Montreal.Fashion.Week.Spring.Summer.2012: Review

Montreal Fashion Week's Spring.2012 edition is over and it is time for an overall review and appreciation of what I witnessed throughout the week.

(MFW21.Atmosphere)

One thing is obvious; Montreal designers are loaded with talent, creativity and design skills. The newcomers to the week were all exciting to watch & the established designers continue to polish their brands, and/or explore new territories within their creative signature.

(catwalk.shots.MFW21)

However, it is essential for our Montreal designers to understand the importance of editing a show by not showcasing every design they have created for a specific season. It dilutes the message. If Prada or Lanvin do not need 50+ looks to convey a message, especially for an always shorter spring/summer season, Montreal designers don't require that much either. We do not need to see the same dress, pants or jacket in every color and every fabric of the season, even if it is the hottest piece of the collection! So please edit, edit and edit some more where ever necessary!

Special thanks to Sensation Mode for a great week, my fellow fashion bloggers for a fun-filled week of catching up and constantly talking fashion, and the #RBBMM (Regroupement des Blogueurs et Blogueuses Mode de Montréal) for setting up debates, discussions and dialogues for the advancement of our fashion blogging community as well as the fashion industry in general.

This completes my coverage of Montreal Fashion Week edition 21 Spring.2012. A whole new cycle starts for Fall.2012 which will be the next edition of Montreal Fashion Week.

-The.Shoe.Freak

(photos courtesy of Rouge-Photo)

Montreal.Fashion.Week.Spring.Summer.2012: Day.2

Day 2 of Montreal Fashion Week (MFW) was a pretty slow day for me. On the agenda for myself, one show only, the collective Label Europe show directed and styled by talented Montreal stylist Mélanie Brisson. The show, an ensemble of European designers, showcased the talents of creators abroad.

Designers included Katharina Kruppe, Rhum Raisins by Victoire Vermeulen, Les Chat Perchés, Finnegan-Bell and my personal favorite from the group, 85-86.

Besides the traditional ladies and menswear, jewelery (Eugene Bijoux) and handbags CeliaCzerlinski) were also presented with a very effective and well directed vision from Mélanie Brisson.

(pictures courtesy: Jimmy Hamelin)

My favorite piece of the night was 85/86's gorgeous tan coat with leather pieces used at the back flap and pockets. The structured of the coat and the colour, a very rich tan with a tonal caramel, was perfectly cut. (sorry, no pictures available)

For more information on Mélanie Brisson's bright & impressive array of work, click here.

Stay tuned for more instant MFW21 news & updates as Day 3 was my busiest day of the week as I attended 4 shows! (Duy, Samuel Dong, a collective including Simon Chang, and Second Clothing)

-The.Shoe.Freak

(source: jimmyhamelin.com/sensationmode.com)

Montreal.Fashion.Week.Spring.Summer.2012: Day.1

The fashion world gathered at Marché Bonsecours yesterday night for the first day of Montreal Fashion Week (MFW) showcasing the Spring.Summer.2012 collections of our talented pool of designers. Fashionistas, hipsters, fellow fashion bloggers and media mavens were dressed to impress, with outfits prepared weeks in advance.

I enjoy the people watching a lot at MFW as it is always inspiring to see outfits put together and personal styles showcased to the smallest of details. Montreal's got style, that is for sure.

Last MFW, I blogged about the whole experience of attending a full scheduled fashion week and mostly shared my impressions of the whole experience. However, now that I am not a rookie anymore, when it comes to attending fashion weeks as a fashion blogger, the thrill of the whole experience has subsided. Therefore, I will mostly talk about the shows I went to see, which is the purpose of attending a fashion week in the first place; to talk about the fashion witnessed!

I attended 3 shows: Travis Taddeo, Melissa Nepton and Dimitri Chris.

-Travis Taddeo

(Travis.Taddeo.Spring.Summer.2012)

The party was set & the party gals and guys were ready to rock out with their acid washed jeans & shorts, feathered or sheered tops &dresses, and sparkly platforms. There was experimentation with dimension (ample and loose versus tight and body conscious) as well as dresses with cutouts at the side panels or the back. Stripes were also big for Taddeo's Spring offerings. All in all, it was a fun party-like collection which will sure interest the club kids and hipsters. Big props for casting the gorgeous Azamit!

-Melissa Nepton

(Melissa.Nepton.Spring.Summer.2012)

I was really looking forward to this collection as you might remember, Nepton's show was my favorite of Fall.2011 Montreal fashion week. I was waiting to see what she would deliver as a second act and delivered, she did again. The constant feeling I get watching a Melissa Nepton show is the coherence of the collection. Although some styling details for Spring.2012 were a bit confusing & made me wonder why they were included in the first place (holed knee socks?), the show itself was a delightful play of volume and juxtaposition of fabrics. Inspired by the wind, Nepton's collection was a showcase of movement and flow. Centered around a neutral palette of beige and blacks with pop of colours like coral and whites, with a very soothing mix of fabrics including lace, see-through sheer and linens that moved with the bodies of the models. Very strong showing again by a talented Nepton.

-Dimitri Chris

(Dimitri.Chris.Spring.Summer.2012)

Dimitri Chris took us on a ride with his Cruise inspired collection. Shocker, the first model to walk out was wearing a short white bustier shirt-dress...Yes, Dimitri Chris is entering the womenswear world as he showcased 6 or 7 looks that ladies would surely love to wear (high-wasted cropped pants with a basic tee that was very cruise indeed, or jumpers featuring a nautical print, which was used in menswear as well). But ultimately, Chris is known for his sharp men tailoring and he did not disappoint his already sold crowd with lots of shorts, tees, tanks and of course, nice suits and tailoring that were very inspired by a nautical trip or cruise around the fashion sea!

Good start to the week...

Stay tuned for Day 2.

-The.Shoe.Freak

(photos courtesy of Rouge-Photo)

Montreal.Fashion.Week.Spring.2012

Montreal Fashion Week #21: Spring.Summer.2011


Here we go again, the fashion jungle is meeting up for a jammed 4 days to present the new ideas, trends & design for the Spring.Summer.2012 season. Felt like it was just yesterday that I covered the 20th edition of Montreal Fashion Week. How time flies!

I will not be attending all the shows this season as I have selected a few that I particularly wanted to see. Others, which I also wanted to see but wont be able to attend due to scheduling conflict, will be followed closely through tweets, pictures, articles and blog entries from the full-on coverage Montreal Fashion Week gets locally from our great fashion bloggers, media's and so forth.

Looking forward to seeing the great fashion on the catwalk as well as from the many attendees. As you know, the fashion crowds prepare their outfits (yes, because there are many different one involved) weeks in advance! Fashionista's and Fashionisto's can go wild with their outfits and will probably be praised for it. It's all in good fun & is part of the whole experience.

Hope you will follow me all throughout this week of tweets, pictures and post on all that is fashion in Montreal. This season, I will be collaborating with photographer Rouge-Photo as he will be joining me throughout the week in sharing the vibe and pulse of Montreal Fashion Week by taking pictures of everything interesting and noteworthy to me. I have previously spoken about his work in my blog. Check it out here.

It begins on Tuesday...stay tuned.

-The.Shoe.Freak

For more information on Montreal's fashion week, designer bios, schedules & venues, events, & much more, go to their website at http://montrealfashionweek.ca