I didn’t even know they made bikinis in Quebec.

I needed a new one.

I decided on a black top from the bargain bin ($10).

This bottom is classic ($15):

This bottom for when I feel a little more Playboy ($20):

Note: their small bottoms are f-ing small. My friend Yasmin told me she never pays attention to size tags. If they bother you, cut them out.

Next, I wandered over to Mestiza Style (http://www.mestizastyle.com/). Charo (Maria) Palomino, the designer herself, expertly arranged me in her flowing tops.

They had a gorgeous silk shantung top. I liked it, but I have other silk that just hangs in my closet because I’ve got a wash & go lifestyle.

I headed for the $20 fuchsia top instead. And look! It’s the $20 reversible Sosie Sosie skirt, now in royal blue. Verrrrry niiiice, as Borat would say.

Because Charo admired the line between my shoulder blades, I’m including a back pic.

Now. When you go on a shopping spree, there’s always one item you’ll probably regret. For me, the next one was it.

You can’t see it, but it’s a blue and purple ombre dress/cover-up gauzy top.

Charo said she’d give me a good price on this ($30, more than I’d expected). I almost put it back, but my friend Mai-Anh ended up loving the colour gradations. So if she can borrow it, it’s worth it, since it works out to only $15 each. I recently wore it to the Early Years Centre, and the other moms really liked it. So now I like it, too.

Charo said that you should wear it while drinking wine with friends—so Montreal. That’s why I call it brasserie style.Don’t know what brasseries are? Well, would you like to eat, drink, and flirt over white linen tablecloths? Sure, you would. I would, if I didn’t have children crawling over me or patients puking on me. The former is brasserie style, because we all need to dream. That’s why you need my Cheap and Lovely Guide to Montreal. It’s not completely written yet, but when it is–score!