Sophie Grgoire-Trudeau rocks Toronto designs in Washington

Toronto fashion designerLucian Matis's phone has been buzzing non-stop sinceSophie Grgoire-Trudeau sported two of his dresses at the White House on Thursday.

• Sophie Grgoire-Trudeau puts Canadian fashion in the spotlight on U.S. visit
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"It was incredible.I cannot believe the amount of calls, the interviews and the media ...I couldn't even handle it," the Romanian-born designer told Metro Morning's Matt Galloway.

"It was so tremendous. It was just a wonderful day. It was a LucianMatisday a the White House."

Grgoire-Trudeau, theprime minister and their three children were greeted to much fanfare Thursday as they began theiran official visit to the United States, which included a state dinner at the White House.

When she and the prime minister joinedU.S.President Barack Obamaand First LadyMichelle Obamaat an arrival ceremonyon the South Lawn of the White House,Grgoire-Trudeaustood out inherMatis dress a vibrant red and pinkknee-length numberwith custom-printed with silk floral appliqus.

"It was so impactful. The colour was so vibrant. The texture and the print worked so well with the occasion," Matis said. "It was really elegant."

Matisgot a call before the trip fromGrgoire-Trudeau'sstylist asking that he send over a collection of dresses for fitting, and he knew she'd be wearing one of his designs at the state dinner.

But the afternoon red dress, which caught the attention of American media, was a surprise.

"She's a style icon and she's becoming more of a style icon as the time goes by. It's unbelievable. You cannot pay for something like that."

At the state dinner later that nightGrgoire-Trudeau busted out her secondMatis outfit of the trip a long, flowingplum-coloured cap-sleeved gown.

Matis wasn't the only Toronto designer in thespotlight during the official Washington visit nor the only Canadian talent on display.

When the Trudeaus got off the plane in Washington,Grgoire-Trudeau was sporting apantsuit by Montreal-based designerDUY andearringsby Toronto jewelry designerDean Davidson.

At a reception in Washingtonhosted by Canada 2020, she was draped in a floral jacket by theToronto-basedbrandEllieMae.

And she paired her state dinner Matis gown with earrings from Toronto'sJohn De Jong Jewellery.

Both Vogue Magazine and The Washington Post commented on the former television host'sensembles, and Matis said it's great Grgoire-Trudeau is bringinginternational attention to Canadian designers.

"I have been in this industry under my own label for about 10 years, and I've been saying it along that we need somebody who represents Canadian fashion, and we finally have somebody who does that beautifully," Matis said.