Jacqueline Conoir

Nicole Sjostedt

East Pender Street in Vancouver at 8:30pm is not your usual hot spot, but having BC fashion week hosted at the Chinese Cultural Centre, it’s proving, at least this week, as a hot spot downtown! Jacqueline Conoir hosted her Spring 2009 fashion show to a crowd that was hyped up on San Pellegrino Limonata and a live concert in the lobby.

The show started off on a fresh note sending white suiting and trench coats down the runway that had accentuated waists, large cuffs, and buckles moving into black, then tweeds. Small details were the focus on her tailoring and it certainly shows in her ability to nip and tuck a seam in all the right places. The transitions into her more fashion forward pieces were brought on by mixing business with pleasure, topping outfits with sexy off-the-shoulder floral chiffon tops with high-waisted conservative pencil skirts. Flowing blue floral day dresses were next on scene that started off below the knee, but quickly hiked up to well above. From florals she went into more ‘70s inspired pieces using reds, purples, and mustard yellows on psychedelic print wrap dresses, wrap tops paired with matching trousers, and kimono sleeve tops belted at the waist.

In the end she saved the best for last showing beautiful floral floor length dresses that drifted elegantly down the runway. Almost like a love story, the show was conservative in the beginning, more wild and carefree in the middle, and more mature and refined in the end.