The talk

Breaking out of the Bubble #3

For as long as I can remember, I have loved sushi but hated any form of cooked fish. I realize it's illogical and irrational, but I simply cannot stomach fish unless it's raw. When I moved to Montreal I immediately began searching for a new favorite sushi restaurant. Two years and numerous bad experiences later, I have finally found salvation: Tri Express. Located in the Plateau, the best way to get there is to trek up St. Denis or be lazy and take the metro to Laurier. Tri Express is not trendy or sophisticated, but trust me, you don’t care. The décor may not be authentic but the sushi certainly is. It has the most delicious fish in the city. So fresh, it melts in your mouth. Surprisingly, it’s actually affordable; one meal will probably cost you less then that "all you can eat" restaurant that regularly gives you food poisoning. The place is teeny tiny so you better make reservations, and leave your credit cards at home. This place is cash only. Legitemate.

1650 Laurier East, Montreal, QC
514-528-5641

Accidental Muse

One of the perks of working at an art gallery is that on any given day a world renowned artist might ask you to pose for him. As fate would have it, that one day is generally the day you decided to roll out of bed, skip the makeup, and throw on whatever you have lying around. For me that day was today. Oops.

Grit meets glam

Marilyn Minter is the photographer responsible for these glossy ads gone awry. Fantastic yet rather unsettling.

Summer dreaming

This Doo.Ri collection puts me in the right frame of mind, convincing my wildly optimistic self that summer is just around the corner.

Spotlight: Loeffler Randall

Some of the best shoes for spring come complements of Mr. Randall who is always a fashionable favorite.





Breezy Boots
These amazing boots are simply perfect for spring. Nude trends were all over the runways (think Givenchy, Stella, McQueen). This design is a perfect blend of trendy, practical, warm weather gear.










Bondage Heels
If you buy only one heel for spring it should be the bondage heel. There is something undeniably sexy, yet wearable about this particular shoe. They would look adorable paired with a short romper, or boyfriend jeans.










Birdcage Flats
The caged flat, is this year’s gladiator and a mandatory purchase. These beauties are made with embossed stingray that give them the most exquisite texture. They’re shimmery without being tacky, and will easily take you from day to night.





*All these styles are available at Shopbop.

Breaking out of the Bubble #2

Ahh, luxury goods. In my opinion, there are very few things more satisfying then impeccably tailored shirts or perfectly sculpted high heels. While many large cities present a number of high end department stores, Montreal seems to be fixated on one in particular: Holt Renfrew. Don’t misunderstand, I love Holts as much as your average fashion junkie, but the experience has become a bit monotonous. For those who find themselves with the same conundrum, I would advise hopping onto the metro and visiting Abe and Mary’s for your next designer fix. I was told about this place by a Montreal native and would never have found it otherwise. It’s located by the Namur metro stop, on the edge of Mont-Royal and Outremont. With two floors, and 7000 sq feet this two-story emporium is well equipped to fulfill your fashion cravings. The store is conveniently divided into little mini-boutiques, and contains everything from eveningwear to lingerie. It also has the most adorable vintage section where I recently spotted a Chanel 2.55 bag circa 1988. Sure the bag will cost you more then 4 months rent, but I rationalize that sporadic indulgences are acceptable. Apparently, Paris Hilton shops there when she’s in town, but we’ll try not to hold that against them.

Abe and Mary’s
4175 Jean Talon West
Montreal, Qc H4P 1W6

Signed, sealed, delivered

Despite the fact that I would consider myself quite progressive, in certain ways I remain steadfastly traditional. I’ve recently come to find that contemporary living has all but eliminated the common courtesies that should always be present in civilized society. Simple gestures of etiquette, particularly thank you notes, seem to have fallen out of favor. If you can’t think of the last time that you sent one, it’s been too long. I realize most people would rather send an E-mails or god forbid a Facebook messages, but there are certain situations that simply demand a handwritten thank you. These include, but are not limited to: whenever you have been a guest in someone’s home, anytime you receive a gift, following a job interview, whenever you have been treated to a meal (by someone other then a significant other or immediate family member), or anytime anyone has gone out of their way to help you. When in doubt just send one. It’s a small gesture that will leave a lasting impression. Good manners never go out of style.

