LEATHER

You mightn't yet be aware of it, but if you decide to experiment with 2009 and 2010 fashion trends you're going to end up wearing a lot of leather. Perhaps not all at the same time (unless that's how you spend your weekend), but there'll be plenty of options and just as many layers. And when it comes to selecting those layers you'd be amiss to overlook high-waisted leather leggings.

Jessy Lalancette

Slumdog kids to the catwalk

Fashion's love affair with Slumdog Millionaire continues. John Galliano was first to reference the Oscar-winning film at the Dior couture show in Paris. Then Freida Pinto became the must-have front row guest (Dolce & Gabbana and Chanel). Now, the child stars of Slumdog Millionaire are having their fashion moment! Taking it to the catwalk for Indian Fashion Week. Eight-year-old Rubina twirled her multi-layered gypsy skirt for designers Ashima and Leena Singh and Azharuddin danced to Slumdog's Oscar-winning song Jai Ho. Both were picked from the slums to star in the film.

A-Sophie

britney spears receives death threats

I think peolpe should leave poor brit alone!!!! its her life. she received deah threaths, so might cancel tour. she thinks her sons are in danger. britney received anonomys threaths over the mail and the phone. shes been having night mares, and doesnt want anyone to kidnap her sons. shes waking up at night crying for her boys. peope should leave her the f alone.

she even got comments on how she sang once not live. shes under pressure. , 'I can't do this any more, why are you all torturing me?' She ran out of the room crying. :(

i still have respect for that woman. shes been in the business for so long, shes incredible, even tho her songs are not that good anymore, but i love that woman. respect.

britney spears will come to tribe on saturday. the after party.

Natasha B

Pour célibataires

Nouvel accessoire mode qui risque de faire fureur.

Après la bague de mariage, voici la bague pour célibataire. Prochainement, lorsque vous verrez un anneau bleu au doigt de quelqu'un c'est tout simplement qu'il affiche son statut social ou son célibat. Celle-ci se portera au doigt, en pendentif ou même accrochée à votre portable.

Façon intéressante et surtout différente de faire de nouvelles rencontres et pourquoi pas. Un cadeau à offrir.

http://femmeweb.branchez-vous.com/tendances/2007/08/les_maries_ont_leurs_bagues_le.html

http://lejournaldequebec.canoe.ca/actualites/regional/archives/2009/03/20090312-212008.html?75db77bbcae44d34b924e61047fb93b2

JGervais

Natasha Richardson Skiing Accident!

Mont Tremblant, the ski resort where Natasha Richardson has been critically injured, is eastern Canada's premier ski resort and popular with celebrities including Tommy Hilfiger, Michael Douglas and his wife Catherine Zeta Jones.

The medical condition of actress Natasha Richardson ,who fell Monday during a ski lesson at a Quebec resort, was being described Tuesday as anywhere from minor to life-threatening.

Friends of the British actress said she was "brain dead," according to the New York Post.

Early reports from People.com and IrishCentral.com said Richardson,a member of an esteemed British acting dynasty,suffered a serious head injury. Some Hollywood "insider" websites suggest Richardson has swelling of the brain.

At the same time, a spokeswoman for the Mont Tremblant ski resort said Richardson suffered what appeared to be a relatively unspectacular fall.

A spokeswoman for Montreal's Sacré-Coeur hospital confirmed that Richardson had left the facility on Tuesday, but she declined to comment on the extent of her injuries or where she was transferred.

According to online reports, Richardson, 45, was transferred via private jet to New York, with her husband, actor Liam Neeson, by her side.

We should be getting some more info, over the course of the week..

Jessy Lalancette

MFW in review

My MFW

Day 1: The models weren’t the only ones to do a quick change last Wednesday evening. In fact I was even changing in a car! After one of the most hectic weeks of my year, I flew down to Montreal back from Toronto last Wednesday, arriving just in time to get a glimpse of the last few shows presented for MFW. Yes Montreal Fashion Week. Don’t you just love saying that? 6:00pm, just a few minutes before the Ralph Leroy show, I was struggling to pull together an outfit. Luckily I had my giant vintage fur coat which of course helped my "taxi rushed" outfit a great deal. So I was late.. in this case I can call it fashionably late.

