From flapper to Fred Flintstone
Find your Halloween look
Half the fun of dressing up for Halloween is deciding who to be. Whatever outfit you need to slip into character, be it someone from history or from your imagination, Joseph Ponton started piecing together more than a century ago.
After a theatre in his Mile End neighbourhood went bankrupt, Ponton purchased all of the costumes and put the collection in the back of his barbershop. In 1865, he opened a store. Now celebrating its 150th anniversary, Ponton Costumes has an impressive collection, with more than 15,000 costumes and accessories, and is considered to be the oldest and largest such store in the province. The owners and staff will also custom-make a costume, depending on your needs.
Descending the store’s narrow staircase into a basement, co-owner Carmelle Gagné moves aside tightly packed jackets and vests hanging on a rack to select a delicate-looking full-length dress. The burgundy velvet gown features elaborate folds with strips of navy blue flowers and gold lace. Made in 1885, it is the oldest item at the Ste-Catherine St. E. store. After relocating five times since it opened on St-Laurent Blvd., Ponton has enjoyed a loyal following for generations.
Considered the go-to spot for local film, television and theatre companies, the store’s collection is as expansive as it is unique. Gagné, a seamstress by trade, has crafted many costumes and accessories since she first became an employee in 1987. Now she is a co-owner, along with Dominique Brossard. The store boasts rows of period costumes with a nod to the Roaring Twenties, psychedelic 1960s, disco era and even ancient Rome and Greece. Dress up like a Viking or familiar characters like Fred Flintstone, Darth Vader and Mr. Grinch. Drawers, bins and shelves are filled with hats, swords, toy guys, wigs, canes and wands.
“It’s like a treasure box,” says Alexandre Begin, who started working in the store a year ago. “I’ve always loved this place.”
Customers often come in with a photo or offer a verbal description for a costume, and Begin sorts through the inventory to help their vision come alive.
With their busiest season now upon them, Gagné has been working hard to ensure she’s upto-date on the latest trends and movies.
On a recent visit, the storefront window featured a Cinderella costume, modelled after the shimmery blue dress worn by actress Lily James in the latest cinematic version of the classic fairy tale.
After the Halloween rush, Begin says she will start helping to plan the store’s big birthday bash. She would like to host a fashion show featuring costumes through the ages, modelled by the fictional characters that have defined them.
The storefront featured a Cinderella costume modelled on the shimmery blue dress worn by Lily James in the latest cinematic version of the classic fairy tale.