Canadiana Craze

“Oh jeez, please no!” is likely what most women think when hearing the word “bodysuit.” But it’s time to, er, suck it up.

An outdoor light installation featuring 25 giant glowing bubbles is set up in Montreal’s Place des Spectacles and the adjoining Place des Arts area, inspiring hordes of photo-happy tourists and passersby to interact with the urban landscape this season.

Take the imagination of Dali and swirl it into the colour sensibility of Klimt. Then pour the mixture into a curvy mould clad in lingerie, and pop on 24 heads. Only then will you be halfway able to grasp the macabre and magnificence required to dress the windows at Bergdorf Goodman on Fifth Ave. in New York.

A slightly dishevelled dapper look is all the rage these days in menswear.

How to pose for the oh-so-casual internet photo? Hair up with whispers of a come-hither look?…. OR … Hair down and a pearly white, off-kilter smile? As you can see from my webpage photo, I tend to prefer the sultry look. Regardless, since it took me a zillion tries to even get those semi-decent photos, [...]

Thanks to a tip from a friend, the outnet.com is one of my favorite new flash sale websites. Labels are exclusive, trendy and awesome! The above patterned dresses by Pucci, Matthew Williamson, and Erdem (respectively), were all available for a very limited time on the website at over 60% to 70% off.

“Bird Safari: Featured in the visual-training program InSight, this game asks players to recall a specific bird — flashed on the screen for only an instant – out of a flock. InSight costs $395 U.S. online through Posit Science.” *This article appeared, in full or in part, in the Montreal Gazette, the Vancouver Sun, the [...]

*This article appeared, in full or in part, in the National Post, the Montreal Gazette (original), the Calgary Herald, the Leader Post, dose.ca, among others. Pile it into a ponytail, twist it into a braid or pouf it into an exotic-looking bun — but whatever you do, don’t leave it hanging there stick straight. That’s [...]

And she wins the silver! Here the amazing Jennifer Heil is wearing her pre-Olympics Columbia Sportswear attire.
Athletic wear is not exactly considered high-style. That being said, as you swish down the hill under the chairlift looking as cute as possible may have an uncanny effect on your sporting skills…*This article appeared, in full or in part, in The Vancouver Sun, The Montreal Gazette, The Ottawa Citizen, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, The Province, Times Colonist, the Leader Post.

Basic Balenciaga Arena City purse from Holt Renfrew, over $1500 ( *This article was featured in The Montreal Gazette.)  Some shoppers prefer to buy generic. They’ll take discount clothing and no-name groceries over fancy logos on cars, bikes, furniture, and even ibuprofen (a.k.a. Advil): To them, brand names mean nothing. Equally devout are those who’ve [...]

Weekend Life cover, Montreal Gazette. *This article also appeared, in full or in part, in The National Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Calgary Herald, The Windsor Star, The Leader Post, The Star Phoenix and in industry blogs like ecofashionworld.com and payitforward.org. It’s vegan, eco-friendly, fair-trade, made locally – and proceeds help impoverished children! The latest do-gooder [...]

Fendi peep-toes, $795, about six inches. Photograph by: Marie-France Coallier.*This article was on Most Read list of The National Post. ‘Last month, my boyfriend and I were strolling on New York’s Upper East Side when a thwack of thunder sent us running for shelter at Orsay, a posh bistro. Cocktails! As our drinks made their way across the floor, so did a pair of six-inch black stiletto pumps — jaw-dropping in their height — followed closely by a tiny pair of patent Mary Janes.’
It also appeared in The Vancouver Sun, The Montreal Gazette, The Ottawa Citizen, Global TV Edmonton, Windsor Star, dose.ca, and more.

Hossein Padar turned a vintage Missoni Size 10 blazer into a Size 4. Photograph by: JOHN KENNEY, MONTREAL GAZETTE. *This article appeared, in full or in part, in The Montreal Gazette, The National Post, The Financial Post, The Ottawa Citizen, The Times Colonist, The Edmonton Journal, Global TV Regina, and more. I have a leather jacket [...]

One-Shouldered Dress on BCBG Runway. *This article appeared, in full or in part, in the Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, National Post, The Edmonton Journal, Global TV, and more. With special thanks to shrimptoncouture.com!
‘The one-armed Jane — Tarzan’s gal pal — is coming on strong this summer on the runways, red carpets and Winners outlets near you. Asymmetrical tops pull the eye in all sorts of directions, from the arm to the neck and up to the face, so all that extra effort had better point our gaze somewhere worthwhile.’

  Christina Taylor, 17, found this moire ’80s cocktail dress at E.R.A. Vintage in Montreal. Photo by Dave Sidaway. *This article appeared, in full or in part, in The Montreal Gazette, The Ottawa Citizen, The Star Phoenix, dose.ca, and on Global TV. If you’re frantically searching for a last-minute prom dress, a smashing vintage look [...]

SKAM painting Louis Vuitton store (*This article appeared, in full or in part, in The Vancouver Sun, The Montreal Gazette, The Edmonton Journal, The Calgary Herald, and more.)   It’s been sprayed on trains and scrawled across skyscrapers. This year, it was even splattered on Louis Vuitton handbags. When, exactly, did graffiti get so glamorous? [...]

Photo by Marie France Coallier for The Montreal Gazette Women across Canada are digging for gold in their own jewel boxes. Hyped as Tupperware parties of the new millennium, these gold parties have become an increasingly popular phenomenon. Gold Party Canada, a Montreal-based company, boasts events scheduled throughout June, July and August, plus new sister [...]

  *This article appeared in The National Post This winter hasn’t been exactly ideal for romancing in an igloo.   Temperatures in Quebec plunged, and the prospect of driving three hours northeast of Montreal for a getaway at the Ice Hotel was somewhat daunting.   The morning of our trip it was a cool minus [...]

In high school, I used to travel up St. Laurent Blvd., across Mount Royal Ave., then down St. Denis St. looking for the most nondescript, perfectly dishevelled frocks: tattered jean shorts, maybe a plaid buttondown to synch around my waist. In the 1990s, flashy logos looked like darkness visible, so the thrift-store look was about anti-consumer angst – not a dwindling economy. [A how-to Montreal Friperie guide runs at the bottom of the article!]

  Photos by Marcos Townsend, The Montreal Gazette (*This article also appeared, in part or in full, in The Montreal Gazette, the National Post, Global TV Edmonton, dose.ca, and The Vancouver Sun) Everyone assumed her man-pants were too bizarre to become an actual, real trend. Frayed and cropped with a tidy cuff rolled in, Katie [...]

Hello Eva! *This article also appeared, in full or in part,  in the National Post, Montreal Gazette, Vancouver Sun, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, and more.   Until a few months ago, I had never tried that illustrious “magic tape” — the kind rumoured to keep those gravity-defying Oscar gowns in place. I was en route [...]