Creating looks based on the performance and song of each contestant from “La Voix” is, this season, the mission of stylist Marie-Kim Mercier, and her team, for live broadcasts of the show.
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For the stages preceding the live broadcasts, the candidates of “La Voix” must take care of their own clothing. Marie-Kim Mercier’s team only comes into play after the live broadcasts, while the staging, with Serge Denoncourt, and the production, with Jill Niquet-Joyal, take on greater scope and importance. . This season, however, marks a change for the stylist who, in previous seasons, created a particular look for a candidate that he kept until the end.
“This year, we’re creating looks based on performance,” she explained. If the contestant goes to the next step and is in a different set up, their look could be completely transformed. That’s what’s interesting to me. A candidate who had, for example, a slip dress in the first quarter-final, which evoked a shirt that she would have borrowed from her boyfriend, could find herself in the semi-final in a pop, glam, burst and colorful number.
“Story-telling” is the key word for this season. “Each performance of the candidates tells a story. We are in stagings that take us into an original universe. We want everything to be consistent in terms of the lighting, the sets and the choice of clothes. We want viewers to immerse themselves in an atmosphere and a story during a performance.
Teamwork
In addition to meeting the candidates individually, Marie-Kim Mercier also had meetings beforehand with the content and staging teams to find out what styles of clothing to go for.
“It was important for me to understand the staging to line up specific looks for each performance. Certain numbers had to have precisely a particular look. There is, for example, a performance where there is a declaration of love in a setting of cathedral stained glass windows, the costume has to blend into the story. For each universe, the message must follow and carry the message.”
The stylist’s team also dresses the musicians for live performances. “We wanted their looks to be current, inspiring and refreshing. We are not necessarily in the brilliance, but rather in the trends. The musicians are incredible, they already have assumed looks.”
Current trends
Marie-Kim Mercier still keeps in mind the desire to maintain a consistent aesthetic between each of the looks. “For me, it’s important that there is a common thread, consistency with the colors, and that we feel that we are in a glamorous atmosphere. We will make sure to sublimate the message so that it is telegenic. We create small universes in a larger universe.
The idea is also that the candidates are in line with current fashion trends. This is the reason why they wear only new and often designer clothes. “We do our research in today’s stores and brands. Even if we want a 1970s look, for example, I’m not going to go to a costumer to get a “vintage” costume. We are going to recreate a look with today’s pieces that we will eventually adapt. I did my research in high-end stores and boutiques, so that the candidates were on-trend clothes that worked with the scene.”
The designer favors local purchases, even if she cannot refrain from buying abroad. “We bring in clothes from abroad, but the delays are very long. We have a package, which contains about twenty dresses, which has been in the process of customs clearance for more than three weeks.
And for those who are wondering, the candidates do not necessarily leave with the clothes they have on their backs during the live broadcasts. “There are pieces that are adapted and transformed for the candidate. In this case, they will leave with it. But there is also a part that remains in production.
- The semi-final of “La Voix” takes place this Sunday, at 7:30 p.m., on TVA.