Image credit: Tommy Ton for Style.com.

Last year I had mentioned a really good article published on IFB concerning fashion bloggers and their finances. As I look through the tweets and photos and having just last week attended Montreal Fashion Week, my mind is still boggling with wonder. How do these women afford these expensive clothes? Besides the stylists, models, and close friends, fashion fiends who prance around in $2000 outfits each day, simply, again, boggles my mind. Especially those who claim they are of the fashion blogging brigade.

And for a brief moment, I felt like I had to step up my game and also dress up for the crowds, a sea of people I don’t know, in the hopes that I would get photographed and have the self-gratifying knowledge that I was deemed fashionable. It’s actually kind of silly when you think about it. But I have to admit, it’s so easy to get swept up in the illusion of glamour and 5 second celebrity of being liked by strangers. And who wouldn’t want to look good in an expensive outfit and have thousands of eyeballs seeing you on a high trafficked website?

Yet, I personally can’t afford those $2000 Louboutin knee high boots, which even disgraced actress Lindsay Lohan, got to wear in a photoshoot, but a mere blogger such as myself simply can’t afford, and refuses to buy a knockoff version. What’s a girl to do? By next season, they’re gone already.

And, I don’t know if I’m jealous of other bloggers who get most of their wardrobe for free, such an example is Tavi Gevinson, the 14 yr old wonder who owns Rodarte tights and Proenza Schouler shirts. What was I wearing when I was 14? Tommy Hilfiger t-shirts made in China, that’s what. At the L2 Generation Next forum last year (shown above), she disclosed her outfit brands and mentioned American Apparel socks (which they didn’t send them to her to wear for that specific event, but did send them to her for free). Not to disrespect Ms. Gevinson, she’s a well-spoken 14 yr old with great talent for insight for her generation’s way of thinking, but I can’t help it but feel a bit disgusted at the free expensive clothes she gets. To emulate the fashion blogging stars of today, many fashion bloggers join the fold and hope to get to such status: getting free clothes, be featured in fashion magazines, rub up with fashion editors, sit front row at the fashion shows, and heck, even design a capsule line with H&M.

It’s no longer about appreciating the clothes, it’s just to have them, show ‘em off on the blog and at the shows, and then discard them into the back of the closet or the drooling vultures waiting to buy it off you. Because you can’t be seen with the same old thing from last season when you have a new crop of spanking brand new clothes to wear for the new season. It seemed only yesterday fashionistas were spewing talk of “investment pieces” when it’s really code for a shelf life of one season.I really doubt you’ll be seeing that Givenchy leopard print outfit from 2010 any time soon.

Fashion blogging that focuses on criticism such as Dualité is probably not at the top of most people’s list of things to look for when searching for clothes. Fashion brands dislike negative press, yet I don’t understand why they would get so offended. When reviewing a product, whether it’s a computer, a toothbrush, shampoo or clothes, you’re bound to have some negative criticism. That’s why I find criticism of the electronics industry to be so wonderfully open to audience reviews, and it drives them to do something about their shortcomings (such as Apple’s flack on the iPhone 4′s reception). Why can’t fashion brands get “flack” on badly designed collections once in a while? After all, all collections are based on a team of collaborators (seamstresses, suppliers, bag makers, shoe makers, etc) of whom the designer seems to be taking all the credit for. Why does the fashion industry have to go so far as to BAN journalists from attending because of one flack review? Why must they be so sensitive about criticism? What does it say of a brand who can’t stand up to criticism and prove people wrong the next time around? Where’s the will to fight back?

Image credit: Scott Schuman, The Sartorialist

Anyway, I felt that as I watch NYFW unfold, as great as everyone looks in those street style photos, something rings false in the end. It’s not really street style when you’re going to a place to be seen and snapped. That’s what I really liked about The Sartorialist, he goes out and photographs when it’s NOT an event, where the fashion crowd isn’t normally found. That is true street style – unpretentious and unplanned.

When I first started attending Montreal Fashion Week in 2008, the landscape of personalities on the floors at Marché Bonsecours was drastically different. The crowd was mostly made up of older middle aged women, seasoned veterans of the fashion industry who have been in the local game longer than I’ve been alive at the time. I was one of the few people who was in their 20s and I felt oddly out of place in the realm of big shot editors, buyers and journalists.

