Livin' N Lovin' Montreal

Here I am, at last!

On the cozy rue Du Fort, in a charming appartment that awaits to be furnished as I unpack all my boxes and decide which interior decor to go with.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

I was quiet for a while, but I had to take some time off, to completely unwind from everything. Neither browsing, nor writing, which doesn't happen often, so I enjoyed every minute of it.

It was a nice way to shake off the Ottawa dust from my belongings, and now I am debating on which interior design to go for.

I am thinking Modern Baroque, as it's the perfect mix of traditional class and modern freshness I long for. I have yet to find the store to get all the furnitures, but no need to rush.

My new neighborhood is just down right perfect. There is the Richissime rue Sherbrooke, land of Holt Renfrew, Dior, Mona Moore Designer's shoes boutique and the Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Montréal.

I often walk down there, to grab a croissant at my favourite French Bakery Premiere Moisson, enjoy street sightings, or take pictures.

This GQ Man was one of those perfect street sightings you dream of, I caught him last Thursday on a sunny afternoon as he confidently and fiercely crossed the street, talking on the phone matter-of-factly.

I called him Mr. Poivre-Sel, for his mature sex appeal and hair colour, too stylish for his own good, he made my day.

I am also minutes away from the ever popular rue Sainte-Catherine, mother of all attractions and shopping madness - think Zara, Bedo, Ogilvy...and stylish women of course.

It is always animated, even until very late at night (grocery shopping at 2AM, anyone?!)

Bars never seem to close either, especially on rue Crescent, where spotting a Ferrari parked nonchalantly in front of a terrace is a common thing.



Another discovery of mine is the sophisticated Rue De la Montagne - crossing rue Sherbrooke - where I found Marie Saint-Pierre's showroom/boutique, where 2 friendly sales girls greeted me, coincidentally, they are both from Ottawa (wonder why they left!).

Seeing her garment up close makes you appreciate the intricacy of details she puts in each one of her piece even more, from the ruffles to the multi-shaped dresses and asymmetrical cut, simply magnificent, in a reasonable price range.

On the opposite side of the street, is Andy Thê-Anh's Showroom, which I have yet to visit, as soon as I get a chance.

Having these renown Designers within such a reach (proximity wise of course) is an amazing feeling. This city is definitely what I have been looking for.

Very artistic, stylish, light hearted and multicultural. I can't ask for more (at least for now). Plus, everyone around me seems so happy that I finally went where I belong the most, so I am taking it all in.

There is still a lot to discover so while I am at it, I will take my adventures for a stroll, on one of those new made-in-Quebec Bixi

(bike-sharing movement that originated in Europe in cities like Lyons and Paris) and discover more of what Montreal has to offer, in a stylish and eco-friendly way.

The Montreal Festival of Fashion and Design is just around the corner and I cannot wait to cover it.

Until then folks, tataaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!