Ricky Zayshley has always been a bit different than his peers. While other boys were busy beating each other up and wiping out on pint-sized motorbikes, Ricky was tirelessly redecorating his room and perfecting piecrust (the secret, he discovered, is very cold ingredients). Ricky’s sartorial aspirations found a natural fit when he joined the team at Fashion Quarterly magazine—and thus his mentorship with fashion icon Jeanne Beker began. Most recently, he served as Senior Production Coordinator at Beker’s internationally celebrated show Fashion Television. He is now the associate editor at Avenue magazine in Calgary, where he oversees all fashion and home decor content. Discover some of his favorite 17th Ave finds below.
As spring approaches and the days are finally getting longer, a conundrum creeps into my life. The extra couple pounds I packed on during winter prohibit me from comfortably slipping into my lightweight clothes. And what’s worse, my slightly larger paunch keeps me from wanting to get out there to shop for all the great spring fashion popping into the stores.
I have a simple remedy for this — I like to call it cardioshopping. A brisk walk starting at around 14th Street and 17th Avenue heading west down the Red Mile keeps my heart rate up, while I get to check out many of my favourite stores. Here’s my tried-and-true route:
I usually start at American Apparel, where I pick up basic Ts and ogle at what kids are wearing these days. High-waist acid-wash jeans? Not for me. But their Tri-Blend V-neck T-shirts are a staple in my closet.
A quick hop-skip-and-a-jump lands me at Steeling Home, where I wander around, smell all the candles and soaps, read a few lines in the well-curated collection of books, and play with the quirky toys. Why didn’t they make stuff this cool when I was young? I always end up at least buying a small bauble here — I especially love their selection of witty notecards.
Just off 17th Avenue in Mount Royal Village, a few stores really up the cardio-factor on my jaunt — Primitive Culture, Leo Boutique and Brass Monocle. These stores are really one-stop-shopping for everything that’s cool and modern in fashion today. My dream wardrobe looks something like this: Thom Browne glasses from Brass Monocle, cool Saturdays Surf NYC pieces from Leo and edgy accessories from Primitive.
By the time I reach Analog, I’m in need of a caffeine-laced pick-me-up. Americano in hand, I’m ready to tackle the second half of 17th Avenue. Sometimes I feel kinda nervous perusing the treasures at Rubaiyat while holding a coffee. Where else in the city can you find top-end Laguiole knives designed by Philip Starck alongside amazing home fragrance products alongside the best selection of artisan jewellery I’ve ever seen? I’m happy to say I haven’t spilled anything there … yet.
A quick stop at Reid’s has me stocking up on pens and Moleskine notebooks. Then, in a moment of cardioshopping weakness, I buy an Abba-Zaba candy bar from Freak Lunchbox. For those of you who haven’t tried it, this candy bar is perfection, Abba-Zaba is comprised of peanut butter sandwiched with white nougat. A necessary indulgence.
I always stop into Gravity Pope — thankfully I still wear the same size of shoe I did in high school. I’m really good at keeping my shoe size down. My current wish list at Gravity Pope consists of red Dr. Martins, Wolverine 1000 Mile boots and Maison Kitsune X Quoddy loafers.
By the time I’ve reached Lululemon, I’ve burned as many calories as dollars I’ve spent. I also got to check out some of the best shopping in Calgary, and get that much closer to comfortably fitting into my summer wardrobe. One last purchase: yoga pants.
