Jean drops designer after these photos
I N S TA L L AT I O N FA S H I O N ‘ SHE WANTED TO SURPRISE’
MONTREAL • It was to be one of Montreal fashion designer Yves Jean Lacasse’s finest moments.
Governor- general- designate Michaëlle Jean had chosen three of his creations for her installation on Tuesday as the 27th representative of the Queen in Canada.
Mr. Lacasse, a designer with a passion for protocol and history, offered a reporter a sneak peek at the designs yesterday. But Ms. Jean decided to cancel the order last night when she learned of the media coverage, said her aide, Catherine Gagnaire.
“It was a special day. She wanted to have a surprise, like every other governor-general,’’ Ms. Gagnaire said, adding that Ms. Jean would be going shopping for a new set of outfits.
Mr. Lacasse is devastated, especially since he had hoped to dress Ms. Jean for her term in Rideau Hall. “I’m losing a big sale, and it was two months of work,’’ Mr. Lacasse said. The cost of the three outfits would have been a few thousand dollars.
“She told me she was very happy [about the dresses] and I was able to talk to journalists about it,’’ Mr. Lacasse said.
But the governor-general’s office grew increasingly upset yesterday afternoon, at first agreeing to a story about the designs but not to a photograph. Later, Ms. Gagnaire insisted on no coverage until after the installation. Finally, she said Ms. Jean had cancelled her order for the dresses.
Mr. Lacasse, who has a boutique in Westmount named for his label, Envers, has won awards for his avant-garde designs. He has shown his fashions in Belgium, Germany and the United States, and recently returned from Boston, where he sat on a panel of judges, alongside modernist icon Philippe Starck, for a student-design contest. He is planning to show his collection in Paris this winter.
Mr. Lacasse was to be on hand in Ottawa to help style Ms. Jean’s three outfits of the day: at a morning ceremony with the military, for the formal installation, and at an evening ball attended by Ottawa’s political and diplomatic elite.
The first outfit was to be a polka dot silk skirt with a black wrap shirt embroidered in India to the designer’s specifications. Another was a cream wrap silk shirt with long plaid skirt and funky bustle — her “coup de coeur,” Mr. Lacasse said. He also created a cream ermine stole tied with a black satin ribbon especially for Ms. Jean.
For the ball, Ms. Jean chose a burgundy silk wrap shirt, with a long skirt covered in red, white and black tulle ruffles. A matching shawl and multi-strand of pearls by Montreal’s Lydia Lukidis was to set off the ensemble.
Mr. Lacasse was also to bring a selection of his ankle-length Edwardian coats, as well as an elaborate brocade coat, for Ms. Jean’s husband, Jean-Daniel Lafond. “If he likes it, he will wear it,” Mr. Lacasse said before the order was cancelled.
All the outfits come from the Envers current fall collection, and the governor-general designate, with her trim figure and striking stature, was able to choose off the rack, Mr. Lacasse said.
Mr. Lacasse, who is marking 10 years in business next month with a gala show at the McCord Museum, had previously dressed Ms. Jean as well as such Quebec stars as Luck Merville and Pascale Bussières. He said he sent the governor-general designate photos to solicit the commission.
“She came here right away,’’ Mr. Lacasse said. “Certainly, she is very proud to wear Canadian designers.’’
Mr. Lacasse has always referenced the past in his collections for men and women. He describes himself as a “dandy, romantic, inspired by details from the past.’’
And he is delighted that fashion today is embracing baroque, Victorian and Edwardian looks.
“It’s important to do prêt-aporter without forgetting the past. Being aware of the past gives a noblesse.’’
A former choirboy, ballet dancer and seminary student, Mr. Lacasse also has a fascination with all manner of protocol. “ I like ceremony, the richness of ritual — funerals, marriages, coronations.”
And, of course, inaugurations of governors-general.
CanWest News Service