MONTREAL — David-Alexandre Faber was a few weeks into his new hobby snapping photos and blogging about fashion statements from the streets of Montreal when he came to a rather stunning conclusion.

Montrealers aren't quite as fashionable as most Canadians think.

"Montreal style is slightly more laid back and, overall, it's slightly bland," says Faber, a Montreal college student.

"And the people I take pictures of are mostly English for some reason."

Faber, 18, and two friends run a website called MTL Street, a blog dedicated to a kind of fashion patrol, paying tribute to the everyday fashion they encounter on the streets of the city.

They're part of a growing number of sites popping up across Canada in cities like Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg and London, Ont.

They're mostly run by young fans of fashion who seek and share inspiration in the style of others by approaching and photographing stylish people on the street.

You won't find the latest designer gowns on these sites. Instead they favour clever turns with clothes you might dig out of your closet or a second-hand store.

From the fashionable sections of St-Denis or Ste-Catherine Streets to underground metro stations, the Montreal trio recently stopped people on the street in loud 1970s flowery jackets and fur-collared coats.

One recent post featured an 18-year-old woman named Anna who was wearing a bright pink shirt under a dark vest with her great grandfather's pants and her mother's hat and belt.

"People are always slightly scared at first," says Faber. "But as soon as we tell them we enjoy their style, people are very flattered."

Many of the Canadian sites took inspiration from Vancouver's The Commodified. At just under a year old, it's the grand-daddy of Canadian street fashion and has a more polished look than most of the Canadian sites.

Founder Craig Long says he set out to "disprove the myth that Vancouver was a no-fun, no-style city."

"Vancouver isn't on the map but I've always found Vancouverites to be very resourceful," said Long, a communications student at Simon Fraser University.

"When I'm on the street I'm not just looking for those who are well dressed. There has to be something more. Their outfit has to intrigue me or give me a strong sense of who they are."

Most of the fashion followers use the same technique to find subjects. They'll approach the person, compliment them on style, ask a question or two and ask to snap a picture.

Most subjects agree, although some are reluctant.

Antonio San Jose who posts on London Ontario Chic says he's overcome shyness - both his own, and that of his subjects.

"Not too many people run away," he said.

Zev Klymochko created Calgary's The Company of Wolves earlier this year after consulting sites in Vancouver, Paris and Helsinki and realizing nothing similar was happening in his town.

"I probably don't yet have a wide representation of Calgary fashion on my site," Klymochko said. "It's only been going for about two months. I try not to photograph snobby people."

Klymochko, 29, who works in a Calgary skateboard clothing store, admits his city sometimes plays to type.

"I think the cowboy influence spills over a bit here, because denim is still king" in Calgary, Klymochko said.

Weather poses a special challenge in Winnipeg, according to Jordan Crosthwaite who runs a site dedicated to the city called Hooks and Pegs.

"In winter there's obvious challenges to being in Winnipeg that people have fun with," he said. "It's freezing cold, so they do interesting things with mittens and scarves and that sort of thing."

At the same time, Crosthwaite says the Internet is spreading trends in street fashion that may be making each city a little less distinctive.

"I've travelled quite a bit, and one thing I've noticed looking at street style blogs is that these trends are pretty universal right now," he said.

"An Internet-oriented fashion community may be making the world a little more homogenous."