Musée du costume
Explores Quebec’s fashion history in new Old Montreal home.
For decades, a visit to Quebec’s costume and textile museum was a quaint affair: One had to cross the historic Victoria Bridge to approach a charming riverfront circa-1750 little structure of stone in the manner of French-inspired rural homes.
Inside its tiny rooms, the Musée Marsil displayed finery worn in Quebec, but also Mayan textiles, Panamanian molas, hats, quilts, embroideries, handbags, needlepoints and more.
Established in 1979 by Elsie Sullivan of St-Lambert, the museum changed its name to the Musée du costume et du textile du Québec in 2006.
After a j am-packed redcarpet launch this week, the MCTQ opens to the public Friday in roomier quarters at Bonsecours Market in Old Montreal.
Its first show, Tapis Rouge, showcases highlights from the museum’s collection of 7,000 pieces going back to 1880, as well as pieces from eight contemporary Quebec designers.
“The idea is to show that over the years, women in Quebec have been very coquettte,’’ said Suzanne Chabot, director of the museum. “It was prestigious to wear a Dior or Schiaparelli.”
The eight contemporary designers — Christian Chenail, Michel Desjardins, Jocelyn Picard, Helmer Joseph, Valérie Dumaine, Tavan & Mitto, Marie Saint Pierre — each lent a piece for display. Chabot wore Tavan & Mitto for the opening, an aqua taffeta shirt dress, with matching shoes and earrings.
Fine couturieurs flourished here, Chabot said, naming Clairette Trudel of TroisRivières, who did fine work in the 1960s and in 1964 flew in Dior mannequins from Paris to model her work in her 24-room home.
“She was almost forgotten,’’ Chabot said. “You have a chou-chou in Quebec, and suddenly, he can just disappear.’’
Among the standouts on display: a flowing black layered Schiaparelli, edged in gold and with a matching scarf from 1975, a 1963 design of blistered gold lamé by Clairette and a cut-out mini-dress by Irène Chiasson from 1971. Among the current designs: a flowing, architectural piece by Dumaine; Picard’s virtuosic knit sweater; Helmer’s ensemble of gown and glass-embellished jacket; and a lavish floral print ball gown by Christian Chenail.
Guest of honour at the opening was Michel Robichaud, a key figure in Quebec fashion who launched his first collection in 1963 and achieved wide recognition.
“In my time, people dressed up more and there were more occasions,’’ Robichaud said. “It’s a way of dressing. Today, people make a choice. They want everything — it’s an era of consumerism — and they often cut on wardrobe.
“I see extraordinary talent here, but it is very difficult and very expensive to create a collection,’’ he said.
Also on hand was blogger Catherine Martel, dressed mainly in H&M (moto jacket, wide-brim hat) and Forever 21 (striped trousers). “I find it amazing that fashion can have such a large scope,’’ she said, praising the democratization of fashion.
At 3,000-square-feet plus office space, the new museum is three times larger than the old location. The space, with its massive stone walls, is of course also historic. The market was inaugurated in 1847.
The move was a long time coming for Chabot, director of the museum for nine years. Moving a museum is not easy, she said, as textiles need their own particular care in moving and storage. Most of the collection is stored by the McCord Mu- seum, which has a collection of almost 19,000 pieces.
The MCTQ collection is dedicated to the promotion and education of costume and textiles in Quebec. It is historical and anthropological in interest, Chabot said, noting its collections include pieces from Quebec’s cultural communities.
According to its vision statement, the museum is “a key player in the preservation of Quebec’s collective memory,’’ as well as “a window on world textile heritage.”
The McCord’s collection is the largest anywhere of Canadian fashion, with pieces made, worn or used in Canada, and heavily weighted to Montreal, according to Cynthia Cooper, the costume curator there.
In recent years, to attract attention, the MCTQ has staged shows at the Eaton Centre, the modern equivalent of the souk, according to Chabot, and an intergenerational meeting place in the city. But the Old Montreal location is spot on, with Bonsecours Market a centre for Quebec design boutiques, and the area a magnet for talents like Denis Gagnon and Travis Taddeo.
Chabot describes the current fashion scene in Quebec as effervescent, with fine craftsmanship, she said, citing the “exceptional’’ work of Tavãn & Mitto, for instance. Of course, there are different levels. “Young designers might not have access to the best fabric.’’
As for a particular Quebec style, she suggested street style is strong here. “I think there is a lot of freedom,’’ she said.
But there are difficulties, particularly in a world where everything is available on the Internet.
“The big problem in Quebec is that we don’t have a critical mass” — not a large population to support our designers. And another issue: “When you go into a department store, you don’t see your own designers.”
The Musée du costume et du textile du Québec is located at 363 de la Commune St. E. Opening hours are Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $7, with reduced fees for students, seniors and children.