“We’re so excited for winter!” is totally not something you ever hear in Toronto. But Janine Cockburn-Haller and Krysten Caddy of Coal Miner’s Daughter (587 Markham St.) are genuinely looking forward to the cold weather. After checking out the beautiful, cozy threads in their brand new space, I understand why.

After moving into the basement of their original storefront in next door to the Victory Cafe in Mirvish Village, (previously Vintage Bride) the two righteous females who have been pouring their heart and souls into this sweet little boutique since 2009 decked out their shelves with handmade blazers, coats and sweaters for this seasons impending frost. The space is bigger than their old digs and seems both cosier and brighter. Their repertoire of Canadian designers and vintage picks appears to have doubled in quantity, and is more spread out and creatively displayed. So bring it on, old man winter, with he help of Coal Miner’s Daughter, you and your frigid ass don’t pose any threat to my prospects for looking fly this season.

Here’s why you need to get your frosty buns down to Coal Miner’s Daughter:

Pink Martini, a Toronto brand, has perfect for fall sweaters and blazers that are feminine with a bit of edge. They’re all about subtle leather accents on classic styles, and for some reason, reminiscent of Hitchock femme fatales.  

Janine’s own line, Clementine and Tweed, flaunts her current passion for coats. Our second skins in the winter, the right coat better be pretty damn close to perfect, she says. “You wear the same thing every day in the winter, you might have 2 coats warm enough for crazy winter. I’m so excited to make them”. Hers are all about unique shape. My favourite in her line is like a stylized hippie poncho but with cute little pockets, a floppy collar and a satiny interior.

For the techie in us all, Alice and Aliska the Etsy-distinguished design team from Ottawa, are churning out leggings and dresses with futuristic digital prints. Think MIA style meets acid wash meets hand dyed tie dye. There’s something about the organic shape of the cuts against a geometric print. I can’t exactly tell why, but it works.

Especially in the winter, when we are forced to cover our entire beings in thick insulation, accessories are a key part of playing up the parts you can actually see. Shuswap Nation hand beaded earrings from the Shuswap Nation First Nations Tribal Council in BC are total eye catching gems.

Eve Gravel, a Montreal designer, does rock star-like dresses and leggings with shredded leather accents in a chromatic scheme of gray, black and white. Being a princess of darkness in the winter can be a good thing when you look like a badass.

For the vintage purists among us: Krysten and Janine recently scoured their resources and came up with a selection of high quality vintage shoes, and also recruited Sarah May, of hunt.gather.fashion to source a small vintage section for them.