Apparently, The Party Starts Thursday
Nothing to do Thursday? Think again!
Montrealers rejoice, all these events concerns you!
What’s going on Thursday, August 20th, 2009:
The Gap is having a mega birthday party for the big 4-0 across 700 stores. Montreal’s Gap stores in downtown, Rockland Centre and Carrefour Laval will have a special $20 discount on their jeans until Aug. 27th. There’s much buzz going on about their new 1969 jeans, perhaps give them a try?
Remember that StyleXchange with new Little Burgundy’s Montreal Trust location will open today. Also they have more exclusive Juicy Couture back to school gear, mouse and glittering pink mouse included.
Popular t-shirt company Dom Rebel has recently split into 4 distinct brands and is throwing a retrospective fashion show along with their new Fall collection. Show starts tonight at 6:00pm at Chateau St-Ambroise and Solo Tech, arrive early as space is limited.
Art fashion show, Fantasme, featuring two artists, Andrew Ly and Melissa Matos are set to showcase their work at the Darling Foundry SAT on St-Laurent at 8:30pm and with an after party. I’ll be attending this party along with BoF’s Imran Amed, who I’ll get to meet for the first time!
Jack & Jones is opening in the Champlain Mall at 5pm, and will have Stanley Cup champion Maxime Talbot signing autographs and French rap duo Dubmatique (old schooool!) will perform from their new album at 6pm.
Er, Forever 21 NOT Opening Today
I’ve been duped! Damn those online sources. I passed by Forever 21 today and it still had its renovation panels blocking every entry. August 14th my butt! Last week I did pass by where they were still working on the interior and the door was open. It didn’t look very finished at all. I’m guessing the opening will be no later than by the end of the month.
However, considering how much backlash this store is having in the US (and elsewhere) with lawsuits popping up left and right you might want to reconsider shopping there altogether. I haven’t bought anything from them in about 2 yrs, and admittingly they are much cheaper in quality than H&M and Zara (I still have a polka dot dress that’s still hanging in there quite nicely, amazingly). This is really for people who don’t care about outright copies of designer clothing in cheap materials that will wear off after one wash.
Go at your own risk.
Joseph Helmer Finally Opens Boutique Gallery
Ever since I first saw him back at Montreal Fashion Week 2 years ago I was intrigued and dying to see his clothes up close, however I’ve been scouring the internet for a website or store but never found anything.
Until now.
The answer popped into my inbox to announce that Helmer will finally open a gallery boutique on 2020 St-Laurent (along with his website), not only showcasing photos taken from local fashion photographer Jimmy Hamelin, but also regrouping some of our best talents such as Denis Gagnon, Philippe Dubuc, Morales, Jude and more. And yes, you can buy their pieces.
Projection for the store opening will be some time in September, and you can bet your money that I will be there when it does!
Image credit: Helmer
Avant-Garde Sites For Your Black Soul
If you’re over the vintage and mainstream looks from high fashion, you might want to turn thy self to the dark side. I’m not sure if it’s politically correct to say “avant-garde” anymore according to the Kaiser on Twitter. However, I’ve seen it enough to be able to distinguish it from other fashion styles. Mainly because it sticks to the monochromatic look with the occasional flash of bright colors, with funky cuts giving it an “edgy” look. Whatever the case, designers who design these non-mainstream looks are coming out of the wazoo.
Here are three stores that that I found to have a large selection with photos so bareboned that they remind me of sexless Terrie Richardson photos (is that even possible?). I’m planning on visiting Oak this fall on my Labor Day trip, I’m setting my expectations high.
Reborn - Montreal
Though this store has probably been covered to death in local Canadian magazines and newspaper, it’s only with good reason. This tiny Old Port boutique has an eclectic and very black selection, selling equally black and gunmetal gray accessories such as laptop cases, handcrocheted bracelets, and leather bags. Among the brands are a couple of homegrown designers like Rad Hourani and Complex Geometries, and man-of-the-moment Alexander Wang. Expect to pay an ultra shiny penny for these pieces though.
Oak- New York
I found this store online while perusing for Alexander Wang outside my usual Net-a-porter playground, and discovered some pretty rockin’ accessories with equally amazing shoes (too bad they’re all sizes 6 and up). Even better was their impressive list of 50+ designers in the same genre. And what about those amazing editorial shoots? Très chic mes amis.
Dover Street Market - London
Ok, so their best arsenal isn’t quite available online, but it’s worth a mention since Helene from TheLuxeChronicles had told me about it a couple of months ago on my trip to London. It is perhaps the mother of all avant-garde stores, curated by none other than the Queen of Avant-garde fashion, Rei Kawakubo from Comme Des Garçons. Here you’ll find coveted pieces you probably won’t find anywhere else and find bewitching pieces by the likes of Azzadine Alaïa, Hussein Chalayan, and Gareth Pugh. Spread across 5 floors, you’ll be swimming in heaven from top to bottom. A must-see for anyone traveling to London.
Image credits: Oaknyc, Reborn, Dover street market
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.
Stylist’s Own event runs for only this weekend, April 3rd to April 5th.
Let’s hope this will be a yearly event!
