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.

I admit that writing about Men’s Fashion isn’t one of my strong points since I know nothing about it. I sort of wished we had our own Sartorialist photographing fashionable men around the city!

However, I’m glad to know that there is a boutique for the high end man and that’s Pellegrino Castronovo. I’ve actually passed by this shop many times by car as it’s hard to miss from its beautifully spacious interior and large windows. Montreal.tv did a nice little reporting clip about the store and showcased what the shop could do for you. It looks like a very nice store, but only if you have the funds to show for it.

Pellegrino Castronovo Couture is located at 5025 Avenue Papineau, corner St-Joseph.

Image credit: Pellegrino Castronovo

Now, people often ask “What’s the difference between Haute Couture and Pret-a-porter?”

Well, quite a lot. Namely, Haute Couture is not catered to the mass audience but rather an exclusive and very rich clientele. The very rich are very few and in between, even celebrities only cover a fraction of the truly rich people in the world. Haute Couture involves custom-made tailoring and only uses fabrics of the highest quality. More often, they are less publicized in commercial fashion as the price range of their pieces is not made for the average household income.

In the world of luxury however, the houses recognized as Haute Couture by the Federation Francaise De La Couture in Paris are very few, 11 to be exact. They would be Christian Dior, Chanel, Adeline Andre, Christian Lacroix, , Givenchy, Dominique Sirop, Emanuel Ungaro (read more about Ungaro’s newly appointed young head designer at the Business of Fashion Blog), Franck Sorbier, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Maurizio Galante, Anne Valerie Nash. This is the current list as of 2007, among the former members include Balenciaga and Lanvin. If some of those names don’t seem familiar to you, it’s because you and I are not part of the social elite and the ultra rich to have heard about them. There are strict protocols to become a real Haute Couture House. But you’ll find much more information about why Haute Couture has become what it is today at Fashion-Era.com.

These houses are the only exception to their low-profile colleagues as Haute Couture shows in Paris are one of the most coveted media events next to Fashion Week.

10yrs of Dior Couture by John Galliano Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4.
Image from Style.com

I find these shows to be a designer’s fantastical carousel of art pieces more so than realistic wear. John Galliano in particular for his fantastical theatrical shows, especially his Spring 2007 collection. I think for Haute Couture you’d have to really see the collection with an open mind.

Credit image: Reuters

Source: Reuters

Darling, you look good enough to eat…

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) – For hard-core chocoholics, it was the fashion show that quite literally took the biscuit.

Models in New York paraded outfits made of chocolate in the 2007 Haute Chocolate Couture Collection as the audience feasted their eyes on dresses and accessories made out of dark and white chocolate, chocolate squares, chocolate chips and little else.

Model Ashley Moss showed off a dress made from cookies.

“It’s actually amazing. It’s not everyday that you get to wear something like this so I’m really, really excited about it. It’s a first time experience to be wearing cookies,” she told Reuters Television.

The show was part of the 10th Annual International Chocolate Show held over the weekend.

All outfits were meticulously crafted by several designers, including Ortrud Muench Carstens who said the sun almost sabotaged her creation.

“You have to keep it at a very low temperature, not more than about 65 or 68 degrees (18-20 degrees Celsius),” said Carstens.

“The other day I opened the window while I was still working on the dress, and the sun was shining and it, if you come close to it, you see, it melted,” she said, pointing out an area of partially melted chocolate.

Seriously, is there anything designers can’t do?

Mmm….chocolate…