And – none of them could dress.

At least when you compare them to the crowds that attend Montreal Fashion Week now. In 2011, the crowd has gotten drastically younger, much more fashionable, and the energy of the venue was no longer dowdy and dated but vibrant and alive. I’m sure the veterans are floating somewhere, but in the sea of tights, high heeled shoes and nerd glasses, they’re pretty much  nowhere to be seen.

Also, Montreal Fashion Week has become much more crowded than usual, by opening the flood gates to fashion bloggers, it was actually relatively easy to get into shows you didn’t register for, or to even request a reservation. But I still found issue in the seating arrangements during every show, depending on the PR company that you were dealing with, most of them gave seating tickets randomly, only making sure that fashion magazine editors, journalists and celebrities were seated in the front row. Fashion bloggers and the rest of the “nobodies” were randomly given seats or standing tickets. What was the point of registering? I wish they actually had a seating strategy, sometimes I would find myself in the very last row or even standing up while others had the benefit of sitting 3rd row (the best seats in my opinion) when they weren’t even media people to begin with.

The unfair playground during fashion shows happens often, and feathers are ruffled and egos bruised. It’s part of the game. At Montreal Fashion Week, it’s still a bit unexpected as it’s still a relatively small week compared to others, I would understand more if it were New York and Paris where competition for a seat or even an invitation is much more fierce, you’d be lucky to even be standing at a popular designer’s show.

I read a fashion week survival guide that it pays to be aggressive because you have no choice but to be aggressive. If you’re meek and sweet, like I am, you’ll never get front row seats or wait in line. If you act like you’re important, others might think you’re important, at least perhaps in New York City. Montreal still has that friendly camaraderie vibe, that was lacking during my experience at NYFW, so it hasn’t gotten to cat fight level yet, but I’m pretty sure it’ll get there eventually.

But seating dilemma aside, the shows I’ve been to this season has improved drastically in terms of quality of the collections presented. But then again, I’ve come to pick and choose which shows I want to see. I’ve decidedly skipped some of the more hyped up designers or regulars who have always shown, mainly because I’ve seen enough that I haven’t been that impressed. Overall, I was quite pleased with collections I’ve seen, I think designers nowadays are really pushing the envelope to still remain creative while offering more commercially accessible looks.

Models
It was also refreshing to see a whole new crop of models, since 2006 I’ve been seeing the same faces on the runaway and I was frankly getting tired of seeing the same women every season. Many of them had the terrible habit of posing ridiculously in front of the camera. This season’s crop of models were professional and walked very nicely, I applaud.

Photographers
Well, Montreal isn’t really the Mecca of fashion photographers, so it would explain why most runway shots are badly done. Most photographers are probably not used to shooting a moving target down the runway, hence the inconsistent photos I see in the galleries. Sometimes they’re full length, other times, they’re only a close up of the face, other times, it has another model in the shot, it’s terrible. If I compare to the likes of Style.com, their runway photos are always the same, full length walking down the runway. Even if the model is farther or closer to the photographer, the model always appears in same height and length. Professional photographer who make a living out of their shots, need to practice more in shooting better runway photos. It’s not really the time to make arty photos.

Venue
Marché Bonsecours has been a satisfactory venue to handle smaller crowds, but Thursday night’s crowd after the Telio show was absolutely chaotic. I think Sensation Mode should start looking for a bigger venue to show, or have it split into a second venue to alleviate the congestion of the crowds, especially considering that the Cocktail lounge is right next to the runway venue simply makes it too tight for comfort.

I would also like to see a second organizing committee that will offer to advertise off-site shows. As I’ve learned, labels who can’t afford the Marché Bonsecours venue, still has to pay advertising space to announce an off-site show. It would open up much more variety and can offer a longer week of fashion shows. Just a thought.

As Montreal Fashion Week closes, New York Fashion Week has already kicked off. It’ll be a month long showing of new fashions into the Fall season, so stay tuned on more posts!

Going into year two in the era of Denis Gagnon’s comeback, anticipation was running high. The past 3 collections he has presented had landed him as the Golden Boy of the Montreal Fashion scene.

For fall 2011 though, he offered a surprising contrast from previous collections by splitting personalities of past and future. Quite frankly, I’m a little wary of what the future of Denis Gagnon will look like.

