Montreal Chic: Institutions of Fashion—Fashions of Institutions

Abstract

This article examines and contrast the fashion collections at three of Montreal's cultural institutions, the Musée McCord, an urban and historical museum that houses over 18,000 pieces of costume and textile artifacts; the Musée du Costume et du Textile du Québec, which owns and exhibits a collection of 8,000 items worn, collected, and donated by Quebecers and contemporary fashion by Montreal-based designers; and the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montréal, whose director Nathalie Bondil has made locally produced international fashion exhibitions one of the key points of its curatorial practice since 2008.Our goal is to show that even though Montreal is not considered a global fashion center like Paris, London, or New York, its fashion history and practices are inevitably tied to its urbanity, rapid modernization, its turbulent history, its vibrant culture, and its unique status as the largest French-speaking and bilingual city in North America. As such, the city fits in well with the other Urban Chic studies, that focus on Berlin and Vienna.The fashion collections at these institutions reveal insights into the city's cultural history and cosmopolitan trendiness as well. These collections reflect and support Montreal's identity as a cultural center—as the city of jazz, disco, Cirque du Soleil, festivals, etc. The collections reflect the city's social and political history, for example the labor conditions of the manufacturing industries. Finally, these collections tell us what role fashion plays in the everyday lives of people who live and work in this city, and what role fashion dialogues play in the urban imaginary of Montreal.This article is based on a chapter from our forthcoming book, Montréal Chic: A Locational History of Montreal Fashion (Intellect). Following the models of Berliner Chic: A Locational History of Berlin Fashion and Wiener Chic: A Locational History of Vienna Fashion, Montréal Chic approaches fashion as a lens through which urban culture, institutions, scenes, and subcultures can be analyzed and connected.