The Mile End dress shop, known for its dedication to the allure of the dress and for nurturing fresh design talent, has opened a branch on Crescent St., in the heart of the Golden Square Mile.

Julie Pesant and partner Michel Lepage are carrying the award-winning collection of Frédéric and Mathieu Joncas, the twin brothers who burst on to the scene as LaSalle College students in 2014. This collection, from their graduating project at UQAM’s École supérieure de mode, is a dramatic tour de force, all red, with flamenco ruffles, sprinklings of sequins, and flourishes of sleeve play.

“We want to support young and new talent,” Pesant said. “They are exceptional talents, and we’re proud to carry them.”

Pesant, a fashion professional who worked in the industry for many years, opened her shop in Mile End in 2012. The store stocks Pesant’s own dress designs, augmented by brands that share her vision of elegant simplicity. In 2014, she worked with emerging talents José Manuel St-Jacques and Simon Bélanger of UNTTLD to create a collaborative collection. Like many design prodigies, they were able to learn from the steady hand and experience of a mentor. Now Pesant carries their collection on her racks.

In 2012, Pesant picked  the St-Viateur/Mile End location for the foot traffic and to serve professional women in the neighbourhood and nearby Outremont.

Julie Pesant with the red collection by the Joncas twins.

Michel Lepage with the Joncas collection.

The Crescent St. location will better serve their customer, said Lepage, noting many customers work downtown. “And we really fell in love with the location,” he added, noting most of the west side Victorian redstones on their block of Crescent are owned by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts.

For the moment, the base collection remains the same at both locations, although the Joncas line is only downtown.

The area is at the start of a retail renaissance: the Four Seasons and a new Holt Renfrew-Ogilvy complex is planned to open at the end of 2018, and the Le Mount Stephen Hotel recently opened on Drummond St., ensuring fresh new clients and draws for high-end shopping.

“Our dream was to be in a old apartment,” Lepage said, acknowledging the changes come to come in the area.

“We have to go where there is traffic. Location, location, location,” Pesant said.

The store is located at 2122 Crescent St.

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