FASHION Magazine

This chilly breeze, the urgent emails coming in madly, the end of half-day Fridays: Like it or not, it’s time to stop the partying and lingering and to get the schedule back on (crazy) track.

But before I can make an appearance at all the events (the Browns fashion show, Ogilvy’s shoe department launch, lunches, cocktail parties, there’s so much to do!) I seriously need to get rid of the summer’s laisser-aller beauty regimen.

Oh, how I wish wearing a hat was still mandatory for women! (I’m all about showing ankles and more, though, don’t worry.) There’s just something so special about an outfit perfected with the final touch of a fabulous hat—to me, it’s classic elegance.

Fresh and tanned from a 10-day holiday on the Mediterranean, I’m back on the fashion circuit, energetic but frustrated with the weather (where will I flaunt my new gold Paule Ka micro-bikini and flirt with beach bums?) But thankfully I’ve got a bunch of cool things to do this month. I can’t complain. After eating like a pig in France (they now drink champagne on ice!) and Lebanon, it’s time to get a bit of a workout and get ready for those uber-tight leather leggings I’m dreaming of. (Haider Ackermann at Les Createurs is what I’m aiming for, if you must know.)

Tanned and glowing after a trip to the tropics, I was finally ready to take in some serious summer culture when I showed up at Sophie Calle’s opening cocktail party at DHC/ART, my new favorite art hangout. What a party! Everyone was there: the artists, the fashionistas (many of them flaunting gorgeous Renata Morales dresses), the colorful students. Yes, a real Paris-style happening. The cherry on the cake: a surprise concert by Feist. You weren’t there? Just don’t miss the exhibition, it’s phenomenal.

Ahhhh… Finally the summer (or almost. I still haven’t been to the McGill swimming pool, the secret chic summer hangout of every true Montrealer, so for me it’s still winter): the parties, the barbecues under the rain, the gladiators and pedis, and, of course, the holidays!!

By Kristen Hammond

Rendered visually impaired by my too-long fringe, I decided to check out CAJH Maîtres Coiffeurs’ new location (743 Atwater, Montréal, 514-932-6303.) Normally, I shun the idea of testing-driving a new place, but my worries were squashed by rave reviews I’d read for stylists Alain Larivée and Justin Voss. Seeing their new salon’s hardwood floors and wide-open windows put me even more at ease—I felt like I was getting a salon fix in the comfort of my own home.

Martha Wainwright: I Know You’re Married But I’ve Got Feelings Too (MapleMusic)

Yes, yes, she’s Rufus’s little sister, and while this gives a girl a lot to live up to at family sing-a-longs, when your parents are Loudon Wainwright III and Kat McGarrigle, music is simply in your genes (or in Martha’s case, the tiny dress she wears while lounging on a groovy couch on the cover of her second solo album).

After a long and dull winter, Montreal is full of life again. Last week the Festival Transamériques (www.fta.qc.ca) drew dance and theatre lovers to its indoor and outdoor shows, exhibitions and workshops. With artists in from Paris, Dusseldorf, Brussels, New York, Rio and Berlin, the atmosphere was really thrilling. Among the favourites was Benoît Lachambre and Louise Lecavalier’s Is You Me, a dark, minimalist dance show that questioned the body and its relationship to others. With N.Y.C. composer Hahn Rowe’s magnetic electronic music and artist Laurent Goldring’s live digital creations, it was a voyage for all the senses.

Sorry for abandoning you, dear readers, but I was buried under a mountain of veils, foam wedding cakes, $20,000 diamonds and countless dresses and bouquets. Yes, it’s production time for Mariage Québec and your poor Montreal editor doesn’t have a life!

By Kristen Hammond

As an intern at the Montreal office, I have become the unofficial guinea pig for beauty products. Our experiments don’t always go as planned—I’ve gone home more than once with a single streaky spray-tanned arm and smelling like unsavoury lotion.

By Kristen Hammond

While Montreal editor Shirine Saad was swamped with all things nuptial-related for MARIAGE Québec, I was sent to check out the furry fashions at this year’s Naffem (naffem.com) opening gala.

Aloha!

At this point you’re getting to know me and my obsessions: funky fashion, France (its cakes, luxe, createurs and ironic humeur) and of course, sun and sea. So when I heard that the Bay was launching a new style department, Maison B., which carries hot brands like Tara Jarmon, Andy Thé-Anh and Ça va de Soi, I immediately cancelled my yearly shopping trip to Paris (but not my Grenada escapade!). We definitely need more cool brands like these (and soon, with the new TNT store in Westmount, we’ll be splurging on amazing stuff from my favorite French designers, too, but it’s a secret scoop).