Juliana Bennett made the jump from student to designer almost instantly, launching her own “Pret-a-Porter” label, Mulcair, right after graduating from Parsons School of Design in New York in 2006. The Montreal-based line mixes ethical fashion, like sweatshop-free labour and organic materials, with high-end womenswear inspired by 1930s high-society. For Spring 09 Bennett’s influences include metropolitan ‘60s Parisian New Wave cinema with the refined elegance of Nice, with full legged pleated trousers, double breasted blazers, and details like snaps, braiding, and keyhole shoulders dominating the collection. Dresses and skirts are also Mulcair classics, with simple cuts like tailored, belted shirtdresses and strapless jersey shifts making them all to easy to slip into and never take off.
-Jessalynn Keller