Duy's pistachio ruffled chiffon. Photo: Marie-France Coallier, The Gazette
Denis Gagnon's version of a tuxedo shirt. Photo: John Kenn
These fresh faces, some of them first-timers at Montreal Fashion Week, previewed their collections for next spring and summer at the semi-annual round of shows, held last week at Bonsecours Market and around town.
Denis Gagnon, a fashion hero for his virtuosic talent, remains the toast of the town.
Comeback kid Duy, already known in fashion circles for his superb cuts and luxurious fabrics, and first-timer Anastasia Lomonova, a revelation for her pleated and draped goddess creations, also impressed.
The week started with a bang: UNTTLD set the standard with a collection of haute avant-garde looks in crazy crochet and knits (grey rubber bands), along with more wearable organza blousons and layers, wrap dresses and leather jackets.
But the week offered many options for dressing up and down next spring: from Iris Setlakwe’s working-women solutions to cheeky rompers and shirt-dresses by Barilà or Mulcair for the groovy stylista. There was sleek, sophisticated cocktail wear from Martin Lim, while Mélissa Nepton offered breezy, floaty pieces fit for cruising around town or perhaps on the Côte d’Azur. And Anomal Couture’s Sonia Leclair refined her vision of glamour this season, with breathtaking kimono variations in black lace or gold sequins.
On the everyday front, Second Denim, known for its yoga jeans, voted for pale indigo next spring, while Soïa & Kyo continued to offer its cute affordable coats.
The finale of the week: glamazons clad in glittering jewels and little else by Caroline Néron, the singer-actress turned bijoux tycoon. It was tough to see the pieces, though, what with low light and those semi-naked glamazons. (One little boy in the audience had to turn away.)
Clothes to covet for next spring and summer:
Duy, inspired by the cactus and a futuristic desert, mixed flowing chiffon in pistachio with finely crafted tailored pieces in coated linen or neoprene, embellished with faux croc or stamped leather. The opener was a stunner: a pencil skirt of hand-cut and sewn ivory floral cut-outs, topped with a full-blown rosette bodice. He also showed menswear for the first time, in black. I’d put my money (if I had enough) on a fluttering chiffon tunic in that sorbet pistachio (or maybe black). Or heather grey variations on the theme in jersey.
Anastasia Lomonova's draped, pleated modern goddess gown. Photo Jimmy Hamelin
Anastasia Lomonova said she had always been too inhibited to show her artistic side. No more. In a breakthrough collection, the designer draped and pleated in intricate variations worthy of a goddess. It was artistic but wearable, and I’d wear a pleated, draped, mud-coloured tunic over leggings any day. Those with red carpet requirements might go for a goddess gown in blue pleated chiffon.
Anomal Couture’s Sonia Leclair has a goth side, and it was there in sharp-shouldered black bodysuits. But in another breakout, Leclair offered extreme glamour in kimonos – black lace, printed, one-shouldered and the showpiece of gold sequins edged in black. The short black lace kimono is a keeper: classic, versatile and utterly bewitching.
The cheeky two, Barilà and Mulcair, have a similar vibe and offered similar presentations, with models posed in a circle in the cocktail area of Bonsecours Market. For Mulcair’s Juliana Bennett, the theme was the fashionista at sea, with a curious splash of cheetah prints. A sheer black dress was my pick of the collection.
Sabrina Barilà’s gals, in sepia florals and light denim shirt-dresses and rompers, had that modern vintage feeling, enhanced by terrific structured bags by Montreal’s Fullum & Holt.
Iris Setlakwe, always the best model for her line, came out on the catwalk post-show with her best piece: a silky orange wrap dress of Italian cupro, a viscose fabric with a silky feel and drape. As always, she proposes suitings and dresses with a touch of trend for the working woman. That orange, a key colour for fall, will be going forward next spring and beyond, Setlakwe said after the show, and is a great way to complement neutral beige and black. Marigold, indigo prints and light denim rounded out her colour story.
For the guys: Dimitri Chris, known for edgy menswear, went more commercial this season with perfectly cut cotton blazers, shorts and trousers, with a few floral offerings for men and women. Street-savvy Travis Taddeo put guys in djellaba-striped shorts and tops, acid-washed denim, great Ts and some feathered fancies, while Philippe Dubuc, in a small presentation at his boutique, showed his signature dusky detailed wear: a coated linen suit in stone, a bomber jacket with a zip-off blazer hem, jodhpurs with soft jersey below the knees.
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