Now the countdown is on to the Festival Mode & Design, Aug. 15-20, when fashion takes its place at the Quartier des spectacles. On the agenda: catwalk shows, conferences, performances and pop-up shops.

Of course, major Quebec retailers and malls – Ardène, Dynamite, La Vie en Rose, Le Château, Rockland Centre, Complexe Desjardins – are showing, but there are new names to discover, too, both on and off the catwalk. Among the intriguing newbies – Eliza Faulkner (Central St. Martins grad, contemporary styles), Roxanne Nikki (wild faux fur), Mon Préféré (versatility is mission) …. And the list goes on. For a good snapshot of Montreal fashion, check out the Cabinet Éphémère show Wednesday night at 7:30.

If you like to touch and try, there will be almost 30 popup shops.

A look from Eliza Faulkner.

Mon Préféré’s lineup for summer.

On my list for the festival are a few very special events, and one that has me particularly nervous. Read on.

In the leadup to the the festival, I had the pleasure of interviewing two speakers on the ambitious conference program curated by Stéphane Le Duc.

Speaking about his trajectory beyond the bandage dress, Hervé L. Leroux, perhaps better known at Hervé Leger, opened up about his relationship with Karl Lagerfeld, the loss of his right to use the name Hervé Léger commercially, the state of fashion and the challenges facing young designers. Read the piece here.

Hervé L. Leroux.

And Scott Schuman, the Satorialist, talked about the late Bill Cunningham and his own different vision of street style photography, fashion journalism, his inspiration and how he started his blog. Read the piece here.

Scott Schuman. Photo The Sartorialist

Also on the speakers’ list: Lise Watier, Jeanne Beker, Trouble Andrew, Charlie Le Mindu, Kym Barrett, Max Abadian, Jean-Marie Boursicot, Mark DeCoste et Benoît Mathieu from Cirque du Soleil, Antoine Roset, Didier Vervaeren, Jacques Nantel and more.

First up, though, I plan to catch First Monday in May, the doc on the Metropolitan Museum’s Costume Ball, this weekend at the Cinéma du Parc.

As for my case of nerves, I will be walking on the catwalk for the Reluxe show, the event and pop-up shop in support of women’s shelter Le Chaînon. What I am wearing is straight from my closet, a mix of local and not, picked by me with a helping hand from Andrew McNally. (Thanks, Andrew!)

Oh dear, I hope I don’t trip.

Anyhow, it’s all  for a good cause.

Watch this space to learn what I will be wearing ……

Catch the FMD schedule here.

The post Getting set for the fashion festival: you won’t believe what I will be doing appeared first on Eva Friede.

The Festival Mode & Design, known for its fashion-entertainment spectacles, has its serious side, too. Running Aug. 15-20, the festival has an ambitious program of conferences featuring international names.

Conference curator Stéphane Le Duc has spent the past year wooing designers, photographers, artists and game-changers: headliners this year include bandage dress creator Hervé L. Leroux, Sartorialist Scott Schuman, beauty biz icon Lise Watier, haute coiffure creator Charlie Le Mindu, artist Trouble Andrew and many more. Canadians on the list include Fashion TV host Jeanne Beker, Montreal photog Max Abadian and landscape architect Claude Cormier.

I spoke with Hervé L. Leroux, formerly known as Hervé Léger, for an interview to be published on the Sensation Mode website later this summer. The designer spoke of his inspiration, history and current work. “I am a fashion designer so my element is the woman’s body. The only goal is to make women look beautiful,’’ he said.

Hervé L. Leroux. Photo Ali Mahdavi

On Léger-Leroux, Le Duc said, “He’s a survivor.’’ Léger’s legendary bandage dresses are now produced under the label Hervé Léger by Max Azria.

“It’s still his style, but it’s kind of crushing his heart,’’ Le Duc said.

Charlie Le Mindu. Photo Jérôme Lobato

Hair creation by Charlie Le Mindu. Photo Alice Rosati

Le Duc said he was excited about Le Mindu because his hair creations are so wild, “and he’s the big thing to know now in Europe, so why not Montreal?”

Schuman is a legend after just 11 years of his groundbreaking blog, The Sartorialist, Le Duc said. His 10th anniversary book sold 100,000 copies, he pointed out, amazing considering that his platform is digital. “But it shows that his work has become a classic that people want to keep. So that’s great to know. And reassuring,’’ he said.

The conferences show that Montreal can attract those international names, Le Duc said.

Scott Schuman. Photo The Sartorialist

Stéphane Le Duc introduces the program of conferences at Festival Mode & Design. Little Albert had other things in mind.

“There was a kind of sparkle last year. That’s what I’d like to see again.’’

Last year, costumer Patricia Field, milliner Stephen Jones and artist Scooter Laforge were among the speakers.

The festival will feature grand runway spectacles, musical acts, popup shops and design contests. The events are free and open to the public, with the exception of the speakers’ program. Individual tickets for the speakers run $25 to $50; a pass for all 17 conferences is $150.

For more information and interviews (later this summer), click here. 

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