You cannot resist but fall in love with the story of the artists and the pieces they lovingly create," Fish says. "It is important to me that the artists are always at the forefront of what I do."

The name—Rue Pigalle—is a clever homage to the famous Paris neighbourhood historically known for its dodgy, vice-ridden sex shops and can-can shows. It’s being gentrified—to mixed reviews—but for Fish it’s still a place that reflects her creative aspirations for her shop. "I like the name because it suggests temptation; you look in the window because you’re curious and then you come inside and fall in love with what you find!” And, sure enough, what you discover are not your mass-marketed baubles and trinkets.
What have I fallen in love with recently?

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