The Festival Mode & Design Montréal just wrapped up its 10^th year, with 50 fashion shows and special events. The outdoor event, which was open to the general public from August 4^th through the 7^th in the heart of downtown Montreal, had a diverse line-up of shows, including Micalla, Dom Rebel, and everything in between.

A lot of us do what we do, simply for the joy of doing. This is especially evident amongst our many contributors and various designers, entrepreneurs, even the general blogging community. Our first editorial photo-shoot follows the same path. An attempt at reflecting the strength, freedom and creative outlet to be found when we do things for the simple pleasure of creating something...an article of clothing, writing, sculpture etc.

The photo-shoot tries to capture the erotic suggestiveness and over-the-top theatrics of Burlesque performances, while transporting us into a futuristic scenario.

We dedicate this photo-shoot to our many contributing writers, supporters and all of you who do things mainly for the joy of creating. Hope you enjoy it!

I was at the Annie 50 Press Breakfast recently and had the opportunity to meet and chat with the very talented Annie and Amelie. We talked about their inspirations, designs and work. These ladies are very focused and driven by what they do, and their accomplishments speak for themselves; 5 years in business, 2 seasons at the Montreal Fashion Week and a whole lot more to come.

Vendredi soir, malgré le vent et le froid des rues de Montréal, St Laurent avait chaud. Et quand je dis St Laurent, je veux plus précisément dire le Buonanotte.

Après avoir montré patte blanche, me voilà dans l'arène. Défilés subtils d'un coté; fête et petits fours de l'autre: la soirée Affliction.

What many may not be aware of is that multi-talented will.i.am, frontman of the Black Eyed Peas, actually has some background in design. Yeah, his formal education has only been for about a semester (at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA), but when a music career on the rise comes calling, design school can probably take an easy backseat. However, this piece of personal history underscores the fact that if it were not for music, will.i.am would probably be in the fashion business. Obviously then, he has designed clothing for his fellow Black Eyed Peas. Where be the Montreal Fashion connection, you ask?

LG Fashion Week may now be underway, but the Queen City’s true pride and joy is nowhere near the FDCC runway. Torontonians may have in fact found another way to give their local fashion scene a boost, and it’s something we Montrealers may want to consider some time soon.

In the GTA area, there is a group called PACT whose mission is to empower at-risk youth, with almost no government funding. Recently, they’ve put together a real-world sewing and design school called PACTFashion, and they may very well have stumbled upon the smartest trend to hit the streets of our sister city in a long time.

"First do no harm" is the guiding philosophy for Smith Farms, the cosmetic company based in Western Quebec that aims to protect the environment, animals and you. Their products are nourishing, look great and include the most delicious ingredients. The Smith Farms range is the brainchild of sisters Julia and Becky, who've taken time to talk to us about their products, their experiences and their mission for organic cosmetics with recognizable ingredients.

Eve Gravel, 30 ans, 15 collections à son actif, un talent monstre, ce genre de styliste qui nous fait dire qu'on a pas toujours besoin d'extravagance pour plaire.