A24 SECTION ARTS & LIFE - Le Bal de la Jonquille 24.pdf · A24 SECTION THE GAZETTE ... president of...
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THE GAZETTE · montrealgazette.com · THURSDAY, APRIL 24, 2014 A24 SECTION ARTS &LIFE EDITOR: BASEM BOSHRA | [email protected] EVA FRIEDE GAZETTE STYLE EDITOR S he’s Montreal’s belle of the ball and queen of the corporate world. Isabelle Hudon, president of Sun Life Financial Quebec, is known as a fashionista with an extravagant wardrobe of ball gowns — Alexan- der McQueen, Chanel, Prada and Montreal’s Duy, whose quality of design and construction meets her exacting standards. She is a regu- lar at the museum and foundation balls, the corporate couture queen who always turns heads. And for work, she is the picture- perfect executive, in a Chanel suit or little black dress, pearls, horn- rimmed glasses and stilettos. For Thursday night’s Daffodil Ball, the fundraiser for the Canadian Can- cer Society whose theme this season is “wild,” Hudon agreed to share the secrets of her closet and shop for a ball gown with The Gazette. At Holt Renfrew, she tried on one option, a floral Oscar de la Renta fit for a queen. Two Isabelle Hudons might have fit inside the gown’s capacious skirt. A trim 5-foot-2, Hudon chose towering Miu Miu jewelled platform heels to complete the outfit. But as much as she loves fashion, she emphasizes that she is a ser- ious businesswoman, rising every morning between 4:30 and 5:30 and regularly putting in 12-hour days. “People think it’s my only focus,” Hudon said of fashion, “but I get dressed in the morning and I don’t think about it afterward.” She won’t sacrifice comfort for fashion. “I have long days, a lot of stress. I need to feel beautiful, but at the same time very comfortable,” she said. “I don’t think I am a fashion victim.” As for the ball, Hudon says that although she wanted to be a bal- lerina when she was young, she doesn’t dance. “It’s fun, but I do it mainly for business reasons,” she said of the gala. “We want to be there as a com- pany, Sun Life Financial, to support the cause. What I enjoy the most is seeing the happy and proud women wearing their gowns.” And the men in their tuxes are nice, too, she added. Hudon, 47, started her career as a press secretary in the Mulro- ney government, and served as president of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and president of Marketel before join- ing Sun Life in 2010. It can be lonely at the top, she said, but “I love every minute of it.” “My mandate is generating growth. Marketing and public af- fairs are key to that, but it is not the first element. We had to develop a business strategy, we had to iden- tify the business opportunities for us, and in a way, we had to gain back this market,” Hudon said of her work. “We know very well that to win in Quebec, you have to be au- thentic to the Quebec market. It’s not different rules in Quebec, but there is a different culture.” Hudon said that fashion-wise she has not changed very much since the beginning of her career. Early on, she had to shop more carefully to afford her wardrobe. “It’s easier now — I only have one address.” she said, meaning Holt Renfrew. A member of the board at Holt’s, she shops only there and at Duy, although the couturier is clos- ing his business. Last week, Hudon showed off a few of her favourite things, includ- ing some of her beloved Chanels, like a darling pair of pearl-trimmed heels, a white Duy gown of shim- mering sequins and feathered ac- cents, a black lace Burberry suit for those days when she’s “tired and puffy” — hard to imagine — and doesn’t want to go to work. Oh, and a pair of green mock croc Via Spiga loafers that she has had since high school, and at $175 or so, broke her budget for months. Her fox ter- rier, Doby, vied for attention in her apartment, decorated in calming white, cream and taupe. While Quebec women have the reputation of being stylish, Hudon says there is a malaise about show- ing ambition, showing success and showing it through fashion. In francophone Quebec, the re- luctance to dress one’s best is even more pronounced than in the rest of Canada, she suggested, adding it is a likely vestige of the Catholic Church’s teachings here. “We are shy about ambition, we are shy about success,” she said. Hudon says it’s important for women in business to be careful how they dress to be sure they are not sending the wrong message. “Because we are way more watched and noticed as women.” Men have it easy: “A dark blue suit, white shirt, stylish tie and the right shoe and they’re done. They wear the right watch and they have the attitude.” Women might have more choices than men, but bright colours are not her thing. “I try to be careful. You can make a statement with- out becoming a fashion victim and wearing too much.” Like many executive women, Hudon has been known to wear very high heels. Three years ago, she started feeling pain and fa- tigue