In addition, there were 30 popup shops, carny-like acts, ateliers, cocktails …..

A look from Marie Saint Pierre in a show featuring the wares at Rockland Centre. PHOTO; JIMMY HAMELIN

The scene on the M.A.D. stage at the fashion festival.

It was all too much for any one person to take in.

Nevertheless, I tried my best and lived to tell the tale – just barely. Kudos to the ace P&G Beauté makeup and hair teams, stylists, dressers and others who toiled behind the scenes in sweltering heat to create magical Montreal moments.

Here, then, are some highlights of the week.

Monday: Leger-Leroux: beyond the bandage dress

I interviewed Hervé Leger-Leroux, the legendary creator behind the bandage dress, before the shows. The interview is here. What I learned from his conference: he’s a very funny man, and obviously more at ease in his own language. (We spoke in English.)

Hervé Leger Leroux shows off some of his current work in a conversation with conference curator Stéphane Le Duc.

Some bon mots from the master designer:

Fashion came naturally to him, he told the packed crowd on opening night: “I’m like Scarlett. I take down the curtains and there you go,’’ he joked, referring, of course, to the scene in Gone With the Wind, in which Scarlett O’Hara fashions a dress from green velvet drapes. Monsieur Hervé O’Hara, perhaps, as his next incarnation?

Of the loss of his name, he said, frankly: “It’s a disaster, but business is business.”

His current work is a cross between his bandage technique and draping, to glorious effect. Slides revealed the stunning work of photographer Desirée Mattson, capturing the lush luxury and movement of Leroux’s creations.

Tuesday: In praise of P.K.

RW & Co., the Reitmans division, slipped into the schedule with a private show featuring its fall collections and its collaboration with Montreal’s departing hockey and philanthropic hero, P.K. Subban.

P.K.!

RW & Co.’s mod squad for fall.

On a night of torrential rains, guests were treated to an indoor (thankfully!) slick presentation of RW’s mod fall wares, while waiting for P.K. (and munching on lobster rolls and sushi, yum). Naturally, the crowd went wild. Everything about the man is praiseworthy – his singular style, his humour, his humility, his generosity. By the way, he said he owed his sense of style to his mom, who was there in the crowd, along with brothers, sister and dad.

Earlier, Jean-Michel Othoniel gave a talk at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, before a tour of the soon to be opened Pavilion For Peace with its centrepiece Othoniel sculpture titled Peony Knot.

Wednesday: My runway debut for Reluxe

Me and Andrew McNally on the catwalk for Reluxe. Photo Eva Blue

It was for a good cause – Reluxe, the resale shop to benefit women’s shelter Le Chaînon, so I said sure.

A gaggle of us, festival co-producer Chantal Durivage, Isabelle Maréchal, Lolitta Dandoy, Cathy Samson, Isabelle Ethier, Ody Giroux and others, were asked to dress in the spirit of Reluxe for a walk down the Passerelle Casino de Montréal – the big stage at the Quartier des spectacles.

I knew right away I would wear my Norwegian Wood fringed kimono, a dramatic piece designed by Angie Johnson after she and a few other Etsy artisans were given access to the Rijksmuseum archive. The back is printed in silk with The Threatened Swan by Jan Asselijn, circa 1650. Furniture panels from the same era on the front. I wrote about the kimono in 2014 for the Montreal Gazette, and several months later, broke down and bought it.

(Angie has since moved to California, and we miss her.)

Stylist-journalist-fashion all-round fab guy Andrew McNally asked if I would walk the catwalk with him. YES! I replied. And then I asked him to help style me. He pretty much agreed with my choices, but had me change my pearly platform Chie Miharas for classic black Repetto tango heels. It’s so nice to have a second opinion.

The catwalk, I must say, was a cakewalk. People asked if I was nervous. No, I was not.  Having witnessed hundreds upon hundreds of fashion shows, indulged in a pre-show glass of Prosecco and having Andrew by my side must have done the trick.

