In Montreal, journalist Louis-Philippe Messier is mostly on the run, with his desk in his backpack, looking for fascinating topics and people. In this city chronicle he speaks to everyone and is interested in all areas of life.
Haven’t found your Halloween costume yet? A major Montreal costume designer who has been supplying theater, television and cinema for 35 years is starting this year to serve individuals who want to dress up…but be careful, it’s not cheap!
During my visit to Espace Costume in Hochelaga, the couturiers of the Infoman show and the Théâtre du Rideau Vert are browsing through the displays for their annual reviews.
Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
Under the direction of esteemed costume designer Suzanne Harel (Louise’s sister), who has a workshop here, I hear an actor from Rideau Vert humming during his fitting as if he were in the shower.
While he claims the space for himself, I am banished to a corner of the hat shop, behind a screen.
You’ve probably never heard of this 20,000-square-foot, 1 million-title warehouse because, until this Halloween, it only hosted productions.
But the writers’ and actors’ strike in Hollywood is slowing business this year, so Espace Costume decided to accept individual customers.
“The strike in Hollywood has an impact on us because we usually have big contracts with American productions in Montreal,” explains Laurent Lacroix, one of the co-owners of this family business founded by his grandmother and then run by his uncle.
Costume designer Marisa Duenez can choose from several hundred thousand items of clothing categorized in the 20,000-square-foot warehouse. Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
No Batman or Darth Vader!
Since he is a costume designer for television and movies, you won’t find any superhero costumes or monster masks.
Do not show up on site without an appointment. And allow at least 24 hours before one is assigned to you.
“We ask customers how they would like to dress and what their measurements are. So when they get here, we already have clothes for them to try on.”
The fitting alone, which takes about an hour, costs $45. To rent the costume itself, expect to pay $150 to $300 per week. Of course, taxes are added to these amounts.
“The price varies because not all clothing items have the same value and some costumes consist of several elements, stockings, gloves, hats, jackets, etc., and the more pieces there are, the more expensive it is,” says Marisa Duenez, here has been working as a costume designer for two years.
Ms. Duenez, 28, makes a living by dressing others and dresses up for fun in her free time as a “cosplay” enthusiast with a penchant for characters from the Final Fantasy game. Let’s just say she knows what she’s doing.
My dream that someone else would take care of dressing me (because I have no imagination) finally came true! Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
metamorphosis
I burst out laughing when, thanks to my costume designer’s care, I saw myself transformed into a cowboy with authentic, very heavy leather clothing (rent about $275 including taxes). Only the revolver is missing.
Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
My inner snob is then happy to see me in my Sunday best as a French aristocrat (rental cost about $200 including taxes). My name is not “Louis-Philippe” for nothing.
This costume gave me the opportunity to express my Valmont side…albeit a Valmont without shoes. Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
The most comfortable and fun of my three costumes is the 1970s disco style one (rent about $150 including tax).
This costume was by far the lightest and most comfortable…and it would have cost less than the others (since it had fewer elements). Photo agency QMI, JOEL LEMAY
“We dress people with their backs to the mirror so that we can turn them around once their disguise is finished… to give them the shock of seeing themselves transformed,” Ms. Duenez tells me.
For me, who hates having to dress up for lack of imagination, here I am experiencing what I’ve always dreamed of: having someone else take care of dressing me up!
Ironically, since I can’t accept one of these costumes as a gift for ethical reasons, I leave the house empty-handed and devastated.
More than ever, I still have no idea what I’ll be dressing up as in ten days.