in her back and legs. Now she’s down to heels of 3 or 2 inch- es for her long days. Asked whether high heels are em- powering or hobbling, she said, “It’s empowering to wear what you love. It’s empowering for some to be in high heels, for others in flat shoes. It depends on your personality.” But if you wear high heels, she advised, you have to learn how to walk and stand. “Women are becoming more and more comfortable with the fact that they want to be authentic and wear what they like. We find more op- tions than before.” [email protected] Twitter: evitastyle Confessions of a Quick questions for Isabelle Hudon: Fashion heroine: Coco Chanel. Guilty pleasures: Evening gowns, french fries, salt and vinegar chips. How many ball gowns: Too many. What happens to the gowns after the ball? Gifted to friends, or kept at home. Pairs of shoes: Fewer than 25. Favourite colour: Black. Favourite music: Francophone music. How to relax: Listen to music, be at home with my family. “I have a full and very busy life at work, so when I come here — it’s my bubble, it’s where I get my renewal.” EVA FRIEDE A few of her favourite things Isabelle Hudon’s fashion tips for women in business: Professionally, women have to ■ be careful about what they wear in the workplace. “If you love fashion, if you love designers, and you’re in the executive and more conventional world, you have to manage your love for fashion. You have to be careful, mindful of what you wear and when.” When in doubt, “a sure bet is black ■ and pearls.” Define your style and go for it. “I ■ always say, ‘Be authentic, be yourself.’ And if you feel comfortable in what you wear, no one will be uncomfortable.’’ You don’t have to have a lot of ■ money, but your clothes must fit. “I like when a suit or a dress fits perfectly — fitted but not too tight.’’ Women should not necessarily be ■ daring, but they should be feminine. EVA FRIEDE Some fashion tips Still life with high heels by Christian Louboutin and Chanel. On Hudon’s dresser: Pearls and a portrait of Audrey Hepburn. PHOTOS: JOHN MAHONEY/THE GAZETTE Will she or won’t she wear it? Isabelle Hudon, Sun Life Financial Que- bec president, may be belle of the Daffodil Ball in Oscar de la Renta. WHAT TO WEAR AT WORK Isabelle Hudon offers advice on office style for women, in a video by John Mahoney at montrealgazette.com/fashion corporate couture queen Hudon, in a little Gucci dress, shows a favourite Duy gown. ISABELLE HUDON prepares for the Daffodil Ball, shares her secrets for dressing for success MON01051275_1_1
Transcript of A24 SECTION ARTS & LIFE - Le Bal de la Jonquille 24.pdf · A24 SECTION THE GAZETTE ... president of...
t h e g a z e t t e · montrealgazette.com · t h u r s d a y , April 24, 2014A24 s e c t i o n
arts&lifeeditor: BASEM BOSHRA | [email protected]
eva Friede
GAZETTE STYLE EDITOR
She’s Montreal’s belle of the ball and queen of the corporate world.
I s a b e l l e H u d o n , president of Sun Life
Financial Quebec, is known as a fashionista with an extravagant wardrobe of ball gowns — Alexan-der McQueen, Chanel, Prada and Montreal’s Duy, whose quality of design and construction meets her exacting standards. She is a regu-lar at the museum and foundation balls, the corporate couture queen who always turns heads.
And for work, she is the picture-perfect executive, in a Chanel suit or little black dress, pearls, horn-rimmed glasses and stilettos.
For Thursday night’s Daffodil Ball, the fundraiser for the Canadian Can-cer Society whose theme this season is “wild,” Hudon agreed to share the secrets of her closet and shop for a ball gown with The Gazette. At Holt Renfrew, she tried on one option, a floral Oscar de la Renta fit for a queen. Two Isabelle Hudons might have fit inside the gown’s capacious skirt. A trim 5-foot-2, Hudon chose towering Miu Miu jewelled platform heels to complete the outfit.
But as much as she loves fashion, she emphasizes that she is a ser-ious businesswoman, rising every morning between 4:30 and 5:30 and regularly putting in 12-hour days.
“People think it’s my only focus,” Hudon said of fashion, “but I get dressed in the morning and I don’t think about it afterward.”
She won’t sacrifice comfort for fashion.
“I have long days, a lot of stress. I need to feel beautiful, but at the same time very comfortable,” she said. “I don’t think I am a fashion victim.”
As for the ball, Hudon says that although she wanted to be a bal-lerina when she was young, she doesn’t dance.
“It’s fun, but I do it mainly for business reasons,” she said of the gala. “We want to be there as a com-pany, Sun Life Financial, to support the cause. What I enjoy the most is seeing the happy and proud women wearing their gowns.”
And the men in their tuxes are nice, too, she added.
Hudon, 47, started her career as a press secretary in the Mulro-ney government, and served as president of the Board of Trade of Metropolitan Montreal and president of Marketel before join-ing Sun Life in 2010.
