Garage Clothing: The Montreal Mall Brand Behind Perfect Peach Leggings

The first Garage boutique opened in 1975 at Place Versailles, a shopping mall in Montreal. That one store is where the whole Groupe Dynamite story starts. Garage clothing has grown up a lot since, but it still feels like a brand that began with a teenager and a mall corridor in mind. I went deeper on a related idea in Dynamite Clothing: From a Montreal Mall to Desk-to-Dinner Dressing.

 

Andrew Lutfy bought that first store from his stepfather in the 1980s and took charge of the company's growth. In 1984 he created Dynamite for young professional women, and Garage stayed aimed more at teenagers. Garage describes itself as the voice of the confident independent individual who is not afraid of living out loud, and its stated goal is to help people turn up the volume on who they are. The range is wide: denim, woven bottoms, knit tops, dresses, outerwear, swim and intimates, all seasonless.

 

I would begin with the fitted tops, because they do the quiet work under everything else. The Active V-Back Bodysuit in midnight blue and the Active T-Back Bodysuit in jet black are both 75% recycled nylon and 25% spandex, with lined busts and a close fit. The SnatchRib Racerback Bodysuit in bright white is ribbed cotton, modal and spandex, so it reads softer and less sporty. The Sleek Crossover T-Shirt has a ballet-inspired neckline that I would wear with a long dark skirt, and the StretchTerry Plunge Halter Top is the one for a night out under an open jacket.

 

My fitting-room test for any bodysuit: sit down, reach overhead, and check that the snap closure and straps stay put.

Most of these pairs list 75% cotton with 25% organic cotton, which tells you the brand is leaning into one honest, rigid-leaning denim base and then changing the cut. That is a useful way to shop the wall of washes: decide on the leg first, the wash second.

 

For a straight line, the '90s Straight Jeans in washed black have fading and distressing that already look lived in. The High Rise Lift Jeans, also washed black, are a wide leg with five pockets, and I would wear them with a ribbed bodysuit and a short boot. The Low Rise Baggy Jeans in medium light indigo have a full-length leg that bunches at the hem, so I would leave the hem long over chunky sneakers. The Slouchy Jeans in Camille Blue are faded and distressed with a loose leg, and the Low Rise Relaxed Jeans in Megan Blue go the same direction with a little less drama.

 

The Low Rise Flare Jeans in medium indigo are the dressier option: pair them with a fitted tee and a block heel. The Low Rise Cheeky Jeans come in dark Mars Blue and a light faded Denver Blue, and I would pick the dark wash for evenings and the light one for daytime.

 

Fit test: low-rise cuts sit lower than you think, so bend, squat and sit before you decide. What I would skip: a baggy leg with a bulky shoe if you want the hem to stay off the floor.

UltraFleece is the brand's own fabric name, and the product page describes it as a velvety peached finish with a drape that never feels bulky. Heavy fleece is also what Garage built its first unisex capsule around in 2021, so this is a category it has been serious about for a while.

 

The UltraFleece Hoodie in Teal Temptation is oversized with GARAGE logo art on the back, and I would wear it over the leggings from the next section for a weekend errand run. The UltraFleece Crewneck Sweatshirt in Burgundy Bite has embossed logo art, which looks right with straight jeans. For a neater shape, the UltraFleece Half Zip Sweatshirt in teal and the UltraFleece Funnel Half Zip in Naughty Navy Blue have a mock or funnel neck, so they sit under a coat without adding a bulky collar. The Straight Leg Sweatpants in seafoam have a drawstring waist and three pockets, and the cropped Cotton Zip Hoodie in Spring Grey Mix makes a grown-up matching set with them.

 

For a softer, slouchier mood, the SoftTerry Off Shoulder Sweatshirt has thumbholes, and the Half Zip Polar Fleece is 100% recycled polyester with a bungee hem for cold mornings.

 

Fitting-room test: rub the inside of the fabric and pull the cuff to see how quickly the rib springs back. What I would skip: a hoodie and sweatpants in the same bright shade if you plan to wear them on a plane, because you end up looking like a single block of color.

Perfect Peach is the brand's signature construction for leggings. The product page says it sculpts, lifts and enhances your natural shape while keeping you comfortable through every stretch, stride and coffee run, and it is the name you will see across several pieces here.

 

Garage's Perfect Peach Active Leggings come in navy with a seam-contouring booty-lift fit and in jet black with a V-cut waistband, both 75% recycled nylon and 25% spandex. Its Perfect Peach Active Pants in teal take the same idea into a wide-leg, slip-on shape with a high waist. For plain days, the Active Leggings in Fig Fantasy Maroon and in jet black carry a bonded logo at the back yoke, and the Active Mesh Leggings add sheer mesh panels at the outseams. If you want something off the gym track, the Active Fold Over Flare Leggings and the Soft Cotton Fold Over Flare Pants are both black with a fold-over waistband, and the cotton pair is the one I would wear to the office with a tucked bodysuit.

 

Test for any pair: do the squat, then check that the waistband stays flat and the fabric does not go sheer in the seat. What I would skip: a pale color if you plan to do anything athletic, since light nylon shows more in strong light.

The company calls its outerwear seasonless, which suits October, when the same jacket has to cover a cold morning and a warm afternoon. This edit leans on texture more than weight, so check the fabric on the label before anything else.

 

The Sherpa Full Zip Jacket comes in jet black and perfect pearl off-white, both 100% polyester with a funnel neck and a bungee drawstring hem. The Sherpa Mixed Media Half Zip is paneled sherpa and taffeta, which gives it a bit more shape. Garage Perfect Puff Jacket in Chocolate Mousse is quilted with a detachable hood, and I would wear it over the half-zip sweatshirts from the fleece group. The Nylon Anorak Jacket in Untamed Leopard has a half-zip and elasticized hem and cuffs, and it would be my pick to make a plain jeans and tee outfit look styled. The Faux-Leather Worker Jacket in jet black is 100% polyurethane with a textured grain and a taper at the hem.

 

For rain, the Long Water Repellent Windbreaker is a cropped black nylon shell, and the City Layer Full Zip Jacket is a rib-knit with a contrast blue zip that gathers at the waist.

 

Fitting test: zip each one over a thick sweatshirt and raise your arms. What I would skip: the off-white sherpa for muddy days, because it shows everything.

Garage began in a Montreal mall in 1975, and my plan would honor that. I would pick one bodysuit, one pair of jeans in the wash I reach for most, and one fleece piece, since those three carry most outfits.

 

Then I would add Perfect Peach leggings for days with no plan, and a jacket for the weather: the sherpa in black if it is cold, the windbreaker if it is damp. Check every fabric label before choosing, since the blends change a lot between pieces.

 

In my fashion dreams, the whole closet runs back to a mall corridor, with a hoodie in one hand and the next pair of jeans in the other.