Dresses, floral prints and the trusty old blue jean are all trending in this year's spring fashion.
Deb Nichol, owner of The Latest Scoop, a popup store in West Vancouver that opened earlier this month, says blue jeans and waistlines are making a rise again.
"Denim is an interesting thing because we've had coloured denims and textured denims for quite a while, so really you're starting to see the return of the pure denim meaning the blue denim," says Nichol. "You're starting to see a little bit of a higher waist, there's still everything available from mid-rise to high-rise but you're just starting to see people go back into the denim, with like a little bit of a higher waist and maybe different washes in it."
The bohemian look, a summer favourite, is also trending for spring but Nichol says it's "a little bit prettier," with A-line skirts with chiffon above the hemline.
"It's quite pretty and quite ladylike," she says, adding that colours are more neutral.
Nichol, a West Vancouver resident, has made following the latest trends in fashion a constant work in progress. She opens Scoop twice a year in both its West Vancouver and South Granville locations, buying clothing, accessories, housewares and furniture months after other retailers have already ordered to get the most current looks.
Nichol started Scoop in 2004 after working more than 25 years in retail.
"When I sold my business on Robson Street years ago, I wanted to go back into retail but I wanted to create something that was completely unique to what anybody else was doing, and really more honestly to suit what I wanted to do," says Nichol. "I didn't want to have the same old retail rules that apply to most other retailers."
Nichol says that's when she decided to start her own pop-up store, capitalizing on both her experience in retail and what she knew were the most productive months.
"Retail rents are normally quite high and often it's the months that don't produce that chew up the profits for the months that do," she says. "So I decided that I would only open up on what we call the 'happy months' - March, April, May, June."
To stay on top of the trends, Nichol, 56, and her buyer, Caroline Forsyth, 26, travel to Los Angeles twice a month as well as New York and other parts of the world.
"I see the influence from TV and movies and magazines and people," she says. "When we're in L.A. and New York, we spend a lot of time in the more popular restaurants and stores and look at what people are wearing."
Nichol says they both understand fashion, what's a trend and what style people will want.
"We just kind of collect the information as the years go along but it's just something that we love to do," she says. "We get both ends of the spectrum because we don't believe its really about age, fashion is really about attitudes and what you're comfortable wearing."
Nichol says about 99 per cent of their buying is done in Los Angeles and New York, but they do buy from Canada as well.
Scoop, located in Dundarave at 2470 Marine Drive, is open now until the end of June or the first week of July.
