Andy The-Anh is playing up the blues in Montreal.
And he's not making any excuses for it.
"How many black jackets can we have?" joked the prominent Canadian fashion designer after unveiling his spring-summer 2010 collection at the historic Bonsecours Market in old Montreal last night. "We want to show different facets of what we're doing."
An eager crowd of media, buyers and stylewatchers pressed close to a small revolving stage to see the 20-odd outfits unveiled at an exclusive cocktail-party setting which opened the three-day bi-annual Montreal Fashion Week.
Splashes of sky, Baltic, royal, teal and azure blues electrified the black, white and grey base colours fans traditionally expect from the women's wear designer.
"Every season we want to bring our customers -- and those who don't know us yet -- to another level. The theme this year is the story of blue."
The palette was shown to great effect with the fluid fabrics choices.
The-Anh said he specifically used a shimmery sateen and as well as a new stretchy manmade fabric he aptly dubbed "scuba" for the blouses and some flowing mostly knee-length cocktail dresses he dubbed his "soft wear."
They nicely juxtaposed the natural raffia and coated linen the designer chose for the sturdier constructions of tight Capris and slender slacks and boxy short jackets as well as other dresses.
As always, The-Anh paid close attention to the details.
"I was born to be doing tailoring, I love tailoring, that's what I'm known for," said The-Anh.
Straight-edged ruffles dropped down the fronts of jackets and appeared at the hip and waist on skirts and dresses. Round and square collars folded back, and down. Shoulders were strong without overpowering.
What appeared simple, on closer inspection, was intricate and layered.
Zippers and belts appeared as embellishments in unconventional places, such as on sleeve cuffs and at the bottom of Capri and pant leg hems.
Known for his impeccable suits and delectable dresses, The-Anh did not disappoint.
One standout was a silvery white knee-length dress which featured a strong shoulders, a nipped-in flared waist with side pockets, belted sleeves and a large belt draped unbuckled as a collar around the neck.
As for the silhouette, The-Anh was all about curves.
"I wanted to emphasize the hourglass silhouette, a little more exaggerated. I wanted to make the waist look a little thinner."
While The-Anh is celebrated for his modern and refined sensibility, he says his latest collection was inspired by his reading of Greek and Roman history.
Looking forward, the 17th annual fashion shows continue tomorrow and Thursday with catwalk presentations from visiting French designers and the opening of the showroom for those not on the runways.
The week will be crowned by to the premier of a new line from critically acclaimed Lac Saint-Jean region designer Denis Gagnon.
