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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Suitsupply, the Dutch menswear company, has landed on the block of stately Victorian mansions between de Maisonneuve Blvd. and Sherbrooke St. W.

The store is breathtakingly modern and spectacular, 4,000 square feet of retail innovation on three storeys. There’s an “open-kitchen” tailor department, a wall of ties posing as an op-art installation and massive LED brand images (I love the watermelon guy).

A view inside Suitsupply Montreal. PHOTO SUITSUPPLY

Why would women be jealous? Start with on-site tailoring and prices from $429 to$1,029 for a suit: the Wall Street Journal famously compared a $625 Suitsupply suit to a $3,000-plus Armani and found “little difference.” And then there’s the simplicity of a working man’s wardrobe – it’s basically a uniform built around a jacket.

VP Nish de Gruiter, the creative fashion force of the company, says the concept is built around the suit.  (Hence, the name, obviously.) “Yes, it’s for men to dress up. But we provide something for seven days a week. We design everything around a jacket,” he said.

Nish de Gruiter at the launch party of Suitsupply in Montreal.

Artist’s illustration of Suitsupply Montreal.

Suitsupply de la Montagne. PHOTO COURTESY SUITSUPPLY

Suitsupply, founded in 2000, is certainly doing something right. It now has more than 60 stores worldwide and  a thriving web business for its menswear. The Montreal store is the second Canadian location, after Toronto.

Why here, why now? Well, it’s anchored by the Ritz, Tiffany and Holt Renfrew on Sherbrooke, and a new Four Seasons and mega  Ogilvy-Holt Renfrew project is in the works on the block to the south.

A mini retail renaissance is happening on de la Montagne, with new stores moving in even as others close.

This is the future of luxury shopping in Montreal, said Roberto Reino, director of Christofle, the French brand with elevated housewares and jewellery, which relocated to the block from Ogilvy’s this winter.

Inside the Christofle store on de la Montagne.

Inside Montagne, the popup that went permanent on de la Montagne.

Montagne, a popup with an edgy luxe vibe, went permanent this winter, and Abe & Mary’s, the contemporary store on Jean Talon St. W., is expected to open in April. Another Montreal retailer is working on a new banner, but has yet to reveal details. Meanwhile, Diesel has shut down, leaving a gaping hole on the street – and perhaps a stellar opportunity for a retailer with big pockets and dreams. Still, Anthropologie, Château d’Ivoire, Marie Saint Pierre and All Saints remain shopping draws.

We had questions for de Gruiter, an alumnus of Brunello Cucinelli, before a few hundred guests invaded the space for an opening party Thursday night. The Champagne flowed, as did the Heineken.

Q. Why here, why now?

“I roamed around the city quite a bit. I looked at the high streets, with so much traffic. But this street has so much character. I saw this building, and called up the landlord, because there was a For Rent sign in the window.

“The location near Sherbrooke – you have the Ritz Carlton, Holt Renfrew – everything was right.”

Q. What is your wardrobe go-to piece?

“I always catch myself grabbing is this navy traveller suit I am wearing right now. It’s totally deconstructed and it’s made from fabric that doesn’t wrinkle.”  He takes off his jacket and shows it through the light, explaining that the yarn is twisted so extensively that it always bounces back to its original shape.

“It’s like a second shirt.”

Fit, he adds, is key to menswear.

Q. What’s the key piece for spring?

“A silk knit jacket.” He shows the jacket, a tightly woven blazer in variegated navy or beige.

Q. What have you noticed about Montreal men?

“The guys dress up well. I’ve gone to restaurants, bars. People do take care. They’re style conscious, have a European flair. The reason we opened the store here in Montreal is because our web store business here is tremendous.”

Q. What is Suitsupply’s secret sartorial weapon?

“The secret is we make a very serious product and we don’t take ourselves too seriously. We have fun with what we do. It’s eclectic.”

Q. Is there a target audience?

“It’s for everybody who wants to be seen, and doesn’t operate within the system.

Q. Your philosophy?

“Style is something you whisper, not scream.”

Suitsupply looks for spring 2017. SUITSUPPLY

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