So here’s what I wore: Angie Johnson‘s Norwegian Wood kimono, Le Château choker, rubber necklace from Dutch artist Annemieke Broenink, Alexis Bittar earrings and bracelets, plus crystal bracelets from Bleu Comme le Ciel, Tara Jarmon peg leg pants and an Eileen Fisher shell. Shoes were my fave Repetto Bayas.

Well, after the runway walk, I was exhausted – four hours of waiting around in the heat was part of it. I stayed on site for the Cabinet Éphémère – the Ogilvy local design popup – and Rockland, but my usual attention to detail was a bit blurry.

From the Cabinet Éphémère show, Wallo (left) and Nisse. PHOTO, JIMMY HAMELIN

Thursday: a marathon of talks

It began at 10 a.m. with landscape architect Claude Cormier and ended after 10 p.m. with Sartorialist Scott Schuman. On the catwalk, Ardène, Dynamite La Vie en Rose and many more. I did not make it to everything – not nearly.

Trouble Andrew, the artist who appropriated the Gucci logo, spoke of his skate and snowboard days, his obsession with Gucci – a Gucci watch was his first luxury buy, at age 17 – and designer Alessandro Michele’s free rein for him. Andrew, from Nova Scotia but now based in New York, earned his Gucci Ghost name after making a Halloween costume out of Gucci sheets. Now, his scrawlings adorn the luxury brand’s fall collection.

“I think Gucci is the hottest shit right now because Alessandro takes risks,’’ he said. “They flipped it and hijacked me.”

Trouble Andrew on the stage at the Musée d’art contemporain for a talk about his Gucci obsession and more.

Fast forward to Sartorialist photographer Scott Schuman, whose observations on fashion, beauty and photography kept an audience captivated for well past the 45 minutes scheduled.

“You all look so great,’’ he opened. “Where’s my camera?”

Among his observations:

Scott Schuman snaps a shot of an illustration of himself by Marc-Antoine Coulon.

*Instagram images are small so you have to think of something interesting to say.

* I’m not one of those snarky people who pretends to know everything.

* Social media is all about the interaction, the engagement.

* Italians would be fine with a king – They would be okay with Miuccia Prada being queen.

* On Carine Roitfeld – she’s got great style and is sexy. “She wasn’t Tom Ford’s muse for nothing.

* Clothes give clues about who the person might be, but don’t call him a photojournalist. “I don’t really want to know the truth.

* We’re capturing moments like never before and seem to be going back to hieroglyphics with our use of emojis.

For more on Schuman, read my interview here.

Friday: blast from the Parachute past

Back in the 1980s, fashion designer Nicola Pelly and architect Harry Parnass launched Parachute, and fly it did.

The Montreal brand made it to the backs of Mick Jagger, Madonna Peter Gabriel,, Michael Jackson, Prince and David Bowie, among others.

Nicola Pelly, the designer behind the Parachute label, remains forever cool.

A look on the Parachute-WhiteWalls catwalk.

It appears Parachute is not forgotten, as an enthusiastic crowd came out to cheer a retrospective of the line in collaboration with WhiteWalls Worldwide. It was curated by The Fine Print.

What was amazing was how contemporary the Parachute looks were – leather blouson jackets (I had the same one back in the day), colour blocks, anoraks, painter prints, jumpsuits, and utility details.

I’m told a Parachute retrospective exhibition is in the works: watch this space.

Saturday: Château, Alton Gray, Guess

Le Château de Montréal kicked off with a Métro video, featuring red heels and its signature fall windowpane check. Cute. Also on trend for the ladies: vests and a fetching floral print.

The post The best of the fashion fest: P.K. Subban, Parachute, the Sartorialist – and my runway debut appeared first on Eva Friede.

For glamour and elegance, look no further than Tom Ford’s plunging, slinky white gown for Gucci – or anything by Gianfranco Ferre – including a classic black and white photo by Gian Paolo Barbieri.

For romance, and among my favourites in the show, there is a deep burgundy velvet coat with lavishly gold embroidered collar by Romeo Gigli. And a gown of darling red rose embellishments by Giambattista Valli.

For funky, look to Marni with an oversize suit of honking huge crystals (subtly black, it must be said) or Versace, with a fringed leather cowgirl suit.

