44 - Sunday, October 6, 1991 - North Shore News Vancouver designers to watch for — Caryol Crenna FASHION STATEMENTS — FASHION WRITERS have a nose for new talent. And nowhere - is: the scent of young fashion blood stronger than in Vancouver this fall. In hot pursuit of the fresh and new Vancouver designers on the brink of fame, the North Shore News conducted a quest for the best. The result is a list of a great group of fresh young designers. You say you have never heard . of Rick Yuenn? You have never longed to own a David Diskin? And you don’t have a single Pat Robertson in your closet? Well, you may not be aware of them “now, but you soon will be. These talented Vancouver designers have heads on their shoulders, noses to the grindstone, and feet in the -door. : , Why not get a new and fresh look in your wardrobe: by in- vesting in one -of Vancouver’s newest designers? The time to buy : this investment clothing is now, while it is still marked at novice nrices. As the designers grow and their labels become more estab- lished, the price tags will no doubt soar. Here is a list of several of the most promising designers who are selling their clothing in Vancouver boutiques. : FELICITY JAYNE MABBOTT for Mea Culpa Originally from Shropshire, England, and a resident of Van- couver for the past eight years, Mabbott has been sewing since the age of eight. Designing under the label Mea Culpa, Mabbott used to operate a store with the. same name in Gastown. The designer now works from — her studio, wholesaling to several Vancouver retailers. She originally studied at Emily Carr School of Art and Van- couver Vocational Institute for design. Mabbott designs fine quality separates with a whimsical feel. She uses cotton, silks, wools and printed rayons. Influenced by Vancouver designer Abby Kanak, Mabbott was voted one of the most up-and-coming designers for 1991 by the Vancouver Fashion Council. For Fall 1991, the Mea Culpa collection focuses on light, femi- nine fabrics and silhouettes. Fitted sheath dresses in duppioni silk with added large bows spread across the bustline. The necklines feature black trim or handmade rosebuds and greenery. The dresses are shown in cinnamon, black and fuchsia. Cropped wide-leg pants and baby-doll dresses are in colorful rayon prints. Graphic-printed off-white rayon is cut into fitted rompers, into long skirts with a small ruffle at the hem, and into mini skirts and baby-doll dresses. MARIE VAN OSCH Van Osch has been in Van- couver for 10 years and now owns two stores carrying her own designs. Originally from Ontario, she has been sewing since the age of five and she has been making pat- terns since she was 16. Van Osch works with wool and wool-viscose blends in high quality suits and separates with ’40s and *50s influences. She recently opened her second store called Premier Designer Col- lections in Oakridge Mall. Her first store is located in City Square and is called Premier. Van Osch’s future plans are to open more stores in Canada and the U.S. The Van Osch fail °91 collection reveals her favorite inspirations from European designers Ungaro and Vzlentino, in feminine, fitted FASHION signs on you silhouettes. Deep cherry red, sapphire blue, amethyst, olive, white and black are combined in houndstooth checks, miniature pony prints or blocked color. Curve-conscious jackets forming a large V in the back which ends in fluted peplum, tuxedo jackets with multiple front buttons along with bolero jackets with trim are featured in the line. Paired to the jackets are wool, slim stirrup. pants, trimmed mini skirts and dressy trench coats. Standout pieces include the off-the-shoulder Marilyn dresses and slip dresses in decorative ace- tate/viscose. DANA ROSEN for Danz R. This young designer recently closed the doors of her own retail outlet called Dana R. on West 4th Ave. and is now concentrating on wholesale production of her designs. Rosen is an Emily Carr School of Art graduate and she has turn- ed her artistic talents to clothing. Rosen creates colorful °60s- influenced designs with velvet, rayon, wool blends and chiffon. She enjoys mixing the textures and colors with plaids, houndstooth, florals and solid shades. Details are thoughtfully added Names to know: Felicity J. Mabbot | .Marie Van Osch .Dana Rosen -Rick Yuenn .David Diskin -Isabelle Vachon April Peters. ruffles are shown on polka-dot dresses and separates, and sheath dresses get uniquely-shaped necklines and hems. ' Yuenn specializes in individu- alistic shirts for men and women which are made of imported fabrics. Some styles display one- - of-a-kind items, such as hand-- © painting with Picasso-esque. _ designs. ce le Yuenn also does made-to-order: . designs. He plans to expand his — menswear line to include pants. and jackets. DAVID DISKIN for Gechtwerk ve ‘Diskin introduced himself ‘to - ~ Vancouver’s fashion industry less than three years. ago when he: ~ opened his own high-tech. bouti- que on Robson ‘Street. -This-store, - called Gechtwerk; ‘featured’: the. : Calgary-born designer’s designs. CO OES He recently opened a new. stu-. dio boutique. called. David Diskin- Designer Studio Boutique at 1300 Richards St. Both his manufactur-- ‘own: ‘ing area and retail. outlet. are : located on Richards Street... © Diskin. desigaied clothing © for. more than a year-bcfore he moved. ’ to Vancouver from Ca!gary. to each design adding quality and a look of individuality. Baby-doll dresses with full hems ending in mini lengths.are shown in rich fall shades with floral and fruit prints. Great crushed-velvet baby-doll dresses are shown in midnight blue, rust and black. Other baby-doll styles feature ‘ velvet and plaid combinations in green, navy or black with accen- ting covered buttons. Cropped bolero jackets and wide gathered skirts with front yokes are also shown. Dana R. designs are available at The Block, 350 West Cordova St. RICK YUENN A. graduate of Helen Lefeaux School, Yuenn creates whimsical designs for men and women which he has been selling to the public since 1984. He now operates his own boutique called R.B. Yuenn located on Cordova Street in Gastown where he also designs and sews the clothing. By owning his own store, Yuenn can keep prices more affordable. Yuenn designs fun mini dresses, skirts, blouses and jackets in bold- ly printed cottons, rayon, wool blends, velvet and chiffon. Tails of whispy watercolored chiffon are added to tops and skirts while His garments have clean ‘lines. and dramatic shapes that take their influence from his architec- tural. and furniture design background. He states that - his minimalist siihouettes are designed to be comfortable and wearable. in Diskin’s recent fall collection he layers separates and incor- Porates wool, wool blends and’. sand-washed silk chamois in fitted -— styles with innovative, asym- ° metrical details. to ed His tailored suit separates have sedtle details such as cutouts .at the hem, tiny cropped boleros that | button up to jumpsuits or dressés, and long dandyish jackets with . ‘covered buttons. Simply-cut slip dresses which drape slightly at the bust and cl- ingy black: sheath dresses have geometric cut-outs at the neckline, at the back or at the hem. oO Diskin feels that high quality and personalized service are im- portant factors in his business. He is now concentrating on expanding his line and increasing distribution throughout Canada and the U.S. ISABELLE VACHON for - I&I Dress-up Originals . Vachon’s 1&1 D.U.O. is a design concept that ‘‘carries the same message as that of reggae music only in clothing.” Her clothing is very fashionable and wearable, with a subtle slant toward an ethnic iook. Pure cotton and rayon fabrics See Peters page 1@