montreal fashion week: un jour.

only to live in a dream is to be woken up by the reality of new indescribable experiences that add to the quality of life. after flying into montreal late last night, i became aware of the vast diversities that exist in our world. to breathe in the fresh cool air from the taxi, observe new scenes, and learn a little french on the way was beyond my unprecedented expectations. this trip has found itself in a new category considering i had no prior knowledge of montreal fashion week, the mode of this region, or really anything about this city. i arrived at the beautiful hotel in the heart of downtown, only to be warmly welcomed into a heavenly bed and a big window peering over the buildings. i slept off and on, dreaming in my head of the next day. bright and early, i met emanuela (the fashion bureau attendant to the commissioner of montreal) for a hearty scrumptious breakfast. she is a charming blend of italian and french influence, whose spunky zest for life is only contagious. andreas, a reporter from colon, germany, also joined us for the adventurous day that awaited. our first meeting was at the ecole superieure de mode de i'uqam (a fashion school), with designer ying gao. she showed us her interactive line of dresses that was inspired by the french movie "playtime." i have never before seen intagible objects integrated with fashion. she brought a whole new depth to style, as she disclosed her highly-focused vision of innovative mathematical freedom in her designs. from discovering the lightest fabric in the world to connoting the use of shape, whit, and conceptual wisdom was mind boggling and impressive to the core. in retrospect, i now see that this introduction was merely foreshadowing for the contents of montreal. it contains new creators with notions that have yet to be discovered, where artists design for the love of art, for the challenge of advanced perspectives. money and growth does not drive their work, but rather, they create with their hearts and humble capability. proof: they do not believe they are geniuses when, as an outsider, this is clearly the case. we were lucky enough to meet ying gao's assistant, isabel, who displayed her final design project to us. for a superfluous amount of delight, go here to view her final project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDW1lR1n8KE. on to the mccord museum we went next, where the history of canadian fashion came alive with dresses from the early 1900s, preserved vintage christian diors gowns, and ancient wedding dresses. not to mention, we stopped by the cirqe de solei exhibition, which was outstanding to the 100th power. time for lunch! diane, the commisioner of montreal, met us for a bite at a quaint little eatery outside of montreal's fashion week venue, marche bonsecours. i was delighted by the culture over quality conversation, butternut squash soup, homemade baquette, red snapper, and chocolate mousse. delectable. next on the agenda: the press conference with a speech from the mayor and the president of fashion week to officially launch the talent into full force! the marie saint pierre presentation was our next stop. a tour of her manufacturing studio (which ensured impeccable quality in every step) was so exhilarating, as were the stunning designs. i am still in awe not only of her collection but of her well-rounded spirit which spoke of the importance of quality of life over career. dinner awaited in the media room, with four runway shows to begin our live interaction. the contemporary david dixon and the muse by christian chenail were lovely, but not quite my taste. helmer equaled to one of the most exquisite, ornate lines i have ever seen (no wonder he is a worthy heir of haute couture), and dimitri chris offered a high energy naturalistic menswear collection. a walk home on the cobble stone streets, our make shift umbrellas, and the drizzling rain somehow was unbelievably charming amidst delirium from much needed zzz's. bonne nuit!