For whimsy, two centrepieces in a stunning runway display stand out: a Capucci gown of giant swirling fuchsia and emerald flounces as well as a Valentino by the current designers, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pier Paolo Piccioli: It’s an extravagant gown of bronze embroidery with a rhinoceros motif. As V&A curator Sonnet Stanfill says: the piece marries the craft of couture with whimsy. And speaking of whimsy, let’s not forget Pucci, with a playsuit on a mannequin on a Vespa.

Organized by London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, Eleganza: Italian Fashion from 1945 to Today traces history of la moda Italiana from the craft of the neighbourhood dressmaker to the rise of names like Armani, Gucci, Prada and Versace.

The runway display at Eleganza exhibition: Left, a Roberto Capucci gown, 1987-88. Right, contemporary Fausto Puglisi.

Gucci gown for Lupita Nyong’o, 2015.

Lupita Nyong’o attends the opening ceremony and premiere of “La Tete Haute” (“Standing Tall”) during the 68th annual Cannes Film Festival on May 13, 2015 in Cannes, France. COURTESY McCORD MUSEUM

Quality and craftsmanship runs like a thread, says Sonnet – pardoning her pun – through the exhibition. One of many pieces that amaze on that count is a Fendi coat for fall/winter 2000/2001 by Karl Lagerfeld. From a distance, it appears to be wool patchwork – it is in fact, fur intarsia.

A pivotal point for Italian fashion came in 1951, when Giovanni Battista Giorgini organized the first fashion show to be presented to buyers from abroad. And one buyer at that very first show was a Montrealer: John Nixon from Morgan’s – and curators are desperate for any information about him. (Readers, be in touch if you have any details.)

The following year, the show moved to the glittering Sala Bianca at the Pitti Palace in Florence.

Stanfill said there was a lot of animosity from the French when the Italian shows started up.

She recalled a quote from Pierre Balmain: “Let the American buyers go play with baby bonnets in Italy. They’ll come to Paris for their real fashion.”

So there was this sense that the Italian designers were dabbling, but there was this focus on textiles – there was a lot of commentary at the time about the quality and inventiveness of the textiles, Stanfill said.

“But also, in the ‘50s, Italian couture was a third cheaper than the French.”

Asked how Italian fashion differs from the French, Stanfill said it depends on the decade we’re look at. Today, she said, “The Italians are little less formal than the French. There is a sense of being at ease in your own skin.”

More marvels to seek out:

1955: An empire gown with puffed sleeves by Gattinoni worn by Audrey Hepburn in War and Peace.

1966: A silver sequinned gown with evening coat by Mila Schön worn by Lee Radziwill to Truman Capote’s Black and White Ball.

2015: A custom Gucci of green silk with crystal and floral embellishment worn by Lupita Nyong’o to the Cannes Film Festival.

The exhibition runs May 26 to Sept. 25, 2016, with extended summer hours at the McCord Museum. Films, conferences and a contest with the winning prize (worth $7,000) of a trip to Italy and a shopping spree at Holt Renfrew are on offer as well. Click here for details.

Romantic rose-embellished Valli gown in Eleganza display.

Trouser suit, patterned silk top and synthetic fibre trousers, Emilio Pucci, Italy, 1960s. McCord Museum

Fashion show in Sala Bianca, Pitti Palace, Florence, 1955. McCord Museum

Barbieri advertisement for Gianfranco Ferre. McCord Museum

Evening dress of embroidered net and matelasse coat, designed by Mila Schön, Milan, 1966. McCord Museum

The post Eleganza: must-see Italian fashion exhibition opens at McCord Museum appeared first on Eva Friede.

One could just picture a Disney fairy in those feathered floral appliqués and a magic wand.

But somehow, Blanchett’s poise, confidence and beauty allows her to pull it off. A lesser character would be laughed off the red carpet and onto the fashion police radar.

Kudos to Queen Cate.

Embed from Getty Images

Cate Blanchett can wear the fairy princess gown and appear adult.
No other actor can pull that off.

