fantasme fashion event
In my work, I experience 99% of the addresses, activities, events and products I recommend. Experience is key. It sets me apart.
I get lost, eat bad food, and make mistakes so my clients don’t have to.
The upside is reliability, and information designed for use. And I love sharing what’s great about Montreal.
The downside is that I can’t be everywhere, do everything.
So I need your help: I just received information about Fantasme. The one-night fashion event brings together Montreal-based art gallery the Darling Foundry, and designers Andrew Ly and Melissa Matos in an outdoor fashion show, fashion film screening and afterparty.
It’s just the kind of thing I like to cover on this blog. It takes place Thursday, Aug 20…and I can’t go!
Dear readers, would you attend, and report back?
Give us a few details about something you loved or hated. Tell us if it worked, and why (or why not).
The event is open to the public and free to attend. Read the overview and see a video at http://www.fantasme-event.blogspot.com/
Please rsvp to FANTASMESEVENT@GMAIL.COM
I look forward to hearing from you on the 21st!
Photograph courtesy Melissa Matos.
les étoffes has fine cloth and attitude
Innovative design meets distinctive fashion at les Etoffes, a new clothing boutique on the Main.
What drew me in last winter was the vitrine - impeccably strewn with boots, bowlers, antique lace and trendy lamps. It was original, inventive, and highly textural, and had my mind spinning as I tried to come up with a narrative tying the elements together.
Then last month, a window displayed plastic human organs on a table set with Fiesta ware. What??
I knew the answer, though, even before one of the shop’s young owners pointed to the custom papier peint on the back wall. The wallpaper is a jaunty backdrop to the gorgeous clothes hanging from meat hooks affixed to grids on the ceiling.
Created by a Quebec designer, it parodies the French standard toile de jouy. Instead of beautiful women inked onto on a cream colored background, we see naked men performing various bodily functions. The meat hooks and cadaverous display are natural extensions of the theme.
Okay, edgy design - but what about the clothing?
Les étoffes means “fine cloth” and the shop carries new designers and quality used garments - distinctive shoes for men and women, and clothing for women - all made from top quality materials. Lines are classic, even minimal, and fabrics make shirts, jackets, and especially dresses, unforgettable.
Young Swedish designers Rodebjer, Carin Wester and Fifth Avenue Shoe Repair hang beside LA-based Grey Ant, and vintage pieces found in NY and Toronto warehouses. It’s sometimes hard to tell the used garments from the new. Visually and texturally, the place is a hit.
Conceptually, it’s full of surprises. There’s a pink kitchen in the back, visible through an opening in the wall at eye level - very feminine, and yet the offers to make a cappuccino while you shop come from Chris, the male half of the romantic and business partnership.
Diana, adorable in some of the lines they sell, or a hip mix of old and new, is a fabulous ad for their wares. It’s unlike anyplace else in Montreal.
If you go: 5253 Blvd St Laurent, open T W, 12-6, Th F 12-8, Sat Sun 12-6. No website.
sidewalk sales, street fairs, and more
Yesterday was a glorious day to be out and about in Montreal. After four days of rain, the sky was blue, and the city sparkled. I wandered with friends in The Main, the Plateau, the Botanical Gardens, and Vieux Montréal…aahh, what a treat.
The Main - closed to traffic between Sherbrooke and Mont-Royal for the first of three summer sidewalk sales - was in its glory. Street food included chow mein, hot dogs and espresso (with chocolat chaud as a holdover from the preceding rainy days) - supplemented by café terraces, filled to overflowing.
Friends chatted in groups, couples walked hand in hand, and just about every breed of dog padded through the happy crowds. In sidewalk sale tents, prices plunged - and we got two swingy, Georges Lévesque nylon skirts at Scandale for half off.
Ex-centris had a free viral/visual project going. Apparently, there is still confusion about whether the state-of-the-art complex is still open. To promote the still intact Cinéma Parallèle, a friendly, goateed young man invited passersby to peer through a hole in a painted board, kind of like they do with Mickey Mouse at Disney. A professional photographer recorded the images.
I can’t say I understood the visuals (at first glance, a donut, with a bullet on trajectory toward the participant’s head), but I love the place - a cultural treasure, full of fun and surprises all year long.
In the Plateau, it was all about biking. Folding bikes, hybrids, and faithful old road models rolled along with the cars on Ave Mont-Royal. Bikes (and calmly panting dogs) waited in front of stores and cafés as their owners enjoyed the confluence of free time and good weather, shopping, brunching, and hanging out in puddles of sun.
Every BIXI station in and around Parc la Fontaine was empty - and the bike path between the park and the Botanical Gardens streamed with riders. At the gardens, bike parking was easy to come by; cars, packed with families and poussettes, were not so easily accommodated.
We saw a black tandem bike locked to a post, and imagined the couple who owned it: middle aged, helmeted cyclists wearing slim-fitting Pearl Izumi jackets, who had once toured Ireland, Italy and elsewhere under their own power.
Near the entrance, a pair of twenty-something cyclists leaned duffle-laden steeds against a tree, while he took her picture with a disposable point-and-shoot. Not in front of the joyously spattering fountain, or the ruffled yellow snapdragons - but in front of the Olympic stadium, with her left hand raised to shoulder height, and held flat, as if she held the white stadium tip in her palm.
In Vieux Montréal, a long line waited at Musée Point-à-Caillière, in honor of the city-wide Free Museum Day. On the grass near the science museum, aerobics instructors led warm ups for a walk benefiting Alzheimer’s patients.
We watched a parade of snare drummers wearing tri-cornered black and gold hats, and wandered through a food festival featuring lobsters and sugar on snow.
Finally, we staked out a table at Café Serafim, soaking in the sun, nursing lattes, and admiring Chapel Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours.
