McCord Museum's Fashioning Expo 67

Expo 67 was Montreal's moment of glory—arguably, one of the city's single greatest events.  Expo's impact and legacy are undeniable; it's social, cultural and economical impact are recognized both locally and internationally.

While much emphasis has been put on Expo 67's extraordinary engineering, construction and architecture, less has been said about fashion.  Until now.

Back in 2015, I was contacted by Cynthia Cooper, head of collections and research, and curator of costume and textiles for the McCord Museum.  She had been following Expo Lounge for some time, with a keen interest in the posts dedicated to fashion.  She was working on an exhibit for Expo 67's 50th anniversary, which was to be an hommage to Expo and fashion... not just the hostess uniforms, but Montreal as a dynamic fashion city.  I met with her in October of that year and a collaboration began.  

Fast forward to 2017, and the exhibit is ready to come come to life:  Fashioning Expo 67 will run from March 17th to October 1, with a sneak-peek event during Montreal's Nuit Blanche on March 4th.

A description of the exhibition, from the McCord Museum website:

Embracing visual image, display, and spectacle to promote its optimistic and forward-looking world view, Expo 67 was a watershed moment for Montreal. Its modern mix of art, architecture, technology and design conveyed a message of openness and creativity that resonated with the Canadian fashion milieu. Young designers and manufacturers alike seized the opportunity to participate in multiple projects such as futuristic fashion magazine spreads shot on the site, locally designed uniforms for hostesses, and live fashion shows with roller skating models, and take advantage of this exceptional showcase to shine on a world stage.

The exhibition Fashioning Expo 67 invites visitors to enter the world of Expo 67 and experience the effervescence of Montreal’s fashion moment. The exhibition will feature over 60 outfits —hostess uniforms from various pavilions, branded clothing by Quebec designers— and products from every sector of Canadian fashion, including hats, gloves, umbrellas, purses, jewellery, and even fur.

The different sections of the exhibition will also display drawings, photographs, archival footage, and documents. In addition, there will be videos of interviews that the Museum conducted with several designers from the era.

The uniform of the Telephone Pavilion hostesses, designed by Michel Robichaud.

Three Expo 67 hostesses:  Danielle Touchette, Jean Murin and Lyse Michaud.

images courtesy of the McCord Museum