SHOP IN THE NAME OF HAITI

MONTREAL SUPERSTORE BOUTIQUE FLY IS HAVING THEIR FIRST SALE OF THE YEAR.

FROM JANUARY 20TH TO THE 23RD, ALL INDUS+RY ITEMS ARE 50% OFF. NOT ONLY ARE ALL FALL/WINTER SWEATERS, BAGS, AND SHOES FROM THESE MONTREALERS HALF-PRICE, BUT PROCEEDS OF EACH SALE WILL BE DONATED TO THE RED CROSS' HAITI AID.

DRINKS? CHECK.

AWESOME SHOPPING? CHECK.

HELPING THE WORLD BE A BETTER PLACE? CHECK.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT THE FACEBOOK EVENT.

MFW: BEST IN SHOW

MONTREAL FASHION WEEK KICKED OFF MONDAY AND WITH IT THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT THE INDUSTRY WILL BE RECEIVING $2.4 MILLION FROM THE CITY OF MONTREAL AND QUEBEC. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE $82 MILLION ALREADY PLEDGED FOR PRO MODE. THE MANDATE FOR 'MONTREAL FREESTYLE' IS TO PROMOTE THE CITY'S DESIGNERS AS A COLLECTIVE ON THE WORLD STAGE, UNLIKE PRO MODE WHERE THE MONEY IS HANDED OVER DIRECTLY TO THE INDUSTRY. SADLY, THE STORY HAS BEEN OVERSHADOWING THE ACTUAL GOING-ONS ON THE RUNWAY, ALL SEEMING RATHER COUNTER-INTUITIVE.

ON MONDAY NIGHT, PHILIPPE DUBUC, PRESENTED HIS F/W 09 MEN’S COLLECTION. BLACK, BLACK, AND MORE BLACK, DUBUC SHOWED WHAT HE KNOWS BEST, AND WHAT HIS CUSTOMERS HAVE COME TO LOVE HIM FOR: TRADEMARK SLIM CUT SUITS TUCKED INTO STREAMLINE UTILITARIAN BOOTS. THERE WERE, HOWEVER, SOME NICE, SUBTLE SURPRISES OF SHEER UNDERPINNINGS, CHUNKY KNITS WITH OVERSIZED COLLARS, JODHPUR-STYLED PLEATED PANTS, AND TOUCHES OF DOVE GREY.

PHOTOS: JIMMY HAMELIN, MONTREAL FASHION WEEK

THE COLLECTION, VERY REMINISCENT OF COSTUME NATIONAL, WAS MINIMALIST, MODERN, AND RELEVANT. COMPRISED OF UTILITARIAN AND MULTI-USE PIECES FOR OFFICE-TO-PLAY DRESSING, AND ALL RATHER PAIRED DOWN.

MARIE SAINT PIERRE SHOWED HER LATEST COLLECTION ON THE FOLLOWING NIGHT TO WELL DESERVED PRAISE ALL AROUND. THE COLLECTION WAS DOMINATED BY RUFFLED KNITS LAYERED OVER LATEX LEGGINGS IN CONSTRASTING SOFT COLORS AGAINST INKY BLACKS, RESULTING IN A NICE MIX OF TEXTURES: LATEX, KNITS, SHEERS, RAW SILK. IT ALL MADE FOR A NICE STATEMENT ON OPPOSITES. THE EVENING WEAR WAS THE STAND OUT OF THE SEASON—LOVELY, FLOATING HALTER PRINTS WORN OVER SHEER UNDERPINNINGS AND LATEX LEGGINGS, AND ARCHITECTURAL FLOOR-LENGTH GOWNS.

PHOTOS: JIMMY HAMELIN, MONTREAL FASHION WEEK

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS THAT DESERVE A MENTION INCLUDES THE SURPRISE GUEST WALKING AT SOIA & KYO—NONE OTHER THAN ÈVE SAVAIL, JEAN-PAUL GAULTHIER’S FORMER MUSE OF THE 90s, AS WELL AS SOME CUTE, BUT RATHER SAFE, LOOKS FROM BODYBAG BY JUDE.

PHOTOS: JIMMY HAMELIN, MONTREAL FASHION WEEK

THE BEST MOMENT OF THE WEEK, WITHOUT A DOUBT, WAS GAGNON’S CLOSING RUN DOWN THE RUNWAY WEARING A BLACK YEDDI-LIKE HOOD.

THE OVERARCHING THEME THAT CAME OUT OF MONTREAL THIS SEASON, HOWEVER, WAS PLAY IT SAFE, DO WHAT WORKS.

MTL FASHION WEEK CLOSES TO CHEERS: DENIS GAGNON WITH FULLUM & HOLT

TONIGHT AT THE FULLUM & HOLT FULLUM STREET SEWING ROOM, DENIS GAGNON PRESENTED HIS FALL/WINTER 09 WOMEN’S COLLECTION, INCLUDING NEW DESIGNS FOR THE MONTREAL-BASED LEATHER GOODS COMPANY. THE ROOM WAS OVERFLOWING, WITH THE CITY’S FASHION CRÈME DE LA CRÈME, AND YOURS TRULY, PACKED INTO EVERY CORNER POSSIBLE.

THE INDUSTRIAL SPACE WAS NOT, AT FIRST, AN OBVIOUS CHOICE FOR THE SHOW, WITH A PAINTED RUNWAY FLANKED BY SEWING MACHINES. BUT ONCE THE LIGHTS DIMMED AND THE LOOKS STARTED DOWN THE RUNWAY, I COULDN'T ENVISIONED ANY OTHER SETING. VOID MODELS, INCLUDING GIRL-DU-JOUR RYAN MARTEL, FLOATED TO SWELLING OPERA AND CHORAL RENDITIONS OF DEPECHE MODE AS SPUN BY FASHION WEEK ALUM CHRISTIAN PRONOVOST.

