6 B.C. Designers Name Their Favourite Spring Piece

Sure. Maybe asking B.C. designers for their favourite spring fashion picks is a bit like like asking them to choose a favourite child, but we just needed to know. Is there one special item from their latest collection that they believe is truly essential? Seems so, and some of our province’s best shared the one piece we absolutely must add to our closets this spring—and why.

6 Spring Fashion Pieces to Add to Your Wardrobe, According to B.C. Designers

RozeMerie Cuevas (JAC by Jacqueline Conoir): The Double Collar Blazer

RozeMerie Cuevas of JAC by Jacqueline Conoir has earned her status on the international fashion stage with nearly four decades of design, owning and operating her fashion labels. She started with the Jacqueline Conoir label in Vancouver, known for turning 1980s ‘power dressing’ on its head, followed by JAC, which launched in 2012.

Today, the JAC label has grown to 100 boutiques worldwide, with Ms. Cuevas’ relaxed, chic, personal style written all over every piece on the runway or rack. Her pick from the spring collection? The Double Collar Blazer, which Cuevas tells me is an “elevated casual blazer trend that combines the sharp tailoring of a blazer with the comfort and ease of casual wear. She says it’s “perfect in relaxed settings paired with jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, or even sneakers, creating a balanced, polished and approachable look.”

I do love the slouchy silhouette in this biscuit-y neutral shade myself, and I asked Cuevas if she thinks this type of ‘suiting’ is here to stay. “Yes, I believe so,” she answers, “it responds to the growing desire for comfort without compromising style, offering a modern, flexible approach to everyday dressing that can transition easily from work to leisure.”

Christine Breakell (Unified): Yellow Mesh Socks

I am an admitted sock snob. So, when I recently discovered Unified , a female-founded, Vancouver-based brand with not only themed, seasonal micro-collections of all-things-socks but sustainable and ethical practices, my feet finally felt seen. Founder Christine Breakell, told me her one essential item is the mesh sneaker socks in yellow.

“These are my favourite spring socks, because the mesh keeps their shape and they’re versatile enough to wear with loafers and flats. The warm sunflower yellow hue is perfect to dress up or wear casually all spring!” she says. The little nod to athletic socks with the horizontal stripes on the band is a fun sporty spin too, and I’d wear these with geeky retro sneakers and a spring skirt.

Gary Lenett (DU/ER): Lightweight Performance Denim

Saying Gary Lenett, Founder and CEO of DU/ER, knows a thing or two about jeans would be a massive understatement. Lenett is a fourth-generation Vancouverite with 35-plus years in the denim biz; he made jeans for some of the world’s best brands before launching four denim brands under his own labels. In 2015, he introduced DUER for men and women, which has skyrocketed globally due to its so-smart blend of style and technical innovation. Lenett’s favourite pair? The Performance Denim Lite Slim Straight.

Here’s why: “With spring underway and warmer days ahead, these jeans are keeping me comfortable all day,” he shares. “We designed this new fabric to be one of the lightest denims ever made, with cooling fibres that breathe way better than any synthetic. I’ll be living in these well into summer.”

Jiayi Lyu (Understance): The Ivy Bra

If you wear a bra and have not discovered Vancouver brand Understance, here’s my anti-gravity gift to you. Jiayi Lyu, director of this lingerie label, tells me her favourite piece is the Ivy full-Coverage underwire bra. “The Ivy is bra magic: soft to the touch but firm in structure, excellent support but very light, good coverage but not at all bulky,” she says. “It’s gentle on your body and forgiving with a variety of breast shapes. Our customers from their 20s to 80s, from C cup to J cup have loved Ivy, season after season.”

As a women-led company, Understance seems to be doing it right. They have 68 employees from 21 countries, and about 85 percent of them are POC. Plus, the brand uses 50 percent less wastewater, and has 100-percent recycled tags and packaging. A look around the website shows how proudly inclusive the brand is with images of real women wearing the entire collection, embracing our beautiful bodies’ different shapes, sizes, curves, cellulite and scars unapologetically: not a touched-up photo in sight.

Leah Yard (Leah Yard Designs): The Cascade Ear Cuff Set

The Cascade ear cuff set in pearl  is “the perfect season transition piece,” says Leah Yard, founder and stylist of B.C. jewelry label Leah Yard Designs. “It strikes the ideal balance between effortless elegance and modern edge—exactly what spring style calls for. The cascading chain adds a whimsical touch, while the cuff design keeps things contemporary and unexpected, no piercings required.”

How would Yard wear it herself? “Whether I’m dressing up for a patio dinner or keeping it casual in my favourite sundress, the pearl Cascade ear cuff set adds just the right amount of polish and personality; it’s the piece to wear on repeat this Spring,” she says.

John Fluevog (John Fluevog Shoes): The Rover Loafer

Since 1970, John Fluevog Shoes has walked their own walk when it comes to creating footwear for men and women, not caving to trends or following the mainstream, but instead leading with their own technicolour collections that quite simply come from a happy place. They’re all about positive vibes in shoes that make you smile, and have a following of global celebrities who are brand loyal (Chappell Roan, for one).

I asked Founder John Fluevog what his favourite pair is this spring. “The Rover is a classic Fluevog look,” he says. “I have always loved loafers, since I was a teenager and even before I was in the shoe business I’ve been attracted to them for men and women. They don’t call them loafer for nothing! ” I can’t help but adore the robin’s egg blue shade, the tassels, the grommet details and basket weave-y texture. Sold.