When Myriam Maguire sits down to design footwear for her fashion boutiques in Montreal and Toronto, glamour and special occasions are often on her mind.

But in the COVID-19 era, no oneB次元官网网址檚 looking for gala-ready high heels or statement shoe to wear to a wedding or an important day at the office.

B次元官网网址淓verything that we have that is more dressy is not working, so what weB次元官网网址檙e doing is just keeping the shoes for next year,B次元官网网址� said the Montreal designer, who runs Maguire Boutique with her sister Romy.

B次元官网网址淲e had to change our designs. IB次元官网网址檓 not doing any heels for fall. IB次元官网网址檓 doing everything flat, everything comfy.B次元官网网址�

The shift at Maguire Boutique is being mirrored at retailers across Canada as the country adapts to a pandemic lifestyle, where function often trumps fashion.

Gone are the days when retailers would advertise formal wear, suits or gowns. Instead, comfy knits, sweatpants, pyjamas, athletic wear, face masks and shoes are in demand as many Canadians continue to work from home and avoid venturing out.

The shift meant yoga pants maker Lululemon Athletica Inc. experienced one of its largest quarterly gains in market share in recent years. Uniqlo Canada saw a 200 per cent increase in sales for comfortable clothing.

Online sales jumped by the same amount in the second quarter at Roots Corp., where executives reported a scramble for everything sweat B次元官网网址� pants, shorts and dresses made of comfortable materials.

Clothing and accessory sales saw gains of 142 per cent month-over-month sales figures as more stores opened to the public, Statistics Canada reported. Even so, the total dollar amount was 21 per cent below the same month in 2019.

The initial drop in March, at the height of pandemic-related lockdowns and store closures, was a whopping 51 per cent. Even with the surge in June, apparel sales are still below where they were in February.

That first rapid decrease was rapid and scary, said Nina Kharey, the founder of Nonie, a Calgary-based luxury brand famous for its sleeveless, blush trench coat worn by Meghan, the Duchess of Sussex. The uncertainty ahead is the real source of anxiety, however.

B次元官网网址淲hen I started to get worried was when I started seeing that this is more long term,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淭here are not that many people shopping for luxury clothing because they are feeling the need to cut back on spending and a lot of people lost their jobs.B次元官网网址�

It got Kharey thinking about her values. She didnB次元官网网址檛 want to create a massive collection fit for offices with her typical price tags, so she pared the size and cost back.

She decided not to show the collection a year out, instead allowing consumers to get their hands on it right away.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檒l be very small, because thatB次元官网网址檚 what we can afford and thatB次元官网网址檚 just the safest thing to do when thereB次元官网网址檚 so much uncertainty in the industry,B次元官网网址� she said.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e going to design it so that you can wear it and be cosy and comfortable at home, and wear it while youB次元官网网址檙e on a Zoom call, but also be able to wear it when youB次元官网网址檙e physically at work.B次元官网网址�

She also started selling the seasonB次元官网网址檚 hottest accessory: masks.

Facial coverings have been added over at Hilary MacMillan, a contemporary womenswear brand based in Toronto.

The masks, said MacMillan, are made of fabrics left over from past seasons and jazzed up with embellishments to give them character.

When COVID-19 struck, she was plotting a U.K. expansion, but with mask-making and reimagining apparel taking up so much time, those plans have been put aside.

SheB次元官网网址檚 focusing more heavily on e-commerce than wholesale these days, is dropping new products slowly over time to keep consumers coming back and is reassessing her fall collection, which was designed well before COVID-19.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e taken a second look at it and reduced certain styles and gotten rid of certain things that maybe werenB次元官网网址檛 going to be seasonally correct,B次元官网网址� she said.

That includes high fashion pieces like an oversized, B次元官网网址渃ocoon-styleB次元官网网址� coat made of cord and several styles of pants.

Making such switches takes plenty of time and money. Collections are often planned months or even a year in advance.

Maguire Boutique was able to shift within two months because it works with a lot of small factories that could handle a collection overhaul.

But not all retailers did.

B次元官网网址淚 used to work for Aldo and then I went to see their windows and they still had really high heels that no one is wearing right now,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 wondering, is it because they already booked them so they have to bring them to store?B次元官网网址�

Her company was careful not to sacrifice quality to meet sudden demand because people are increasingly being frugal and want to ensure that the purchases theyB次元官网网址檝e made will last through COVID-19.

The key, she said, has been paying attention to trends, but also staying calm.

B次元官网网址淚nstead of freaking out B次元官网网址� we are doing something that fits the new normal and the new lifestyle, but we will be ready when events come back.B次元官网网址�

Tara Deschamps, The Canadian Press

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