Mikael D. Pre-Fall 2015: See the Canadian designer’s gorgeous collection straight from Paris

by Patricia Gajo February 4, 2015

See the Mikael D. Pre-Fall 2015 collection »

Montreal may be missing its fashion week, but Montrealers are still making their mark on the design scene. During Couture Week in Paris last week, homegrown designer Mike Derderian presented his Pre-Fall 2015 collection in a stunning Haussmannian apartment in the city’s posh eighth district.

Under his up-and-coming label Mikael D., Derderian showed a about a dozen evening, cocktail and bridal looks from Pre-Fall 2015 collection, while guests oohed and ahhed over glasses of bubbly.

“Last year was a tough year for me,” admitted Derderian when we asked about his inspiration. “I’ve always been interested in the Chinese zodiac and so I was hoping this collection would bring me good luck.”

Born under the dominating sign of the dragon, Derderian integrated the subtle image of the flame-spewing reptile into the lace overlay of a particular dress so layered with tulle and padded at the hips even Marie Antoinette would be green with envy.

In terms of colour, the capsule collection’s palette included silver, black, soft grey with a dark lilac layer, and a vivid orangey red, the latter highly regarded in Chinese culture as a symbol of power, passion and good fortune.

Lastly, Derderian delved into books of ancient Chinese art to arrive at his spectacular garden theme. “All the laces that I picked had flowers of Chinese origin. So it was very discreet, but it was there.” Derderian’s show-stopping bridal gown also boasted floral appliqués seen in Chinese paintings; they were sprinkled all over the princess skirt and on his signature nude toile around the shoulders, décolleté and bodice.

Has he been feeling lucky so far? Well, so far, so good. Earlier this year on January 18, mega Taiwanese pop star Jay Chou married his model-actress girlfriend Hannah Quinlivan in a million-dollar wedding – and the bride chose to walk down the aisle in a none other than a Mikael D. gown. She also wore one of Derderian’s designs for the engagement party and a photo shoot.

“I received a phone call out of the blue from her assistant,” said Derderian. “It was really a shock. The comments have been phenomenal and she’s become a really huge fan. It was after I had already decided on my Asian inspiration, so it really felt like a sign and that I was doing the right thing.”