Posts from ‘Behind the Scenes!’
Tap Dogs
Tap Dogs is Australian Dein Perry’s gritty and inventive dance show set on the scaffolding of a construction sight. It is dangerous and exciting and full of fast footed surprises!
We LOVED dressing the Tap Dogs beautiful Stage Manager Sadie Wannamaker in a stunning pink Katrin Leblond Athena dress and some jazzy Elizabeth Johnston earrings. Everyone knows the stage manager makes everything run smoothy, managing the cues, the talent, the drama and the action. So we are so glad Sadie treated herself with a dress that was clearly made for her.
See you at the show!
show times:
Check them out this week, July 27-31st:
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, 8pm
Saturday 4pm, 8pm
at Places des Arts
What we are doing is real. It really impacts the community and sometimes that community is my husband (owner and chef of Restaurant Aux Vivres) and sometimes it’s my little brother Nick (artist, photographer and co-owner of Big Dog Screen printing). As an entrepreneur I feel more politically empowered than I ever did as a feminist, activist, or animal rights worker (yes, I have done all of those things). I have the decision making power of every cent I spend. I choose to buy locally made fabric. I choose to buy organic locally made fabric. I choose locally made thread, zippers and buttons too. Yes, it is more expensive than imported equivalents, but I can guarantee it is better quality and it comes with soul. When I switched to local thread, all of my machines started running better and needed to be re-threaded less often. The amount of people that those decisions affect are a ripple of local workers, salespeople and small businesses.
Oh, and I also only do business with people I like!
Let the good vibes flow.
Here is a little peek into the screen printing studio of my little brother Nick. Studio Big Dog printed the patches for my scout costumes at Circus Smirkus. His partner Carlos illustrated them.
This is not a unique Montreal story. Many of the artists and designers we have in the boutique are living from their art with the help of local shop-owners. We are a city of creative people.
My little brother is celebrating his birthday today. I love you Nick.
Studio Big Dog
5333 Casgrain, #416
Montreal, QC
Canada H2T 1X3,
Tel: 514 358 7007
contact@studiobigdog.com
The dressing room.
We share so much with the ladies in our change rooms. It is an intimate thing to get undressed with someone nearby. Me, on the other side of the curtain coaxing and encouraging this game of exploration and play: Come and play dress up with me!
It really takes a leap of faith to try on clothes. To get down to your nickers and your skin and put something new on. For me, on the boutique-side of the curtain, it is especially fun to imagine what would look nice and and what would fit you, the lady in the dressing room. Sometimes I’ll bring a handful of hangers to the change room. Sometimes you’ll find something you would never have tried on and you’ll love it.
I am often deeply touched by the confidences that we share. The things we say to each other. The tears are real. The love is real.
I love colour and I enjoy converting black and grey clad Montrealers to my palettes of purple and red, teal and green. 
Mothers and Daughters are an especially fun duo to have in change rooms side by side. Finding outfits across generations and across sizes (xs all the way to XL). We can do it. We can dress you both and make sure you both feel totally self expressed in the clothing you choose.
How about it?
How about coming to play dress up?
Opening Hours (or call for a custom styling appointment 514-678-9616)
M-T-W 10-6
Th-F 10-9
Saturday 10-7
Sunday 11-6
YEAR 3 as Smirkus costume designer!
This years’ theme was Nature, the seasons, the elements. It was almost to broad a theme to start with. We tried different angles to approach Nature with a narrower filter. We settled on a Nature Rock-opera with a touch of Burning-man and a lot of KL style.
The Winters were purple, like when you see shadows on the snow. We added fun fur and icicle shapes. We put the emphasis on the feet because they are tight-rope walkers.
Here we have one of the Fire girls. This year’s goal was to make as many headpieces as possible. I find a head piece really frames and completes a costume. The fire girls are the contortionists.
Spring and summer expressed in flowers. One day I would love to do a whole show based on the birds and the bees…flowers, insects and foliage.
Autumn-Man, the superhero of leaves. This set of Fall foliage costumes required some hunting for sewable orange leaves. Green fake leaves are easy to come by, but yellows and oranges and reds required some searching. I finally found a supplier specialized in Retail decor. They also sold oversized fake ice cream cones.
Great work Katharina on the embellishments!
Our very Canadian looking lumberjacks. We just couldn’t help ourselves.
