ANNIE

A frequenter of the "secret store", a house full of vintage treasures somewhere on Jean-Talon, and a professional social networker (yes, she's one of those people who get paid to work for the likes of MySpace), Annie spends her weekends perusing the SAQ for delectable wines which she samples then critiques online.

Cozy up for the fast-approaching winter to a bottle of wine, and read what Annie has to say at Wine Time!

SHAWN

It's no surprise this guy looks like he came right out of a Fashion publication. An experienced model, Shawn happens have great style on and off shoot. Having crossed paths several times over the years, it's no coincidence we finally met. Dressed to impress at the Rialto for FashionPop earlier this month, I finally made Shawn's acquaintance through his sister Katia, pictured in the September City of Saints catalogue.

Having spent time on both sides of the pond, Fashion and Film have recruited Shawn to the likes of NYC, London and other industry capitals, to which he hopes to return sometime in 2011. In the meantime Shawn will be finishing his studies in Communications and Journalism, and sauntering along the golden tree-lined streets on the Plateau.

www.nextmodels.ca

www.d1models.com

www.shawndezan.tumblr.com

CONNOR

Hailing from the home of the Stampede, Connor left the wild west for greener pastures. A tumble weed in the form of an apprenticeship swept Connor up and carried him all the way to the Big Apple. After drawing for the big guns, this comic illustrator is currently taking a siesta in the Great White North.

Headed back to NYC on the first train he can catch, track Connor's trail:

http://www.connorwillumsen.com/

LUKAS

Having seen Lukas at several Mile End establishments we made each other's acquaintance at Gilgamesh, a decor and café spot, in the No-Man's-Land just north of the Van Horne tracks.

Sipping an espresso, Lukas told me his story. Born to a Woodstock photographer, his teenage years were steeped in imagery, old films from the '60s and '70s. Lukas clung to the photography but left the rest behind. Having abandoned the Jewish community, he embraced the family of Montréal creatives sometime in 2006. Lukas won't be found roaming the Mile End streets for much longer, as he's pushing off to join his love in Melbourne, Australia!

LÉA

Léa and my paths were bound to cross. Mutual friends, we had worked for the same company for years and even spoken on the phone! The fateful day arrived early this autumn, on the corner of Parc Avenue and Bernard.

Like most Mile Enders, Léa is an avid collector: of vintage clothing, shoes ... and stuffed animals. Arriving at my studio with a good friend, she was shy at first. It wasn't until he revealed the secret of her rare collection that Léa came alive.

Pictured here: Léa describing her favourite, the Stuffed Squirrel!

ATIQ

Born in Afghanistan, raised in the former Soviet block & Netherlands, Resident of Montréal.

Designer, Painter, Philosopher, Aesthete.

Far East cultural ambassador, Atiq imports inspiration from China and south Asia, infusing his collection with turbans, tunics and kimono-style jackets. Stopping at nothing short of excellence, his pieces are forged with utmost attention to detail. A sharply-dressed gentleman himself, Atiq rubs shoulders with Montréal creatives in the Old Port & on the Plateau. A man of ambition, Atiq is a force to be reckoned with. Seeking to expand our culture's vision, he is one of the few who are reconfiguring our boundaries to incorporate the empire of the future: China, India and beyond.

His mandate: To infuse Eastern influences with the sensibility of the West.

For more:

www.trilliondollarface.com

http://art-iq.blogspot.com

CLOTHILDE

Montréal darling, Clothilde grew up among the creative class. Aspiring to a career as a concerto violinist, she abruptly changed course and channeled her artistry into architecture. Drawing inspiration from her eclectic upbringing, concepts alone are what drive her designs.

The ideas don't have to be built, she says, I just want to conceive them.

JUSTIN

The sun sets over Parc Avenue, casting a golden hue on the east side of Montréal's Anglo main vein. Longing for the last of the day's warmth, I walk my dog in the shadow instead. Past the dep, I'm headed south. Taffy reaches the end of his energy close to the #80 bus stop on the corner of Parc and Bernard, and it's time to turn homeward. Justin is perched on the bench with a classic plaid bowtie.

