Very Long Overdue: Highlights of the Montreal Trip

So yeah, I know this is sooo overdue, but some thoughts on my Montreal trip. Sorry for the delay, it seems I have been swamped since I returned and this posting just required more time than I had!!

In July I unfortunately missed the great One year anniversary party for 'Don the Verb' held at the Grand Hotel. Boo hoo. I was sooo looking forward to going, but got sick at the last minute. But I know they were launching the debut of their new private label line, which includes these wonderful shiny black pants (above). Now I don't actually have to covet these, because I picked up a similar and equally great pair from "T by: Thomas Tait", the Montreal designer of the same name (pictured below) in the fantastic Montreal store Reborn. If you are interested in his designs, either stop by Reborn a total gem in Montreal which carries his designs or contact him by email at T.Tait@hotmail.com.



Other cool Montreal spots:

Olive + Gourmando for wicked brownies and yummy sandwiches.



La Rose Blanche for wonderful European cuisine and a delightful atmosphere
355 St-Paul Ouest
tel: 514.285.0022

Bodhi Spa for some relaxin'


And finally the very funky skater/raver/coolcat under-groundish newly opened 'Ed Shop' where you can find very hot sneakers, and jackets made from parachute material! Owner Benjamin Deras says they opened very recently and are establishing themselves in the Montreal fashion scene. They should have a website up soon. One of the coolest items they have are these Italian made chairs/couches/sitting items that resemble rocks. They are located on the garden level of a great carved out industrial-feel space at 387 St. Paul Ouest in Old Montreal. You can contact them at 514.656.4635 or at ed.shop@hotmail.com.

Great Vintage Store on the Lower East Side: "Don the Verb"

You know I am a huge vintage shopper. So a few months ago when I stumbled upon a new store, Don the Verb, I was terribly excited. Yanina who runs the shop has a great selection of streamlined pieces, all carefully picked to represent a superb offering of sharp tailoring and impeccable taste. She has a wonderful collection of vintage French hair bows, stunning bags and great coat collection among other items. For those in the trade, there is also an archive of rare and exciting vintage French couture, 80's London street fashion and more for shoots and the like. Newly opened (in the Fall) I encourage all of you to stop by.

For those of you from out of town/country (which I know there are a great many) below and above is a selection of beautiful shots from the website showcasing some of her pieces for your fashion inspiration.

Note the alligator bag in the 3rd shot, I nearly bought this, its an amazing bag. Very Chanel-like in its boxish shape but in wild alligator like you can't find today. I believe it was around 365$, maybe a bit more, an excellent price anyway.

Aren't these photos great? Talk about evoking old world glamour, right?

Enjoy!




Located on 61 Delancey Street (between Allen and Eldridge). Take the F, J, M or Z to the Essex Street stop. Walk 3 and 1/2 blocks west on Delancey. Voila, there you are. By phone you can reach DTV at (212)219-7633.

Style File: Love the Olsen Twins

Every time I see a photo of either of the Olsen twins I am so inspired. I just adore their style. I love the textures, the use of lots of black, a hint of color (in the red bottom of a Christian Louboutin or red nails), bits of fur and the most beautiful bags. The bag that MK has been carrying lately is SO awesome (see the two pics above and below) and it reminds me of my Morabito....(which btw is ready to be picked up from Artbag....I'm SO excited) so classic, will last forever and just timeless in that old Hollywood glamour way. I will post a pic of my Morabito next week.

Anyway, thought I'd post a whack of Olsen inspiration as the weather is FINALLY warming (well a bit, at least here on the East Coast) and we can trade our bulky layers for soft flow-y layers and dress how we'd like instead of how we must in order to deal with the weather. Love the mix of vintage with cutting edge glam. Very avant-garde chic. Obviously I don't agree with those that think they have terrible style, or maybe I just like the whole "geriatric Russian Hooker" look as it has been referred to.



Elements of Olsen style:

• Hot bag

• Oversize Sunglasses

• Great heels/boots/flats

• Lots of black

• Artistic layering

• Costume jewelry

• Skinny jeans

• Long scarves

• Vintage fur

• Messy hair

• Tights

• Small touches of color (red lipstick/nails, jewelry, shoes, sunglasses, scarves)

Places to shop:

• Balenciaga or Topshop for great booties/flats

• Christian Louboutin for heels

• Vintage for Ray-Bans (Wayfarer)

• Chanel, Hermes, Fendi, for purses. If you want to skip the wait-list on the Birkin check out Fisch for the Hip on 18th street ( 212-633-9053), they carry a steady supply of barely/never used Birkins.

• Vintage for fantastic bags. Try Don the Verb on the Lower East Side, they have beautiful vintage croc bags and some great 40's finds.

• Alexander McQueen for scarves or vintage

• Vintage for fur coats and swing coats

• Wolford for the highest quality black tights, zillions of delicate pattern options to spice things up

• American Apparel for black leggings

• Barneys Co-op, Bergdorf Goodman 5F, Topshop, H&M etc for skinny jeans

• Vintage for costume jewelry or try Chanel for great new pieces each season or H&M for fun pieces of the moment.

• Your local thrift store, if you've got a good eye there are treasures galore to be found.