And here we have our rock-star unicyclists sporting some very extreme gear. I can’t wait to see these helmets light up under a spotlight. They were made with gem stone studs and a dis-assembled disco ball. Hanna made the power-ranger inspired gear.
These are the costumes for the Water girls. The wavy textures make these my favorite costumes. The girls also had headpieces made with blue hair extensions and purple hand-dyed yarn.
We did it again! This year my costume team consisted of:
Katharina Pitczuk and Hanna Broer (the two blue costumes above)
and Siobhan Martel (who is currently on tour with Smirkus).
Thank you Smirkus!
This is about Betsy. She said to me on the phone that she wanted a rainbow wedding dress. I was delighted. Just my kind of project. We talked and I got a sense of her personality and then I took the time to make my first three sketches.
Elements of all three dresses became her dress. We chose her favorite silhouette, neckline and mixed up the embellishments to create the boquet-butterfly-fiesta party dress. The butterflies that I used as sequins on her dress have also been used by Martha Stuart to make this fab rainbow butterfly cake.
So this last weekends Design Montreal Open House was quite the success at the KL studio! Rushes of crowds, lots of kiddo’s, familiar faces and the lovely KL team inviting everyone in and explaining how the design process works!
Kat had also just gotten back from Thailand the night before! Amazing that the time difference didn’t seem to effect her optimistic and energetic energy 
. Welcome home lady!
Hanna stationed herself just outside the studio doors in front of the elevators and offered live demonstrations as to how the boutique’s signature Scarfettes are made… the best part? Visitors got to choose a fabric scrap and watch it transform before their eyes into a wearable accessory – for keeps!
All smiles this girl!
The KL team put wanderers to the textile test…
… and of course the studio was completely adorned with beautiful KL boutique favorites… umbrellas and tulle suspended from the ceiling, patterns on the wall, fabrics and handmade shoes propped on the window ledge…
Guests were invited to enter the inspiration process by viewing Katrin’s personal scrapbooks and favorite visual reads
All of the studio’s work tools were listed and presented on the draft table…
… and even a super duper adorable cupcake pincushion made an appearance!
Katrin printed out a whole lot of inspiration pics from her trip abroad… these are just teasers… beautiful textures, colors and designs were all tacked up on the bulletin board *yum*!
And some of the gorgeous guests!
Katharina gives the inside scoop…
… and Hanna entertains the young ‘uns!
This was an awesome event and it was so nice to see so many Montrealers jumping head first into the world of design!
Have a beautiful start to the week!
xox
Today’s boutique artist spotlight focuses on the beautiful and enchanting work of Montreal’s own Elizabeth Johnston! Known for her Celtic knot inspired intricate jewelery designs (and passion for the Bodhran drum – an Irish frame drum), Elizabeth prides herself in only using the finest materials.
Amongst the mediums Elizabeth works with are potato pearls (fresh water mussel pearls that are naturally pastel colored but can also come dyed in brilliant hues),
Swarovski crystals, authentic gemstones, Murano and Millefiori lamp work glass beads, and silver from various indigenous economic initiatives. Each silver piece is made locally completely by hand. – WOW!
Somehow beautiful things just feel even more amazing when the fabrics and components are real, natural, and made with a whole lotta love!
Drop by the KL boutique today to view all these beautiful pieces up close and in person (believe me, the pictures just don’t do them enough justice)!
Hope life is treating you all well and you are spoiling yourself with happiness and joy!
xox
Tuesday morning was rainy, icy and cold… pouring freezing rain here in the 514… the kind of day where you wake up and just want to pull the duvet up and around you and snuggle in even more…
While the outside world was unwelcoming, I journeyed to the Katrin Leblond studio for the warm and creative shelter you seek when everything around you feels bleak and gray. A haven where you are surrounded by colors, sunny people… a place where things make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside while being right at home. That is exactly how the studio feels to me – a welcome retreat that holds familiar sights, sounds, memories and thoughts. I say this as I started at the Katrin Leblond studio as an intern many moons ago and worked there for about a year. I know the inner workings and daily rituals that make this place such a calm and imaginative mecca.
There are many unconventional habits that make this place unique. Maybe it’s the fact that you can chose to work with or without shoes on, or that recycling both paper and fabrics is an absolute… maybe it’s that a cat may occasionally cross your path, that Paul Simon tracks are adored and played on repeat, that paper weights are stones from far away travels or coffee is offered upon 9am arrival… just little things that make work days inspiring, less stressful and thought provoking.
