Picolinos shoes on sale $178

Black cerise dress with red dots $199

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

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

photo by Vanessa Finnie, available at Boutique Katrin Leblond

She’s been back since November, and is still processing what she learned on that trip.   As part of that process, she has started making cards with the photographs she took in India.  These stunning cards are now available for sale at the Boutique.

photo by Vanessa Finnie, available at Boutique Katrin Leblond

Her photographs are moving and joyous.  They are full of colour and movement, humour and peace.   The intensity of her emotions on that trip comes across strongly in her pictures.  They are definitely worth a trip to the boutique to see first-hand.  And are available for only $6.50 each.  Give one to yourself or to someone you are thinking of.

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

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

This is Robyn today.  I think she looks stunning.  I might add that she has always looked this good.  She used to be the only one in the studio with full make-up and heels.  The rest of us were barefoot and wearing our cozies.  I was still living in my studio at the time and often showed up for work in the most unglamorous outfit of all: my pijamas.   Robyn once told me that she brought her headshots to modeling agencies and they all turned her away, telling her to loose 15 pounds first.  Well, that was not an option for Robyn.  If you read her blog, you will come to learn that she loves food about as much as she loves fashion.  So, Robyn marched away from the modeling agencies horrified that the industry is still that narrow minded and started taking pictures of herself.  Thus her blog was born:  Fashionista514.com

Robyn is also the reason our blog was born.  She started it, bought the domain name, set up WordPress and wrote the first 100 posts.  Thank you Robyn.   It wouldn’t have happened without you.  You are an amazing manifester!  You are a star!

Above are pictures taken by Barrie Macleod at out photo booth party last year in the store.  Robyn did the make-up for over 60 women who were all undressing and getting dolled up for the camera.  These team shots were taken at the end of a long night.

I love this picture.  It was taken the day before my fashion show last year.  I was dropping by fashion week to deliver my press packs and I saw Robyn in the lounge.  Italian Vague (am I remembering this correctly Robyn?) had a photographer there who took a picture of her (without me) just because she looked that good.  This week she is celebrating her 1 year anniversary as the founder and star and writer of Fashionista514.  Congratulations!  We love you!

The artist expresses a distilled idea culled from the pulsing, flowing, churning well of our collective experience and reflections.

Our shared experiences lead the artists of our communities to reflect on common themes in a kaleidoscope of variations providing interesting parallels.

I find it so much more interesting to dress in many artists than to simply build my whole out fit from one designer.  That is why I choose to offer over 75 different designers in the store.  Sure its more work, but its worth it.

I try and find artist who communicate an interesting dialogue  with their own work and that of  Katrin’s.  I love finding great outfits among the offerings of so many different artists.  I love how each outfit created can belong entirely to the person who is wearing it in part because the combination they have selected is theirs alone.

When you buy from within your community you are already part of the art at its inception.  The art belongs in part to you and you are part of  art, the artist, and the community.  The  reach of the communal net begins at home and extends out around the wold.

At boutique Katrin Leblond that means beginning with Kat’s creations and then looking at what is creatively being generated in her immediate neighborhood:  The Plateau, and then looking at the context of that in the greater Montreal area, and then further out in Quebec, and then in Ontario, and the Maritimes, and then the rest of Canada, and then further still, till you are culling a bit from the USA, and a bit from Serbia, or Mexico, or Thailand,or… .  It’s like a fashion rock being thrown into a pond of design ideas.  The biggest splash is at the center and the ripples get lighter and lighter as they move away from the center but they still travel out quieter and quieter as they go across the whole lake.

It’s about dressing yourself while answering the question  “What are you part of?”

Don’t forget…..

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

erin

The store is committed to local.  What does that mean for the store.    How Boutique Katrin Leblond expresses local.

It’s cool to know that there is an artist half way around the world sharing an interest in similar visual themes to a collection that Kat is working on here in Montreal.  There is all these great Montreal artists of course we are going to sell their stuff.

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

Fabric.  Art, that is then used to make more art, that is then used in the art that is your life.  High quality 100% cotton.  This is luxurious, high thread count, cotton.   We love this print by Kaffe Fassette.  Kat’s team made it into a “cerise” dress (that means “cherry”  in french), a skirt, bedding and more…. available in the store.

I personally can’t wait for it to come in as throw pillows.  I really want one for my bed that is already dressed in various Katrin Leblond bedding mix and matches.

It reminds me of a kaleidoscope, mandalas, Van Gogh’s Starry Night swirls,  Klimt, Toller Cranston’s costume details in his paintings of the nutcracker, summer, fall, arts and crafts, the universe, gypsy magic, and the bindis on my daughter’s custom embellished bicycle that she loves and I Love, LOVE, LOOOOOOOOOVE.

