FASHION Magazine

With more than 30 years at the helm of her eponymous brand, Montreal based designer Marie Saint Pierre has been privy to the fashion industry’s many ups and downs. But the tenacious creative, who has dabbled in developing menswear and home decor pieces in addition to running a successful womenswear line, gives the impression that […]

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#SheTheNorth, indeed

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Last night, the Thompson Landry Gallery in Toronto’s rustic Distillery District was abuzz for the announcement of the nominees for the 2018 Canadian Arts & Fashion Awards. The stylish crowd snuffed canapés and clinked their wine glasses as patron Suzanne Rogers introduced The Suzanne Rogers Designer Grant for International Development, a $20,000 award for an […]

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On Saturday night, the second annual Canadian Arts and Fashion Awards (CAFA) will fête the best in homegrown talent, handing glittering trophies to designers, models, and stylists integral to the local fashion industry. As evidenced by last year’s kick off, the event is a glamorous red carpet throwdown attended by the who’s who of Canadian […]

The post What is the state of Canadian fashion? CAFA’s nominated designers and attendees discuss where we’re really at appeared first on 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.

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It’s a sweltering summer day, but in a cavernous (and thankfully, cool) Montreal loft studio a model is glammed up like a hostess at a holiday fete. The shoot is for a capsule collection that brings together 365-store-strong Canadian retailer Reitmans and two-year-old fashion label Martin Lim, designed by Montreal-based husband and wife team Pao Lim and Danielle Martin, who won last year’s Mercedes-Benz Start Up competition. But these designers aren’t exactly new kids on the block. After both completing a master of arts in fashion at London’s prestigious Central Saint Martins, Martin and Lim honed their design skills in Paris: she worked at Christian Lacroix; both put in time at Roland Mouret. In 2004, they returned to Canada, and launched their own line in 2010.

View our Montreal Fashion Week Spring 2013 photo gallery! »

It sure wasn’t easy getting into the groove of fashion week the day after Labour Day weekend, but this season’s Semaine de la mode was a success on many levels. A brand new venue, the return of practically all of Montreal’s cult fave designers and the city’s first ever participation in the global event of Fashion’s Night Out made for four fabulous days that will be hard to forget—and difficult to outdo next year. Here’s our round up of the top moments from Montreal Fashion Week Spring 2013:

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I started Montreal Fashion Week with a major misstep; I missed the Tavãn & Mitto show. But Dressed to Kill’s EIC, Stéphane Le Duc, raved about T&M’s expert cuts and the luxurious repositioning of the brand—also how they’re going to sell exclusively from their boutique. It’s an interesting move that seems in line with the city’s growing niche market of quality and made-to-measure garments. As for the clothes, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

Hours before, I had received an early-bird Tweet from stylist Cary Tauben that he’d be styling DUY’s runway. “Get ready for a couture show,” he wrote, dropping a few crumbs about a “surprise.” Indeed, Duy Nguyen delivered a very haute-lifting experience. The Parisienne Madame focus was clear; the rich urban palette was solid. The “surprise” was Tauben himself, who—in an obvious Andrej Pejic–inspired move—strut his bare, model-esque legs beneath a fur-collared coat down the stage to rippling applause.

Montreal’s Queen of Fashion has a one-of-a-kind style that’s recognizable from coast to coast. Since starting her eponymous collection nearly 25 years ago, Marie Saint Pierre (mariesaintpierre.com) has opened two boutiques and caught the attention of countless fashion lovers. Here, she talks about her latest project: a holiday capsule collection for Reitmans, the tried-and-true Canadian retailer.

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Paying homage to her French roots, Montreal’s Marie St Pierre transformed the studio at LG Fashion Week into a tea party of French delights, complete with macarons and tunes from Paul Martin and Serge Gainsbourg to show her Spring 2012 collection. The installation layout had a podium in lieu of a runway and models stood statuesque, sharing a podium with six mannequins. St Pierre’s collection of mostly dresses was relaxed but refined, with long hemlines and exaggerated folds of sheer jersey. Leather rope hung from collars and hemlines, giving sheer black dresses a cool-girl edge. Since black and white took reign in many of the looks, our eyes popped when a red trapeze dress and emerald draped frock were thrown into the mix. We’re sure St Pierre’s easy, elegant dresses (minus the gold bathing caps the models were wearing) are guaranteed to show up on ladies at many a fete this spring.

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As we reported back in early June, Mercedes-Benz and IMG have introduced Start Up, their internationally lauded joint competition and mentorship program for up-and-coming designers to Canada. Well, here we go!

Early Wednesday, the first Start Up step was put into place, as I—along with a slew of notables including designer Marie Saint Pierre and FDCC president Robin Kay—judged the Montreal semi-final applicants. As a fan and avid supporter of Canadian fashion, I was thrilled to be a guest judge. Especially since FASHION Magazine is the official magazine sponsor!

From the opening of his new boutique to his upcoming collaborations, it seems that Montreal titan Denis Gagnon (along with his signature thick black Lanvin frames) is just about everywhere these days. “You certainly are a man with vision, just how strong are those glasses anyway?” I asked him last week at the opening party for his new boutique in Old Montreal. Be it modesty or my seriously awful French, Gagnon just shrugged.