The latest local fashion news

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Eve Dumas
The Press

Bilak’s Talismans

“I feel a bit witchy when I make my jewelry,” says Wassselena Bilak, when we meet her in her Mile End workshop. It must be said that his creations are particularly unique and captivating.

Take these small clusters that make up the pieces of the Cymatic range: they might look like flowers, but they are actually patterns inspired by megalithic sites. And where you only see fish, the jeweler talks about Sumerian mythology, our aquatic origins, our bodies made of water, etc. The very recent collection of “body jewellery” is not only aesthetic. It is the fruit of an exploration of sensuality, of a celebration of the body. “Sometimes I wear them under my clothes. Nobody sees them, but I feel powerful,” she says.

Recently, the seeker of meaning has taken to examining her connection to technology. “For me, technology was something a little evil. It is sure that it serves us, that it frees us from many things, but at the same time, it overwhelms us. I didn’t like at all the fact of constantly carrying an object about which I had negative thoughts: the cell phone. So I started dissecting old iPhones and even old computers. Then I was fascinated by the beauty of the printed circuits, which can even look like plans of ancient cities. It allowed me to create an emotional connection with technology. »

She also created with these small circuits a kind of seals on which she superimposes patterns of pyramids and symbols of Antiquity. The name of this collection, “Sigils”, is polysemic. The word “sigil” refers as much to cabalistic signs as it does to a programming language, software, and video game.

Seven years ago, the young goldsmith left Paris to come to live and work in Montreal, in the world of special effects in cinema. “Very quickly, I realized that by achieving the professional goals I had set for myself, I wasn’t any happier. I felt like I was going through time. I had started taking classes at the Westmount Visual Arts Center on the weekends. I wanted to work with my hands. And as I wanted to learn more and faster, I went to the school of jewelry in Montreal. I quit as soon as I felt I was independent enough to do what I wanted to do. »

Her love of jewelry, she attributes to the good taste of her maternal grandmother. “I always asked her to look in her jewelry box. We opened the drawers together and I asked him: “When I grow up, can I have this and this and this?” Today, one of these precious family jewels coexists on her right hand, with the rings that she herself fashioned.

Grandma

The new queens of crochet Mélanie Loubert and Magalie Billardon, from the Mamé label, unveiled the colorful pieces of the season during an inclusive and gender-neutral fashion show held in mid-April at the WIP space, on Saint-Laurent Boulevard. If the previous collection was a tribute to the grandparents of this world, isolated since the beginning of this interminable pandemic, the new one wishes to address the similarities of the two founders in their twenties. “Mamé, it’s not just a garment, it’s self-actualization. We represent the new generation, the new ways of doing things, and we want to be an example in our industry, to show that it is possible to make beautiful eco-responsible clothing where everyone can find what they are looking for,” they said in the press release. . Produced to order, Mamé pieces cost between $80 (bralette and head scarf) and $1050 (hoodie), depending on the number of hours invested (respectively 2 and 40!). We discover this information on the site, where you can discover that crocheting is no longer just a matter of… granny!

The return of the cowboy hat?

We saw a pregnant Lou Doillon walking around Los Angeles with her “stetson” a few weeks ago. Then DJ Diplo recently had his Urban Cowboy period. Closer to home, in Montreal, the Heirloom brand launched the Cowboy Bebop at the beginning of March. Designer Samantha-Tara Mainville had fun making her short, rolled-up brim markers in several colors, including bubblegum pink (out of stock) and lavender. And now the summer version in natural straw has just arrived on the site with the rest of the spring-summer collection. “My grandfather, who instilled in me the love of a well-made hat, was a trucker and he always wore a hat and cowboy boots,” recalls the milliner. […] I think it’s a strong look, but it can go with all kinds of styles, from a little summer dress to shorts with running shoes. »

Elisa C Rossow in Pointe-Saint-Charles

Elisa C Rossow, Montreal designer renowned for her ever more ecological approach and far from the dictates of fast fashion, has just left his studio in Griffintown for a small but bright space on Center Street, in Pointe-Saint-Charles. She now receives clients there by appointment, whether for a fitting, for taking measurements or for a tailor-made project. We visited her to discover the new space, but also the most recent pieces, which add to her summer classics. Because at Elisa C Rossow, the timeless add up from one season to another rather than always being replaced by the novelty of the moment. The Vivienne dress, in organic cotton, is our big favourite. Sleek in front, flirtatious behind, it embodies the perfect casual summer dress.

LaSalle college book

A new tradition was born in the fashion department of LaSalle College: the graduates’ book, an object worthy of the greatest magazines. SIGNATURE is in its second volume. The previous cohort, deprived of the traditional big end-of-year parade for the reasons you can imagine, saw their creations immortalized in the first volume. Fortunately, the clothes were also able to live and move on mannequins last summer, during an ambulatory held during the Fashion and Design Festival. Full of exuberance, the outfits of the 2022 graduates will also parade in the Old Port this Friday evening. More than 100 models will line the promenade of the Old Port and back, from the Grand Quai to the Quai de l’Horloge. To order the book SIGNATUREwhich was attended by many of Quebec’s most renowned and reputable fashion photographers, stylists, makeup artists and make-up artists, one goes to the college site or to its store, CL.IP, in person.