FASHION Magazine

Judging from the continued rise of lowered hemlines, ladylike dressing still has legs. Arms too, thanks to the revival of the Omega Ladymatic line (from $6,500).

For Vancouver designer Nicole Bridger, the grass is always greener on the eco-side. Last May, she claimed Fashion Takes Action’s first Design Forward award, which recognizes talented eco designers. This May, she opens her first retail store in Kitsilano (2151 W. 4th Ave., nicolebridger.com).

What made you decide to open your own store?
“It’s always been the plan to have retail spaces, just a matter of when. You think if it’s meant to happen, the right space will show up.”

A small, lightweight bag to stow essentials is a must for the summer music-festival circuit. Vancouver’s unique Sovka bags channel the ’70s vibe of the season (à la Anna Sui and Derek Lam) for a slice of the price.

Designer Melanie Cookson hand-dyes porcupine quills and painstakingly sews them in psychedelic patterns onto pouches of reclaimed suede. There’s even one named after Quebec heavy metal–band Voivod (shown, $145). At One of a Few (354 Water St., 604-605-0685, oneofafew.com).

Yaletown beauty institution Beautymark is celebrating a decade in business with a move—100 steps away. The new bi-level location (1268 Pacific Blvd., 604-642-2294, beautymark.ca) next to the Roundhouse community centre now offers more beauty treatments, including mini Dermalogica facials and the always-popular brow shaping appointments by resident expert Alisha Noon. Of course, there’s still plenty of beauty loot to spritz, test and dab.

Vancouver’s accessory fiends are flocking  to the city’s first Stuart Weitzman store (Pacific Centre, 609 Granville St., stuartweitzman.com). The 1,300-square-foot store, which features the designer’s signature grey-and-vanilla-toned interior design concept, houses handbags and more than 200 styles of footwear.

I didn’t think Gastown could house any more cool stores, but, lo and behold, Oak + Fort (32 Water St., 604-566-9199, oakandfort.com) has opened up.

Leave it to the buyers at Misch (2960 Granville St., 604-731-1017, misch.ca) to stock the latest and greatest from the best under-the-radar fashion brands. New this spring is a capsule collection of shirts and other pieces by Forte Forte (forte-forte.com), an Italian label that has re-dyed and repurposed gorgeous fabrics.

No matter what the forecast says, I’d like to believe that the sun’s hiding just around the corner. And if not—well, I can always take a little spring-break vacation, non? Either way, I feel justified splurging on a pair of Linda Farrow for Agent Provocateur sunglasses (from $375).

I’m often asked what my favourite local labels are, and Dace (dace.ca) is invariably on my list. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the line, and to celebrate the occasion, designer Dace Moore has asked a handful of other locals to create special pieces that complement her clothing. Mono’s layered leather necklace adds texture to the oversized Ginger blazer; a Broken English oxidized silver necklace makes the sweet Cedar silk dress a little more edgy; the Rosemary purse by Ashley Watson (shown, $250) goes with pretty much everything in the milestone collection; and the Sage crochet bikini top was handmade by Moore’s mother—a different type of collaboration.

There are a few companies in the world that are widely known for their prints: Liberty comes to mind, of course, as does Finnish designer brand Marimekko, which has its only Canadian concept store here in Vancouver. For spring, the brand has collaborated with Converse on a collection of sneakers, bringing those brightly coloured graphics to the classic footwear.

Canadian designer John Hardy (johnhardy.com) founded his eponymous jewellery brand in 1989 after moving to Bali and falling in love with traditional Indonesian art. Today, Guy Bedarida is the company’s creative director—he’s previously designed for Boucheron and Van Cleef & Arpels. We sat down at Vancouver’s Holt Renfrew (737 Dunsmuir St., 604-681-3121, holtrenfrew.com).

After a few months of letting soggy weather ruin cute outfits, I’m longing for waterproof footwear that’s actually stylish—specifically, Loeffler Randall’s much-anticipated rain booties (shown, $200). Originally slated for release two years ago (there were production delays), the cotton jersey–lined lace-ups are slightly Victorian, slightly military and altogether practical. At The Block (350 W. Cordova […]

The post Vancouver: The Loeffler rain booties we’ve been longing for appeared first on FASHION Magazine.