Spring style, Vancouver edition

Candied delights, Parisian dreams and worldly flair—Vancouver designers bring in spring 2010

This winter hasn’t been as harsh as in the past. And I must admit, once or twice I’ve even gotten away with wearing a light jacket. Despite the mild temperatures, I know we’re all still itching for that day when we can free ourselves from our winter wardrobe and run around in our light-as-air spring wear and summer shoes! Here are my choice picks for coveted styles from local designers this season.

Noir Bonbon

noirbonbon.ca

Noir Bonbon is welcoming the warmth with sweetness. You’ll find that the pieces in the candy-inspired collection range from a muted signature black (“noir”) to cavity-inducing bright blues and pinks (“bonbon”).

The fashionable confection from Noir Bonbon combines feminine and masculine shapes in maintaining a great contemporary and versatile line. The eco-conscious, made-in-Vancouver label also uses natural fibres whenever possible, including Azo-free and pesticide-free silks, organic cotton, soy, and the biodegradable Tencel.

Where to buy Noir Bonbon

Body Politic | Fine Finds | Life of Riley | Lord's | Not Just Pretty

The Anise channels the sweet flavour of licorice	The bubbly Wrigley dress reminds me of my favourite chewing gum	The mouthwatering Coco dress

Dace

dace.ca

Who loves Paris in the springtime? Dace does! The Vancouver-designed and produced label is bringing the land of l’amour to us with its Spring 2010 line, inspired by Francoise Hardy, the iconic French singer and actress.

The romantic spirit of Paris is infused in each piece, while the feminine silhouettes are attributed to the soft flowy fabrics of silks and cotton-linen blends. Neutral tones of blue, khaki and off-white are mixed with brighter hues of purples and indigo.

Going for an evening rendezvous? The Annabella Dress will definitely make heads turn.	Sport the Coco Pants + Joelle Blouse while biking to the café.	The Lucie Dress will look great for sunny weekend excursions.

Even better? Check out these sweet numbers made from organic cotton:

The breezy Manette Dress.	The Ismay Dress has luscious texture.	The simply classic Emelle dress.

Carrying simple yet luxurious pieces, Dace is definitely all for effortless style. Jump on your moped and score a couple pieces, vite!

Where to buy Dace

Violet Boutique | The Block | Eugene Choo

Tension Clothing

tensionclothing.com

Have your luggage ready on standby! Tension, locally designed and manufactured, is giving us a whirlwind-tour in their spring/summer “Passport” Collection. Pulling inspirations from New York City, Paris and Tuscany, this line is a great mixture of sexy, sophisticated and classic.

Bright colours and eye-catching patterns tell a story from each city:

Bold stroke patterns in the Passport Sheath Dress echo the architecture of New York City and the famous “lines” of the Brooklyn Bridge.	The charm of Paris is found in the Journey Top, with a bricolage of texture and dazzling print.	The Avenue Dress reveals Tuscany’s warmth and beautiful hillsides in the whimsical floral pattern.

Full of key versatile pieces, Tension’s line is definitely travel-friendly and a great option for those of us who can't afford an international shopping tour! I do hope, though, that they will start incorporating eco-friendly fabrics in the future.

Where to buy Tension Clothing

Available from Ban-Dia Apparel in Kitimat, BC. Sister line Sweet Chemise, which focuses more on party dresses, can be found at Jack & Jill, Babe Belangere, Urban Rack, Halfmoon Yoga and Vive.

Make sure to get started on your spring wardrobe early—the sun is already peeking out trying to get a glimpse of all you fashionable Vancouverites! Don’t let him (or her) down!

Marjolyn “MJ” Ustaris is best known for mjfromaroundtheway.com, her personal blog dedicated to art, fashion and local events. She has been labelled "MJ of all Trades," being the creative mind behind many local art and fashion events, bringing visions to life with wardrobe styling and a unique written voice.

   

The reign of cats and dogs

Vancouver designer of ecofashion label Flora & Fauna dedicates her collection to orphaned dogs and cats

Designer Pauline Siu takes animals very seriously. So seriously she’s devoted her entire ecofashion line, Flora & Fauna, to them. And for her latest collection, she’s using her designs to benefit rescued dogs and orphaned kitties.

In anticipation of Friday’s showing of her Spring-Summer 2010 collection at the Vancouver Music & Fashion Festival, we asked Pauline to share a bit about her work and her cause.

CitizenSTYLE: What was your inspiration for this season?

Pauline Siu: Each season, we choose a few animal and nature themes for our collection. This season, we chose "Raining Cats and Dogs," "Pacific Stubby Squid" and "Curious Moths."

After two collections of rescued urban wildlife themes—squirrels and black bear cubs—with a percentage of sales going to our foster animals in Critter Care in Langley, I decided to bring it home and raise funds and awareness for a cause that is very close to my heart. We chose the theme Raining Cats and Dogs, with a portion of sales going toward the group who rescued my dog, Dog Bless Rescue in Victoria, and to Vancouver Orphan Kitten Rescue Association.

How is that theme demonstrated in your collection?

The Raining Cats and Dogs Tank (pictured above) features an illustration of my dog and one of my cats, while other pieces carry more subtle resonance of the theme, such as the Dog Bless Tee, Happy Tails Jumper and the Shelter Hooded Shrug.

And your other theme, the Curious Moth, where did that come from?

