Spring is early this year in Montreal, and with it comes invitations to some fabulous events, one of them the Mont-Royal Ball, organized by the Young Leaders Circle to benefit the kids’ hospital Sainte-Justine UHC Foundation.

Miss Chiccane’s date was her fashionista and fabulously well-connected attorney friend Kat, who had made plans for a fun evening, starting with a cocktail of pink bubbly and Red Bull.  Upon arrival at the event, ladies and gents were greeted by a kryptonite décor, complete with UFO tunnel and white smoke.

Miss Chiccane’s fashion antennas had her phoning designer friend Nadya Toto, who teleported the sparkling Sofia dress in time for the event.  Miss Chiccane was willingly ready for an alien abduction!

Miss Chiccane extends special thanks to friends Kat Poirier and Nadya Toto for the making of this glamorous evening!

For women’s international day on March 8, Miss Chiccane had big plans:  A photoshoot of beautiful Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau in the Hope t-shirt, to benefit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  Sophie - who also brought along an eTalk camera crew for an exclusive segment on this special project - was more than generous with her grace and time, and the entire Chiccane.com team had a wonderful, creative afternoon!

Once our magnificent shot for the “Look of the Moment” was canned, the girls started acting naughty in all manners of crazy poses in front of SPG’s camera.  Here’s a sneak peek to a wonderful day!

Photo by SPG LePigeon

Chiccane.com is proud to present this exclusive Nadya Toto t-shirt, to benefit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.  Made of certified organic cotton, 25% of t-shirt sales will go to the Foundation.  Click here to buy yours!

Inspired by the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics, Miss Chiccane cheated on her fashion workload and hit the Laurentians ski slopes on a beautiful, sunny Wednesday afternoon.  Pumped by Canadian mogul skier Alexandre Bilodeau’s gold medal performance, Miss Chiccane wanted to look good on the slopes… if not for the quality of her skiing, at least for her looks!

With the help of her Rudsak Nordik Puffer with fox fur trimmings, Miss Chiccane was prepared to win gold for style!

To all athletes competing in the Vancouver Olympic Games, Miss Chiccane wishes the best of luck to you… and an especially heartfelt GO CANADA!

In this story: Salomon Crossmax V12 skis, Boots by Head, Pants by K-Jus, Helmet by R.E.D., Gloves by Burton, Goggles by Oakley.

Miss Chiccane was recently invited out to lunch by two of her glamorous, high-powered attorney friends from Montreal law firm BLG.  The venue, hotspot Le Local, was buzzing with the town’s beautiful and famous people.  To fit into this rarified crowd, Miss Chiccane slipped on her newest fetish object:  her own, custom-made Charlotte Hosten necklace!

Inspired by grandmother Malo’s precious brooch, the necklace also features vintage jewelry Miss Chiccane snatched from estate sales in San Francisco.  Charlotte Hosten, with her fairy hands and fertile imagination, transformed the old pieces into a resolutely modern necklace made of black silk ribbons, glass pebbles, and enough Swarovski crystals to light a ballroom.

Miss Chiccane had a wonderful lunch, glowing in her Charlotte Hosten!

Don’t miss Charlotte Hosten’s exclusive capsule collection for Chiccane.com!

Of course, you can get your own custom-made Charlotte Hosten: http://www.charlottehosten.com/

When the cruise collections come out, Miss Chiccane is first to sail off to the warm beaches of the Caribbean!  This year, Miss Chiccane headed to the gorgeous islands of Turks & Caicos, where the water is a shade of jeweled turquoise and the sand soft as flour.

The fabulous vacation, however, was saddened with news of the terrible earthquake that devastated Haiti.  Miss Chiccane would like to ask that you put your thoughts and money towards those in need, and donate what you can to charities organizing help to the island, such as the Canadian Red Cross.

Haiti, we have you in our prayers.

In this story: Maya Dress by Barilà and Weke Bracelet by Anne-Marie Chagnon.

