Video: Travis Taddeo explains his morbidly-inspired spring collection

When I first received the invite for Travis Taddeo‘s spring and summer show and saw a picture of a noose, two things popped into my head. First, “This is going to be interesting.” Second, “How very Travis.”

The young designer’s show was held last month in Griffintown, a barren albeit “up-and-coming” area. By the time I arrived, all the other usual suspects had already been seated: Eva Friede from the Gazette, a slew of French and English bloggers, as well as Taddeo’s eclectic entourage that included Denis Gagnon, Yso, and Cary Tauben. As I read the designer’s press statement, I learned that Taddeo’s inspiration drew upon “slain celebrities where spirits of tragically erased stars reappear to haunt the designer’s new titillating collection.” That explained the T-shirts printed with River Phoenix’ face – and the noose. I don’t make this stuff up.

Despite the slightly morbid theme, the show was refreshing and ethereal – which may have been the fact it was showcased before a white seamless background in a bright and airy photographer’s studio. And, oh yes, and there was a lot of pre-show Cava. A mainly black and cream palette with moments of denim blue and indigo, Taddeo’s signature clean-lined collection for body conscious gals and guys explored silk, stretch linen, jersey, denim and leather. Standout pieces included thigh-high, body hugging, asymmetrical dresses; ankle-cropped skinnies and razor-slashed tunics. After the show, I took the Flip video camera backstage for a post-mortem (sorry, couldn’t resist) with the designer.

Read our coverage of Montreal Fashion Week Spring 2011»

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