ABOL Eco Couture

Our third and final show at Montreal Fashion Week was ABOL. The Vancouver native showed her “eco couture” line in Montreal for the first time. The collection, named “dream” was influenced by Surrealism and included haute couture wedding gowns, gowns, corsets, jackets and skirts. Each piece is a translation of images and ideas from paintings and sculptures into wearable art.

“I’m creating a collection where each piece has an identity, defining a certain character to existence out of something that’s in [my mind],” says Abol. “That’s surrealism.”

All of Abol’s pieces are made mainly from raw organic wool and reclaimed silk in her studio in Vancouver, BC, so she not only designs and makes the clothes, she makes the fabrics! Impressive! The Eco-friendly designer even visits the farms herself from time-to-time to examine the sheep and ensure the method is safe and animal friendly. She prides herself on collecting raw wool from local farms, supporting the Canadian market and ensuring that the quality of the material is top notch. Even her dyes are environmentally friendly and obtained from boiled onion skins and other organic sources. Talk about a conscious designer!

The enchanting looks on the runway consisted of a color palette of rich neutrals like beige, white, brown, black and gold as well as shades of burnt orange and purple. The models had distinguished Victorian-inspired hair and makeup with dark smokey eyes and contrasting pale lips with their hair in large, theatrical, teased up-dos. The look provided a luxurious and mysterious aesthetic that truly spoke to Abol’s artistic inspiration. There was certainly an element of fantasy and royalty in the presentation with creative, whimsical pieces that looked as if they came straight out of a fairytale.

If you’re in the market for amazing, one-of-a-kind dresses or an eco-friendly bridal gown, be sure to check out Abol’s website. Her romantic designs can be quite costly, but if you value the quality and uniqueness of her handmade pieces, they will be worth every cent!

Abol’s presentation was a great way to end our evening at Montreal Fashion Week. "As far as I'm concerned, Montreal is No. 1 for fashion in Canada," Hamideh Abol said and we couldn’t agree more! À la prochain!

 

Photos: Hugo Trottier - Superstarphotos

Samuel Dong

For our second show at Montreal Fashion Week, we had the pleasure of seeing designer Samuel Dong’s all-new collection, SAMUEL DONG RED LABEL. The mood of his latest collection was quite sophisticated, romantic and elegant. Samuel Dong mentioned that his muse was the 1960s European woman and you can feel that vibe throughout his entire presentation. He used lots of exclusive Italian and French fabrics and they were to die for! The jacquard blazers were really gorgeous and we can definitely see a modern working mom adding one to her wardrobe. "Accordion pleats are especially important next fall," says the designer, "I also used them at the shoulders of some garments to exaggerate the shoulder line."

The models strutted their stuff down the runway in amazing pieces that were accented with feathers, faux-fur and organza. Their accessories were minimal but classic, we love the simple pearl earnings! The make-up and hair suited the atmosphere. They kept it dark but chic with red lips and dark black winged eye-liner - Amy Whinehouse style. The hair was pulled back into sleek and shiny pony-tails with rolled bangs à la 1960s pin-up! Absolutely gorgeous!

If you're loving the line and can see yourself sporting some these looks make sure to head down to one of his boutiques here Montreal, there is one in the Rockland Shopping Centre and the other at the Cours Mont-Royal in downtown Montreal. Parfait!

 

 Photos: Hugo Trottier - Superstarphotos

Adorable Duo Leaving Australia

My fave celeb mom and baby duo were spotted together leaving Sydney, Australia. There are no words to even describe how gorgeous mama, Miranda Kerr, and how beyond incredibly adorable baby Flynn is. Look at his cute shoes and that necklace makes him look even more like his handsome daddy. LOVE!

Doing the Bump at Elton John's Oscar Party

How cute is this photo of second time Moms-to-be Alessandra Ambrosio and Kourtney Kardashian at Elton John's Oscar party? They must have been doing the bump all night long because these fashion mamas are absolutely glowing!

Oscar Mom Fashion – 5 Best & 5 Blah

Last night was the biggest night in Hollywood! And nearly as important as who won the awards, was who everyone was wearing! Check out Montreal Fashion Moms 5 best and 5 blah looks from moms rocking the red carpet last night.

5 Best – Red-Carpet Stunners!

We are huge Michelle Williams fans and are always looking forward to see what this mom is wearing on the red carpet, and of course she did not disappoint in this coral Louis Vuitton dress with a ruched bustline and peplum skirt.

Hot mama Jennifer Lopez looked stunning in her sexy Zuhair Murad gown. Though she looks like she may have a wardrobe malfunction at any minute (and almost did on stage), sometimes fashion trumps functionality, and all you gotta do is hope that the double stick tape will hold those puppies in!

Looking like a million bucks, model mom, Milla Jovovich brought old school Hollywood glamour back to the red carpet in her white, embellished one shoulder gown by Elie Saab Couture.

Simplicity done right! Gwyneth Paltrow wowed in a white caped column dress from Tom Ford. "This is my Jackie O moment" she said of the dress.

Tina Fey looked glamorous in her custom Carolina Herrera, who chose only to dress the star. Talk about an exclusive fashion experience!

TREND ALERT – White hot dresses and Peplum Skirts!

5 Blah – Not necessarily the worst, but far from the best!

We love Sherri Shepherd, but this cobalt blue, Grecian-style cut-out dress was a big no-no! Exposed bra is never a good look – especially on the red carpet!

Sandra Bullock usually looks amazing on the red carpet, but simply missed the mark this time with her ill-fitting Marchesa gown.

Penelope Cruz always looks pretty, but the style of her Armani Privé dress seemed a bit prom-ish and out-dated. Been there, done that!

Natalie Portman’s Vintage polka dot Dior gown just didn’t do it for us. It was very simple, slightly juvenile, and didn’t stand out on the Oscar red-carpet.

Penelope Ann Miller who wore an nude, embellished Badgley Mischka gown said “I really wanted something that was 30s-inspired", but the look just seemed out-dated. Guess her fashion sense just isn't quite as strong as her acting skills.

Did you watch the Oscars? Who was on your best and worst dressed list?

Ça Va De Soi

As you all know, Montreal Fashion Moms had the pleasure of attending Montreal Fashion Week again this season. We started off the evening with Ça Va De Soi, a luxe knitwear collection designed by Montreal veteran Antoine Nasri and his daughter Kinza. The daddy-daughter duo showed plenty of soft, simple and sophisticated looks with lots of pencil skirts, twinsets, color-blocked dresses, leggings and turtlenecks. The color palette was monochromatic with plenty of gray, beige, camel, crimson, burnt orange and a hint of mint. They completed the look with Parisian chic, barely-there, fresh-faced makeup and hair pulled back in a ballerina bun. Oh la la!

While the minimalistic presentation didn’t bring the wow factor we generally like to see walking down the runway, (besides one model’s rock-hard breast implants that were noticed by pretty much everyone) their pieces were simple, classic and most of all wearable. The collection is ideal for those looking for high-quality, every day basics perfect for layering or mixing-and-matching. Lysanne Pépin, owner of the successful boutique Espace Pépin in Old Montreal, said it best in her interview with The Gazette’s Eva Friede – “Avant-garde is nice, but we need clothes that are wearable on the streets."

Check out the pics below and let us know, would you wear any of these luxury knitwear pieces?

 

 

Photos: Hugo Trottier - SuperstarPhotos