Our Creative Director’s guide to the perfect fall getaway to La Belle Province.
Love is Love at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Photo by Truc Nguyen.
Montreal turns 375 this year, and what better excuse do we need to plan a quick jaunt to one of North America’s most stylish cities? Besides, an autumnal visit is perfectly timed for peak bagel and poutine consumption, and there’s still time to catch the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts’ exhibition of Jean Paul Gaultier–designed wedding gowns!
Love is Love
On until October 22, 2017, this crowd-pleasing exhibit at the MMFA features 36 stunning wedding gowns and suits designed by Jean Paul Gaultier between 1990 and 2017. Encompassing both ready-to-wear and haute couture collections, this show is a must-see if you’ve always wanted to examine couture craftsmanship up close and personal; many of the outfits are being shown to the public for the first time, and the show isn’t scheduled to travel to any other cities.
A wedding dress by Jean Paul Gaultier. Photo by Truc Nguyen.
Shopper’s World
Unless you work in the industry, you might not know many of your favourite fashion labels are headquartered in Montreal — for example, Aldo shoes, RW & Co. apparel and accessories and Matt & Nat handbags. Naturally, as a result, it’s also chock-full of beautifully curated fashion and lifestyle boutiques. A few of our favourites? Ssense in Old Montreal for both avant-garde designer pieces and more affordable streetwear, Les Etoffes on Saint Laurent Boulevard for luxuriously simple finds from niche European labels, and Clark Street Mercantile for chic menswear.
Clark Street Mercantile. Photo via Clark Street Mercantile.
Good Eats
If you have time for only one meal in Montreal, make it brunch at Le Butterblume. We’re still dreaming about the corn chowder with slow-cooked egg! You won’t have a bad meal at Patrice Patissier either, and the upstairs restaurant at Moleskine would be perfect for date night or some other special occasion.
The upstairs restaurant at Moleskine. Photo via Moleskine.
Stylish Souvenirs
We always return from a road trip to Montreal with a car full of goodies, including still-warm treats from Fairmount Bagel, braids of local garlic from the Jean-Talon Market and jars of house-made pasta sauce from Drogheria Fine. For those with more trunk space, why not stock up on plants from Vertuose and cases of Monna et Filles cassis wine?