Meanwhile, my fearless prediction that Valentino would rule did not quite pan out. Olivia Wilde wore a white goddess gown with winged shoulders, bare back and barely there bodice from the haute couture collection. The dress was not my favourite from the collection, but also goes to show how catwalk does not always work on the red carpet.

Speaking of white, not only were the nominated actors at the #OscarsSoWhite pale, the overriding trend in colour was white, with a touch of cream and pastels. It was the year of the bride, with Rooney Mara as a kind of medieval goth bride in full on lace Givenchy with a belly triangle cutout. Oh, and topknot hairdo.

Otherwise, jewel tones sparkled. Loved Saoirse Ronan in her emerald Calvin Klein, for the nod to Ireland, her sweet demeanour and the simplicity of the gown.

As for best actress Brie Larson, her Gucci gown was a mess from the gorgeous jewelled belt down. The simple bodice simply did not mesh with the pleated ruffled skirt. Nice blue, though.

Meanwhile, Jennifer Lawrence wore Dior, with a daring sheer lace bodice and ruffled lace skirt, while fellow Dior muse Charlize Theron was in a red plunging column. Hard to see how those two dresses could come from the same house.

And let’s talk about Alicia Vikander, who compromised her it girl status with a canary Louis Vuitton gown, flecked with silver sparkles and with a poufed high-low hem. She arrived early, making quite the entrance with the attention-getting colour, but as the evening wore on, the lemon shade went sour.

Still,  worst dress of the evening goes to …….Heidi Klum, in a mess of a lavender Marchesa.

Embed from Getty Images

Brie Larson’s Gucci had a split personality, but the belt was beautiful.

Olivia Wilde: not the best Valentino.

Alicia Vikander: Louis Vuitton lemon.

Saoirse Ronan: a nod to the Emerald Isle in Calvin Klein.

Worst dressed: Heidi Klum in a lavender bomb from Marchesa.

The post Blanchett elevates fairy princess gown on Oscars red carpet appeared first on Eva Friede.

You want glamour, but you want modern. The big tulle gown or prom number (remember Gwyneth Paltrow in pretty pink Ralph Lauren with an ill-fitting bodice?) really doesn’t cut it, at least for the fashion crowd.

The spring haute couture shows in January and the fall ready to wear collections, now under way, are prime shopping ground for the red carpet.

Valentino’s haute couture collection was the stuff of dreams, a breathtaking lineup of nymph-like goddess dresses in velvet and chiffon, with models wearing serpentine headpieces and golden chains: A red velvet gown plunging gown pleated in the manner of Fortuny is a sure red carpet winner – in fact it may have been designed with the red carpet in mind it’s so perfect – for Cate Blanchett perhaps or, Emily Blunt. For Saiorise Ronan, there were ethereal options from Valentino, in sheer flowing whites, with embroidered butterflies, or creams sprinkled with sparking fairy dust.

For the gal who wants the fairy tale fluff, Giambattista Valli did a red strapless with full tulle skirt.

Gucci is all the rage these days — although the fall show was almost pop punk – there was one blush tulle gown with lovely embroidered vines — it just needs to lose the oversized red poppies.

So what trends are we expecting Sunday night on the Oscar red carpet?

Colourwise, cream, blush and whites have been gaining ground in recent years, with some standout whites, both good and bad – Gwyneth Paltrow in Tom Ford with cape in 2012 may have started the current run on white.

Whites can be somewhat ingenue or ultra glam (Madonna in Marilyn Monroe-esque getup in 1991) – but Lady Gaga pulled off white in a totally novel manner last year with a white Azzedine Alaïa gown with red dishwashing-worthy gloves.

Jennifer Lawrence pulled off classic Old Hollywood ina  white Dior haute couture gown worthy of Grace Kelly in 2013, and promptly tripped on the podium on her way to pick up her best actress Oscar. She was totally endearing.

Red is often a red carpet winner – and J. Law does it best in Dior. At the Globes in January she wore a simple red column with subtle cutouts and in 2014 a similarly clean red gown with a peplum.

