Stylist’s Own – Avant-Garde Pieces for Sale

Montreal is reknown to be pretty fashion forward city in terms of independently held events, organized for artists by artists. A focus on the avant-garde looks and a penchant for the monochromatic palette. It’s a place where the creative wonders, the indy do-it-yourself attitude, and sense of community really makes it feel like fashion is not just for kicks, it’s a lifestyle. Simultaneously, Montreal also tries to cater to the big retail chains downtown, I would safely say that Montrealers have a voracious appetite for fashion, no matter how big or small the event, shoppers are abundant.

Thus bringing me to this event called Stylist’s Own curated by Azamit, a Montreal fashion stylist who is mostly reknown for organizing the annual artist bazaar of Souk@SAT. I first stumbled upon the event while surfing on Montreal State of Mind, and the event was only two steps away from where I lived, why not?

It was held at Domison, one of the many fashionably sleek furniture stores on The Main, and was nothing short but impressed at the items displayed. I met Azamit in the store and we briefly chatted what the event was about.

The idea behind Stylist’s Own was that many of her friends would always be envious of many avant-garde pieces she wore, and she felt she could share her bountiful secrets with the public by establishing this event. Fashion buyers may pick a number of items for their store, but often times many of those pieces never make it to the sales floor for fear of them being too “out there” for normal shoppers to come across. Stylist’s Own is actually putting those unsold pieces on the sales floor for shoppers who are looking for something unique or “out there” to wear.

While Souk@SAT brings together shoppers and artists together under one roof, Stylist’s Own is more about letting the product speak for itself. And today, being the first official day of the event, I would say a good 20 people were in the store when I came by, trying stuff on, and many were buying.

Brands include Montreal’s own Denis Gagnon, Renata Morales, Complex Geometries (btw, some of their pieces were featured in the March/April issue of Clear mag), and more European brands such as Designers Remix, Costume National and Thakoon eyewear.

Although I’m personally not quite avant-garde in clothing, I was duly impressed with the amazing accessories. Necklace cut outs made of the softest leather, a braided neon pink belt made of suede and interlocked with a gold chain, a neon yellow/green cage belt/suspenders in elastics, hand made jewelry in shades of gunmetal gray and silver.

The prices are also quite reasonable to be honest. Pieces this nice deserve every penny they’re posted for. I saw a Renata Morales strapless dress running for $300, many items were priced between $45-80, and belts were hovering around $80-$300. Needless to say, it’s not an extortion for what you get.

Unfortunately, since it’s a sample sale, every single piece shown is unique, so what you see is what you get. There is little room for a petite size 0, so I was better off with the accessories. I ended up hovering over the jewelry section, wishing my wallet was a bottomless well of money as many of the pieces were beautifully handmade and had an edgy gothic feel. I settled on a pair of hand crocheted chain earrings by Rosemary Hedges for a nice $78. I have a penchant for dangling earrings. Some of the silver cast bracelets were really cool, but out of my price range at over $100.

It’s these kinds of events that I personally love about Montreal. Those in the local fashion industry befriend a lot of artists in different mediums, whether it’s painting, music, furniture, clothes, magazines, or even festivals. Montreal is like a close knit family. Everyone is willing to help everyone in their area, just to spread the word and help them pay their bills.