New issue, new fan pics! This pose most especially makes me happy, and these are two of my favourite ladies: Tessa and Isabel. I must ask though, Why is WORN mirrored on the forehead of your issue Isabel?

Remember to send in your fan pics to dearworn @ wornjournal.com!

hearts, Serah-Marie

I got a call from my friend Lara while at work on Wednesday saying she had an extra ticket to Montreal Fashion Week. After closing the store and throwing together an outfit I hopped on my bike and gunned it down to the Old Port to catch two collections: the nautical-inspired romantic looks of Eve Gravel and the jackets and coats of Soia & Kyo.

I loved Eve Gravel’s combination of harem khakis and loose tops with girlie details like lace, sheer fabrics, and some of the models’ flouncy long curls. The relaxed pant styles were very wearable and came across as incredibly stylish in contrast to just about every fit and fabric of pants you see on the street. Standouts for me in this collection were the mid-thigh length shorts in black khaki paired with a baggy off-the-shoulder sweater and the leather zip-up bodysuit worn with low-rise khakis and exposed hips. I definitely could have done without the seventies hipster cord headbands since they’re such a played out touchstone at this point, but the rest of the styling was well done.

I was a bit less wowed by Soia & Kyo’s collection of jackets, which included some very covetable takes on the classic leather jacket in colours like black, purple, grey, and orange. They featured nice details like oversized studs and belts and looked great worn over babydoll dresses, though at times the undergarments outshone the jackets themselves, like in the case of an amazing pair of sheer beige harem pants. The trench coats were incredibly boring and the feathered flower hairpieces brought the whole collection down, along with Keds sneakers that made the models walk really awkwardly. But I appreciated some of the other accessories like knee-high leather boots, white socks with heels, and a few pairs of cute fingerless leather motorcycle gloves.

- text by Tessa Smith, photos by Lara Kaluza and Tessa Smith

When that little angel of a Wornette, Carmen, e-mailed me about attending the Fashion Pop Montreal event as a WORN correspondent, my level of giddiness was too high to even try to contain. I gave up all hope of pretending to be accustomed to the idea of having my name on a seat at the front row of a fashion show and gave into the dorky side of me who never leaves the house. I really couldn’t believe I was being offered the chance to write for the WORN blog again.

Showing up at the event was totally intimidating at first. Being someone who has lived in Montreal my entire life and still doesn’t know anyone makes events like these sort of scary, but once I got to my seat and snuck – really, I was so sneaky about it – a bad picture of my reserved seat, I sat down ready to take in all the glorious designs.

Normally when I see collections I sort of end up skipping over the pieces that I couldn’t see myself wearing. Anything that feels modern or less feminine than I prefer often gets overlooked while I ooh and aah over the pieces with bows, gingham, or peter pan collars. But this time I wasn’t looking for pieces I would wear – though that isn’t to say I didn’t see several I wanted to run home with – I was looking in awe at the talent all of these girls have! I’ve been so obsessed lately with the idea of creative lifestyles, and the fact that all six of these local designers are making a living doing what they love to do made this show all the more inspiring to me.

The winner of the evening was Angie Johnson of Norwegian Wood, a designer I fully admit to internet-stalking all the time. I was all over her tweets about how stressed she was to have to finish her dresses in time for the show last week, and I’ve had my eye on her designs ever since my first visit to her Etsy shop a while back. It seems like everywhere I look there’s some buzz going on about her, and I’ll be the first to say that the hype is more than well deserved.

Her designs weren’t the only ones to sparkle and shine that night, though; several other items – and entire collections - definitely made my heart skip a beat.
Flavie Lechat’s items conjured images of birthday parties and cupcakes in my head. Her perfect red, white, and blue top as well as that beyond amazing chambray (was it chambray? It looked like chambray from where I was sitting) skirt were enough to make any girly girl swoon. And anyone who adds white tights to an outfit has my vote.

Rachel Chan’s collection, Contradict, sort of felt to me like it was David Bowie inspired in the best possible way (as if there is a bad way to be David Bowie inspired). I couldn’t help but picture his beautiful face as the girls walked barefoot down the runway in their awesome space age body suits and angular shoulder pads.

The outfit sported by WORN’s own Tessa from Emilie Brunet’s collection, La Fête, was on my mind all night after the show. I could just imagine myself tap dancing around my apartment to some silly silent film music on a Saturday night. The whole collection was black and white and made use of lots of different fabrics and inspiration to keep things all kinds of interesting.

Marie-Eve Emond nearly killed me when she opened her collection – Betina Lou - with a perfect white peter pan collar blouse. I would have been sold on her designs on the basis of that piece alone, but then the dresses and skirts and blouses just kept getting better and better. When she finally came out to humbly accept her applause, I realized she is as wonderful as the clothing she makes -perfectly Audrey Hepburn-esque with her cropped hair and classic style.

And Charlotte Eedson must have been sent here from my own personal fashion heaven, because that pink silk blouse and pants number she pulled out of her sleeve was pure magic. The rest of her collection was nothing short of perfect as well. And really, it isn’t fair that some girls have hair as good as hers!
Really though, the whole night was such a dream and the people who put it together are far too good to be true! I fell half in love with everyone I met and as I left my little seat (the one with my name on it) I couldn’t help but write mental lists of all the craft projects I want to start in the next few weeks.

These six designers deserve all the buzz, credit, and praise they get just for having the guts to put themselves out there and do something so awesome with the little creative gnomes that live in their heads.

- Meaghan Kelly

I’ve taken to posting all the shots I find on the internet of people holding their new copy of WORN. This one is from Tessa’s blog. If you send me one of you I will post it too! dearworn @ wornjournal.com

hearts, Serah-Marie