La coquette

CNN might not be much of a news source (I personally prefer BBC), but they have managed to snag a rather amazing subject for their new mini-documentary: Carine Roitfeld. For those who are unaware, Carine is the editor and chief of French Vogue, and one of the most influential women in fashion. She’s rather endearing as well. A refreshing change from a certain other Vogue editor……
The series runs at some ungodly hour in the morning so I would advise watching it online.

http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/europe/03/13/carine.wintour.vogue/#cnnSTCVideo

Another year older but not necessarily wiser.

Today I leave my formative teenage years behind and enter reluctantly into my 20’s. I’m experiencing an unusually high level of trauma surrounding this particular milestone. Taking the mature sensible approach, I naturally intend on spending this birthday in a champagne induced coma. Personal feelings aside, I must turn my mind to more pressing matters like, what on earth am I supposed to wear on the first day of my 20’s? Undoubtedly, I will end up wearing something that I will look back on in another 20 years and think: “Seriously?”
(Case and point, my seventh birthday pictured above).

Green is not really my color but…..

St. Patrick’s day comes but once a year, usually on March 17th (unless the pope arbitrarily changes the date), and brings with it a whole new dimension of drunken debauchery. When else is it socially acceptable to be drinking downtown before noon? Well technically everyday (this is Montreal after all), but there is something about green food coloring in my beer that makes inappropriate drinking so much more novel.

Breaking out of the bubble (Part 1)

All McGill students will at one point or another admit that they’ve gotten stuck in “the bubble,” the imaginary area that extends from Crescent to St. Laurent. Don’t try to deny it. You know who you are. Not only does this make university life unbelievably dull but it also completely defeats the purpose of living in a dynamic city like Montreal. If a university campus and cheap beer is all you desire, you might as well transfer to Queens. In light of this geographical culture crisis, I’m going to detail a different spot every week outside of “the bubble.” My first pick is: Le Cartet


When the sun eventually shines, take advantage of the quiet morning streets and wander down to the Old Port for brunch at Le Cartet. Le Cartet is half restaurant, half gourmet shop. A light and airy space it, has tall ceilings, walls painted summer-dress white, adorned with stunning black-and-white photos. In the front, artisan breads, homemade jams, and colorful pastas are stacked high up to the ceiling. The dining area is communal, you will be sharing a long wooden table with your neighbor, but that’s part of the fun. The food itself is scrumptious and will certainly satisfy your need for a hearty breakfast after a long night out. One meal will be enough to make you wonder why champagne doesn’t come with your orange juice every morning.

Le Cartet
Old Montreal
106 Rue McGill
Montreal, QC H2Y

The Mouret, the merrier

Roland Mouret’s devine collection for Fall 2009 is full of smart tailoring that is anything but basic.

The art of being a gallerina

Every Friday, I trade university life for the real world as I head south to the Old Port to work at a contemporary art gallery. We’re generally considered a loathsome breed, gallery receptionists. Stock characters in miniature art-world dramas, we’re pretentious creatures in intellectual fashion and high heels, dripping with attitude and sarcasm, rolling our eyes at visitors requesting something as mundane as the price list. God forbid you want to know where the bathroom is. Despite my best intentions to defy this stereotype, if you do in fact inhabit the front desk of a gallery people automatically assume you are:
A) Cold
B) Bitchy
C) Undeniably Chic
D) All of the above

Charmed, I'm sure.

On an occasion such as this, I suppose introductions are in order. My name is Devon, and I hail from the frigid francophone metropolis of Montreal, at least for now…

Here I eat, work, and play with my friends as a student at McGill University. This blog is an everyday account of my marvelous life, and a technological record of all the people, places, and things that I love. From the profane to the frivolous, welcome to my world of amusement and delight.