The holidays brought a very festive streak in Miss Chiccane this year!  Clad in her Pink Tartan sequin skirt with Nadya Toto’s Eva evening top, Miss Chiccane needed to fend off wandering hands from her sparkling skirt to make her way to the buffet of foie gras macaroons.

Miss Chiccane’s resolution for 2010:  More of Glamorous Canadian Fashion!

Inspired by the Holiday spirit, Miss Chiccane felt like taking a ride to a place where romance and chivalry still exist.  Is there any place better than a castle to fulfill a fashion princess’ fairytale dreams?

Miss Chiccane was picked up by a horse drawn carriage, landing on the steps of the château in style with her much appropriately named Castle dress from the Bodybag collection.

Happy Holidays, and a glamorous year 2010 to you all fashionistas!

On a recent trip to Barcelona, Miss Chiccane had the chance to experiment with the Spanish joie de vivre.  Starting with a wonderful stay at Hotel 1898 on the Rambla de Catalunya, Miss Chiccane enjoyed avant-garde architecture, beautiful parks around Mont Juic, a visit to the Picasso museum, and fabulous long lunches of tapas and Rioja wines, topped off with an unforgettable meal at the Michelin star spangled Abac restaurant.

Along for the trip Miss Chiccane took this colorful and versatile Carnaval dress from the Barilà Collection.

Spain… I love you!

Photo by SPG Studio

In the rarified world of high fashion, Fall actually means it's time to view the Spring collections!  Miss Chiccane headed to Marché Bonsecours for Montreal Fashion Week, where she couldn’t help but grieve over the poor models who braved the runway in impossibly high heels.  It all started at the Barilà show, where a wonderful smell of rose petals welcomed the fashionistas in attendance.  Unfortunately catwalk, high heels and rose petals are a dangerous mix.  The first model to come out nearly slid off to the lap of the first-row fashion editors.  To everyone’s delight, another model shortly thereafter took off her sky-scraping heels mid-runway, encouraged by the cheers of the crowd.  The other models followed barefoot, which gave the rest of the show a light, breezy atmosphere, faithful to the Barilà sisters’ cheeky attitude.  Perfect image recovery!

The next show featured an incredibly talented designer in the name of Helmer, whose masterful creations are equaled by none.  Unfortunately, so were the gravity defying shoes used for the show.  The crowd witnessed a model’s fall, recovery, and fall, and getting up, and fall FOUR times before a stylist rushed to her assistance and escorted her off the runway.  The talk of the evening was all about the poor model’s ankles, eclipsing the stunning haute couture outfits and theatrical show Helmer offered for his Spring 2010 concoction.

Miss Chiccane, herself an unconditional lover of high heels (please see Prada boots above), would like to remind designers and shoemakers worldwide that there is a limit to sky-scraping heights in heels.  When models start flying on the runway, high fashion doesn’t take off!

In this story:  Sequin hem tank by Pink Tartan, Stella McCartney jacket, Skinny Yoga Jeans, Prada ankle boots, Half rosette handbag by Denis Gagnon.

Miss Chiccane recently spent a weekend away in the countryside of Charlevoix, one of Quebec’s prettiest regions, especially in the fall when leaves turn to a rainbow of fire colors.   Clad in her Ruelle Slinky knit sweater, skinny Yoga Jeans and the modern Nomusa ring by Anne-Marie Chagnon, Miss Chiccane went on an exploration of the charming art galleries of Baie Saint-Paul. 

Stopping at the Iris Gallery after a delightful lunch at Éco-bistrot Chez Bouquet, Miss Chiccane was thrilled to find the works of two of her favorite Quebec artists:  Céline Brossard and Sylvain Tremblay.  Miss Chiccane vows to cut down on shoe expenses and splurge on art!

Once upon a time, Miss Chiccane was invited to the castle for a ball.  Her friends the little mice tapped into designer Denis Gagnon to create a beautiful open back dress to wear to the celebration.  Some ravishing Prada ankle boots completed the modern day princess attire.

