Montreal boasts some of the fondest memories that I have in visiting a museum. The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts is now showcasing the Jean Paul Gaultier exhibit, titled “The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk”.

There’s still time to catch the exhibit – missing some details? Here they are:

From June 17 to October 2, 2011, the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts (MMFA) will present The Fashion World of Jean Paul Gaultier: From the Sidewalk to the Catwalk, the first international exhibition devoted to the celebrated French couturier. Gaultier launched his first prêt-à-porter collection in 1976 and founded his own couture house in 1997. Dubbed fashion’s enfant terrible by the press from the time of his first runway shows in the 1970s, Jean Paul Gaultier is indisputably one of the most important fashion designers of recent decades. Very early, his avant-garde fashions reflected an understanding of a multicultural society’s issues and preoccupations, shaking up — with invariable good humour — established societal and aesthetic codes. More of a contemporary installation than a fashion retrospective, this major exhibition, which features 140 ensembles and numerous documents, is particularly innovative in the theatrical mise en scène and multimedia approach provided by UBU/Compagnie de création’s animated mannequins. “I think the way people dress today is a form of artistic expression. Saint Laurent, for instance, has made great art. Art lies in the way the whole outfit is put together. Take Jean Paul Gaultier. What he does is really art,” said Andy Warhol (Mondo Uomo, 1984).

This is more than grand – the concept of the video is enough to win me over and will me to attend. That and I’m headed to Montréal for some exciting SCION work as well. As always, I’ll snap some pictures and will shed a little light on what’s good in igloos and in our fine Quebec city this weekend. Flickr ‘em soon (that’s right cats, we’ve got a gallery going at the bottom of the page). Holler at your budding blogger-gone-photoger.

Nouveau Riche Colors is a new shirt design company out of Montreal. If you dig that whole high end tee shirt thing than you will probably want to check them out. They specialize in “limited quantities using high quality materials” and they also put together some hand crafted pieces. We at Urbanebloc got a sneak peek at the summer 2010 line and I have to say the whole 1930′s print ad style is kind of cool. Unfortunately they are so fresh that they aren’t online yet so if you really want to get your hands on one fire an email to nvrchclrs@gmail.com.

Montreal Musings – they’re all coming soon. Apologies for the wrinkley shirt-dress I’m wearing in the picture (it’s hella awkward). Here’s just a snippet of what went down while away for this past weekend:

• Absolutely blasting there – shaving an hour off the travel time is something I can only semi-pride myself in though
• Great shopping – Toronto retail styling was getting a tad tired for me
• Poutined, Creped, Veganed, walked abundantly, and met randoms
• Metric on loop – hey, it’s also currently on bloc music right now
• My non-meat consumption for 20 days (I’m now on day 12) continued on strong through the trip
• Yoko Lennon Exhibit at the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts – an inspirational array that lets you imagine

That’s it for now – will keep posting soon, this week has finally allowed some breathing room. Freshie content soon!

> picture taken inside lustre boutique

No one brings it like the French do – noujica noujica is a shining example of up and coming innovation and style, with their take on fashion and accessories. I encountered this charismatic pair (Catherine and Jinny) at The Clothing Show early May, and was smitten with their image-rich and stunning lookbook showcasing their items. With creations such as hand-blown glass jewelry, original screen-printed neck wraps (adorned with buttons and sophisticated design), noujica noujica mixes the craft with character. Check out the Q&A with these designers after the jump.

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