Mona Moore, Mon Amour...

Great shoe stores in Canada are very hard to come by, which is why the tiny avant-garde boutique Mona Moore on Sherbrooke West is one of my favorites. The interior is elegant and feminine - pale pink walls with an antique sofa to sit upon whilst trying the devine selection of shoes.



And the selection my friends - is no regular edit of Manolo's and Jimi's. One of two owners, Anna Maria Varriane, also spends time consulting for Rick Owens. She makes a careful selection from hard-to-find lines such as Balenciaga, Azzedine Alaia, Marni, Chloe, Pierre Hardy, Lanvin, amongst others.

So discreet is this jem, that if you blink you might miss it - which is why I was happy to see that The New York Times didn't. They did a small piece in the style section about Anna Maria Varriane, and some of her favorite Montreal haunts.



Check out some of my favorite pieces from their selection this fall...Pierre Hardy bag, Balenciaga shoes, Lanvin shoes, Balenciaga Bag.

Mona Moore: 1446 Sherbrooke Ouest, Montreal QC

Teen Queen

Sophia Coppola's cinematic version of Marie Antoinette's life wasn't without controversy; however, her interpretation certainly made for a colourful film. A veritable feast for the senses - the costumes, music, colour and art direction are perhaps unparalled - especially within the somewhat "dusty" historical drama genre. If you haven't already...go see it.

Pic: www.nylonmag.com

Pretty Coats!

As the weather turns cold and the days shorten, I've begun thinking about my winter coat selection. Extensive as it might be...at the end of a long, cold Canadian winter, there's nothing I want to see less than my coats! Hence there's nothing I like more than searching for a new one as the leaves start to fall.

I'm currently obsessed with coats that look like dresses. I don't know if anyone else has noticed...but designers' current obsession with DRESSES seems to have permiated into coats. These pics are a few examples that I found on net-a-porter. But if you don't want to spend that kind of cash...I found a great one at H&M. No need to wait for Victor & Rolf...lots of cute things already in!

Still Loving Lim

For those of you that having been following this space - it's not news that I'm a big Phillip Lim fan. So pls. bare with me as I take a moment to comment on the pics posted on style.com today. (Lim was nominated for the CFDA Fashion Fund Award - too bad I don't get a vote!)

1) love how the runway shot below looks like it was inspired by his showroom
2) love the showroom (need to inspire my apartment)
3) love him...(feeling the need to inspire my waredrobe)
4) in love with his French bulldog Oliver too! (the icing on the cake...not sure if Spotty would approve)

The Coolest Girl on the Block

OK so it might be a tight race between Charlotte Gainsbourg and Sophia Coppola - but Charlotte has gotta be one of the coolest girls on the block. With Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg as parents, that in itself could have been enough. But the girl has some serious French street cred with numerous art-house movies to her credit and style enough to kill for.

Check her out at the latest shoot she did for Vogue. Oh yah - and if that wasn't enough - the background music is her latest effort created in conjunction with Air!

Let Them Eat Cake!!

I haven't seen it yet...but as with all things Sophia Coppola you can bet I will be checking it out.

The High Life

Being 5'9" I have no problem with a great pair of heels, but add a platform and I reach over 6 foot. That's why I wasn't sure if I was going to be into this season platforms and sky-scraper chunky heels; however, they just seem to balance out all the fashion of the season. In the morning my skinny pants and volumounous tops just seem to call out for something chunky to even it all out. Check out some of my favourites from this season and next.

Marc Jacobs and Chloe from style.com.



Marc Jacobs cubic rendition and Chloe's even chunkier version for Spring 07.

Imitation of China

In what was unquestionably one of Marc Jacobs boldest moves yet - he did a blatant ode to Chinese market bags in his latest Spring 07 colleciton. Surely an attempt to dissuade people from continuing to de-fame the LV name and logo, MJ printed the logo loud and clear on the side of the common market bags. The question remains...will his Upper East Side customer still pay the price?

Back to the Future

I swear it was only 3 days ago I predicted we would be seeing a lot more vinyl/PVC/sci-fi dominatrix inspired fashion. Little did I know it would be so soon... Balenciaga showed in Paris yesterday resulting in high accolades from the fashion press. Style.com called it "The Terminator"...perhaps this referred both to the fashion and it effects on Fashion Week? Dior's follow-up show seemed to fall flat in comparison.

After last seasons blockbuster troll down vintage Balenciaga's lane, I suppose the question was "what next?'. Nicholas' answer loud and clear was "the future". Articulated parts, molded PVC and leather jackets with space-age kimono shapes spelled it out.

What does this mean for us girls rocking the street styles? God knows. Maybe some leather, some (more) black and for the fearless (hello Susie Bubble) some vinyl pants? Can't wait! You know even if you're personally not going to go there - as a spectator sport it's going to be good...