Bindis are normally used for ceremonially decorating the faces of women and girls all over south Asia including Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Indian.  They are kind of like tattoo stickers.  They come in all different shapes, sizes and colours.  The ones on Aya’s bicycle are covered in rhinestones.

I have to brag.   I thought I was a genius when I came up with the idea of lacquering bindis onto her bike.

I loved fitting the bindis onto the shapes of the bike frame.  I loved finding a place for them that  seemed like they were always meant to be there.

Try and find the bits of broken disco ball.

Peeka boo! I see you!

Dring!  Dring!

The image on the bell is Ganesh the Hindu elephant god of abundance. Success!  Good fortune! This cheerful safety accessory for your two wheeled vehicle  is made by a local Montreal artist, Glen, that crazy Mile end metal sculpture artist, responsible for the sculpture park near the train tracks.  You can get his bells at the used sports equipment store on Bernard between Parc and Saint Urbain.

The seat is covered in swimwear fabric, of course!   Kat helped to hand stitch.  Swimwear:  Stretchy so it fits snug and dries fast when it rains.  Cover a bike seat for a small person you know with one of the swim suits they have just out grown.  A few whip stitches is all it takes!

We made this bike from a street side reject with a sign on it that said “If you want it, you can have it”.  My daughter and a friend cleaned it up and she rode it for a while till she complained about the rust.

What colour would you like it to be? I asked.

“Gold” she said to my surprise.

The end result is covered in bindis, spray painted gold, lacquered with nail polish, sparkles and more spray laquer.

I am very proud of this little art project and Aya and I had a really lot of fun doing it.  The basket and handle bar fringe are from Canadian Tire.

Yeah for bikes!  Pedal freely forward.  Free from gas prices.  Free from constant repair costs.  Free from the emissions guilt.  Float on two wheels.  Yeah!  Bikes!  Don’t forget your helmet!

I bike in my cerise dress on my own bike, along side Aya, all the time.

Kat wears the cerise dress available in store. Photo by Barry Maccleod.

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

Erin.

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

It is good to just know deep down to our toes that what we have that really has value is our friends, our family, the world around us that we love.  Go ahead take away the car, the house, the long list of material possessions.   Go ahead!  What I want is to feel safe and loved and be able to share that with my daughter and the world.

Friends make us strong.  They offer us the best embrace to fall into when life gets tough.   There for you when things go wrong.   They empower us to take more risks and listen to our selves more.

Thanks to all my good friends that I have had over the years that made me feel stronger about myself.   It wasn’t always easy but I am who I am today in part because of you and you will always be with me in everything I do.  And even if  you’re  far away  you are still my heart.

There you are.   You know me.  I know you.  I am me and you are you.  You are part of me.  When I grow more into myself you are happy for me.   When you grow more into yourself  I am happy for you. I love how you change and how you stay the same.  I am lucky to know you.  Thank you for sharing everything you do.

Thanks for all the fun we have together!

See you at the boutique.

Erin.

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 challenge was to express the way yoga becomes part of the self,  part of your life, and to express that in a way that honored the beauty of the people at the center through photography.  I think we succeeded.  Thank you Noan for expressing love through your camera, thank you Sylvie for bringing us together and challenging us all to be ourselves, Thank you to the whole yoga Sangha team, thank you to all the designers that created the clothes.

Thankyou for your beautiful,generous spirit Sylvie.  I am honored to know you.

Visit the lager than life versions of these photos at the studio at 3437 rue St Denis, Montreal.

Hand knit shawl (shown above in white) available in a rainbow of colours at Boutique Katrin Leblond for $44 each.  Long Cloud skirt by Melissa Bolduc sold out but still available through special  order  at boutique Katrin Leblond.  Cream cami with open back created with love especially for this photo shoot by Jamie Brock available by special order at boutique Katrin Leblond.

Photography by Noan Major from Elevation agency.com 514 284 2234 or 514 284 7330

It’s the launch of the KL swimwear line today in the store.

We will officially be hosting a ladies only swimwear party at the store today from 4:00 to 8:00 today.

Come drink cocktails and try on the summer swim wear and dream of the sand and water and sun.

Come check out the new styles.

Katrin’s designs are hands down the  most original fashion statements in pret a porter swimwear I have seen yet.  I am soooo excited to try these all on.

Howl the call of the cottage in confidence.

Get ready for a high summer of pool side enjoyment and trips to the beach in style.

Yes to feeling good in a bathing suit!  Yes to your body just the way it is!  Yes to hot days!

