FASHION Magazine

See the top 10 moments from Montreal Fashion Week Spring 2014 »

Montreal Fashion Week has wrapped its 25^th season with Spring 2014. On the heels of an official statement announcing major structural changes (read: budget cuts) to the biannual event as soon as February 2014, there was a wistful “end of an era” wind in the air. Will we say goodbye to Arsenal as our MFW headquarters? Will there be runway presentations next year? Only time will tell. But before we look ahead and contemplate the future, let’s look back at spring 2014 top 10 moments. Be ready for the return of black and white and sheer fabrics next spring and summer.

Boxing Day: It strikes fear in the hearts of retail workers, and trumps Christmas celebrations for all bargain addicts. For the rest of us, it’s an opportunity to pick up what our well-meaning significant others didn’t end up buying us for the holidays. If you are willing to brave the cold, the lineups (like the one pictured above at Toronto’s Eaton Centre), and the inevitable Christmas hangover, here are some shops that you should check out.

The anticipation for Denis Gagnon was palpable and sneaking early into the show’s venue, the Birks store in downtown Montreal, was my breaking point. High Versaille-esque ceilings and rows of glass-encased jewels persisted knowledge that Monsieur Gagnon’s show was the one to see. The Birks staff kitchen upstairs doubled as the show’s hair and makeup studio but, moments after I stepped off the freight elevator, stylist Denis Binet said to me, “Hair is natural, it’s nothing”. His idea of nothing really meant perfectly placed hair-ties and carefree fly-aways that looked more careful to me. Final touches of rich merlot-red lips were applied to a dozen or so youthful models, who all wore clean dewy faces and a nonappearance of mascara and blush. By blending an orange-red and a blue-red together, Amelie Ducharme improvised deeply seductive lips against otherwise virginal features and rivalled the aristocracy of the adornments downstairs.

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I really can’t think of a better way to start Day 2 of Montreal Fashion Week than at a cocktail. This year, instead of a traditional runway show, design sisters Claudia and Sabrina Barilà showcased their Spring 2012 collection by inviting media peeps to watch their look book photo shoot, styled by Cary Tauben. Models posed at each side of a triangular backdrop, flipping their crimped bouffantes from time to time. Each year, Sabrina, the design half of the duo, seems to venture into new territory, and this time around the look was sultry-preppy princess. The shirt dress was key, with the same cut appearing in different fabrics and patterns such as silk, chambray, Laura Ashley-like floral, and multi-hued pinstripes; as well as variations including a bare-shoulder cut-out style and a loose tunic version with a Mao collar.

The lineup for the outdoor extravaganza Festival Mode & Design Montreal, starting today and running through August 6th, is sure to be a circus of amazing events. And while tonight’s big fashion buzz surrounds Jean Paul Gaultier‘s ready-to-wear show, I’m also in a tizzy over all the local talent.

To really discover the backbone of Montreal street style, here are my five must-see shows that highlight local talent.

1. Montreal Fashion Week highlights
August 3 at 9 p.m.

In case you missed Semaine de la Mode last February, you can see all the fall and winter 2011/12 looks on one stage–and then go shop their looks, which should all be in-store by now. The models are some of Quebec’s most beloved stars, including Francisco Randez, who is the face of JPG’s fragrance, Le Male. Look for my coups de coeur: the sexy femme style of Barilà, avant-garde Denis Gagnon, glittery baubles by Micalla, and Mulcair’s tailored tomboy chic. Also part of the show is the dress by Kwantlen University student Earl Mabaquiao that won the Télio contest. I had the honour of wearing his dress to a posh event this past spring. (Thank you, Earl!)

See more of our festival picks! »

Montreal fashion week is strutting an eager new February time slot (sayonara March!) that puts the city’s Semaine de la mode literally at the forefront of fashion ⎯ starting the 2011 fashion cycle ahead of New York. From a packed schedule of shows, presentations and parties, I’ve distilled my top moments. Here are the highlights.

Montreal style-mavens know Sabrina Barilà for her edgy women’s collection Barilà, which she produces alongside her sister Claudia. Last Saturday’s opening night of Jules Massenet’s opera Werther marked a first for l’Opéra de Montréal for inviting a Quebecoise fashion designer to outfit the cast. For Barilà, it was also the first time she created clothes for the stage instead of the runway. I caught up with the local créatrice just before the Werther premiere to chat about her operatic debut.

By Ashley Joseph

The last day of fashion week is always bittersweet, but this season, the shows went out in true Montreal style–or at least, adopted Montreal style.

Toronto-based design duo Kirk Pickersgill and Stephen Wong showed true inspiration at Ezra Constantine, menswear counterpart to Greta Constantine. The dark, androgynous looks in shades of black and blue struck a chord with the Montreal audience and Wong said of showing away from home: “Since we started the menswear, I always felt it was more suited for Montreal. And, from the response, I was right!”

My first fashion intake at Le Marché Bonsecours – the main stage venue for Montreal Fashion Week – was local lady Marie Saint Pierre’s futuristic collection of body conscious jersey dresses. Other highlights that ensued included Helmer’s rainbow couture patchwork, Barilà’s rock band divas, and J.U.D.E.’s modern take on the 1960s—a show designer Judith Desjardins dedicated to the late Alexander McQueen.

By fashion week’s finale, it was back to the future with Denis Gagnon. After his impromptu second show last season (added last minute due to overwhelming attendance), it was a surprise to no one that the city’s fetish designer had two consecutive slots planned this time around: one at 8 p.m. for media and friends and a second at 9 p.m. that was open to the public.

With all the shows running behind schedule, come 9 p.m. on Denis Day, show number one was still waiting in the wings as Gagnon groupies lined up outside in a fidgety, albeit stylish, tizzy. Eventually, the Fashion Week police opened the floodgates and the masses poured in to take their places by the runway.