The first half of the show was typical of his previous works in black leathers interspersed with color highlights. He played with volume and shapes for jackets, A-line skirts, with a nice use of fur. He made special collaborations again with Aldo for shoes and Dandi Maestre’s jewelry collection. There large leather clutches and skin tight, leather elbow gloves, it was a signature first half.

The second half of the show bewildered all previous notion of the monochromatic universe, and into the wild and crazy world of colors. As a foray into color, I had a hard time digesting the looks he was presenting. Hot pink tights with large crochet dresses and fur hems – a call back to the boudoir ensemble, were the orders of the tomorrow. But the confections of colors were unconvincing, the fabrics seemed to have been pushed away as a second thought. This half reminded me of what Yso had done the previous season with his parade of colors, and it’s not surprising – he’s Denis Gagnon’s stylist.

At the finale, the designer himself walked out with lips painted red and wearing a hand crocheted snood, making him look like a nun. Make what you will of it.

After the show, the crowd was buzzing, but most had mixed feelings. Success in pleasing the crowd does have its limits.

Fall 2011 looks to be a covered up season for Barilà, with turtle neck sweaters, fur hats and stoles, and cloche hats galore in plums, turquoise and soft greys. There were a few moments of plaid in orange and black, and with the slender and long figures, made think of Americana in the 1920s with a dash of Marc Jacobs’ obi sash belts of Spring 2009, and had a Ralph Lauren feeling. Albeit, Barilà’s collection is entirely much more subdued, playing mostly with solid colors than prints, which I think dampened the whole experience.

By some accounts, Spring 2010 was decidedly much more cheerful and color and was apparently sorely missed in the Fall collection this season. Not to mention that the models had a difficult time wearing the shoes and about half a dozen have tripped over their stiletto heels and a couple even decided to remove the shoes altogether.

In a retrospective, this was possibly the safest collection one could present on the runway, nothing too crazy, nothing too extravagant, individual pieces that could be sold on the sales floor for practical times during the cold winter months. But the downfall of a safe collection is the lack of creative style that would distinct itself from competing brands offering clothes in the same bracket for a much cheaper price. Barilà needs to strengthen its brand presence or else lose itself in the shuffle.

Samuel Dong has been known more so for his work at the CIMM in Montreal, creating commercial collections in womenswear rather than high end collections. In the past, I’ve seen mini collections that were associated with CIMM and had always appreciated his commercial touch. Recently he has been breaking out on his own, and this fall’s collection seems to be channeling some well-known designers.

Right from the start, we are treated to a club mix of “Un Bel Di Vedremo”, the famous song sung in the equally famous opera, Madame Butterfly, and when the first model walked out with dramatic fusion of Chinese Opera meets Japanese Kabuki makeup, I knew exactly where this collection was going. It immediately conjured up a post I did 2 years ago about the Dior Spring/Summer Haute Couture show in 2007. John Galliano had explained that he was inspired by the sad story of Cho Cho-san in Madame Butterfly and designed the entire collection revolving around Japanese costumes. The result was a stunningly theatrical collection, complete with dramatic eyemakeup and striking color palettes that Galliano is known for.

For Samuel Dong, the colors were equally striking, and the models were tall and slender with cinched waists and voluminous bubble skirts. Yes, there was Dior written all over the collection, and throwing in an Alexander McQueen-esque Victorian ruffled coat in red, or an animal printed silk shift dress – which reminded me of Christopher Kane’s baboon-printed dresses for some reason, and a touch of Roberto Cavalli with leopard print tights and shiny coats. It was such a shame that Samuel didn’t have an army of couterieres to add details to his already beautifully structured clothes, it was definitely a winner for the night. It’s odd to say, but the clothes had no “asian flavor” so to speak, so it didn’t entirely pay homage to Madame Butterfly.

Like much of Galliano’s work however, I find it difficult to place this collection on the sales floor, much like it would be rare to find Dior clothing in most retail stores. There a lot of pieces that look great on the runway, but sadly sometimes doesn’t translate well into commercial standards. Still, it’s not to say that the entire collection is completely unsellable, there are a few pieces that could work well into one’s wardrobe. But this collection has indeed come to a pleasant surprise, surpassing my expectations and seeing that there is hopeful potential in Samuel’s work to keep channeling a simmering talent for haute couture looks.