FASHION Magazine

Annie Evans here, director of the Society’s Miami chapter and special correspondent for today’s Culture Club post. After a jam packed spring calendar of cultural encounters, I was ready for some R & R and the hills of County Wicklow in Ireland seemed like the perfect place to indulge.  Below are my top 6 must-sees on the trip:

Sleep: Wicklow Way Lodge (wicklowwaylodge.com) Nestled in the hills of County Wicklow, this charming B & B, built on a family farm, didn’t disappoint. Book a room with a balcony and prepare for stunning views of the garden of Ireland and a deeeelish traditional Irish breakfast (minus the black pudding–we weren’t fans).

It’s the dog days of summer and we’re feeling anticipation for the fall season (and all the great wardrobe changes) as well as bittersweet that we are saying goodbye to the warm weather for a while. Before the cool breeze sets in, we took a trip to one of our favourite summer haunts: Muskoka. It was just the kick we needed to get of our city slumber and onto Ontario’s beautiful lakes. Here are our top six spots in and around Lake Muskoka this summer:

Touchstone on Lake Muskoka (touchstoneonlakemuskoka.com) Set right on Lake Muskoka, this idyllic resort has its own restaurant, spa, tennis courts, fitness centre and infinity pool—one night is definitely not enough. The Tree Top Villas cottages sit atop a tree-lined bluff are also available to rent (or, if you love them, buy.) Truly, Muskoka at its most luxe.

Now, knowing my husband and I—city types if there ever were a pair of grumpy people who met at 1:30 a.m. at a dirty after-hours club—you probably would never guess that the charming, low-key island of Nantucket (the less-flashy sister to nearby Martha’s Vineyard) would be the first place we’d honeymoon. But we put on our best seafaring New England, old-money, preppy faces and had a lovely old Americana time. We checked into The Wauwinet (wauwinet.com), a famous seaside retreat nine miles out of town, and well, other than port and cheese in the library at five, there isn’t much to do, so off to the spa I went.

The Olympics may be over, but the feverish rash of hotels and restaurants are here to stay in the city that was once all mountains and granola, but is now more known for its vibrant foodie scene and growing list of luxe accommodations. The latest five-star to enter the posh pillow list is the Fairmont Pacific Rim (fairmont.com/pacificrim) where I got to escape to for a night during a recent sojourn on the West Coast. Now, I’m not much of a nature girl, but the first thing that strikes even the most hard-hearted of urbanites is the stunning unobstructed views of the North Shore Mountains, Stanley Park and Coal Harbour.

We recently spent a week with Silversea Cruises hopping along the coast of Italy, Croatia and Greece. Here are some of our favourite stops:

Venice, Italy: With only 24 hours in this heavenly city–our first port of call–we opted for a contemporary art overdose, taking a crash course at Palazzo Grassi (palazzograssi.it), which houses one of the best contemporary art collections in Italy, and the Fondazione Emilio e Annabianca Vedova (fondazionevedova.org), which is currently showing an exhibition of some of the rare textile works by the late Louise Bourgeois.

Trieste, Italy: The home of Illy Coffee is, like the rest  of the country, a historic hot-bed. Culturites recommend grabbing a coffee (Illy, obvs) in the largest seaside piazza in all of Italy, the Piazza dell’Unita d’Italia, which is surrounded by Viennese architecture left over from the time of the city’s Austro-Hungarian rule. Post java fix, take in the Museo Civico Revoltella (museorevoltella.it) to immerse yourself in works by some of Italy’s most significant artists from the 19^th and 20^th centuries.

Have you ever tried to squeeze your favourite shampoo or hand cream into a previously-enjoyed travel-sized tube? No? Yeah…um, me either. My Tagalongs–experts in all things travel-friendly–have a fantastic set of carry-on approved refillable jars and pumps so I never ever have to do that ever again. (Not that I did.)

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With frequent email and twitter updates, we’ve been (jealously) following acting editor-in-chief Bernadette Morra play petanque with Diane Kruger, see Crystal Renn strut in Chanel’s 2011 Cruise collection and watch the debut of Karl Lagerfeld‘s Remember Now – all in St-Tropez. In her latest installation she’s moved on to the town of Grasse in the […]

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I’ve tried to post about the Benefit To Go Beauty Bestsellers Kit (sephora.com) three times, and every time it’s sold out. That’s how good a deal this is. For a mere $14, you get a quartet of travel-sized goodies–a brightening face primer, a foundation-like powder, a highlighting liquid and the PosieTint stain. Add in a […]

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It’s a pretty confusing time to be travelling right now, what with airport security regulations changing on a fairly regular basis. Here’s some recent bad news: If you’re flying into the U.S. (or are connecting through the U.S.), you’re not allowed to take any carry-on baggage. [Update: As of January 20, you are now allowed […]

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I loathe blow-drying my hair. It’s a tedious task yet, for my thin and fine blonde strands, a must-do, especially when I travel and want to look cute at meetings and events. So while the 1300-watt Paul Mitchell Express Ion Dry Travel ($150, paulmitchell.com) doesn’t eliminate my hair’s need for heat styling, it sure does […]

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On a recent long-weekend roadtrip to the Berkshires in Massachusetts (a quick hop south of the border from Montreal, a slightly longer leap from Toronto), I happened across Topia Inn, an entirely green and very modern B&B in the town of Adams. With eco-credentials including solar roof panels, radiant baseboard heating, high-efficiency toilets and non-toxic clay wall finishes, the cozy house feels (and smells) entirely pure and clean.

Late spring/early summer used to be relaxo-rancho when it came to travel for the beauty department. Not this year. Beyond newfound eyeball agility to discern 500-thread-count sheets under a cloud of goose down pillows, hotel hopping has also empowered me with the ability to recognize a star product at first application. Here are the latest […]

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