With a casual upsweep of the hair, the toss of a scarf and an uncanny sense of when less is more, French femmes rule the fashion world. And for the winter-weary rest of us ready to shed those layers of fleece, a visit to Montreal is just what the doctor ordered for an injection of Euro-inspired flair.

Montreal is Canada's fashion capital, not to mention one of the most stylish cities on the North American continent. Oui, French élan is intangible, but it's everywhere you look among the well-dressed, well-coiffed men and women on the streets of Old Montreal. There's no need to jet overseas when Quebec's French-speaking capital city carries a high-fashion pedigree in its ancestral Gallic genes.

With a go-see at the exclusive downtown boutiques along the lines of Christian Chenail, Marie Saint Pierre, Denis Gagnon and Tyler Longshaw, you'll absorb a sense of leading-edge style through your very pores. Montreal Fashion Week runway shows each spring and fall reveal the incomparable collections of Canada's top designers -- costumed looks inspired by Greek antiquity, swinging zoot suits, retro gypsy draping and the sporty punk of bustiers, tights and combat boots. You name it. (Check www.mfw.ca and book your splurge.)

Nurture your innate style, whatever it may be, in Montréal, our Paris without jetlag. Then strut your stuff and get ready for the wolf whistles. Quelle extraordinaire!

www.muse-cchenail.com
www.mariesaintpierre.com
www.denisgagnon.ca

A Nanaimo, BC native, Kathy Eccles opened her own communications and writing business in June 1998. She has worked as a radio copywriter and PR professional. She has written for InnFocus, CityFood, Meetings & Incentive Travel magazine, and Pharmasave's Living Well. Eccles lives in the Yellow Point area, where she enjoys watching eagles and deer from her home-office window.