Lupita Nyongo’s red caped Ralph Lauren at the Globes in 2014 was simply a stunner.

Colours are hot, too, and screaming yellow, sometimes marigold, stands out. Michelle Williams did that in Vera Wang in 2006; J.Lo, never one to be shy, also trotted out a mustardy marigold number by  Giambattista Valli at this year’s GGs to widespread acclaim.

Black is not so popular these days, but still stands out TO ME as the most elegant and sophisticated.

Print usually does not play well on the red carpet. It’s too busy, and tends to drown the star herself.

The big details to look for are the plunging neckline à la J. Lo in Versace at the Grammys in 2000. We saw many of those at the Globes in January.  Of course, J.Lo’s jungle print gown, which probably prompted the invention of Hollywood tape, was the nakedest of them all, with Amy Adams in red Valentino in a nod to her role in American Hustler a second contender.

Cutouts and the Angelina Jolie leg, courtesy Versace, are other details to look for.

Cate Blanchett is the reigning queen of the red carpet, but scored an unusual flop in a pink fringed Givenchy at the Golden Globes. Her wins have been legendary, particularly the ethereal Armanis, but last year a black Maison Martin Margiela with raw edge hems and turquoise choker was a stunner.

She’s so cool and confident she carries almost anything off.

J.Law: With the absence of designer Raf Simons, Dior’s spring haute couture collection was underwhelming. And the spring ready to wear show was mostly about georgette scalloped shorts with sheer overlays. Of course, the house can whip up something for her. Or perhaps she will go elsewhere.

Alicia Vikander, the new Swedish star of the Danish Girl, is the current fashion it girl. She’s lovely and had a huge spread in Vogue recently. She also has a contract with Louis Vuitton, and wore a juvenile apron-like glimmering dress to the Golden Globes. Other LVs were more successful – like a colour blocked fully sequinned number. And a dove grey  velvet Valentino worn to Cannes last May was the perfect marriage of modern and Old Hollywood, with its simple lines and train. I’d love to see her in the January haute couture Valentino. Actually, that show was so beautiful it could outfit the entire red carpet.

Embed from Getty Images

Rooney Mara wore a frilly beige McQueen to the Globes, but could redeem herself with another gown from Sarah Burton’s Alexander McQueen. The recent collection in London was breathtaking – with butterflies, embroideries and cutouts. I like her in black, and there was a covered up semi-sheer striped gown with keyhole neckline and ruffle details that would suit.

Jennifer Lopez  Marchesa’s spring collection was royally ornate – Elizabethan even. But one dress – #10 – a molten gold number with a lace capelet had Hollywood glam written all over it. A match for J. Lo.

Saoirse Ronan pulls off ethereal beautifully – like the angelic white Saint Laurent with wings she wore to the Globes. I am thinking Valentino, but this time the lighter embroidered chiffons.

What happened to individual style and individual personality on the red carpet?

The stylist rules, making sure her star shines. Some characters might deliberately flout the rules of good taste for attention, but that and genuine bad fashion are increasingly rare. Jane Fonda in ruffles, anybody.  Of course, good taste is subjective, but when something is really beautiful – Jennifer Lawrence in Dior reds, Lupita Nyong’o in Ralph Lauren red, Cate Blanchett in Armani fleshtone tulle, everybody agrees.

So where are the Bjorks, Barbras, Chers and Dions of yesteryear?

Here is a list of some icons.

1969 Streisand in sheer pantsuit by Montreal born Arnold Isaacs

1986 Cher fashion struck in a feathered headdress and stitched triangle dress by Mackie

1998 Sharon Stone in Vera Wang ballskirt and white Gap shirt

1999 Dion in backwards Dior

2000 J. Lo in plunging Versace

2001 Bjork swan

2014 Pharell Williams shorts

Happy viewing!

And here’s a link to a chat I had with Sonali Karnick on CBC Radio’s All in a Weekend all about the red carpet.

http://www.cbc.ca/video/player.html?clipid=2684535144&position=6849&site=cbc.news.ca

The post A fearless Oscar red carpet prediction: Valentino will rule appeared first on Eva Friede.