The History of Perry’s

Perry’s (Yorkville) has a long and storied history. The founder, Perry Dellio was born in Toronto in the late 1920’s. In his youth he worked part time with his father in a restaurant owned by his two uncles. Knowing that this was not his final career destination, he made an appointment with an aptitude counselor at his local YMCA and was told that with his flair for design, fashion, and colour, a position in men's or women’s clothing would be best suited for him. In the fall of 1946, Perry commenced his apprenticeship as a junior clerk at Lebo Brothers, a well-known Toronto clothing house, located on Queen Street, where the 'new' City Hall now stands. For the next five years, he perfected the art of salesmanship, aided by his mentor, Jack Lebo, and moved upwards through the ranks, attaining the position of manager of the flagship store by the age of twenty-two.

Post-war Toronto was a time of optimism and growth. Prepared with the knowledge gleaned from his mentor, Jack Lebo, and with his father's life savings, Perry opened Perry's Men's Wear in uptown Toronto on Eglinton Avenue on November 2, 1951.

He has never looked back. His foresight in the shifting demographics of the city took him to Bloor Street store in 1963, long before the street was ensconced as Toronto's mecca of fashion. In 2003, the store relocated to a newer more updated location, at 1250 Bay Street, where the design and layout better reflect the consumers’ current fashion forward buying patterns.

Perry continues to work daily in a store reminiscent of London’s Bond Street, or Savile Row, where mahogany walls are adorned with antique portraits of English gentlemen. The only reminder of the hustle and stress of the outside world which lurks beyond the threshold, is the clock made from the brass buttons of Napoleon’s soldiers which ticks away the hours. “We dictate fashion, we lead,” says Perry, whose itinerary includes two textile trips to Europe to purchase the finest English and Italian fabrics. Success is its own reward, but Perry Dellio is far from complacent about his laurels. “We do a hell of a good job, but that doesn’t mean we can stop innovating,” concludes Perry.

Joined by his son, Craig in 1987, Perry’s Yorkville looks forward to another 50 years of dressing Toronto's sophisticated and ever changing population

 

The Store:

Established in 1951 and a purveyor of finery in the Yorkville area since 1962, this newly designed shop is reminiscent of London’s Savile Row. Mahogany walls are adorned with antique portraits of stately gentlemen who overlook Perry’s impeccable selection of custom made clothing fabrics as well as plenty of ready-to-wear items: suits by Samuelsohn and Jack Victor in super 110’s and 120’s and shirts by Hathaway, Ike Behar and the in-house label For more casual occasions, Perry’s stocks preppy sportswear from the Italian firm Paul & Shark: everything from cotton chinos and golf shirts to fully waterproof windbreakers and Loro Piana cashmere car coats to sweaters in linen, cotton and fine merino blends.