Hello Darlings,

One of the best parts of traveling is exploring new places and seeing many new faces. On my recent trip to Montreal, Quebec, I was able to explore a lot of the different downtown areas, eat at many new restaurants, shop in some new stores, and generally had a great experience.

One of the most interesting things about Montreal – in fact, all of Quebec - is it's unique character relative to the rest of Canada. In addition to the distinct language spoken by the majority (French versus English), Montreal is very different socially. But fear not if you are planning your first Montreal trip, since it seems almost everyone working at restaurants, shops, hotels, bars, etc. all speak good english so the language issue is not a challenge.

Call it destiny or call it luck, but there are times when there’s no escape from going home with it. I am not an impulsive shopper and follow my heart when it comes to acquiring new items: I must really love something before buying. There is one exception to this self-control rule: Marc Jacobs. With him, every rational thought is squeezed out of my head by cute tees with little Miss Marc on them, and the leather masterpieces most people call shoes and purses.

Inside With Love... Closet: All things Marc Jacobs from Marta Tryshak on Vimeo.

All reason goes out the window when I spot a new collection of Marc by Marc Jacobs shoes. When walking into a shoe department, it feels as if hypnosis has been performed on me: “You are getting sleeeeeepy. Browse the shoes, take out the Visa and swipe.” But one way or another it never plays out quite that way, as I always torture myself over the prices of designer items. It’s almost as if you have to sell a limb to purchase something to wear on that limb! Therefore as a finance-conscious Marc Jacobs addict, it is hard to resist when you come across an item that makes your heart race. Then reality hits when you turn over the price tag and feel a heart attack coming on. No more heart skipping beats; it stops completely when your eyes lay upon those triple zeros. If this sounds like you, you’re not alone

Hello Darlings,

There are days when the city comes alive with events. Thursday, June 16^th was one such day. Toronto was abuzz with multiple events. For me, this meant attending four soirees in 12 hours. I went from a lunch to preview Converse’s fall 2011 line, to Flare + Guess’s Launch Party, to H&M pre-MMVA party, and finally to the launch of YYZ Magazine.

During such events, a girl is bound to speak to a number of new and interesting people, as mingling and networking is one of the purposes of these events; however not every conversation is a winner, and there are times when a girl is stuck in the sticky situation of talking to a nosy stranger. Socializing is definitely a skill that one acquires over time, and I assure you that I am far from being good at it. In person, I am quite shy and reserved, and sparking a conversation and making best-friends with strangers is not my area of expertise.

Hello Darlings,

In my opinion, running shoes should not grace the feet of woman outside her exercise routine. I am not suggesting that all athletic footwear is a fashion faux pas, since as we all know there are exceptions to every re with every rule.

One of those exceptions you can explore is the Converse brand. Nowhere near faux pas status, their all-American shoe is an icon, so popular that according to surveys 60% of Americans claim to have owned a pair at some point in their lives.

Although created as basketball shoe almost 100 years ago, it was not until the 1950’s that Converse shoes graced the feet of some of the world’s biggest stars. Converse earned its iconic status on the feet of The Beach Boys, James Dean and Elvis. In the 21st century, Converse also holds a prominent place in many women’s closets along with the Louboutins and Manolos.

Last Thursday, I had attended a media preview for the Converse Fall 2011 collection and went ga-ga over the Dr. Seuss kids’ edition shoes. Who wouldn’t want to wear anything that states “I don’t like green eggs and ham”? As for the men’s collection, the John Varvattos kicks were AMAZING!

As for me, I wore my favorite neon Pretty Ballerinas to the event. I figured that a lunch event called for a simple blouse and my newly favorite Club Monaco Zowie skirt with a pop of color courtesy of my shoes and nail color.

What is your favorite way to wear Converse Sneakers?

P.S. For more image from this event, CLICK HERE!

With Love...

Marta

Post proofread by Iris Braunstein