Wills and Kate hopped to a remote island for their Canadian summer picnic (do you think royal blood tastes sweeter to black flies?)

We’re packing our own Britannia-inspired spread with all and sundry from Empire the Collection.  This wee Riverside shop carries darling UK imports like traditional aluminum teapots, hand-knit woolen tea cozies, Union Jack cooler bags ($45) and melamine dishes (from $9).  

We’ll be filling our flask with Yorkshire Tea and stocking the hamper with Walkers Crisps, Duchy Originals preserves (from Prince Charles’ organic farm), Marks & Spencer digestives and sparkling Ribena.

Now all we have to do is find a shady patch, lie back and think of England. —Marianne Wisenthal

Empire the Collection, 717 ½ Queen Street E., Toronto, 416-551-4463, www.facebook.com/empirethecollection

Québec City is celebrating its 400th anniversary (though we don’t think it looks a day over 250). The city has aged perfectly, blending modern conveniences with historical charm, making it the ideal destination for a little summer getaway.

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The former headquarters for the National Bank, Hotel 71 is a sophisticated, hip boutique hotel located in the Old Port. Be sure to book one of its cool minimalist rooms offering eye-popping views of the St-Lawrence River. 71 Saint-Pierre, 418-692-1171, www.hotel71.ca

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The St-Roch district's Hugo Boss boutique, laid out over two gleaming floors, is the only store in the country to carry the entire men’s and women’s lines. 505 Saint-Joseph East, 418-522-4444, www.hugoboss.com

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Work up a healthy appetite before you sit down for an evening meal at L’Utopie. The best way to enjoy the imaginative cuisine and standout wine selection is to opt for the tasting menu ($130/person). The eight-course service is culinary perfection. 226 ½ Saint-Joseph East, 418-523-7878, www.restaurant-utopie.com

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The winding streets of Old Quebec are one way to bask in the city’s European charm, but you can also get an eyeful at the Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec. Its summer exhibit, The Louvre a Québec, features pieces borrowed from eight different sections of the Paris museum. Parc des Champs-de-Bataille, (418) 643-2150, www.mnba.qc.ca

If you’re like us and you wish Anthropologie would set up shop in Toronto, you may want to take a peek at LIV, a charming new lifestyle store on Eglinton.

Launched by Joanna Goodman, owner of chic bedding shop Au Lit, this 10,000 square foot, two-level store combines fashion and jewellery with furniture, linens, lighting and accessories.

Pick from delicate twinkling necklaces from The Right Hand Gal (from $180), ultra-soft cotton dresses from Bread & Butter (from $230), and gorgeous knitwear from Montreal’s Touch of Me ($110).

We loved the selection of bubbles, bath soaks and delicately scented Gianna Rose drawer liners ($21).

Don’t miss the lower level bursting with fabulous flee market finds like vintage bureaus, nightstands and chandeliers. You’ll also find a monogramming service ($25 for the first three letters on in-store merchandise) plus plenty of pretty crockery, glasses and kitchen supplies.

Trust us, you won’t leave empty handed.

LIV, 418 Eglinton Ave. W., Toronto, 416-481-2300, www.livbyaulit.com

It’s that time of year—too nippy for a cardi, but too warm for a wool coat.

Short jackets are a spring staple, and we’ve found a winner.

Swedish label Rodebjer's cotton canvas outer layer ($440) is stylishly sporty and features big gold buttons and a high neck perfect for breezy evenings. Layer it under a heavier coat on cooler days and wear it solo come summer.

Top that.

View the jacket (Image 27) and the entire spring/summer collection at Rodebjer.
Available at Finn Boutique, 1 Yorkville Ave., Toronto, 416-961-0101,
www.finnboutique.com

Known as La Ville Rose for its pink-hued buildings, the southern French city of Toulouse has far more to offer than just sausages.

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You’ll find only the best Euro designers at chic boutique Hall 2. Covet the cotton shift dresses from cult label Les Prairies de Paris, the Golden Goose chemises, and its original selection of lovely chausseurs including a darling pair of black patent leather Mary Janes with grey suede heels by Avril Gau. Sometimes credit limits are there to be tested. Hall 2, 32, rue des Marchands, Toulouse, +33 5 61 52 92 04.

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We have a bit of a thing for foreign pharmacies and Toulouse has some of the quaintest in France. Pay a visit to Pharmacy Ozenne (circa 1775) because there‘s nothing quite like buying shampoo in a neo-medieval building. Pharmacie Ozenne, 3, rue Ozenne, Toulouse, +33 5 61 52 70 51.

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Built in the 1850s, Le clos des potiers is an elegant boutique hotel with its own private garden. We loved the Philippe Starck ghost chairs set amongst the French antiques and hardwood floors. Be sure to ask for a Junior Suite overlooking the historical centre. Rooms from €100, rue Potiers, Toulouse, +33 5 61 47 15 15, www.hotel-closdespotiers.com

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Sweet or savory, Toulousains adore their tartines. Stop for lunch at L’Autre Salon de Thé in the quartier Saint-Georges. With 64 blends of tea and dozens of cakes, you may want to skip the savory and go straight for dessert. Try a bite of its famous Banofi cake sinfully made from banana, toffee, double cream, vanilla and chocolate (€3.50). L’Autre Salon de Thé, 45, rue Tourneurs, Toulouse, +33 5 61 22 11 63.

