Chantal Levesque

While Montreal may be considered a city of fashion and many excellent and talented designers come from Canada, at the same time, the country is not exactly, the lingerie capital of the world. But there is nonetheless plenty of good designing going on, so let us highlight a couple Canadian lingerie designers who may or may not be known outside of their trading area.

Third Floor Design – Frivolous Necessities.

What a fabulous company slogan and what better way to describe lingerie! Tiffany Ho and Brenda Li, the designers behind Third Floor started the company in 2003 with the goal of tapping into the “fine line between outerwear and innerwear” niche. When I heard the name, I instantly knew that it referred to a section of the store where lingerie was merchandised. Anyone, who has bought lingerie in a major city in Canada, knows that the big stores with six or seven floors typically display the lingerie on the third floor. This way, it is out of the sight of the walk by traffic but at the same time close enough to the first floor for ladies to access.

Third Floor pieces are bright, fun and comfortable standing proud as a Made in Canada label. Because quality control is of the highest standard, all design work, production and distribution originates from their base in Vancouver. While their products are sold from select retailers, take a peek at their own website to view this fabulous collection.

SHAN

A Canadian success story for over twenty years, the company’s reputation and huge following was created by its founder and still active visionary Chantal Levesque. In keeping with her beliefs of exceptional quality, the need for sophistication and above all, refined, glamourous ready-to-wear swimsuits and cruise wear, Chantal has decided to honor all women, by naming each theme of her 2008 collection after a female’s name. They have a pretty website at shan.ca!

And on a bit of whimsical note…. Billy Rose Lingerie

Hmmm, this designer has to be the best-kept secret because his/her line of lingerie, specifically the Lux Undies, seems to be really hot in Toronto and nowhere else. The designer participates in fashion shows and women can be heard saying the undies are incredibly comfortable but I have yet to find an online retailer selling the collection. This mystery will require me taking a fast trip to Toronto to see what all the buzz is about and then I will report back in a future post. Even the website content seems to be a secret with only a homepage. If any Toronto ladies are reading this article, please comment and let us know the full scoop.