What can I say?  I want everything in my life to be beautiful.  These were ugly 80′s deck chairs that we re-vamped with a coat of spray paint and some custom made cushion covers.  Hail to the do-it-yourselfers.  Fix old stuff.  Beautify your world.

Leaf pins $7 each

made of 100% silk

all stitching done in the Katrin Leblond studio

Go see it!

Don’t miss it!

I was very inspired and have been back to see it again since the opening night.  It was so crazy that night, that invited guests had to line up for hours just to get into the Museum.

The first series of photos below were taken while Krin and I took were in the line up to get into the Museum.

Me wearing a turquoise silk bustier ($158-258) and Russian Bracelet ($12-16) and Silk chiffon scarf ($22-32).

My muse and circus super star Karin Maren Haglund wearing the Purple Bella dress ($278)

This Rosebud necklace is all gypsy and all modern ($248)

The slim fit crinoline in multi reds ($140) available in 12 different colors at Boutique Katrin Leblond 4647 blvd. St-Laurent

The Museum of Fine arts in Montreal decked out in JPG sailor stripes.

Just before we went in to see the show I bumped into Rosie Godbout.  Her atelier is upstairs from mine and she is an incredible textile artist who specializes in felting and makes the most amazing winter coats.

Here we are inside the show admiring and stealing pictures on the down low.

My fave dress above and Krin’s fave below.

the famous Can Can dress was on a catwalk of moving mannekins.  The installation of the show is superb and very fresh.

I leave you with this picture of the most incredible shoe collage:  heels inside wedge sandals!  WOW!

These photos were taken by artist-photographer Marie Cornellier.  She has a gift for getting people to show their most beautiful and touching selves.

My creative process this year involved a lot of cutting and pasting and collage-ing with a glue stick and small scissors.  I felt like I was making clothes for paper dolls.  It was the first time we had ever done anything like this in the studio, but it allowed us to visualize and plan so that the whole collection fit together better than ever.

You can see my little notes where I was planning how many items to cut of what size in which colour.

This year’s process also included a spiritual connection to all our wishes and hopes and desires.  The women on my team, including my mother, each told me three things they would wish for the world if they could change anything they wanted.  These wishes/blessings were then assigned to individual garments.  Below you can see the note “Celebrating Native Women” on the long feather dress.

Come and see for yourself.  The store looks more beautiful than ever!  I am crazy proud of this year’s collection and all the magic that will flow out into my community.

Kat

Beautiful amazing Anna.  You will be a momma soon.  You will be in love.  You will be afraid.  You will be powerful.  You will be you.  You are amazing Anna and you will be a great mom.

This is for you in anticipation of all the fun you will have rediscovering everyday things through the eyes of your child.

Your life is your most powerful art.  See you at the boutique.

erin

These are mock ups of our March first delivery group.  Lots of black and white accented with roses.   Pops of garden green and lime with fuschia and hot pink and peachy rose.  Playful pieces to prep you for a great summer ahead.

Your life is your most powerful art.  See you at the boutique.

erin

Well, actually, three wishes.

A rack-full of new spring wear!

When it came time to draw up themes for this new collection, Kat was ready to try something new.   She sat down her whole creative team, and asked them to write down their three wishes for humanity.

She collected these three wishes, some in English and some in French, and read through them.   There were many overlaps – wishes for the health of the oceans, for endangered animals like elephants and monkeys, wishes for clean and safe foods, wishes for the forests.   There were wishes for the emancipation of children, for the heart of humanity to be wide open, and for all people to enjoy the warmth of the sun.

“I wanted these wishes to be the inspiration behind the collection,” Kat explained to me, “but I also wanted to make sure that my intent was clear.”   She wanted to tap into not just her visual impression of these wishes, but that of the collective consciousness.   In today’s world, that means paying a trip to Google.

Kat sat down at her computer and entered every wish, word-for-word, into google-image.   She leafed through the images, and absorbed.

Google-image was able to make free associations that no single designer would have been able to make on her own.   The wealth of inspiration was overwhelming.

The pattern from a dress inspired by native women

“Images kept coming up of spiritual leaders,” Kat told me, “that I never would have associated with some of these wishes, but there they were.   We were talking about using the colour grey, and I had no ideas for that, but then I typed in ‘elephants’ and all this grey imagery came up!”