An aficionado of all things Ivy League, Justin finds solidarity in Rock & Roll music and Yale paraphernalia. Sourcing the bulk of his wardrobe from none other than NYC boutiques, Justin collects local designs as well. His style mandate: Only the Cream of the Crop.

www.justinkok.com

KATIA

Early summer, St. Laurent street sale, Katia and I were attending a mutual acquaintance's vernissage. Taken by her turban, we quickly exchanged emails then realized the shoot a month later.

A friend's design, her fringed skirt is as eccentric as the dozens of her dramatic expressions. Pressed to select only one representation of beauty embodied, I chose that which displayed all the elements of her charismatic style :

1) Angled beater - check;

2) Nails - check;

3) Second hand fur - check;

5) Sass - done.

BEN

I first spotted Ben on the debaucherous streets of Club Main, dandily sporting a bow-tied Oxford carefully tucked into a pair of pre-Second World War long shorts. Running into him later at Salon Officiel during a Coupe Bizarre launch, I invited him to the Studio.

An aspiring architect, a working hair stylist, and a closet novelist, Ben told me about his dream of designing skyscrapers and related some of his 20-something anecdotes. Formally recording his fictionalized biography under a pseudonym, future readers can be sure to become engrossed in an audacious account of a Nameless Generation character.

DAVID

You might see David riding around town on a City of Saints staple, namely, the fixie. Catch him at a loft party somewhere in the no man's land between the Mile End and Park Ex, outside a SNAP Magazine launch party on the Plateau, or snapping early morning photographs with his vintage analogue camera. Head down to Old Montréal and dine at a four star hotel...he might have cooked your meal. A man of many faces, David will be leaving us for the City of Glass, where he will delight many a palate from a Van City kitchen.

MYRA

Sporting a bowl cut with a beige bomber and combat boots along the de Maisonneuve bike path, Myra agreed to join the ranks of the City of Saints project. Shooting in the midst of July's suffocating heat wave, she told me about her 9-5 battle stories, and the tiresome commute from Montréal's shopping hub where she lives to the city's garment sector on Chabanel. Having already launched a collection with a major fashion label, this aspiring designer is well on her way to victory!

http://myrale.blogspot.com

MICHAEL

An Irish designer, Michael makes his summer pilgrimage to the City of Saints to study under a Montreal fashion great. Despite a torrential downpour, Michael scurried to my de Gaspé studio, just one industrial building away from his. We managed to squeeze the shoot in just days before the 2010 heat wave, and chatted about all things aesthetic. A passionate and eager apprentice, Michael is here to learn design and the city.

Sadly the autumn wind will whisk him back across the Atlantic, where he hopes to eventually make his home in the centre of international fashion, London.

ATHENA

Hailing from the West Coast, soul songstress Athena comes to the City of Saints to contribute her holy vocals and instruments to the roots music scene. Performing at a range of venues, including Grumpy's for the established Chick Pickin' Mondays, Athena will be picking away at the strings of her folk-infused guitar, delighting listeners of all kinds. Jazz Fest 2011, perhaps?

EMILIA

Dividing her time between the bustling city and the peaceful countryside, Emilia straddles the worlds of equestrian, music and cooking. An expert at home-made granola, Emilia will soon be opening a joint in St. Lazare to go buck-wild on this passion. You might run into her at one of the various show venues of Montréal supporting her man whose musical magic carpet takes him from sea to shining sea, or on horseback in the off-island pastures.

BERSON

Santropol 2007. Temperature -25ºC. Looking for warmth on a frigid February Sunday night, Berson and I crowded around a table of twelve. Sandwich: Killer Tomato.

