Nicholas Mellamphy can be credited with bringing fashion to the city of Toronto. From working at the helm of Gucci America, to now creative directing the coolest store in Toronto, The Room , we're pleased to present Nicholas as our September Guest Editor. He talks to us about the things that really matter when you're right in the eye of the fashion storm.

So, September.

As a kid I was filled with equal parts dread and excitement for the coming school year. The ever-important first day of school, but more importantly, putting together the perfect outfit for it. Today, as a forty-somethng working in the international style industry, it's more or less the same thing. Fashion has la rentree too! Come September the runways of back-to-back fashion launch with gusto and stretch into October. It's a moveable fashion week feast.

As creative director for The Room at Canada's venerable and glamorous Hudson's Bay Company , I join the fashion week circuit with a sense of purpose, passion and a 'take no prisoners' approach. This Fall we will also be taking Toronto's iconic The Room luxury boutique westwards, opening a companion to our Toronto flagship with a soaring 20,000 sq ft. location in Vancouver.

Being disconnected from my real life in Toronto for such a long period of time - my daily routine, my friends, my home - makes it especially important for me to have the things that keep me being 'me'. Sometimes that's food, sometimes it's pop culture references, sometimes it's a place. And always, family. Here, I'd like to share a few things that have lead me down a fun path full of love and laughs (and lots of drinks)! Things I take comfort in: some of which have been important milestones in my 'development' , but always make me feel like Me. When life speeds up, take a breath and maybe ask yourself what those things are for you.

Mahogany

"Do you know / Where you're going to?"

As a seven-year old boy it seemed like the most devastating of questions. As a forty year old man it continues to have similar power! Diana Ross - a glamour icon for the ages - was at the height of her powers in the 1970's and her movie Mahogany is that most guilty of vanity pleasures. Watching her fight her way through the streets (or department stores) of Chicago to hit it big in Milan only to realise that all she ever wanted was , and is home.... Life lessons! Billy Dee Williams in that velvet jacket, Ross wrestling for control over costumes and that crazy car crash scene followed by the wackiest frieze-frame ever may not add up to a celulloid treasure for the archives, but it is a full-on cinematic fashion moment for the ages. Often on a Sunday morning I'll watch Mahogany over my coffee, flashing back to my younger self and remembering that feeling that all was possible, and more importantly, all was possible in gold lame.

The Crosby Street Hotel

Whenever I'm in New York I stay at the Crosby Street Hotel. Tucked between Lafayette and Broadway, it's a tranquil refuge from the madness of Soho, and I love it. My favourite room has a giant window overlooking the enclosed garden, a colour palette that mixes iconic British eccentricity, and an overall sense of security. Plus that often forgotten concept: customer service. For reflective moments I visit the guest-only garden - a super-quiet spot perfect for contemplation far from the madding city crowd. The bar is chic, and a welcome step back from the scenesters and wannabes. It's a great place to meet after work or to regroup before heading out to dinner (a fave resto of mine - the old-school Raoul's on Prince is just 5 minutes away). Finding that perfect place to stay for work travel is always a challenge - the comforts of home coupled with the needs of work is always a difficult marriage, but the Crosby somehow manages to accomplish this and so much more. Plust they have great striped pencils!

Parfums De Rosine, Paris

A signature scent. This concept may seem old-fashioned, but in a move to simplify my life, a few years ago I chose Twill Rose . Introduced in the 1990's, I wear this artisanal French scent every day. Every. Single. Day. People - friends, clients, perfect strangers - are often enthralled by the deep floral essence and it's a great way to trick my senses into believing that I am where I am supposed to be: home. Wherever I may find myself.

Sant Ambroeus, Milan

In Milan you either go to Cova or Sant Ambroeus. I choose the latter. Established in 1936 and named after the Bishop of Milan, this is the perfect espresso bar to start your morning or wile away the afternoon. The baristas pull what is simply the best coffee and keep you upbeat all day. When the coffee needs turn to others, stop by for an apperitivo. The Spritz is my drink of choice - Aperol, prosecco and soda with a slice of orange.

French 75 - Hemingway Bar, Paris

Nights at the Ritz's Hemingway Bar are de rigeur at the Paris shows. The bartenders have such respect for the perfect cocktail. I drink a The French 75 : gin, champagne, lemon juice. Whatever troubles walked you into the bar do not follow you out! Sit there long enough and fascinating characters from the fashion world and the international jet-set soon arrive in packs. Once, in a scene practically lifted from Auntie-Mame - the door curtains dramatically opened to reveal a stunning, kimono-clad Daphne Guinness. You can't plan these things, they just happen... and at the Hemingway, they happen more often than not!

Less Than Zero

I was 15 years old when I stumbled onto Bret Easton Ellis' Less Than Zero . It was life changing - the whole concept of decadent behaviour seemed so foreign to me: a kid from the suburbs. At the time I was attending The Toronto High School for Performing Arts and was slowly being exposed to a wide array of self-aware teens who already had shrinks and life coaches. I furtively read the stories between modern dance and vocal classes and quickly understood that the world was not always moving in the same direction. It allowed me a sense of freedom to become my true self. No judgements.

Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil - Scarpetta

When I go to Scarpetta I always have the same thing. I want to try the rest of the menu - really I do - but it always comes back to the spaghetti with tomato and basil. Scott Conant's NYC eatery moved into its Toronto location with the opening of the Thompson Hotel and it has become a standing weekly appointment for me. The noodles are perfect, the flavours so subtle - and it comes under a dome. Enough said. Sunday night spaghetti dinners with my family: Me.