de Grandpré, Hélène Fashion designer (Rochester, Minnesota, U.S.A. 1942) Born Hélène Letendre, she was two years old when her parents returned to Canada after her father, a medical doctor, finished his specialization studies in the United States. Between 1977 and 1982, she pursued her studies in haute couture at Cotnoir Capponi in Montreal. At the same time, she studied millinery with Madame Lenoir, following the techniques of Gérard Le Testut and Jeanne Chantron. Between 1982 and 1985, she completed her professional studies at Collège LaSalle in knitwear and furs. A 1985 presentation of her designs in a fashion show alongside two Toronto designers motivated her to open her own atelier on Nelson Avenue in Outremont. Two years later, in 1987, she staged her first solo fashion show in the ballroom of Montreal's Windsor Hotel -- dismissed by one journalist as the capricious self-indulgence by a woman who did not have to work. The quality of her work, however, together with her strong determination, soon established Hélène de Grandpré in the fashion world of Quebec and placed her in the forefront as a designer of wedding gowns. Hélène de Grandpré has achieved a well-earned prominence on the Quebec fashion scene specializing in women's suits, evening wear, and wedding gowns. Everything bearing the Hélène de Grandpré label is produced in the atelier and is known for impeccable cut and fit. In 1994, she launched a new line of prêt-à-porter focussing primarily on suits for the professional woman. The same year, she was awarded the bronze prize in the "buyers' choice" category at the Exposition nord-américaine Fourrure et Mode de Montréal (North American Fur & Fashion Exposition-Montreal / NAFFEM). Throughout the 1990s, Hélène de Grandpré has played an active role in the Quebec fashion world, notably as regional director of the Fashion Group of Montreal 1991-1993 and, since 1999, has been a member of the jury of the annual competition sponsored by the Fondation de la Mode de Montréal. Bibliographie : «Buyers Pick Tops in Design Awards», Fur Age Weekly, 2 mai 1994, p. 2-3. PÂQUET, Hélène. «Hélène de Grandpré. Une femme de la haute… couture», Clin d'œil, no 163, janvier 1994, p. 26.