The downtown core rocked for blocks last week as hundreds of thousands of style fanatics scouted the city streets for all things exciting, edgy and eccentric during the 12^th edition of the Montreal Fashion and Design Festival (FDFM), in collaboration with the Casino de Montréal.

Stars fell from the sky and landed on McGill College Ave as the pumped-up public joined mobs of media to soak up the universally unique atmosphere at the largest open-air festival of its kind in North America. More than 100 fashion, design and music events sparkled on the stages and streets as social media outlets were flooded with thousands of tweets, "likes" and followers.

"Fashion steps up: Festival Mode & Design celebrates style in the city. In a city of summer festivals, it's now fashion's turn to step up. The 12th annual Festival Mode & Design kicked off in stilettoed splendour Wednesday, Aug. 1, on McGill College Ave., the plaza of Place Ville Marie, and for Thursday's shopping rally – our answer to Fashion's Night Out – along Ste. Catherine St. and in the major malls." - Eva Friede, The Gazette.

"The breadth of visionary talent and sartorial creativity that stalked the runway down the center of Avenue McGill College was a resplendent testament to Montreal's role as the style and fashion bellwether of Canada. The splendid parade of innovative ensembles was a choreographic homage to our fashion-obsessed world - and a joyful reminder of fashion's fun quotient in the hands of the fiercely fabulous." – Mark Thompson, Edge Media Network National Editor, Style & Travel, New York.

"Repousser les limites de la créativité Le FMDM est plus populaire que jamais et mise sur des défilés-événements pour faire rayonner les créations d'ici." - Sandra Godin, Journal de Montréal

The star-power continued as international celebrities including Jay Manuel, Jeanne Beker and Usher showed their love for the festival's creative vibe by showing up ready to party.

"Montréal Fashion and Design Festival has become such a phenomenal world class event! The caliber of the production, the sophistication of the staging, the visual impact of what comes out on that colorful catwalk--it all makes for such a memorable and stylish street experience. It was thrilling to be associated with this year's event. I only wish this glorious festival would come to Toronto! It's a real eye-opener, in terms of what can be done with meticulous organization and great vision." - Jeanne Beker

"It was great to debut my Fall/winter collection for ATTITUDE Jay Manuel in Montreal," said Jay Manuel, Creative Director of ATTITUDE Jay Manuel at Sears. "I'm always inspired by the vibrant approach that Montreal women take to dressing, so I wanted to give a nod to their style by mixing striking patterns and strong silhouettes for a look that has daring personality and attitude."

Jay kept busy during the excitement by posting event photos and sending tweets out to his more than 700,000 Twitter followers, flooding the US and international markets with highlights of Montreal's most magnificent showcase of creativity.

Local Love

Best-loved leading designers like Denis Gagnon, Marie St-pierre and Yves Jean Lacasse also made sure not to miss out on the high points of the festival that featured loads of local talent this year as always.

The DE:MTL campaign, crafted to make it simple for style hunters to spot our city's darlings of design, culminated in Saturday's highly attended Collectif DE:MTL show. In collaboration with the MDEIE, the spectacle highlighted the talent of such creative local personalities as Anna Note, Blank Cocollily, Cokluch, Dom Rebel, Rachel F. Elisa C.Rossow, Geneviève Savard, Harricana, Jean-paul Cobeil, Mackage, Miss Mak Designs, Perdram Karimi, Soia and Kyo, M0851 and more.

Custom-made Closing Shows Seduce the Masses

The opening-night Dressing Room spectacle drew international attention to the MFDF main stage as choreographer Noémie Lafrance melded expert moves with YSO's unmistakable styling and the heart-pumping music of DJ Christian Pronovost.

Sens production

Every night ended on a high note as the closing shows sparked imaginations and jump-started the senses: F & D Nation, with its invented world of fashion and design; Podium's sporty-chic display of leading design and music to match, and the over-the-top Bollywood event-closing show with its kitsch-tastic combination of India-inspired music, dance and fashion.

"Ambiance survoltée pour la fin Le Festival Mode et Design de Montréal s'est terminé samedi soir avec un spectacle Bollywood inspiré du cinéma indien qui a envoûté la foule." - Josianne Massé, Agence QMI

Daring by Design

Not to be outdone by the runway spotlights, the MFDF's Design World shone brighter than ever this edition with the innovative and immersive INBOX DESIGN concept and the urban-inspired On Public Benches event.

Where the City Comes Together

The MFDF is a natural meeting place for everyone from the curious to the creatively inspired, with its open-to-all attitude and inviting spaces like the outdoor plaza at Place Ville Marie, which drew out the business community in record numbers.

The fantastically frenzied Rallye Shopping saw the pedestrian-only Ste Catherine Street swarmed with shoppers as they took over the stores in celebration of the city's biggest shopping party!

A Groupe Sensation Mode Production

After more than 12 years, Groupe Sensation Mode continues to produce and present some of the most important fashion events on the Canadian and international scene. It is the creative force behind such unique new concepts as the Montreal Fashion and Design Festival, the Fashion Theatre (on the Berlin, Tokyo, New York and London stages), Fashion & Opera presented in Los Angeles and Montreal, as well as Montreal Fashion Week and Le Showroom. Innovative events organized by Groupe Sensation Mode have provided an increasingly visible window on the creativity and talent of homegrown fashion designers. Having forged partnerships in some of the fashion capitals of the world – Paris, Berlin and Tokyo –, Groupe Sensation Mode is proud to hold an eminent position among North America's fashion and design leaders.

The Montreal Fashion and Design Festival is a member of Festimania and the Major International Events Network (MIEN).