Montreal Fashion Week Recap with Mrs. Suzanne Chabot !

“Structure, style and a surprisingly nice variety of materials were out in force – pushing fashion a step forward in Montreal,” enthusiastically stated Mrs. Suzanne Chabot, Director of the Musée du textile et du costume du Quebec, as we were sitting down in the gorgeous Office of District Mode. Like the previous years, The Montreal Fashion Week was held at the Bonsecours Market – gathering thousands of fashionistas, editors and buyers who came to discover next fall’s trends presented by over 20 designers. Résumé: Four days, high heels, blue phone lights when it was dark on the runway, thousands of tweets, peplums at Duy’s, and people oohing and aahing at the end of each show…

 We met with Suzanne last week to revisit with her the greatest moments and trends presented during the semi-annual glitzy event that is Montreal Fashion Week. Did you miss it? Don’t worry! We will break it all down for you!

Suzanne Chabot: Well, fall 2012 didn’t really bring too many changes in fashion, but we did notice a strong renewal-seeking movement of elegance and structure. You know, many designers were inspired by the sixties or the golden-age so I am not sure we can call it an evolution as such, but it’s more a modern adaptation to an era that marked the world of fashion. However, if we look back to some years ago, collections were heavier and excessively adorned compared to now.

Which is why I think the evolution lies in the development of the approach designers have in the conception of their designs. They seem to have full control of their techniques and more confidence about their work. Of course, each one of them has it own vision and style and they all express it differently in the runway.

 

Except for one thing they had in common: structure. The cuts were very sleek and sophisticated, and the juxtaposition of colours and materials added a balance to the designer’s perspective. I am thinking of Duy for example: the way he played with peplums, squared shoulders on tight-waisted dresses is just amazing. That’s what I would call a revival of fundamental femininity and charm. The same elegance was also noticed on other designers collections, like Tavan & Mitto for example, or Samuel dong…

Suzanne: Many of the trends from last year seem to continue to next fall in a light, updated form such as feather, metallics, colour-blocking, sheer blouses, fur, feathers and other pieces from wool. Now for the major trends; I think we can distinguish four main inspirations seen on the podium: The ladylike style; knits, fur, prints of Eve Gravel and the cocooning coats & shirts at Melissa Nepton’s; Retro-chic on Martin Lim’s, Dinh Ba and Annie 50; And finally the dark contrasts seen on Marie-Saint Pierre’s show, Anastasia Lomonova and UNTTLD.

The most popular trend were the ladylike styles, which were present in different forms on many shows, just like seen in the classic woman from Christian Chenail, or the romantic collection of Samuel Dong. However, we will remember Tavan & Mitto’s fashion show for the magnificent flawless cuts, and well-shaped volumes – adjusted to the waist by a tiny belt, but also for the jazziness of the collection, enhanced by neutral colours such as cream or navy blue, layered with metallic colours like bronze, sequined blue or black. On Duy’s, the feminine elegance is reflected through the peplum added to the dresses and the sheer fabrics on some pieces.

I found Melissa Nepton’s collection very noble and sober. I loved the earthly colours — this soft grey or deep brown on those voluminous coats make you want to muffle yourself up in confort and cosyness.

Suzanne: Men. Dinh Ba was the only designer to integrate men in his show and I actually liked the graphic prints on the shirts. Except for Dinh Ba, nobody thought about men and everyone else focused on the chic and sophisticated woman. I couldn’t help but wonder what these guys who are holding the hands of these elegant women would wear. I think they will be wearing checkered shirts for another season again.

Suzanne: Tame. See, a show remains a show. While watching it, we want to be seduced, charmed and surprised. Ça doit être théatrale. We need to be transported to another era, or into a story. This is the real power of art. I think the most spectacular show remains the closing collectif that starred Anastasia Lomonova, Jocelyn Picard and the two young designers of UNTLLD. The way they changed the setting, the lighting, the music… it was unexpected, dark, moving and artistic in the same time. I found Jocelyn Picard’s line majestic. He geniously integrated visual art, crafts and fashion in the same line. I found the whole concept very deep. I know we won’t be able to wear the cocoon dress — it’s not pratical if we’d like to cook! But the way I see it, it’s more a philosophy behind the art: it can be seen as a protective armour or a mean to recollect oneself. For the other shows, I think it was definitely tame.

Suzanne: I think young designers should have more fun while designing. They should explore their creativity because there will come a time in their career where they have to be slightly more commercial to sell ready-to-wear. On the catwalk, you have to be smart about what you choose to show. You have to take the breath out of your guests and in the same time, sell them your vision. You can stay loyal to your style but if you push your talent just a bit, you can push your career and skills furthermore. Be commercial in your store and crazy on the catwalk. For example, we can tell that young designers who participated in Télio’s design competition had a blast designing their creations. We saw some good talent out there, they were creative. Every design was unique and the cuts were original. They had nothing to lose, but a lot to gain. Just like they did, I recommend young people to have fun while creating before they become serious and business-minded people.

Suzanne: It’s starting to be. It’s not enough though, because local fashion should be worn first by local community. Most people think local fashion is not affordable. It’s not true. The price you would spend on a chic dress you’d buy from a commercial store is about the same you would pay for a dress made by a local designer. And the quality would be better also. If we think about it, let’s hope that Montrealers buy at least one piece from one designer. This will help our designers to grow larger and promote their creations at an international scale.