After finally making my way up to the main event, I was pleasantly surprised.The Marche Bonsecours (this years MFW host) looked completely different. Yet very simple. I loved the atmosphere because unlike most fashion weeks, it was laid back. Sort of a fashionably nonchalant ambiance.

As I entered the room, the hosts had directed me to the standing section, however I somehow managed to snatch a seat in the second row which I then thought was great. Soon enough I realized it wasn’t so great...I couldn’t see any of the model’s shoes! For someone who works in the shoe industry, like me, that was very upsetting. Live and learn.

The runway room was very simple and clean, just how I like it. No distractions. Let the clothes do the talking! In the case of MFW, its somewhat necessary to have a simple interior design for the runway since many designers are presenting in one place. So the concept has to fit for every designer to adapt.

As the lights dimmed, the room slowly died down and and Ralph Leroy’s name appeared in big lit up letters on the backdrop of the white runway. And so the show began.

Unfortunately, the best part of the show was the shoes which as I mentioned were very hard for me to see. As for the clothing, I think the colors were wrong and nothing fit the models quite right. I also thought it was an odd choice of models. They were all different sizes and shapes which created a lack of fluidity. The styling was poorly done since every accessory, whether the chunky wrings or man purses, clashed with the entire collection. Don’t get me wrong, the accessories were very nice. Regardless they just didn’t help enhance, or show off the collection. I will give Mr. Leroy a little credit though. The last part of his collection, much to my surprise, actually did look sharp with a series of men’s suits and long coats perfect for the stylish business mens of Montreal.

One show down, one more to go.

As the crowds stormed out of the room, I was led to a lovely, yet very crowded, cocktail lounge area. It was a medium sized space with a bar on either ends of the room. This is were all the networking, socializing, and “being seen” happens. But best of all free stuff! As a magazine-aholic, I hit the fashion press stand and selected a few issues of the latest fashion mags. I love this atmosphere. Although many seemed to complain about how over crowded it was, I quite enjoyed it. Theres so much happening and everyone is excited. I love it. What I liked most was that for that moment, everyone seemed proud to be a Montrealer. I was.

Next on the schedule was Myco Anna. I must admit I was not familiar with this designer.

This time knowing the lay of the land, I wasn’t going to accept anything other than front row. And thats exactly what I got. So, Kassie ( my MFW companion) and I sat quite contently in our front row seats which we had spotted and eyed up to the last few minutes in the hopes that no one would dispute us.

This collection wasn’t at all of my taste. Grant it, it was definitely out of the ordinary. Lots of colors with a little touch winter fairytale to it. Still,it felt as though I was back in the late 90’s. I have seen this all before (in the 90’s!). The hair and makeup was extravagant yet poorly done. Over all I was not impressed. Definitely not runway material. (The shoes weren’t so bad on the other hand!)

After this show I was done for the night. Absolutely exhausted, I went home feeling exited for the following day. Rudsak!

Day 2: I took a big breath as I entered the Marche Bonsecours Thursday night as I knew I was faced with a bigger challenge this time. Not only did need to get front row again, but I needed front row for a sold out show! Its was definitely going to be an interesting night.

The second I stepped in, I recognized a few old friends with whom I had organized many nightlife oriented events in the past. After realizing that they where part of the official sponsors of MFW, I knew it was fate for me to run into them again. In fact, my friend Josh who represents Hype energy drink in Montreal, and has always sponsored events for me, was one of the main sponsors. So, as I mingled i slowly made it down the chain of whose “list” I should be on. Once this information was finally revealed to me, I jumped in front of the line and was immediately handed two tickets! I handed one over to my friend and met up again with my old friends. We walked in with our heads held high and asked the hostess to direct us to the best seats. Without ever doubting are actual seat numbers, she brought us straight to the front row. Mission accomplished.

Now, this show was much more up to criterion. It set the bar high for any following designer, and was more suitable for the Montreal style. For this fall, Rudsak, known for its leather designs, impressed us with his dark monochrome silhouettes somewhat in theme with the somber economic times we are currently experiencing. With a new trade mark leather-like hood, he definitely had everyones eyes shopping. Additionally, the female models recurrently sported fur accents as well as sheer flowy dresses to contrast the rougher bicker look that was emphasized by ridding/motorcycle style leather boots. I must say those boots were fabulous. The men all paraded large great leather bags and even backpacks. It was more or less of a put together winter grunge look. And that is definitely a look that is very “couru” at the moment. The music also complemented the collection with a modern upbeat soundtrack. The room was kept very dark throughout the show to emphasize the general obscure feeling of the show. Evik Asatoorian can be proud! It was a great way for me to end my Montreal Fashion Week adventures.

