Posts Tagged ‘Katrin Leblond boutique’
Inside peek at my design board Spring 2011
The Spring collection is almost completely in the store now.
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
Starting from $8 and ranging all the way up to $390 (item not pictured here) Katrin Leblond Boutique’s bags and totes are colorful fun for your wardrobe. Come by and find the one that is right for you. We also have eco bags for $3.
Your life is your most powerful art. See you at the boutique.
erin
Because ideas don’t emerge from a vacuum. We create in a community.
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.
Super soft and lovingly made, these belts are built with leather remnants that Genevieve recycles into the magical and practical accessories. These belts do a great job of holding up your pants or cinching in the waist on that dress you love. Use them to jazz up the sweater or coat that you want to wear everyday in as many ways as possible.
Your life is your most powerful art. See you at the boutique.
erin
Say goodbye to cold cheeks. Say goodbye to cold noses and cold chins. Say goodbye to messy hair and bad hat head. Say goodbye to winter whining. Snuggle up in a KAZAK hood.
Let the wind blow.
I have to warn you once you have worn one of Genevieve Paquette’s hoods you may not wear your hat again. Fashionably warm yourself in recycled hipness. Genevieve Paquette brings us her winter collection for 2010-2011. As always she is consistent about offering winter warming wear that bridges Fairytale Romanticism from urban to country. The hippie goddess in you will be as warm as the urban hipster and both of your playful sides can comfortably face the Montreal elements with a mischievous smile.
Be bold. Be mysterious. Be rebellious. Be sweet. Stay toasty warm while being cooler than cool. Cast a love spell. Carry a poem in your pocket and transform every jacket and coat in your wardrobe by topping it with these gracious hoods.
Genevieve’s hoods are available with recycled fur for $88 or in a non fur version for $58. Come pick up the warmest head gear Montreal has to offer you this winter.
Your life is your most powerful art. See you at the boutique.
erin
The Katrin Leblond team welcomes you to the Montreal 2010 Formula 1 race weekend! Amongst all the hype and commotion we invite you to discover our wonderland for a little “break” from both the crowd and the parties!
Step into our world of color, creation and imagination… you will find the perfect ensemble to stand out from the crowd and allow your personality to shine!
Come visit us and allow yourself the souvenir of a great race weekend alongside a beautifully hand made Montreal wardrobe!
xox
Take a good look at these gorgeous numbers… they will be flying off the KL racks newly discounted to 25% off! Made by Gloria Gaudette, they are the perfect balance of professional and funky!
These staples will bring you from day to night in true, undeniable style (mix and match her prints with brights for a signature look).
Hope your week is beautiful!
Enjoy the sunshine
xox
Heray for new goodies that just arrived in the KL Boutique (woot woot)!!!
Classic Hardware pendants (on the left – top two), pocket watches on the top at $28 (two from middle to right), jewelery travel kits at $29 (bottom left and right), Z creations leaf earrings at $22 (center) and key chain at $12 (center right).
And some more dreamy pieces…
Little Miss Cassandra, our beautiful in-store lovely lady is getting more and more into the acting scene here in Montreal and has been successfully been getting many callbacks for auditions! Get to know the face peoples, it’s only a matter of time before she takes over the silver screen 
We love ya Cassandra and are all cheerin’ ya on!
xox
Jamie Brock, one of my favorite KL boutique designers has just recently gotten back from Costa Rica where she lives part-time when not designing fabulous eco-friendly fashions here in Montreal . Welcome home Jamie!
Jamie’s line Advika focuses on creating comfortable, fashion forward pieces entirely made from textiles such as soy, hemp, organic cotton and bamboo. Pretty cool, huh!?! She was kind enough to make me one of her incredible dresses (that I am completely obsessed with might I add), and I can’t get over it’s amazing versatility!
Above, Jamie sports one of her Advika creations in black (also available in-store in deep purple and lavender in sizes small through large).
