About Vanessa Muri
Montreal City Editor Vanessa Muri has lived in London and Tokyo, but finds the charms of her hometown irresistible. From the latest scoops to the best deals in Montreal and everything in between, don't miss her weekly take on life in the fair city.
Festival Mode & Design
montreal musings Montreal
(Aug.09.10)
Well, another Festival de Mode et Design has already come and gone, and for the 10th anniversary they pulled out all the stops. Fashionistas got an eyeful of fall and winter fashions now hitting the shelves, benefitted from the Rallye shopping sales event (in its second successful edition), and enjoyed some great music provided by top Montreal DJs.
I’ll be taking a closer look at one of my favourite collections on Wednesday, but here’s a review of the festival’s singular shows courtesy of Sweetspot writer Ashley Joseph.
Celebs for Charity
A roster of Montreal-ebrities stepped up for a good cause to give a few of the looks previewed last March another spin down the runway, benefitting the Fondation de la Mode de Montréal. The fun highlight of the night: Quebecois actor Angelo Cadet riding a bike (presumably provided by the show’s sponsor, Vélo Opus) down the rain-soaked runway in Harricana’s signature recycled furs, dismounting briefly to strike a few of his patented poses.
TransCanada Runway
Thursday’s main event featured 29 designers from across Canada, ranging from relative obscurity to Canadian fashion powerhouses, with Tammy Beauvais’ handmade blanket coats gracing the same runway as David Dixon’s oversized blazers. Stylist Sophie Lanza brought some unity to the Canadiana-themed show, styling models in tartan waist-belts, Harricana aviator hats, and Heidi-esque braids. Breathy vocals by Inuit throat singers Karen Panigoniak and Maria Illingeayuk added a welcome dose of authenticity and contrasted beautifully with the synthy sounds of indie-electro ensemble Le Golden, who provided the evening’s soundtrack.
The Image Diversity Show
The sun finally made a cameo at Friday night’s show as the Canadian fashion industry took a stylish step in the right direction. Quebecois chanteuse Amylie scored the show as 15 Converse-clad models of all shapes, sizes, ages and ethnicities worked fall looks by Tristan, SanFrancisco , Myco Anna and Jacob. Even more refreshing: there was not a single scowl in sight! Never before has Montreal seen this many smiling faces on one runway.
