In 1870, Montrealers adorned themselves with velvet and tassels and silk, and then made their way to the ball. Queen Victoria’s son, Prince Arthur—the namesake of rue Prince-Arthur—was visiting the city for the year. No expense was spared; there would be a costumed carnival, and it would be on ice.[Read More…]
Tag: McCord Museum
Indigenous Voices of Today exhibit showcases culture and resilience
You’re in a forest. Dappled light filters through a lush maple canopy and wraps you in a green cocoon. This is the entrance to the Indigenous Voices of Today: Knowledge, Trauma, and Resilience exhibit at the McCord Stewart Museum, which displays various Indigenous artifacts that highlight Indigenous cultures and histories. [Read More…]
The McCord Museum’s Artist-in-Residence Niap weaves a story of Inuit women through inventive beadwork
The McCord Museum’s newest Artist-in-Residence, Niap, is a Montreal-based multidisciplinary artist from Kuujjuaq, Nunavik. Her sculptures, textiles, and murals are currently displayed in some of Canada’s largest galleries. On March 25, her new exhibit, Piqutiapiit—meaning “precious belongings” in Inuktitut—premiered at the museum, a display of past and present Inuit beading[Read More…]
‘Christian Dior’ exhibit highlights the simple extravagance of post-war haute couture
Over time, the fashion industry has grown to rely on brand recognition to drive popularity and sales. Fashion houses such as Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Dior have long remained in the cultural consciousness because they—quite literally—made a name for themselves. Backed by full-monogram outfits, celebrity brand[Read More…]
New McCord exhibit depicts Griffintown as a fractured landscape
Urban redevelopment looms over Montreal with a constancy that borders on parody. Whether these changes impact a single street or an entire neighbourhood: The threat of an orange cone is ever-present. Since 2013, Griffintown—downtown’s southwestern neighbourhood, historically home to Irish industrial workers—has been Montreal’s most recent target for urban renewal.[Read More…]
Style and the city
What defines Montreal style? The typical outfit around campus often features heavy parkas, rolled up beanies, and thrifted sweaters. Montreal’s climate requires practical outerwear while its social scene requires tasteful dress. While it’s impossible to pin down a single style for an entire city, Jean-Claude Poitras, one of Montreal’s best-known[Read More…]
A fast-paced night showcases slow fashion in Montreal
The McCord Museum’s ‘After Hours: Slow Fashion’ event on Nov. 21 brought together members of Montreal’s fashion community for a night of celebrating sustainable style. The night’s programming focused on promoting creative and eco-friendly clothing and highlighted creative and ethical alternatives to fast fashion, the inexpensive clothing produced by mass-market[Read More…]
Kent Monkman’s latest exhibit inspires resilience
Canadian artist Kent Monkman’s solo exhibition, Shame and Prejudice: a Story of Resilience, on display at the McCord Museum until May 5, offers a selection of the artist’s re-appropriated paintings and sculptural works focusing on indigenous experience, including well known pieces such as The Scream. Monkman is one of Canada’s prevailing[Read More…]
‘Wearing our Identity’ explores the cultural significance of indigenous clothing
The McCord Museum’s newest addition to their permanent collection, Wearing our Identity. The First Peoples Collection, explores the historical, cultural, and spiritual significance of Indigenous clothing. The exhibition showcases garments and artifacts associated with clothing production, such as needles and bone scrapers, to demonstrate how clothing shapes identity, and the role of fashion as a tool for self expression within Indigenous and First Nations cultures across Canada. The exhibition also documents the effects of colonialism and the relationship between westerners and Indigenous people, as captured within their clothing.
How Balenciaga set the standard for an entire industry
To the uninitiated, haute couture might conjure up images of haughty snobs sporting wildly-impractical clothing, ankle-breaking six-inch stilettos. The elusive nature of high fashion makes it difficult to categorize: Often toeing the line between wearable and absurd, Balenciaga’s designs muddle this already contentious definition
