With Love From Montreal

SWEATER DRESS BY MOLLY BRACKEN | LEATHER PANTS FROM ARITZIA | BLACK MESH MULES BY ESPRIT, FROM WINNERS

How To Adventure in Montreal

It was 2pm in the afternoon as I rolled my suitcases down the cobblestone streets of Montreal. I had arrived for a much needed vacation and I couldn’t wait to dig into the fashion world of this old city. First of all, my hostel was literally in the heart of old Montreal. Imagine a small village setting with locally owned restaurants and clothing stores where a tiny bell rings when a new customer walks in. It was a romantic atmosphere filled with hints of adventure around every corner.

I don’t know about you but when I arrive in a new city, one of the first things I love to do is shop and walk everywhere. When I say shop, I really do mean SHOP.

Creative Shopping & gALLERY HOPPING

One of my absolute favourite things to do lately is to go gallery hopping. Not that I’m trying to buy expensive art or anything, but I’ve become such a fan of art. I find it dreamy and poetic. I’m not an art connoisseur but I think it all connects to my appreciation of creativity.

When I was younger, I vividly remember my mom asking me what I wanted to be when I grew up and it was always a fashion designer. In retrospect, I realize now that I enjoy creative thinking and the art of creating.

I guess this brings me to my shopping adventure in Montreal. My goal was to buy a dress for the wedding, something unique that I could creatively style for other occasions.

A dress is great but a re-wearable dress is even greater. Being able to style it differently means it adds more value to your closet. With this in mind I began my search for a dress in old Montreal.

FIRST CREATIVE FIND

During my quest to find this “shape shifter” dress, I came across a stunning fashion boutique by Denis Gagnon. I was instantly addicted to his style and more particularly, a unique jacket that just happened to be on sale. I realized that Denis Gagnon perfectly intertwines my love for street style and high fashion. His collections are laced with a romantic elegance that screams “haute couture”. Each style combines soft materials like tule & silk which drape your body and create a perfectly elongated silhouette.

I kid you not when I say I visited this boutique everyday during my vacation; humming and hawing about the purchase. I wanted to be sure it was real love AND that I could own it if I bought it. When I say own it, I mean ROCK it, make it mine, blend it with my closet and style. As you can see its very unique so I had my doubts, but that was also one of the reasons I loved it.

After what felt like 300 years of debating, I finally made the purchase. Even the store associates were excited. They had been on the journey with me and we finally crossed the finish line. ALSO, the day I bought it, Denis Gagnon himself was in the boutique so I got to meet him. That’s what I call fate!

SECOND CREATIVE FIND - THE DRESS

Dress by Molly Bracken

Introducing My “Shape Shifter” Dress …

I discovered this little number in another small boutique quite close to Denis Gagnon’s store actually. Sadly I don’t remember the store name but I can’t forget the brand, Molly Bracken. Thankfully they carry this wonderful collection at The Bay here in Calgary *hollerr*.

The details of this dress are so simple yet significant, proving once again that less is actually more.

Notice 3 things …

At it’s core, this is just a sweater dress but the combination of these elegant small details make it stand out. I’m a huge fan if you can’t tell already! I call it a “shape shifter” dress because I can wear it in different ways (just in case some didn’t catch the reference).

I’ve worn it as a proper dress to a wedding

and aS A CASUAL SWEATER DRESS with pants

When it comes to buying clothes, my motto is “versatility”. Why ? because versatile clothing is like a blank canvas, you can manipulate it. And versatile really just means it has a simple design so it can be re-styled with other things but, it’s also unique enough to stand on its own.

If you made it all the way down here, I applaud you and thank you for reading about my Montrealadventures. If you ever need a hand with creative shopping, give me a ring ;)