3-6 August, 2011 | Festival Mode & Design Montreal: Quick & Quirk.

550,000 visitors turned the eleventh edition of The Festival Mode & Design Montreal into a feast. Tourists, people passing by, families, students and, of course, fashion lovers were on the spot.
It was a good four days, marred only by shows of jejune girlie’s fuchsias and make-up sagacity: the shiny outranked the skin.
Models embraced dolls, amazons and neon pink-tangerine lipstick à outrance to crow the wet of our imaginaire.
And since the notion of being surprised by fashion seemed quaint, Montreal’s trend-organizers, Groupe Sensation Mode, revamped the so-called heroin chic this year. Bourgeoises sans âge, Mode & Opera, and Les Intemporelles wielded a singular power to stir both emotions and desire in the public.
The last two months have seen Museum of Fine Arts’s From the sidewalk to the catwalk and Pinkarnaval. Gaultier’s Bourgeoises sans ages, women’s fall collection, was his third in town exhibition. For the women, arrays of moirés, buns, tie-neck blouses, bouclé, tweed, bondage suits, corset gowns, and marinières. For the men, la panoplie: tailored skirts, bustiers in flamenco, matelots stripes, gold sequin, and lamés for the James Blond theme. Though they were not in bed, models were reclining on the runway in an attractive but decourous pieces. Muse, model, fidèle extraordinaire Tanel Bedrossiantz bespoked Haute Couture catwalk along with Ève Salvail, the Montrealer known for her shaved tattooed head; and Francisco Randez, the first face of the fragrance Le Mâle. Frippery Gaultier. RIP Amy Winehouse sultry voice.



(Credit: Amy Lee Corkum http://corkumphoto.carbonmade.com/)
Mode & Opera was one for the emotion. Spread starring soprano-baryton-tenor interprets were decked out in high-fashion costumes and accessories of the Opera de Montreal. Depeche Mode’s electronic music inspirations by Alex Attias & Christian Pronovost alongside live visual Basquiat-esque artistry by Zilon caused havoc with people’s hearts in the same way the arias outlived every sinlge one of us. The looks per se were not of the caliber of Gaultier, ci mancherebbe altro, yet far from accoutrements. For the puristas and critics, one word: Lighten up! Mode & Opera was not trying to make a couture statement. It was getting us, all, real. Actually, their next stop: Hollywood!
(Credit: Amy Lee Corkum http://corkumphoto.carbonmade.com/)
Les Intemporelles ignited lots of admiration from both critics and public. Special host Jeanne Beker, from Fashion TV, with the brilliant Suzanne Chabot, from the Museum of Costume and Textile of Quebec presented a refined retrospective by prominent designers in couture, from les trente glorieuses to today. Designer Clairette, now in her 90’s, stroke the most with her grisettes, organdy, couture and patrons. From Trois-Rivières (2 hours from Montreal), she flew Christian Dior’s models in 1964 for a show in her littletown! And her contemporaine, Colpron d’Anjou who purple velvet wedding dresses along the veil were a must! Why are wedding dresses so color-white/crème-boring nowadays? I joyed in the company of the gentlefolks discovering Lilly Simon, Arnold Scasi, Serge & Réal, and Christian Chenail’s pieces. A sestina dedicated to Elles, Les Femmes.

( Credit: Dickson Ly |http://transgressive.ca/)
Special mention to my darlings bloggers: Lolitta Dandoy, Gabrielle Lacasse, Robyn Chamblers, , Marie Darsigny and Patrick L’Aristocrate, for their quality reach by styling five different easy smiles, easy looks and easy elegance.
(Credit: Amy Lee Corkum http://corkumphoto.carbonmade.com/)
Whatever happened, you have to remember with fashion, you can’t take it that seriously.
Alessandro | @thecaprissimo