Jamie’s sister Jen created and designed this gorgeous mosaic shower for their Costa Rica getaway home…
They also have a goat that they milk themselves that likes to hang out
If you love far away fashions, be sure to head to the KL Boutique to check out Katrin’s personal collection of hand-picked scarves she brought back from Thailand! They are selling for only $8!!! Can you believe?!?! There is a rainbow array that make perfect headbands, neckties and purse charms, so snap these babies up while they are still around.
Enjoy the beautiful summer day (hopefully by a pool)!
xox
The boutique has loads of new surprises for you to discover!!!
First and foremost, this beautiful jewelery collection from Montreal artist Christine Bérubé is new and in-store! Her pieces are largely inspired by water and her memories of it during her childhood. She compares her work to the fluidity of the water that so inspires her .
Also, Erin Reports:
- New in the store: Hanna Boer undies in organic cottons with funky print waist bands are being snapped up for $12 each or 2 for $20.
Hanna also makes easy to wear relaxed fit dresses for summer that she has brought into the store in a variety of colors and two styles: the dot dress and the Venus dress. Come check them out!
Hope you are all enjoying the beautiful summer day!!!
xox
New to the KL boutique…
…and beauty you cannot surpass nor overcome when you first walk into the store and venture towards the cash – the eco-friendly collection of earrings from Arterre!
Each pair handmade with recycled fabrics (including a few pairs made from KL collection scraps to match your favorite ensembles) and tightly wrapped to give a distinct and colorful new aesthetic to an old classic. I love it when designers really play up textures and form – and this is exactly what this is!
Best part by far though? Some earrings don’t only come as a pair, but as a threesome (hey, hey, hey… keep your mind outta the gutter…) so that you can mix and match and really get the most versatility out of these exquisite jewelery box additions!
C’mon… adding a third earring is by far one of the most genius ideas I’ve heard in a long time!
Arterre also makes necklaces that are carried in the KL boutique (but I’m keeping that as a yummy surprise for later)…
Happy 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
Happy Birthday to Erin (whose birthday is not over until this month officially ends)! This beautiful, loving lady is an amazing stylist and manager for the Katrin Leblond Boutique and mama to a very special little girl (who can often be found hiding underneath beds and putting fleurettes and silk roses in her hair). Here are a few candid shots of the little celebration held in Erin’s honor at the KL boutique… isn’t the cake just gorgeous?!?
Erin and Anna dressed head to toe in KL goodness! When you see the glow radiating from the two of them it makes Katrin’s philosophy on beauty being a reflection of the love you have inside a reality. The KL team truly live and breathe the practice it preaches
And there is the little lady herself… Miss Aya!
Strawberry cheers of course!
Some of the fabulous guests…
Happy Birthday Month Erin! We love and cherish you!
If you happen to be in the St. Laurent/Mont-Royal area be sure to drop by the boutique to send your birthday love before the month is through… why limit celebrating an awesome person to one day??? Birthday Months for all!!!
xox
If you have not yet seen this seasons window installment for the Katrin Leblond Boutique I sincerely urge you to bundle up, grab a cafe latte and croissant and take in the beauty of every color and brushstroke (in the true spirit of Breakfast at Tiffany’s). Jean Austin Low is the artist behind the vibrant and expressive floral canvases propped up behind the mannequins to set the mood for the patterned party skirts, crinolines, appliqued totes and animated pillowcases. The art on the canvas and the art of the clothing walk SO hand in hand it’s hard to believe that the two were not initially created to complement each other. I guess it’s true when they say that great minds think alike…
Jean uses pastels, watercolor, acrylic and oil paints to create her botanical masterpieces which are inspired by her deep love for gardening. Tying into Katrin’s deep respect and love for the environment and mother earth, it is no wonder these two artists found each other. Low’s art is a celebration of the power and beauty of florals… the very plant that oozes femininity, delicacy and finess – see a resemblance to Katrin’s fashion philosophies? The strength of a woman hidden in the beautiful shell that is a flower.
Did you also happen to notice the new KL sign with all the retro cool light bulbs? I love this new addition
I also love the pastel theme going on in the right side of the window display (and throughout the store)! It really feels very refreshing amongst the strong vibrant colors and eclectic prints… a beautiful color story for spring!