I look forward to the future fashion week for Montreal to see how they will improve on this series of events as well as attract more press. Based on the conclusion of this year's MFW, the board has decided to invest more money and efforts on the marketing aspect rather then the designers. This is a great step for Montreal seeing as we need more press to help put Montreal on the map.

-Emma-

Contraception

Hé oui, la contraception s’adressera bientôt à vous messiers. Des scientifiques allemands viennent tout juste d’entamer une première série de test sur un contraceptif destiné aux hommes.

Pour ma part, j’ai longtemps pris la contraception et je crois qu’il est temps que l’homme se modernise. De plus, pour ceux qui tombent dans le piège de la femme qui veut garder son homme en tombant enceinte cela peut vous éviter bien des tracas.

http://www.journalmetro.com/Ma%20Vie/article/194701


J.Gervais

Happy to move

Im blogging about the experience that has happened to me the day before Halloween 2008. I was at home with my roommate and chilling like usual, when I was typing ... for some reason I went to him and I just started to cross my fingers ... I could on my left hand but my right hand I was not able too. I thought it was weird, well little to my surprise I was having a stroke at 22 years old. Soon after realizing I couldn't cross my fingers my face had dropped went numb, and shortly after my entire right side of my body had went numb. I was rushed to the hospital obviously and stayed their for 1 week. It was a serious stroke ... I had 3 blood vessels in my brain that had exploded, thankfully I was not paralyzed or killed from the experience! All the doctors were surpised them selves for someone of my age to have a stroke but since then I know I won't ever have a stroke again, I know its a one time thing just have that feeling. Im really grateful for all that has happened, even thought it is something I wouldn't want anyone to experience, Im grateful to have had a new experience in my life, I thought that I had felt all the emotions I could have and have felt almost all I could, well this is something that I never had experience in my life. Im happy to be alive and able to move, it makes me appreciate all the little things I can do like type this blog, or speak as much as I do! Im so happy to be alive and you really don't know what you have till its taken away, or their is a possibility it could be taken away, im so lucky. This experience has given me the opportunity's to be more alive and grateful for all the fundamentals of my body! You never know what a day can bring thats for sure, maybe it will be your last, or just the begining of something new, but none the less don't take your life for granted you never know when something bizzare could happen, or something great!


Michael Yanke

Bal en Blanc 15 anniversary!

The one and only party of the year, Bal en Blanc, the famous montreal all white party is just a month away! with two rooms, a house room, and a techno room!

Salle Tech Room

***Armin Van Buuren***
***Above & Beyond***
***Markus Schulz***
***Roger Shah***

Salle House Room:

***Axwell***
***Deadmau5***
***Victor Calderone***
***Ana Paula***

this is one of the biggest events, even in Jordan, bal en blanc is mentioned in the magazines!!

Natasha B

Last weeks show on March 3rd

Last week on March 3rd, I had the opportunity to attend Montreal fashion week. I

enjoyed the three shows and developed a new appreciation and understanding for the world of

fashion. Designers are as follows; Dinh Ba Design-Muse par Chritian-Body Bad By Jude&

J.u.de and two on March 4 Ralph Leroy and Myco Anna. The experience was enlightening

because I was surrounded by the rich and fashionable. The feeling is invigorating, making you

feel like your apart of their world receiving free mascara which I took home. Having wine

alongside these people which was enjoyable. I enjoyed the experience of seeing the designer

work before completion. I saw how the clothing will look before the finish product hit’s the

shelves. Seeing the designers face at the end you could see that they are proud of their work. In

my opinion, the most enjoyable show was the Ralph Leroy show. I’m a bit bias because I have a

preference to male models but in addition I found the clothing very nice, I‘m a big fan of men’s

clothing and I’ve worked in a men’s department store called Simons for 3-4 years. The colored

outfits used for example yellow top with the red tie, and blue shoes really got my attention and

the hats that were worn by the male models are quite stylish considering I have a bit of an

obsession with hats. The top less model had some appeal. There was about two of them. One

wore red pants and the other white pants. The model in white turned a lot of heads including

my own. I know I wasn’t the only one enjoying, a lot of people wear snapping photos. I hope

everyone that saw the show enjoyed it as much as I did!