The Curious Moths theme was inspired by the economic downturn last year, when the collection was conceived. Seemingly dormant in the cocoon stage, the moth pupa is transforming from a caterpillar to a beautiful winged moth. To me, this symbolizes the changes we were going through, as the volatile economy lead us to focus on inward growth, rethinking our lifestyles and habits.

I think we will emerge as a stronger, healthier society, with more action and awareness of the symbiotic relationship between us (humans), the earth and all of her creatures.

The Moth Dress (left) and the Dog Bless Tee (right) by Flora & Fauna, Spring-Summer 2010.

How would you describe the woman who’s going to wear this collection?

[She’s] someone who appreciates fashion [and has] the sensibility to buy for function. The pieces are versatile and transition well from season to season. Many of the pieces are designed for layering and matching with pieces they already have in their wardrobes. The pockets are a favourite among new moms and doggie-moms alike!

How do you think the city of Vancouver has influenced your work?

Vancouver's landscape and close proximity to the ocean and mountains, and the abundance of wildlife, are a constant reminder of what nature has given us to protect and cherish. Everyone I meet lately has adopted a rescue dog or cat and all have inspirational stories about them! It's so encouraging and motivating to see the people of Vancouver be really passionate about protecting the environment, and also be very supportive of local independent designers such as myself. It's my favourite city in the world!

The Shelter Hooded Shrug (left) and the pocketed Think Tank (right) by Flora & Fauna, Spring-Summer 2010.

What fabrics are you using this season? Where were they sourced?

The Spring–Summer 2010 collection uses sustainable fibres, including organic cotton, rayon from bamboo, soy from tofu processing waste and linen. To reduce our carbon footprint, and to support our local economy, our fabrics are sourced from Canadian suppliers. Organic cottons are certified, and low impact reactive dyes are used for the rich colours. Most of our fabrics are Oeko-tex certified for product class 1 (suitable even for infant wear).

Starting Fall-Winter 2010, we are excited to take it one step further by incorporating rescued fabrics into our line—this means recycled, off-cuts, bolt ends, discontinued or otherwise discarded fabrics! 

   

Ecofashion Friday

Vancouver Music & Fashion Festival puts Vancouver ecofashion designers front and centre

Looks like February 19 is shaping up to be something of an unofficial Ecofashion Day here in Vancouver. In addition to the evening’s much-anticipated Vancouver Ecofashion Week fundraiser, another ecofashion event is set to wow audiences earlier in the day.

The Vancouver Music & Fashion Festival will showcase the Spring/Summer 2010 collections of local ecofashion labels Flora & Fauna, Lela Designs, Nicole Bridger Designs, Movement Global, Lav & Kush and Red Jade at Barcelona Ultra Lounge Friday starting at 4 p.m. Throughout the fashion show, hear performances by local musicians Alexandria Maillot, Elephant Train, The Matinée, Wakefield Drive and Versus The Nothing.

The festival, which runs February 18–21, is a celebration of music and fashion featuring established and up-and-coming designers, and is presented by seemingly eco-affectionate Vancouver Fashion Week. Visit the website to find a schedule of events, as well as a listing of all the participating designers and musicians throughout the weekend.

Pictured: Flora & Fauna at Vancouver Fashion Week 2009

   

Vancouver EcoFashion Week fundraiser this Friday

Fundraiser promises cutting-edge style, high-energy performances and a bright future for Vancouver's ecofashion industry

OMG! OMG! OMG! A dedicated EcoFashion Week in Vancouver? It almost seems to good to be true.

And indeed it's still a pipe dream. But with your help (and $$) an annual Vancouver EcoFashion Week could become reality...

This Friday, February 19, join Granville magazine in attending EcoFashion Forward at Vancouver Public Library Promenade. All proceeds from the event go to support the fashion week in April as well as the David Suzuki Foundation. The goal is to make Vancouver the ecofashion Mecca of the world.

Running concurrent with the Vancouver Winter Games, this event puts sustainable, cutting edge fashion on the world stage, with models trotting down the runway wearing Vancouver's brightest ecofashion designers, including Nixxi, Adhesif, Ashley Watson, Dotted Loop, We3 and kdon designer Kim Cathers's new line, kim. cathers. elements., made entirely of recycled fabric and constructed locally.

"It'll be a sneak peak of the new line," says Cathers, who'll show six outfits on Friday. "Each piece is totally 100 percent unique, each dress one-of-a-kind using all recycled fabrics from Our Social Fabric... Designing this way really puts the art back into making clothes for me."

A contestant in last season's Project Runway Canada, Cathers has high hopes for Vancouver EcoFashion Week, predicting a major shift in the eco-textile industry in the next few years, as mainstream designers start to satisfy a growing hunger among consumers for more sustainable fashion.
“I think EcoFashion Week has a really bright future," she says, "I'm really excited about what [founder Myriam Laroche] is doing. Hopefully it’ll become EcoFashion Week everywhere—I'd like to see it go worldwide."

In addition to the runway show, expect performances from Canadian chanteuse Jill Barber as well as Adam Thomas with the Mike Allen Quartet, "gypsy soul" musician Vince Vaccaro, and Vancouver collective Soldiers of the Underground founder DJ Phoenix Olivia. Plus, perfectionist hyper-realist artist Caroline Weaver will be live art-ing throughout the evening.

Come out for EcoFashion Forward and support creative, ethical fashion in Vancouver—and around the world. It'll be a blast, and it'll support a fledgling industry that has a lot of potential in this city.

Pictured: From kdon, Spring/Summer 2009