SPRING 09, AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW, MARKED THE BEGINNINGS OF THE COLLABORATION. FOR FALL/WINTER, IT WAS MUCH OF THE SAME BUT WITH A DARKER COLOR PALETTE. THIS SEASON, THE STANDOUT COLOR WAS, HANDS DOWN, A RICH LIPSTICK RED.

THE COLLECTION WAS MONOCHROMATIC BLACK, DOMINATED BY MATTE LEATHER PIECES WITH STITCHED DETAILING LAYERED OVER SEQUINED, FISH-SKIN LIKE LEGGINGS. HEADS WERE ADORNED WITH HANGING BEADED DETAILING ON FITTED HOODS. THE BEADING WAS REPEATED THROUGHOUT THE COLLECTION, FOUND ON EVERYTHING FROM SHOES TO LAPELS. HAIR THAT WASN’T TUCK INTO HOODS WAS TEASED INTO FAUX-BOBS. STARK FACES WITH LIPS AND EYES PAINTED SKIN TONES WERE FRAMED BY STRONG EYE BROWS. THE SHOW ENDED TO CHEERS AND A WELL DESERVED STANDING OVATION.

ALTHOUGH ARGUABLY NOT GAGNON’S BEST COLLECTION TO DATE, IT WAS, WITHOUT QUESTION, THE STRONGEST OF THE WEEK. BOLD, EDGY, STRONG, IT WAS EVERYTHING THAT YOU WOULD COME TO EXPECT FROM THE DESIGNER. IT’S NO WONDER THAT HE HAS BECOME ONE OF THE CITY’S MOST BELOVED AND ANXIOUSLY-AWAITED DESIGNERS. GAGNON PROVED THE HE CAN STAND ON ANY WORLD STAGE.

I ALSO HAD THE PLEASURE OF ATTENDING THE TELIO DESIGN COMPETITION, WHERE 25 FASHION STUDENTS FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY PRESENTED LOOKS. I AM PLEASED TO REPORT THAT A LASALLE COLLEGE STUDENT TOOK THE TOP PRIZE.

FALL 09 RUNWAY: 80S REDUX

REVIEWING LOOKS COMING OFF THE RUNWAYS OF NEW YORK FASHION WEEK, THE OVERARCHING THEME SEEMS TO BE THE 80s. FROM THE BRIGHT COLORS, TRIANGULAR SILHOUETTES, AND AN EMPHASIS ON EXAGGERATED SHOULDERS, DESIGNERS BIG AND SMALL ARE REFERENCING THE OVERINDULGENCE OF THE WALL STREET DECADE.

LOOK 1: CHADO RALPH RUCCI, FALL 09
LOOK 2: BADGLEY MISCHKA, FALL 09

FOR THE DOWNTOWN CROWD, THERE WAS AN ABUNDANCE OF HIGH-SHEEN BLACK LEATHER AND TOUGH LOOKS OF TEENAGE PUNKS. NO DESIGNER DID IT BETTER THIS SEASON THAN BETSEY JOHNSON, THE ORIGINAL ENFANT TERRIBLE OF THE EIGHTIES, AND POSSIBLY THE ONLY DESIGNER WHO WAS ABLE TO REFERENCE HERSELF. FOR FALL 09, FOREGOING THE RUNWAY, JOHNSON PRESENTED LOOKS IN HER STUDIO'S KITCHEN.

BETSEY JOHNSON, FALL 09

NOTE THE SEQUINS, ANIMAL PRINT, RUFFLES, AND NEON TIGHTS. IF MOLLY RINGWALD HAD EVER GIVEN INTO HER INNER BAD GIRL, THIS IS WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE WORN TO HER COMING OUT PARTY. WE'VE BEEN SEEING OPAQUE TIGHTS IN EVERY HUE SINCE FALL 08, BUT THIS SEASON THEY WERE POPPING UP IN DIZZYING PRINTS.

BETSEY JOHNSON, FALL 09

AT JENNI KAYNE, THE COOL-FACTOR WAS PUT BACK INTO THE LOOK, INFUSING THE COLLECTION WITH A TRUE WEARABILITY AND AN HONEST SENSE OF NOW.

JENNI KAYNE, FALL 09

THE TREND BEGS THE QUESTION, HOWEVER, WASN'T ANYBODY READING NEWSPAPERS WHILE DESIGNING? HISTORICALLY, A RECESSION, OR DEPRESSION DEPENDING ON WHO YOU ARE LISTENING TO, TRANSLATES INTO FASHIONS TRENDING TOWARDS DEMURE AND UTILITARIAN. SILHOUETTES ARE CUT CLOSE TO THE BODY, AND THE EMPHASIS LIES ON SUITS AND ALL-USE PIECES. IS THIS A DELIBERATE BACKLASH TO MEDIA DRIVEN GLOOM AND DOOM? WILL IT TRANSLATE TO RETAIL DOLLARS? ONLY TIME WILL TELL, AS THE SAYING GOES.

I'M INTERESTED TO SEE WHAT WILL COME OUT OF THE UPCOMING MONTREAL AND TORONTO FASHION WEEKS. MORE OF THE SAME OR WILL CANADIAN DESIGNERS HAVE A DIFFERENT TAKE ON THE WORLD ECONOMY?