Posts Tagged ‘marie saint pierre’
MFW Day 1 – Things aren’t looking good
Day 1 of Montreal Fashion Week is over.
I am exhausted. I was stuck at the same venue for nearly 11hours. I came home with two goodie bags, one containing a pair of crocs (no, not the ugly crocs thankfully), Eye Candy The Volumes magazine, chips and pamphlets. I missed out on getting an M0851 goodie bag which had small leather items like keychains and a wallet.
I made a couple of new friends, 2 buyers from Massachussetts and another girl from a local independent publication called “La Belle Epoque”. Talking to them certainly helped passed the time, although I wish I had met them earlier during the 3 hour break inbetween the first show and the cocktail hour. I read my book for a solid 2hrs perched on a stool downstairs at the snack bar. Paid $12.50 for a ham sandwich, pasta salad and small chocolate cake.
Befriending these new people was fascinating and exciting. I got to ask questions I’ve always wanted to ask to buyers and the journalist knew all the dirt on the inner workings of what the Chabanel industry is like. Chabanel is the garment district in northern Montreal where buyers can buy directly from the showrooms and don’t have to assist all the fashion show shenanigans in the Old Port. I’ll talk about that tomorrow.
Enough of my social antics. I can’t reveal much about the shows, but I’d have to say for today, Muse by Christian Chenail was the best show. This shocks even myself since I really didn’t care for his last 2 collections at all, but this season he really pushed the envelope and I was amazed that he could produce such a great collection.
The worst show was Envers by Yves Jean Lacasse.
Ok.
What is up with this guy? People are clamoring to see his shows, but his collections are terrible!! He’s like a bad Jean-Paul Gaultier wannabe, at least Gaultier still knows how to make clothes. I think the only notable talent Mr. Lacasse has is creating these nice tailored jackets in embroidered fabric for men. But he does that for EVERY collection. Ugh. Enough. I’m never going to his shows again. I’m not the only one to think so, the expression on people’s faces were priceless. One guy was just squinting his eyes, his jaw dropped open as the male models passed by, trying to figure out what in the world was going on.
Marie Saint Pierre? At first I was impressed with her, but not anymore. It’s always the same thing, you can see it on people’s faces, they start yawning, they get bored. And does she even try to venture out onto different fabrics? I don’t think so.
More juicy gossip.
March Fashion Show Madness
Like many of you, I get excited about fashion shows, they’re exciting, glamorous, and way too brief. For the 20-somethings out there who don’t mind hanging out in loud clubs and douse themselves in martinis late at night, here’s the bulk of the fashion shows being held this month.
Be forewarned that fashion shows have a tendency to start late. Show up early at your own risk!
Karv Fashion Show @ Club 1234
March 7th, 2008 at 10PM
Tickets are available (10$) price at the door will be (15$).
For Tickets & Table Reservations Call : 707-3333
Cause: Promotional
Click here for the Facebook Event
CASA Cares Fashion Show @ Olympia Theatre
March 13th, 2008 at 8:30PM
Tickets are $25 and can be purchased at 1500 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W., Room GM 218-4.
Cause: Donation to the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation
Designers: Dom Rebel, Aqua di Lara, Bodybag by Judith Desjardins, Dinh Bà and more.
Ethni-cité fashion-show & Party @ Time Supper Club
March 13th, 2008 at 11:30PM
Pre-sale tickets are $15. Price at the door will be $20.
Cause: Promotion of cultural diversity among local and international students
Click here for the Facebook Event
The Official “WALK” Fashion Show @ House Nightclub
March 22nd, 2008 at 8:30PM
Tickets are $40. Groups of 10 or more get a $10 discount per person.
Contact Megan Clark: thats.crazy.babyyy@hotmail.com
Tel: (514) 525-8567
Cause: Donations for the Montreal Children’s Hospital Foundation
Click here for the Facebook Event
Armure Urbaine @ Marche Bonsecours for Montreal Fashion Week
March 27th, 2008 at 9:30PM
Tickets are $30. Can be purchased at Admission.com.
Cause: Donations for YWCA.
Designers: Body Bag by Jude, Dinh Bà, Denis Gagnon, Envers by Yves Jean-Lacasse, Helmer, Collection Iris, Marie Saint Pierre, Muse by Christian Chenail, M Siamo, Mylene B.
Path of Destruction Fashion Show – Location TBD
April 5th, 2008 – Time TBD
Tickets are $25. Price at the door will be $30.