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/uncategorized/the-inspiration-that-is-frida-khalo/ http://katrinleblondblog.com/uncategorized/the-inspiration-that-is-frida-khalo/#comments Wed, 30 Jun 2010 13:00:13 +0000 Robyn http://katrinleblondblog.com/?p=1263

I think I speak for all woman (and man) kind when I point out the extraordinary woman that Frida Khalo embodied.  Her passion for art, love of animals, eye for beauty and color, as well as rebellious personality make her one of the most remembered and cherished artists of all time.

Why exactly?  Because with every whim she followed her instincts and her heart.  With every experience she grew stronger no matter how negative they may have been.  Jotting entries down in her journal, creating oil paintings infused with wildlife and heartbreaking imagery – if there was one main theme behind her artwork it was authenticity and acceptance.

What I love the most about her (and draw the most inspiration from) is how she was never anyone other than herself.  Through good and bad habits she had a “take all of me or nothing at all” approach to life.  She was passionate.  She never settled.

Katharina, one of the lovely creators of KL goodness (a specialist when it comes to sewing machine embroidery) reminds me so much of Frida.  While she is very much her own person, there is a wild beauty within her that is so refreshing and strong, you can’t help but think of Frida’s spirit.

Frida’s portraits were another highlight of her perception of the world.  She did not try to beautify herself on canvas (in fact I find her much more attractive in photographs), but instead looked reality right in the face (sans alteration) and made it astounding.  As a woman, this takes some serious guts!!!

Frida is a big part of what the KL team accomplish every day. The boutique is full of trinkets and prints alike that mimic or fully resemble this icon.

Kat even has this stuffed doll on her bookshelf…

My personal fave?

The Classic Hardware Frida bracelet, available for $55 at the boutique (There are also Frida necklaces and earrings).  When I wear mine not only do I get heaps of comments, but it reminds me to stay strong and stay true.

xox

The Queen is very important in hat-wearing society.  I learned how to make bibi hats from Pauline Duguay, and the studio has recently released a new batch of bibi creations.  I personally love the turquoise butterfly terrarium and the leaf.

Kat

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.

It has not even been three months since the KL teams involvement in the Bougez pour Haiti benefit, hosted by Montreal Gazette journalist Sue Montgomery, and already the proceeds have been applied to the Decamuss Business School in Port au Prince!  Both the Katrin Leblond Boutique as well as Erin the store’s manager contributed via raffle prizes (a worth of over $500) to make this event a huge success!

New computers have been set up, teachers as well as rent have been paid, and the school’s damages from the horrible earthquake are all in the process of being repaired.  The school is officially up-and-running teaching English, computer, and accounting classes.  Although the aftershock of the earthquake still remains, students are increasingly enrolling in the schools programs with the dream of finding a suitable job when all is said and done.

Many students are studying there on either half or full scholarships, while few have the means to put themselves through the program themselves.  Sues project for the future is student sponsorship – contributing individually to a students future (while they at the same time pay a portion to stay invested in what they are doing).  Both Sue as well as Nickel Nicolas (the school’s director) have estimated the price of approximately $250 per person (every course and subject determines different tuition prices), so if you are interested in sponsoring a Haitian student’s studies don’t hesitate!

Contact Sue asap at montgomery.sue@gmail.com

In any case, another Bougez pour Haiti will be taking place this November to raise more funds for this cause.  Sue has mentioned that the prizes as well as the event will both be larger scale and just as much dancing fun as the last!

Education is the most important thing we can give Haiti’s future, donate generously!

xox

Wow!  The Sylvie’s have been hitting up Italy in style!

From yoga to sightseeing in some of the most beautiful locations, it seems our lovely KL ladies are soaking in what Europe is all about – a beautiful lifestyle!  With gorgeous weather, perfect surroundings and hopefully some exciting travel stories to match, the Sylvie’s will be returning to Montreal well rested and with the memory of the perfect getaway!

Enjoy some more of the personal pictures they sent the KL team (it’s like a mini tour via blog).

Enjoy!

(Above Ostuni)

The gorgeously serene beach

Alberrobello et ses trulli

Polignano A Mare

Rome Piazza di Navona

The yoga room were they attend classes twice a day…

A rooftop view of Ostuni…

A beautiful building in the town of Matrina Franca!

Polignano A Mare, the city surrounded by the lush blue waters of the Adriatic sea!

“The trip is fantastic!!!  Beautiful weather, beautiful landscapes, great food and even better company.  Our yoga group is so sweet and gets along famously!  We have two yoga sessions a day that are about 2.5-3 hours long.  The first one is very (too) early at 6:30am and the next is at 4:30pm.  Between classes we visit the towns around or we take it easy by the pool.  In the evenings we have dinner outside as we are serenaded by our host who is a former Italian rock star and loves to sing and play his guitar for us!

Here are some pictures!

Bisous,”

Sylvie G

Have a beautiful Tuesday!

xox