Little by little, groups of this new collection will appear at the Boutique.   One group has already been released, which is inspired by First Nations women and is rich with earth tones and sandy hues.

earth tones abound in the first group of springwear

Other treats we have to look forward to are a Garden Vegetable Skirt, a Planet Earth Skirt, and lots of elephant motifs, leaf appliqués and ocean imagery.

And we’re keeping it close to the source. “The wish that inspired the piece will be tagged on the hanger of each garment, so that people can know what it means,” Kat tells me.   “I want to think of each garment as a magic spell that we’re putting out into the world for humanity.”

A magic spell wished for by the women who made these garments with their own hands, no doubt weaving their intentions into each fold of  fabric.

It should indeed be a magical spring at Boutique Katrin Leblond.

Express your beauty as you are.   Dance in your kitchen and sing to the stars.

Sarah Pearson

The show is February 26th, 8pm

Here’s what you do to enter the draw:

1. Leave a comment below this post with your e-mail and phone number

2. Subscribe to this blog

3. Become a friend of Katrin Leblond Design on Facebook

http://www.thewawashow.com/

We all like a bargain.    But when things are super-cheap, it’s usually because someone else is paying the price.

~

Occasionally clients at the Boutique will comment on how “expensive” the garments are.   While it may be hard to imagine, Katrin Leblond Design is practically giving these clothes away for free.

Here’s why.   The people who make these clothes actually get paid a living wage.

Most of us have heard stories about the evils of sweatshop factories.   It bears review though.    Sweatshop garments are cheap because the people (mostly women and children) who made them got paid pennies.   They likely suffer inhumane working conditions – 14 hour shifts without bathroom breaks, exposure to dangerous chemicals, sexual assault from supervisors just to name a few.

Sweatshop workers

Social and economic conditions often make these kind of working conditions the only viable option for supporting a family.   Obviously, major world changes need to take place to overhaul this deeply troubled situation.

Where our "cheap" clothes come from

Awareness is always the first step.

I try to think twice whenever I see a bargain on turtlenecks or basic Ts.   I’m trying to train myself to find sweatshop clothes unacceptable.   I can’t bear to throw paper in a garbage can, and will take it home with me if there’s no recycling.   My goal is to to have the same sensitivity and discipline to sweatshop-produced garments.

As consumers, we always have a vote.  We vote every time we pull out our wallets.  It is a pretty empowering choice to buy clothing made by people who actually got paid a salary that they can live off of.    It’s empowering to support local artists (heck, if our government won’t do it, it’s up to us).

Paying people what they're worth: supporting local agriculture at a farmer's market is as important as buying sweatshop-free clothing

The profit margin on Katrin Leblond designs are very slim.    Our prices reflect what garments actually cost to produce in Montreal.    The reason why sweatshop garments are so cheap?   The workers paid the price so that the consumer wouldn’t have to.

It’s empowering to say, “all people deserve to live comfortably.   That is why I support paying people equitable wages.”

Buying beautiful clothes made with love makes us feel good.

Express your beauty as you are.  Dance in your kitchen and sing to the stars.

Sarah Pearson

Equitable clothing at Boutique Katrin Leblond, made with love!

I love that I get to make her costumes.  I feel honoured that she chooses me time and time again as her costume designer.  This was our newest collaboration.  It ‘s for her wheel act.

It highlights her fantastically toned sexy-mama body and swooshes when she moves.  The body suit is a one piece with gaucho wing legs.  The back and straps are a-symmetrical with crisscrossing lines, ruffles and  an amazing beaded collar piece that I saved from one of my grandmothers old Parisian haute-couture dresses.  I am very proud of this creation.

Here are some casual pictures that she took backstage posing and looking adorable.  Room #6.

Krin on tour with her little munchkin circus child Ole.

Not only does she blow me away with her talent and showmanship, her amazing ability to entertain, but she is a great role model for how to have a kid and still be yourself.