Across the street, wearing period dress, the Musée Marguerite Bourgeoys staff announced the free tour. Eventually we succumbed and climbed the 69 steps to the tower - breathing in the blue sky and the view of the harbor, watching our fellow revelers from above.
summer festivals celebrate jazz, fashion, comedy, cycling
Get out your calendar, and start planning your summer weekends now. Jazz, fashion, comedy and cycling festivals are all on the horizon. Here is a primer, so you’ll know what to expect and how to learn more.
MONTREAL BIKE FEST, May 31 to June 7, 2009. Montreal celebrates the bicycle for eight days, in the best cycling city in North America, according to Bicycling Magazine.
The festival kicks off with a group ride along the Châteauguay River. The Metropolitan Challenge, Sun May 31, has 75, 100, 125 and 150 km options.
Operation Bike to Work takes place June 1-5, offering workshops on and incentives for commuting by bike.
A fun way to see Montreal under the lights is Un Tour La Nuit - Fri June 5. Twenty thousand participants will ride 20km of trails, leaving from Blvd St Joseph at 8:30pm.
Join the Tour de I’lle as it celebrates its 25th anniversary on June 7, 2009. This family-oriented event is a great way to explore the city’s neighborhoods. Cirque de Soleil participates in the send-off, which takes place on Ave du Parc at 9:15am.
The Bike Fest has extra support from the city’s new green initiative, BIXI. This hop-on-hop-off bike rental program, inspired by the popular Paris Vélib, makes 3,000 bikes available at 300 stations in areas of the city served by bike lanes. Once you’re registered, you can take a bike, pedal free for the first half hour, and return it to any station. Bikes are available May - Nov (stations are removed for the winter.) Starts May 12.
Fashionistas flock to Montreal for events like the Festival de la Mode, with street activities and special
presentations that pay tribute to fashion and design, with special focus on Quebec designers. June 17 to 20, McGill College Avenue
Not sure if it’s for you? Watch a video.
June 13 kicks off the 25th anniversary of the L’International des Feux Loto-Québec - international fireworks festival. The schedule consists of ten Saturday night performances, each featuring 30 minute fireworks shows, with talent from a dozen countries - including Canada on July 25.
You’ll need tickets to watch from amusement park La Ronde, where the fireworks are launched and set to music. Or watch for free on the Jacques Cartier bridge. Festival runs through the grande finale on Aug 15.
Festival International de Jazz de Montreal – the largest jazz festival in the world - takes place July 1 to 12 at Place des Arts. There will be over 500 shows, including 350 free outdoor concerts. The program of ticketed concerts will be unveiled Tuesday, May 5th, at 11am, with the full program of free concerts to be unveiled June 8.
Just for Laughs Festival is a premier comedy event featuring gala performances, theater, club acts and outdoor shows, with galas hosted by John Cleese and Whoopi Goldberg. July 3 to 26, 2009 Quartier Latin.
Hope to see you on the streets of Montreal!
inspired montreal: 5 days of art, fashion, food and design for women - may 27-31, 2009
Our 5-day guided tour for creative women is the next best thing to living in Montreal!
• We’ll spend much of our time off the beaten path in French-speaking Montreal. We’ll experience the city as the locals do, wandering side streets, meeting people who live and work there.
• We’ll tap the European influences that make Montreal a leading center of fashion and design.
• Our small group - 4-5 women, each with a single room - gives you your own space, while allowing opportunities for meaningful connections and stimulating conversations.
A sample day
8am - 12noon. Take photos or a walk in the park, or attend a yoga class. Then we’ll begin our exploration of Rue St Denis, with its rich selection of specialty food shops, cafés, and clothing boutiques.
12 - 1:30. Lunch today is at Au Festin de Babette, or Babette’s Feast - the tiny tea shop which inspired this trip. We’ll choose from delightful pastries, imported French treats, decadent chocolates, elegant pizzas, exotic teas, and more.
1:30 - 5:00. We’ll meet an up-and-coming clothing designer, a chocolatier, and an artisan shoemaker as we continue to explore The Plateau.
5:00 - 8:00. Wander a bit more on your own - perhaps following one of the city’s numerous bike paths - or rest, before our night out.
8:00 - 10:00. We’ll take in the multi-ethnic, village atmosphere of Duluth St in the Plateau, and dine at a BYOW (bring your own wine) restaurant. Perhaps a jazz club after dinner.
Trip leader
Karen Kane owns Paris by Design, a travel consulting service that specializes in fantastic trips to Paris, and Montreal by Design - providing insider experiences in Montreal. Her work has been recognized by the NY Times, LA Times, Boston Globe, Montréal Gazette, Houston Chronicle, Delta Sky Magazine, and National Public Radio.
On this trip, Karen will take you inside Montreal, the world’s second largest French speaking city. She’ll lead you to her favorite parts of Montreal, introduce you to some of her favorite people, work with you to personalize the independent time in your itinerary, and teach you everything you need to know about Montreal culture.
What’s included
• 5 days and 4 nights in Montreal
• Your own room in a delightful three-star B&B
• Daily breakfast, five inspirational lunches, and four fantastic group dinners
• Guided walks that get you off the beaten path
• A personalized notebook, including additional Montreal addresses of particular interest that will help you discover arts venues, restaurants, shopping, and more
• Montreal museum and métro tickets
• Recommendations for and help arranging optional activities, including jazz clubs, a cooking class, spa appointment and the like
Not included
• Transportation to Montreal, airport transfers
• Personal expenses
• Passports and travel insurance
Cost and registration
Cost is $1970 per person, single occupancy. A $500 deposit holds your place for the trip. Please contact Karen to register at karen@parisbydesign.com, or 800 430 5436.
