This weekend we were in Montreal shooting an upcoming episode of ChickChat TV. I have to say I was astonished at the differences between shooting in Toronto vs. Montreal.

Toronto is certainly fashionable, and you can't throw a stone without hitting an expensive handbag or high end pair of shoes, but there is a heavy reliance on designer name brands. Montreal is somewhat the opposite. A woman will look immaculate but rarely is there a telltale label to account for it. There is also quite a difference in the personality of the two cultures. I live in Toronto and don't consider myself outside of what I'm saying so please take what I am about to say as a constructive criticism.

Toronto is, to an extent, a city of 'Importanistas' i.e a culture with a distinct air of self importance. This is not to say they aren't important, but we tend to pretend we are more so than we may actually be. This may stem from lack of self esteem parading as confidence or it could just be a symptom of how busy we all are. We are a culture of busy. Within 10 seconds of talking to an acquaintace one of you will invariably tell the other how hectic your schedule is and the other will agree. As a result, an afternoon on Bloor street pulling aside Fashionistas results in a good chunk of rejections and even the use of "The Hand". They are too busy to stop, too nervous, and in some cases, too important.


In Montreal, Fashionistas were so happy to talk to us. Emily, one of our talent wranglers noticed that the French were so much more willing to stop and come and talk to her than Torontonians. A simple shout out got direct eye contact, a smile and a person willing to dodge sidewalk traffic to come over and find out what she wanted. Despite a language barrier in a few cases, they were willing to appear on camera and answer our questions. Would any of us Torontonians agree to an interview in French on a Saturday afternoon in the midst of shopping? I would suggest not. We would be too embarrased by our French, too busy or too disinterested.


I have often had strangers (men) shout at me when I'm walking down the street, "Hey smile!" I never know what to make of that. I consider myself a happy person and am generally content with life, but that makes me wonder what image I am projecting to the world. Do I come off as an Importanista? Am I the kind of person who would give someone The Hand when approached, even if I have no idea what it is for?

I've learned something valuable from Montrealers this weekend about being more open and approachable to people I don't know. The warmth we experienced from them this weekend was so refreshing and charming. We should never be too busy to smile or acknowlege a stranger. Who knows what could come of those chance meetings?