An ambitious student climbing Jacob's ladder to the McGill Medical School, avid tennis player and first chair violinist in the university orchestra, Berson doesn't stop for anything less than best. His aesthetic taste is impeccable, mirroring that of an Oxford schoolboy. Waiting for his long trousers, Berson spends his days at the Montréal General Hospital meeting with patients and crossing paths with the big guns.

"Can I get a physician? Paging Dr. Augustin."

www.imedici.mcgill.ca/Pub/Pub Front.asp

ZOË

Daughter of a Montréal writer, Zoë devours books. Faithful to 20th Century American authors, she's been straying towards Japanese novels as of late. The Montréal frontier, AKA the Fringe Fest, brought her to an "I Like Cowboys" cast party. Drinking wine under the misty rain, we met on the rooftop of a loft in the Village. Drawn to her naturally platinum locks, I gave her a business card and told her to get in touch. Voici Zoë!

RALITSA

Contorted over an analog camera on my stoop one lazy Sunday evening, this was my introduction to Ralitsa. Born to a family of doctors, Ralitsa deviated from the medical tradition to follow the road less travelled: experimental film. Creating scenery in which documentary and fiction meet, Ralitsa weaves together the images. She's soon off to Bulgaria, her home country, to mingle with film gurus and attend the world-renowned Kosovo Film Festival.

JOZEF

Web designer. Videographer. Musician. Songwriter. Slovak.

A man of many abilities, Jozef exercises his creative muscle along the tree-lined streets of Montréal's Mile End District. The neighbourhood furnishes all his needs, from footwear to FIFA updates. His espresso joint: Café Olimpico, where you will find Jozef cheering on the Slovaks for this year's World Cup.

www.vimeo.com/jozefracek

www.flickr.com/jozefracek

www.myspace.com/weatherweather

VANESSA

It was a late winter day. So cold I could still see my breath, I approached Vanessa on des Pins near University Ave. Removing our gloves just long enough to fumble through bags and exchange coordinates, it was not long before the biting chill of winter set in upon fingertips.

Though there was an immediate connection, it was not until recently that Vanessa swung by the studio, having been swamped with the Lasalle Fashion Marketing workload. We managed to squeeze a shoot in, only just before Vanessa flies across the ocean to Paris, to pursue her dream of promoting French fashion houses.

AMÉLIE

Raised by a hardy woman in Lachine, Amélie was spotted eating a hearty vegan lunch on the 7th floor of Concordia's Hall Building at the People's Potato. An arts and culture scholar in training, Amélie breaks from the books to release CEGEP angst by pumping avant-punk tunes. A stylish sweetheart, Amélie was never without a smile for the duration of this early spring shoot!

GARRETT

"Go East, young man!"

Such is Garrett's manifest destiny, for now. Hailing from Toronto, a curious wanderlust brought this ramblin' twenty-something to Montréal to encounter the past via family roots. An urban explorer, a casual philosopher and a promising writer, Garrett draws inspiration from tattered texts and contemporary media. Navigating the city's north-south veins Garrett spends his time in fluorescent-lit library caverns and wandering the tree-lined streets of the Mile End.

http://streetnameslikevirtue.tumblr.com

LILY

Born into society and raised on both sides of the Atlantic, Lily has come of age to the soundtrack of France Gall and her contemporaries. A window stylist for a luxury department store in Ville Marie, this soft spoken but determined girl is indeed a force to be reckoned with!

Embodying all things chique, Lily was spotted sauntering at St. Laurent & des Pins on a scorching Saturday afternoon.

VÉRO

Working long hours in the caverns of a Montréal hospital, Véro spends her days off in the parks and friperies of the Plateau and the Mile End. A lover of Vampire Weekend, and a natural beauty, Véro elegantly captures the style trends of our city in 2010.

VINCENT

Spotted at Prince Arthur and University Ave, Vincent was on his way home from grocery shopping. Wearing a Nordic-knitted headband and a well-loved corduroy bomber, a seemingly startled Vincent reluctantly agreed to be photographed at the studio in the Mile End.

And so the story begins...