-Nadia-

Montreal Fashion Week.

One of my favourite shows was Ralph Leroy. While I wasn't distracted by the model with the adorable red hair I was admiring the collection. I especially loved the tailored suits and practical coats. I loved how everything fit together. One thing I didn't like though was the LACE long sleeve top a model came out with OUT OF NOWHERE. Very Scary.

Can't wait for next year! :)

Amber M. Ryan

Ps-I wrote the blog about 'Vicky Christina Barcelona too but I forgot to sign it! sorry.

Peta

Cet article, rejoint de prêt le projet sur lequel nous travaillons en équipe soit : Harricana (fourrure recyclée).

Cela concerne la discorde qui existe entre le monde de la mode et la tuerie d’animaux pour leur peau.

Pour moi, il y a une différence entre tuer un animal et le faire souffrir. La façon utilisée par certains braconniers est une touture animalière qui ne devrait même pas exister à notre époque, surtout avec toutes les techniques dont nous disposons. Se sont eux les nouvelles victimes de la mode.

Avant de vous pavaner avec de la fourrure, pensez-y!

http://www.24hmontreal.canoe.ca/24hmontreal/artsetspectacles/archives/2009/03/20090309-141925.html

Jocelyne

Montreal Fashion Week???

Nothing on Montreal Fashion Week, why? A bumped into many of you over the four days of Montreal Fashion Week, but yet nothing has appeared on the blog. I was hoping you could articulate your experience and share it with the others that were not able to be there.

I invite you to visit montrealfashionweek.ca.

Andrew 

Rien sur la Semaine de mode de Montréal

Je suis surpris et déçu. J'ai croisé plusieurs d'entre vous à la Semaine de mode de Montréal mais rien n'a été inscrit sur le blog. Vous êtes prompts à commenter les défilés d'ailleurs mais rien sur ce qui se passe ici à Montréal. 

Je vous invite à aller visiter le site semainemodemontreal.ca.

Andrew

beautiful junkies.

After lasts class debate on the concept of our very own anticipated fashion show, i was inspired to somewhat create or introduce the ideas of what some of us in class were explaining. Katias vision of the "beautiful decay" was one i too considered to be a good concept. the idea of the beautiful woman, who is a complete disaster inside, is something i do find intriguing. I find it sort of glamorous, how a woman sometimes so well composed and poised outside, lives in complete debauchery on the inside. On the exterior, a beautiful woman with everything, yet with nothing inside. is this all due to their huge spotlight under the medias eye, or the constant loneliness once it's gone? or can it be the moutains of cash they sit under that gives them priviledge to burn it all on nights of complete insanity, because they just can? its a mystery on it's own, and that is the beauty of it. weither it's the partying lifestyle or the lonely house wife with a few pills or grams of her favorite knockout drug, this is an ode to everything the junkie desires. these are the lifestyles of the rich and famous.

So i have decided to come up with a few examples of the woman junkie, that will maybe clarify the vision and direction. One of my favorites, is Kimber from Nip/Tuck. She continuously struggles with vanity and her own obsessions. here is a little video of an episode, where cocaine addict kimber, binges. The music in the background is also something i find, that goes well and also can be used if the idea falls through for the fashion show.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IH4_-7qgV0

Amongst the celebrities, i find Lindsay Lohan to also be a good candidate. There is something amusing about her damaged days of alcohol abuse and coke escapades in the bathroom. i very much like her own sense of style and i love how she always seems to draw all kinds of attention to her name.

Muse in the fashion industry, Kate Moss, is another coke binging hero who has been scrutinized for her chaotic behavior off the runway. Yet, both of these women remain popular and remain icons in their industries.

Another icon who evidently had some influence in creating the chic boho look, is Mary-Kate Olsen. with her over sized garments and vintage pieces, she has made village des valeurs seem like the trendiest place to shop. Aside her history of anorexia and drugs, this olsen twin definetly has the ability and eye to muster up all eccentric articles of clothing and accesories together.

Regardless of who makes the list, these women share a common ground, they are beautiful, sexy, raw and rich. somethings we all just envy a little, right?