Miss Chiccane danced all night with an exotic prince charming in the name of Don Juan de la Huerta.  Upon hearing the midnight bells, however, Miss Chiccane dashed to her carriage, afraid that the fairytale outfit might turn into rags too soon!  In a spin only possible in enchanted tales, the heel of her Prada bootie caught into the stair carpet, nearly sending Miss Chiccane flying over the grand chandelier.  Alas, Don Juan de la Huerta’s strong arms caught the breathless Miss Chiccane and saved her life.  Miss Chiccane was thus reunited with her beloved Prada bootie, and lived happily ever after. 

Epilog for hopeless romantics:  Prince Charming was already married!

Miss Chiccane recently took a vacation to the beautiful shores of Maine, where global warming and a shift in the Gulfstream brought unusually high land and sea temperatures.  The holiday was spent taking peaceful walks on the beach, eating pounds of lobster, and watching the sunset while enjoying Dr. Masri’s famous caipirinhas.

This year, it seems the sea was generous in many ways.  Not only did Miss Chiccane enjoy her Maine water as warm as Mexico’s, it’s quite amazing what one may find hidden in the womb of a shell thrust on the beach by a magic wave:  a Miriro bracelet by jewelry designer Anne-Marie Chagnon!

Every August, Miss Chiccane gets excited about the Pro Tennis Tour coming to Montreal for the Rogers Cup. The opening Players’ Night, to benefit tennis youth, is a must, where Miss Chiccane gets to hobnob with the elite of tennis and showbiz.

This year, Miss Chiccane opted for the ultra short Poum Dress by Travis Taddeo, assorted with BCBG crystal studded shoes, Bijoux Caroline Néron sparkle earrings, and a clutch by Christian Lacroix. The dress was a sensation, attracting rave reviews from many admirers!

The evening featured a fashion show by Montreal designer Yves Jean Lacasse, and a yummy buffet provided by the Fairmont Hotel, which also offered at auction a night in John Lennon & Yoko Ono’s notorious Montreal “bed-in for peace” room.

The highlight of the evening was watching those cute tennis players on the catwalk, especially Novak Djokovic in a sexy black brief with assorted robe à la Hugh Hefner! Novak was kind enough to accept a pose with Miss Chiccane. This year’s party was truly memorable!

When Miss Chiccane received her pair of Yoga Jeans, she wanted to see if the epithet “Most Comfortable Jeans in the World” was actually true.  What better way than putting the jeans through a real yoga practice?  Miss Chiccane has been a fan of yoga for years (though not always consistently), which has cured her of any posture-related back problems.

Miss Chiccane woke up early on a Sunday morning at Lac Poulin in Beauce QC, threw on her Boot Cut Yoga Jeans in Rinse Wash with a New Balance tank top, and headed for the quay for some intense yoga moves.  Did the Yoga Jeans perform as expected?

THEY DID!  Miss Chiccane was able to bend in all manners with her Yoga Jeans comfortably clinging to her body.  Miss Chiccane thus confirms that Yoga Jeans deserve their name… as well as their title!

On a gorgeous June evening, Miss Chiccane and stylist Mélika (check out her riveting blog at fashionleaka.blogspot.com) headed to the VIP tent of the Fashion & Design Festival, in downtown Montreal.  We had a fantastic time hobnobbing with celebrities such as Cirque du Soleil founder Guy Laliberté, in town to see his girlfriend Claudia do the catwalk for the Barilà show.  We also enjoyed being photographed on the red carpet with couturier Denis Gagnon.

Channelling Cinderella, Miss Chiccane had to leave with the midnight bells, looking for a way out of the crowd.  Mélika suggested we use Bixi, the new self-service bicycle system recently set up by the city of Montreal, in an effort to promote greener means of transportation.

So off we went, wearing our mini-dresses and heels, hair in the wind on the crowded streets of Montreal.  Miss Chiccane hadn’t had this much fun in a long time!  Black jersey dress by Denis Gagnon.  Miriro bracelet by Anne-Marie Chagnon. Shoes by Nine West.