There is a small team behind the Katrin Leblond brand. Ladies who are completely devoted to making the most beautiful, quality individual pieces for the world to own, love and enjoy. There are no set rules or itineraries for the construction of a skirt, dress or shirt – Swatches are picked and matched according to vote of what the team feels is aesthetically pleasing to each of their individual styles. It really is a beautiful process as although the team is headed by Kat, everyone’s opinion counts and goes into the construction process. Every garment is made completely by hand from start to finish by these few people. They see that all details, appliques and trims are properly applied with care and precision – this is harder than it looks folks!
Thread in the KL studio is not only used to sew garments together… it is an embellishment in itself! Doubled up thread creates the beautiful vine designs and quilted look that is so popular with so many of Katrin’s creations. This is all done by sewing machine, but the work, time and precision required to get the desired effect can prove to be quite a challenge! Another beautiful aspect of these colorful spools? They are all bought locally.
Patterns are all made by hand and graded old school style – no computer program or printing. I think that was one of my favorite things about working in the studio, as I find too much on-computer design can distract from the craft of creating something from scratch with your own two hands. Very rewarding and a great form of instant gratification!
Recognize this piece?
I am just as excited about these new buttons as Kat is. Just close your eyes for a minute (after reading this of course) and imagine a sweater sleeve trimmed with real pressed flowers set in resin. Magical!
These will really make something incredibly special!
Ahhhhh… the scrapbook! The collages of beauty and inspiration all plastered into two books… the holy bible if you want to get a bit into Katrin’s design mind! I have abducted these from the studio for scanning and will be posting them sometime next week… stay tuned for the unlocking of these sacred anthologies!
I’m not sure if it’s the color contrast or just because I made an extension cord look so damn cool, but I really adore this pic!
Kitty!
The lovely Katharina adding leaf ribbon trim to skirts.
Beads, sequins and various trinkets are never out of the question when Kat creates… everything, no matter how big or small eventually finds its true home.
The lady of the hour…
Oh if only you could see the entire fabric collection that Katrin houses underneath the cutting table! Polka dots, silk chiffons, vivid prints, intruging textures and forms… it really is a playground for the mind. Another tidbit of good news… the fabric is local too! The best part I haven’t even mentioned yet though…
… nothing is wasted! Every scrap finds residency in this big excess fabric bin (big and small pieces) and is eventually used to create rosettes, fleurettes, scarfettes and adornments for the boutique, studio and clothing. Love it… so eco-chic!
Of course here and there if you pay close attention you will notice a tutu peeking out from a shelf, drawer or rolling rack… hidden ballerinas all around…
Morning snacks!
Hope you enjoyed this mini photo tour of the KL studio… hang tight, more in-studio activity to come… alongside an exclusive look around Katrin’s home!
Have a beautiful day!
xox
It is always fun to hear what different members of the press have to say after a big event or show… but sometimes it is even nicer to experience a bit more of an intimate look into what goes on behind the lights, cameras and action…
There is an unbelievable amount of preparation involved in pulling off a fifteen minute fashion show. Months of planning, booking, creating and finalizing for the thrill of entertainment and being able to visually vocalize an idea and mood It is such a beautifully frivolous yet completely necessary endeavor. Inviting and treating the very people you dress – the very people who are the brand, to indulge in the new picture board of perfection you have dreamt up and realized! How could anything be more satisfying?!?
These beautiful black and whites were shot by Kat’s younger brother, Nick Leblond, who’s backstage experience was everything he seems to have captured in his shots – peaceful. He described the models (some of which Kat has used in her previous Sensation Mode show) to be at ease and confident, assured and ready. None of the regular anxiety feel or rushed paranoia that some shows can create. The most beautiful thing that Kat recalled to me in an e-mail the day after the show was what she said to each and every one of the models before they walked out on stage…
“I keep re-living the line up and how great the girls looked back stage. They were so stunning. So generous. Before every one of them went out, I looked her in the eyes, took her hands and told her: You are beautiful. Go slow. Breathe. Smile. Enjoy. You are a queen”.
The lineup!
The girls were drop dead gorgeous and did an incredible job… I love the fact that these ladies really are the strong women they projected on the catwalk. I love even more the fact that the confidence they injected to their walks and struts are not an act. These girls ain’t faking a thing… they truly are the KL goddesses Kat designs for
xox
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