MONTREAL — Style watchers will be able to angle for a closer glimpse of some of the latest looks from Jean Paul Gaultier at an outdoor runway show in Montreal.
The fall-winter collection from the renowned French designer and couturier will be featured on the catwalk at the upcoming Montreal Fashion and Design Festival.
Gaultier’s male muse Tanel Bedrossiantz is slated to fly in from France to take part in the show. The event is scheduled to take place on Aug. 3 on the festival’s main stage in the heart of the city’s downtown core at Avenue McGill College and rue Sainte-Catherine.
The runway show is being held in collaboration with the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, which is currently displaying some of the designer’s earlier works in a special exhibition dubbed “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk.”
This year’s event, billed as the largest outdoor fashion and design event in North America, will also focus on homegrown talent.
Prior to the Gaultier show, some 25 designers will present their best creations from the most recent Montreal Fashion Week. Bodybag by Jude, Cluc Couture, Denis Gagnon, Envers par Yves Jean Lacasse and Marie Saint Pierre are among the designers and labels being showcased.
The Mode & Opera show conceived by event organizers Groupe Sensation Mode will feature costumes from Opera de Montreal that have been deconstructed, reworked and transformed. The showcase will be set to music mixed with the operatic voices of soprano Caroline Bleau, baritone Etienne Dupuis and tenor Antoine Belanger.
The fashion and design fest will also include dedicated fashion shows inspired by the Quebec Charter for a Healthy and Diverse Body Image.
Olympic moguls champion Alexandre Bilodeau, Paralympic champion Chantal Petitclerc and Olympic bronze medallist figure skater Joannie Rochette are among the personalities scheduled to take to the main stage on Aug. 3 to promote healthy body images. A youth showcase scheduled for Aug. 6 is also dedicated to raising awareness for body image diversity.
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Online:
Montreal Fashion and Design Festival: www.festivalmodedesign.com