Fall’s chilly breeze has blown over the city of Montreal, retiring the year’s last leafy hues to the earth’s now sombre surface. Luckily, last week a cluster of stylish designer items fluttered in just in time to heat things up for Montreal Fashion Week 2008. The venue for this year’s Montreal Fashion Week was Marché Bonsecours located in the belle Old Montreal, where designer Dekang Gao of Soïa & Kyo presented his sultry Spring and Summer 2009 collection.
At 8 p.m., luminous purple orbs embellished the impressive venue against the dark night’s sky. The grimace of passersby indicated they were dreading the nearing nippy winter season; however inside the fresh-faced models of the Soïa & Kyo show lightly pranced down the runway as if it were a warm April day. The models were dressed in next season’s lime green pea coats, lilac rain boots, magenta stockings, red leather jackets, and khaki shorts. The electronic rhythms pumped in the background as one-by-one, each model displayed Gao’s brilliant architectural talents involved in constructing the well-assembled outfits. Likewise, the event was the definition of success – everyone cheered, clapped, and left with an extra spring in their step.
– Alana Taylor