Jessica D

American Beauty Association (ABA)

I was a model for the ABA today, and so since it is so fresh in my mind I will decide to blog about this. Its a show for all hair gurus to join together and show their latest styles, and ideas. I lose time to time that there is a place in the world for everyone. No one is alone weather it be about hair, or a n ant craze. There is always going to be people who will have the same interests as you, there were so many people at this event that was held at the Palais Des Congres, it was quite amazing to see how many people are into "Hair Fashion."

Michael Yanke

Put a Swagger in your step...

Today as I was searching stuff on the internet I came across a band called Yelle. I thought it was alright for electropop so I put a bundle of songs on my I pod.
Later I ran my errands around town while listening to my I Pod. The songs started playing and half way through I realized i wasn't just walking a long but strutting to the beat. It was superb I wanted to start dancing on the street!
I'm sure a lot of you know about her already from her songs played on Entourage, the Hills and on a Quebec Telus advertisementin 2008.
Go download a song or 2 I wouldn't listen to it if i we're just hanging out in my apartment but it's great for walking down the street.
-Zoe A

Passion

passion makes a person stop eating, sleeping, working, feeling at peace. A lot of people are frightened because , when it appears, it demolishes all the old things it finds in its path.
No one wants their life thrown into chaos. That is why a lot of people keep that threat under control, and are somehow capable of sustaining a house or a structure that is already rotten. They are the engineers of the superseded.
Other people think exactly the opposite: they surrender themselves without a second thought, hoping to find in passion the solutions to all their problems.
they make the other person responsible for their happiness and blame them for their possible unhappiness.
They are either euphoric because something marvelous has happened or depressed because something unexpected has just ruined everything.
Keeping passion at bay or surrendering blindly to it _which of these two attitudes is the least destructive ?
I don't know....



Rand.

The Neo-80s: Balmain Style

As a former Art History student, I have learned to categorize art: Renaissance, Mannerism, Baroque, Rococo, Neo-Classicism and so on…Each era reminiscent of another, Neo-Classicism for example feels like an upgraded Renaissance. The old is incorporated in the now. There’s always the original, then a rejuvenation.

I’m sure you all remember the 80s: crazy shoulder pads, material girl outfits…Yea, it was definitely interesting/tacky. Well, Balmain’s designer Christophe Decarnin managed to create a colorfully fabulous Neo-80s comeback with his Spring/Summer 2009 RTW Collection. Not only was he able to blend a light dose of trashy with an abundance of glam, mixed into a hell of a lot of sexy rock’n’roll attitude, creating absolute visual satisfaction, but the choice of playing vintage Madonna…”Get into the groove, boy you’ve got to prove, your love to meeee…”, throughout the show enhanced the attraction that much more!

Ripped and acid washed jeans, re-vamped military Michael Jackson / Sgt. Pepper jackets with square shoulders & embroidered with glitz, sexy tutu mini dresses, sequin dresses, beautiful studded pumps, visible work on detail…The quality is vibrantly apparent, as is Decarnin’s talent. “The fact that Decarnin slices and dices eras and skips self-indulgent looks designed to show off his skill rather than enhance feminine beauty may explain the relative lack of critical acclaim for this designer. But that would be wrong, for on current form, he is one of the fashion's top ten talents”. No doubt that all models were saddened when it was time to undress that night…!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AoQuB_DJZ2Y

Katia K.

canari who?

Walking through any mall, you can see the flow of the upcoming season`s splashes of color, making every store seem magical. anything seems possible, with fluorescent tights and colored jeans, making it easy to develop your own creative style and be unique with accesorizing. i went above and beyond the call of duty of fashion, went nuts to find the newest colors of nail polish. black and white nails, are way cool, yet they have out lived their time on the five finger regime.

so i went on a rampage, bought colors galore! proud of my purchases, i spent a night pampering myself. i decided to open the first bottle, canary yellow. its funky, its fresh, its vibrant, and it was just what i was looking for! but unfortunetly the next day, i felt a little unsure of myself. to my surprise, everyone hated it! "jess it looks like baby puke! ewww why yellow...why this and why that!" i was shocked to hear these things, yet i felt original and i secretly knew that within a few weeks time, i was not going to be the only one with yellow nails! but now that its been a couple of days, people have been growing on it and instead of the original "ewww" ive been hearing, ive been getting "wow i loveeee it!"

so when it comes to being original and making new statements, dont be afraid, and just stick to being confident! its the best way to come out a winner, and to look good while at it ;)

- Jessica D