Wishing you a beautiful start to the week! Surround yourself with beauty and art!
Smile
xox
The more I look at some of the beautiful and amazing velvet pieces that are currently in the KL boutique, the more I keep thinking of how perfect they all are for the weather we have been having lately… Warm enough for lighter jackets, multiple layers, brighter prints and colors to reflect the springtime sunshine We are at the perfect middle transition where we still need protection from the elements but lust for the skirts and tank tops of summer… why not pair them all together for the perfect “right now” look?
This is the most refreshing alternative to a black wool jacket…
Did you know that purple is considered a royal color because of it’s rarity dating back to ancient Greece!? Nobility as well as Kings and Queens were the only ones who could afford the dye due to the intense labor involved with both fishing and extracting the limited amount of ink from the sea snail that naturally produces it. It is said that to obtain 1.4 grams of Tyrian Purple you would need approximately twelve thousand snails… and that would allow you to color the trim alone of your garment. Isn’t that insane? I listened in fashion history class… :p
Indulge in your love for mini skirts with leggings that provide both comfort and practicality (not to mention warmth in the colder months) with the leaf applique skirt! Two for one! Pair these with knee high colorful socks and round toe heels for chillier days and opt for strappy sandals in the summer What is a great piece of clothing if it isn’t versatile and magical all at once?
Maybe this weekend is your weekend to drop by the Boutique and add some rich velvety vibes to your wardrobe (… just sayin’…)
Happy slow beginning of Spring!
(Hey… we’ve got to celebrate every ounce of sunshine we get!)
xox
Katrin Leblond Design
4647 Blvd. St-Laurent
Montréal, Québec,
CANADA
Or for a very VIP appointment… 514-678-9616
Manolo Blahnik is a creative genius, but really I didn’t need to tell you that… here is a collection of my favorite sketches, photographs and collages of his awe inspiring flower footwear (oh so Katrin Leblond style)!
The leaf appliques on the laces of these stilettos would go PERFECTLY with the Katrin Leblond vine skirts and tops! Remember the absolutely fabulous reversible KL hoodies with the vine work over the front pockets – to DIE for!
This picture just screams Frida Kahlo, one of Kat’s many muses. Isn’t there just something so beautiful about confident, talented and independently fierce females?
Rosettes!!! Each KL rosette is made by hand either in the studio or the boutique. The store manager Erin is especially talented at making them… for those of you who aren’t familiar with KL’s signature Rosettes, they are great accessories you can play around with and put in your hair, wear as a necklace or bracelet… all made out of the smaller pieces of fabric that can’t be transformed into a full garment! I urge you to experience them for yourself! It’s all about using what you have and avoiding waste in a beautiful way
There is something so amazingly theatrical about this collage by Mr. Blahnik… did you know Katrin collaborates annually with Circus Smirkus and creates the full collection of costumes for the performers? Kat has a long history of dressing entertainers of every genre… musicians, dancers, acrobats… the list goes on and on… not to mention a previous very fabulous collaboration with Cirque du Soleil!
Erin is the earth goddess of the KL team… the above picture is for her mother earth beauty… she looks fabulous in browns and blues (and of course combinations of the two). I’ll bet you upon visiting the KL boutique chances are you’ll find her in those colors (if you do, please let me know my assumption was right!)
Flowers are amazing to begin with, but paired and designed in correlation to shoes… well my dears… I’m not sure it gets any better than that. Thank you Mr. Blahnik for lending your amazing talent for all the world to see!
xox
On February 3rd for a very special 5 a 7, women and girls of all ages flocked to the Katrin Leblond boutique on St. Laurent for a giant game of dress up! The store was brimming with white wine, strawberries, chocolate and feminine flirtatious energy! Behold a few of the beautiful shots taken by Montreal Fashion Photographer Barrie Macleod…
Ah! Such a breathe of fresh air from the winter blahs when you see all this creativity, color and imagination in each of these shots!
A big warm welcome to the brand new Katrin Leblond blog! Hope you find as much inspiration as I do creating the posts… lets fall down the KL rabbit hole of embellishment ensemble!
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