Cause: Promotional, free stuff
Click here for the Facebook Event
OR you can just join the Montreal Fashion Group on Facebook and make your life easier.
And as a final announcement, which isn’t fashion show related, I found out that Marie Saint Pierre will be opening a new boutique at the Rockland Centre soon.
What It’s Like To Go To Fashion Week
This doesn’t actually happen here during Montreal Fashion Week.
People are always curious to know what it feels like to attend fashion shows during Fashion Week. As many of you know, Fashion Week is reserved for designers, buyers, VIP clients like the rich and famous, and of course the media blitz of cameras, editors, reporters and journalists. It’s a huge media event and every one wants in on the action of the glitz and glamour.
A long time dream of mine was to attend such a coveted event, and it has come true just last fall. I will share with you a brief scoop of my first experience at Montreal Fashion Week last fall as a writer for Gloss. This will probably dispel a lot of misconceptions of what Fashion Week really is.
Media Coverage
Working for a magazine, newspaper or television requires media accreditation, which means getting a media pass to attend Fashion Week. There are forms to fill out and background checks are done to make sure that the people applying to be media are legitimate. Because most collections are not ready for public distribution and they want to reduce the risk of knock offs taking place before they’re able to deliver the goods. This is why Fashion Weeks are held 6 months prior to the actual season to give time for manufacturers to produce the collections for retail, as well as giving magazines time to spruce up their Fall or Spring issues.
Once you get your pass, you’re bombarded with folders containing press releases from each designer, inauguration meetings, cocktail hours, and a lot of schmoozing. Fashion Week isn’t held in one single venue specifically, there were many off site events going on during the week, some held their own fashion shows in their private boutiques, and there were a lot of after parties in the hippest clubs.
Montreal Designers Need To Kick It Up A Notch
There seems to be a huge cyclone brewing in the fashion world, with a bad economy, it would look like fashion seems to be rearing its ugly head for what it has truly become. Fashion designers who love their craft are fighting to stay afloat, but how can they beat the likes of H&M when they have little to no financial backing and lack the resources to truly sell their brand?
Which puts into question as to where Montreal fashion is going business wise. Montreal Fashion Week is coming next month, I really wonder who the buyers are and where they come from. Last fall I attended Fashion Week on behalf of GLOSS, and was surprised that that there were only about a dozen notable designers showing for a total of a mere 3 days. Even our most coveted designer, Andy The-Anh, showcased his collection in Toronto’s L’Oreal Fashion Week in hopes to catch a larger audience. It would appear that the Montreal market hasn’t attracted enough buyers (international and local) to come to our fashion week despite a recent multimillion dollar investment from the Quebec Government.
Ralph Lauren Fall 2008. Simple and could definitely sell.
Muse by Christian Chenail Fall 2007. Could also sell, but are they selling?
I made a round yesterday to Ogilvy‘s and only saw Marie Saint Pierre’s name as the only local designer on the store’s 2nd floor. Holt Renfrew did have Rad Hourani’s collection, but where are the M Siamo’s, Philippe Dubuc’s and Andy The-Anh’s in these stores? More over, there are so many specialized boutiques that it’s hard to pinpoint which stores carry which lines, making shopping even harder especially for smaller brands. Not to mention that local designers have to compete with many European imports like Mango, Zara, H&M, and Mexx to big brand designer names like Chanel, Dior and Gucci in the high end sector. Let’s not forget that even our own proud canadian sports label Roots has been shoved aside to make way to American Eagle Outfitters downtown.
Having a good business model is essential to survive in the industry, so far it’s hard to think of one Canadian label in particular which has successfully incorporated themselves into international waters on a grand scale. But unlike Europeans and Americans, Montreal fashion designers currently aren’t attractive enough for financial honchos to invest into their brands. Though $82 million is a generous amount from the Quebec Government, it’s peanuts when the likes of other designers get the same amount for a SINGLE brand in a SINGLE year. It’s not enough to be a designer, it’s now essential to have a working business model. If Canada, even more so Montreal, wants to compete with the big guns they will have to find a way to boost their visibility on a grand scale and be aggressive. We’re being much too docile to newcomers, praising and coddling them through magazines isn’t enough, they need to be able to sell their clothes to buyers and establish some loyalty amongst their shoppers.
Image credits: Style.com, Muse Christian Chenail