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This city is best explored by bike and there are 2400 available for rent at various VélôToulouse sites around town. Be sure to peddle along the banks of the Garonne River and across the lovely arched Pont-Neuf. €2/per rental plus €1/hour.

From eye-popping murals to the tastiest dim sum, San Francisco is a feast for the senses.

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Just minutes away from Amoeba Records (one of the world’s best music stores), Stanyan Park is a restored Victorian brimming with bygone charm. Ask for a corner room with a view of the Golden Gate Park. 750 Stanyan St., 415-751-1000; from $139, www.stanyanpark.com

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For a smattering of chic boutiques (Le Boudoir, Oceana Rain, Heidi Says) head to Fillmore. Harputs Market was our favourite with vintage Ted Lapidus sunnies, Martin Margiella baubles and scents from Etat Libre D'Orange. 1525 Fillmore St., San Francisco, 415-922-9644, www.harputsmarket.com

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Lace up your Chucks and challenge yourself to some serious incline walking (don’t miss Lombard Street). Pretty rest stops include the Japanese Tea Garden and the maze at Grace Cathedral. If you make it to North Beach be sure to check out City Lights Bookstore, once a hangout to Kerouac, Ginsberg and Corso.

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Located in a 1930s printing press, the menu at Salt House features unpretentious pub bites such as poutine, ($11) parsnip soup ($8.50) and suckling pig with lentils and roasted garlic ($13). 454 Mission St., San Francisco, 415 543 8900, www.salthousesf.com

“Placeres cotidianos” – “daily pleasures”, is how Sandra Rojas-Chinni describes the contents of her creamy-white boîte on Adelaide.

From scrumptious alfajores (butter cookies welded together with a dollop of dulce de lece) to stylish stemware, stationery and scented candles, at La Merceria every little item is carefully curated.

Sip tea (provided by Tealish, $2.25), nibble on croissants (from Clafouti, $1.95), and take home some hand-milled lavender soap ($15.99).

Doesn’t life feel lovelier already?

La Merceria, 506 Adelaide St. W., 416.848.0057, www.lamerceria.ca

Sparkly knee highs, neon legwarmers, Dijon yellow hose—few girls have as eccentric a sock drawer as Vitamin T editor Athena Tsavliris.

Faithful to only one brand, she has collected Tabio socks for years.

Based in London, it is the perfect sock shop, boasting everything from lacy sheers to wacky toeless sockettes.

Visit the online shop at http://tabio.com/uk/

It’ll knock your socks off.

Why wait for spring? We like Paris anytime.

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For an affordable room steps from the Seine, we suggest Hotel Esmerelda. A listed monument, this 17th-century building is a little lopsided but oozes charm. Unfortunately there is no elevator, but the higher you go the better the views of the Notre Dame. From CDN$140/night, 4 rue St-Julien-le-Pauvre, 5th, metro St-Michel +33 1 4354 1920.

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Romantic, ethereal and edgy, Moon Younghee is one of our favourite designers working in Paris. She only makes one of each piece and the shop is next to the atelier so you can pop next door to try on your clothes and see the patterns being cut. 62, Rue Charlot, +33 1 48 04 39 78.

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For the most decadent patisserie in Paris head to Ladurée. The orange flower macaroons coupled with thé Marie Antoinette (a blend of citrus, rose and jasmine) is hard to resist. www.laduree.fr

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Rising above the rooflines of the royal palace, Sainte Chapelle is one of the most exquisite churches in the world. On a sunny day, the colours of the floor-to-ceiling stained glass will take your breath away. http://sainte-chapelle.monuments-nationaux.fr/en/

Spend a decadent long-weekend in lower Manhattan without ever venturing northward. Petula Clark was right: things really are better downtown.

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The Meatpacking District’s Hotel Gansevoort is 187-rooms of urban-minimalist chic. We love the custom-designed stainless steel sinks and nine-foot ceilings. Be sure to ask for a river-view corner suite with balcony so you can watch the nightlife unfold below. Rooms from US$395. Hotel Gansevoort, 18 Ninth Ave., New York, 212-206-6700, www.hotelgansevoort.com

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Swim a lap or two in the Gansevoort’s heated rooftop pool followed by a skyline massage in your own private cabana with a 360-degree view (US$180-$250). Then, head downstairs for a Fiji Water Pedicure (US$65) at the hotel spa-by-day, lounge-bar-by-night.

G Spa & Lounge, 212-660-6733.

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Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter’s hotspot The Waverly Inn harks back to the days of speakeasies and secret knocks. Tuck into an organic meal by the fireplace and pretend not to notice Sean Lennon and Uma Thurman sitting at the next table. The Waverly doesn't have a phone so you’ll have to show up in person and hope you pass inspection.

The Waverly Inn & Garden, 16 Bank St., New York

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Jeffrey New York is died-and-gone-to-fashionista heaven. This chic mini-department store carries clothes, shoes and accessories from the likes of Alexander McQueen, Prada and Helmut Lang. We spotted Famke Janssen perusing the sale rack.

Jeffrey New York, 449 W. 14th St., New York, 212-206-1272, www.jeffreynewyork.com

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Find out where Julianne Moore, Jimmy Fallon and Robert De Niro spend their New York minutes. Nycvisit.com offers local dining, walking and shopping tips from your favorite New Yorkers.