Love of love to all the circus families that just do it!  -Kat

]]> http://katrinleblondblog.com/uncategorized/i-get-to-costume-people-i-love-presenting-krin-maren-haglund/feed/ 0 http://katrinleblondblog.com/boutique/window-painting-a-lost-art/ http://katrinleblondblog.com/boutique/window-painting-a-lost-art/#comments Mon, 06 Dec 2010 19:51:40 +0000 Katrin Leblond http://katrinleblondblog.com/?p=5236 Meet Claude, a local Montreal legend.  Sometimes you can find him, sometimes you can’t.  He can freestyle amazing script and perfectly copies fonts.  He’s great at what he does.  He works in oil paints and most people hire him for permanent window text, but I hired him to do my Christmas window.  It took two days and he smoked many many cigarettes (not in the store!).  He stood back to measure and look at his work.  I wanted it to happen faster, but perfection was his vice and so he took his time and made it great.

Here you can see the big bows that he painted above each window.  These were inspired from old art deco posters.  I wanted to make the windows look like gifts and everything in the store is in the box with a big bow on top.

After he was done with the window, I asked him to make me a new sandwich board.  He hummed and hawed.  He needs the work, but grumbles a bit along the way.  I think he did a spectacular job on the sandwich board.  I love it so much!

As I dig out my winter clothes and re-organize my mittens, i noticed how pretty some of the colours looked and thought i would share them with y’all.  Below is my accessories drawer for mittens and scarves.  At the top left is the unicorn scarf (still available at the store) and next to it is one of Colette Van Haaren’s amazing knitted pieces.

Here are my belts.  I guess I don’t wear a lot of belts, but you can see my travel belt folded up with the sunset stitched over the water.  My travel belt was detailed in an earlier post.  It is an embroidered belt in which I documented a trip across Canada through stitching.

Here are my handbags all piled up.

And my long dresses including Vintage Fairyesque and Ana Sui.

The most important drawer of all: BIKINIS.

The skirt bikini, a little number I released way to late last summer, is available again at the store for all you snow birds.

From left to right: Cozy coat 2009, Ivko coat (two left in L and XL), Purple and Red Velvet coats…still some left at the store on sale now at 1/2 price and of course my purple parka!  Wish I could design parkas, that would be fun.

Silk scarves in multi colours and textures are a must have for summer and travel.  Cover your hair when you enter a church in Italy or visit a temple in Thailand.  Add a touch of colour to a simple summer dress.  Identify your luggage as it travels with you around the world.  Collect them and enjoy the luxury of soft shiny silk.

The minute I installed these shelves for my shoes, i knew it would not be enough room for them all.  So, these are just my summer shoes and …just the pretty ones.

Now go buy some colourful clothes so that you too can have a princess closet!

KissesXXXX

Kat

Beatriz, our beloved patternmaker (we call her our Queen!) has recently retired.  We celebrated her Birthday with a homemade peach pie.  If I weren’t designing clothes, I would be baking pies.

Take time to eat with the people you love.  The food tastes better that way.

Kat

I wanted to take the chance to let you all in on my world.  I want to share with you, my loyal and beautiful friends, a part of who I am, and what I love.

So follow me on the journey of how a skirt becomes the embellished wonder that you, and I, all love…

We start with a Basic A-line skirt.  We call it the “Art Skirt”, because I am always embellishing it in new ways with new appliquées and top stitching.   All stitching is done in studio on the sewing machine, but it is what we call “freestyle”.  It is not a computer image being embroidered, so each line is improvised as we sew.

This was in the fall collection fashion show as a sheer skirt with a nude thong underneath. As the world is not a runway show, we needed to make the skirt more suitable for everyday use.

First, I draw an image and translate it into stencils that we can use to cut the same shapes out of fabric

The first layer of stitching is really just to tack the cut out shaped to the skirt.

Top stitching details and buttons are added.

Then, we make a top to match, of course.

The racks full of clothing in the palette Black, Grey, Pink, Coral waiting for their new coordinating skirt and top to fill out the whole look.

Now you can get the skirt, the top, the pants, the jacket, the…………

It can all come together or you can always wildly mix and match in unexpected ways from other racks of differing colour palettes all over the store.

See you at the boutique.

erin

Krysten

Kat

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

http://www.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!

]]> http://katrinleblondblog.com/uncategorized/smirkus-2010-costumes/feed/ 0 http://katrinleblondblog.com/inspiration/rainbow-bride-how-i-design-a-wedding-dress/ http://katrinleblondblog.com/inspiration/rainbow-bride-how-i-design-a-wedding-dress/#comments Mon, 28 Jun 2010 12:54:49 +0000 Katrin Leblond http://katrinleblondblog.com/?p=1189 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