All Ivko skirts prices range from $189 to $219

Biking to the top of Mt. Royal is my husbands’ favourite activity.  I like sitting in the sun at the top.

It’s almost surprising to see pictures of me NOT working.  I need to do more of that.

Love, Katrin

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.

Gypsy skirt 100% American made cotton, $189

Hi.

fascinator $90 made by Katrin Leblond (me)

Say hello to purple and turquoise (and Teal for Fall).  It is time to start the transition to Fall.  Keep those jewel tones around but pack up the peach, mint and hot pink.

Take a look in your closet and see if you have anything that you didn’t wear at all this summer.  Make a bag for your friends to go through, or give it to the Renaissance.

Make space.

Create openings.

Feel free.

Fascinator $60

silk flower hair clip $24

boiled wool belt $78

Purple rainbow cardigan made of Italian mesh $108

Bead and Crystal necklaces by Wendy Thomas

Mohair shawl $49 each (2 for $75, 3 for $90)

Bibi/fascinator by Katrin Leblond $90

Pastel Martini Dress now on sale for $199

Crinkle scarf $59-79

Leaf pins $7 each

made of 100% silk

all stitching done in the Katrin Leblond studio

I love getting wedding pictures in the mail.  It is a gift to see where my dresses go and what occasions they are worn for.  This is the wedding picture of Jennifer and Andrea. (Thanks guys!). They were a delight to serve and play dress up with.  Obviously I only did the outfit on the right.

@ Jennifer and Andrea:  You both look so genuinely happy and radiant in this photo.  I wish you a lifetime of falling in love with each other anew every day.  xoxo

screen printed by Studio Big Dog

available at the boutique $60

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!

Made from a sheer Italian mesh, this little number can be super dressy and pairs perfectly to navy and indigo.  The print makes me think of painterly brushstrokes from an impressionist artist.  Cover yourself from the sun without overheating at a summer wedding.  Wear it with jeans.  New and delightful, this cardigan is a great travel companion.

It is time to start planning your veggie patch.  Have you bought your seeds yet? Please buy heritage NON GMO seeds from the last remaining independant seed distributers.  Here is a link to a local seed distributor from Lanaudiere:

http://www.ecoumene.com/

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

You get the WAWA Show.

We Are Women Artists – or WAWA for short – is the brainchild of indie-burlesque singer-songwriter Amanda Mabro, one of Montreal’s most talked about emerging artists.  She started this collective six years ago as a way of building community and support among women artists.   More than a “concert,” it’s a veritable festival of impassioned, courageous art.

This year’s interdisciplinary show includes performances from Amanda herself, as well as eight other songwriters, circus performers, musicians and visual artists.   Among those six is Katrin Leblond.

This is going to be a powerful evening.    The sheer talent alone is not to be missed. Amanda Mabro is acclaimed throughout the country, and has driven critics wild at the Montreal Jazz Festival and Osheaga.

The Good Lovelies are an adored Canadian roots-folk trio, winning a Juno last year.

Our very dear friend Krin Haglund will be hosting along with Andreane Leclerc, bringing acrobatic magic to the cabaret-like evening.

Mirjana Milovanovic will be lending her haunting vocals, fresh from her two-year gig with Cirque du Soleil in Vegas.

Andree Anne Handfield‘s photography will add a visual depth to the evening.

Katrin Leblond will provide the finest couture for the performers, dazzling our senses with colours, cuts, and luscious prints.

This is bound to be a memorable evening. The unique beauty of each of these artists is very powerful. As they join forces for one single night, the energy’s bound to be overwhelmingly great.

ONE NIGHT ONLY

February 28, 2011

8pm

@ Théatre Gésu centre de créativité

$25

Tickets available at Boutique Katrin Leblond! Or visit the WAWA website.

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

Sarah Pearson

If you haven’t visited Kat’s sunny Mile End studio, now’s your chance.  It’s a powerful, magical place that faces west to the Mountain.  The sale begins just in time to catch the late-afternoon flood of sunlight.

Curious about the sales?

This awesome skirt is down to 49.50 from its original price of 175!

I own this skirt in brown and it is a priceless part of my collection. You have to feel the velour for yourself.

These amazing jackets are knocked down to 50% off.

These elegant, asymmetric jackets are perfect for spring (which, according to the groundhog, is just around the corner).

February 21, 22 and 23rd, 2011

1 pm-9:00pm

5333 Casgrain, suite 902

We can’t wait to see you!!  Get there early to snag the best deals!

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

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

Or rather, I’m thinking about how differently I would like to do it myself.

Katrin Leblond has designed many a bridal gown – some in white, some in chartreuse, some (for example, her own) in deep magenta.    At the heart of her bridal designs is the same philosophy at the heart of all of our styles and designs: wear what feels like you.

Below is a photo from Katrin’s cousins’ wedding.  Emilie opted for an ivory strapless dress with chiffon and beading at the bust (that is hidden by the pink mohair shawl she is wearing).  Of course you can see the tradition of wearing purple at Leblond functions showcased by many in the clan.  I would also like to draw you attention to the fabulous KL handbag in fuchsia on the lap of her Aunt Lucie (front right).

The history of the white wedding dress is actually quite recent.   It was Queen Victoria who popularized the white dress in 1840, having built her nuptial getup around some special lace she wanted to show off.   Her wedding was widely photographed, and other brides then copied her style.   Since then, the white dress has come to represent the bride’s virginity as she prepares to enter matrimony.   (Is it not ironic that this fashion should develop in this era, which probably has the lowest bridal-virginity rate in Western history?)

Big white ballgowns look natural on some brides.    On others there is nothing better than colour.    Shouldn’t it be up to each bride to decide for herself: colour or no?

Before the 1800s, it was customary for European brides to wear rich colours and fabrics, to show off the wealth of the family they were marrying from (even if they were poor).  In the East, red is the traditional colour for many Indian and Chinese bridal dresses.

A Japanese couple on their wedding day

Traditional Chinese wedding garb

White is a traditional choice for some women – even for those who have been living with their partners for many years, or who already have kids.   The tradition of white as representing virginity is fading but the importance of the it’s symbol has not.  Personally, if I have the opportunity to dump hundreds or thousands of dollars on a dress I’ll wear once, I want it to be a colour that resonates with me personally, that flatters my skin tone and sends an intimate message about me and my partner.

The plaid wedding dress: a neat take on tradition

That’s just me.   On the other hand, I can completely understand the power behind a white wedding dress.   It is the archetype of “Bride” in today’s culture.   When crafting a meaningful ceremony, having that cultural symbol behind you is powerful.

To all brides-to-be out there: I share this message with you.    Wear what you want to wear on your wedding day.    If your heart says white, listen to your heart.   If swatches of pinks or emerald, yellows or royal blue are pulling at your sleeve, don’t be afraid to explore that magical world of colour either.   Bottom line is always the same:

Wear what feels like you.

A bridal headpiece by Katrin Leblond

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

Sarah Pearson