It can be lonely at the top, she said, but “I love every minute of it.”
“My mandate is generating growth. Marketing and public af-fairs are key to that, but it is not the first element. We had to develop a business strategy, we had to iden-tify the business opportunities for us, and in a way, we had to gain back this market,” Hudon said of her work. “We know very well that to win in Quebec, you have to be au-thentic to the Quebec market. It’s not different rules in Quebec, but there is a different culture.”
Hudon said that fashion-wise she has not changed very much since the beginning of her career.
Early on, she had to shop more
carefully to afford her wardrobe.“It’s easier now — I only have one
address.” she said, meaning Holt Renfrew. A member of the board at Holt’s, she shops only there and at Duy, although the couturier is clos-ing his business.
Last week, Hudon showed off a few of her favourite things, includ-ing some of her beloved Chanels, like a darling pair of pearl-trimmed heels, a white Duy gown of shim-mering sequins and feathered ac-cents, a black lace Burberry suit for those days when she’s “tired and puffy” — hard to imagine — and doesn’t want to go to work. Oh, and a pair of green mock croc Via Spiga loafers that she has had since high school, and at $175 or so, broke her budget for months. Her fox ter-rier, Doby, vied for attention in her apartment, decorated in calming white, cream and taupe.
While Quebec women have the reputation of being stylish, Hudon says there is a malaise about show-ing ambition, showing success and showing it through fashion.
In francophone Quebec, the re-luctance to dress one’s best is even more pronounced than in the rest of Canada, she suggested, adding it is a likely vestige of the Catholic Church’s teachings here. “We are shy about ambition, we are shy about success,” she said.
Hudon says it’s important for women in business to be careful how they dress to be sure they are not sending the wrong message.
“Because we are way more watched and noticed as women.”
Men have it easy: “A dark blue suit, white shirt, stylish tie and the right shoe and they’re done. They wear the right watch and they have the attitude.”
Women might have more choices than men, but bright colours are not her thing. “I try to be careful. You can make a statement with-out becoming a fashion victim and wearing too much.”
Like many executive women, Hudon has been known to wear very high heels. Three years ago, she started feeling pain and fa-
tigue in her back and legs. Now she’s down to heels of 3 or 21/2 inch-es for her long days.
Asked whether high heels are em-powering or hobbling, she said, “It’s empowering to wear what you love. It’s empowering for some to be in high heels, for others in flat shoes. It depends on your personality.”
But if you wear high heels, she advised, you have to learn how to walk and stand.
“Women are becoming more and more comfortable with the fact that they want to be authentic and wear what they like. We find more op-tions than before.”
[email protected] Twitter: evitastyle
Confessions of a
Quick questions for Isabelle Hudon:
Fashion heroine: Coco Chanel.
Guilty pleasures: Evening gowns, french fries, salt and vinegar chips.
How many ball gowns: Too many.
What happens to the gowns after the ball? Gifted to friends, or kept at home.
Pairs of shoes: Fewer than 25.
Favourite colour: Black.
Favourite music: Francophone music.
How to relax: Listen to music, be at home with my family. “I have a full and very busy life at work, so when I come here — it’s my bubble, it’s where I get my renewal.”
EvA FRIEDE
a few of her favourite things
Isabelle Hudon’s fashion tips for women in business:
Professionally, women have to ■be careful about what they wear in the workplace. “If you love fashion, if you love designers, and you’re in the executive and more conventional world, you have to manage your love for fashion. You have to be careful, mindful of what you wear and when.”
When in doubt, “a sure bet is black ■and pearls.”
Define your style and go for it. “I ■always say, ‘Be authentic, be yourself.’ And if you feel comfortable in what you wear, no one will be uncomfortable.’’
You don’t have to have a lot of ■money, but your clothes must fit. “I like when a suit or a dress fits perfectly — fitted but not too tight.’’
Women should not necessarily be ■daring, but they should be feminine.
EvA FRIEDE
Some fashion tips
Still l ife with high heels by Christian Louboutin and Chanel.
On Hudon’s dresser: Pearls and a portrait of Audrey Hepburn.
PHOTOS: JoHn MaHoney/THE GAZETTE
Will she or won’t she wear it? Isabelle Hudon, Sun Life Financial Que-bec president, may be belle of the Daffodil Ball in Oscar de la Renta.
What to Wear at WorkIsabelle Hudon offers
advice on office style for women, in a video by John Mahoney at montrealgazette.com/fashion
corporate couture queen
Hudon, in a little Gucci dress, shows a favourite Duy gown.
isAbelle Hudon prepares for the Daffodil Ball, shares her secrets for dressing for success
MON01051275_1_1
