Allison Wonderland's Love Letter To Vancouver

As the 2010 Olympics draw closer with each day, some Vancouverites are keen to wear their civic pride on their sleeve in the form of Team Canada hockey jerseys and sweaters, fuzzy Mukmuk slippers, and red-and-white mittens. Local designer Allison Smith of Allison Wonderland fame, however, chose to express her love of Vancouver in another way. Described as a "love letter to the city," her spring/summer 2010 collection features flirty and feminine dresses and separates, all bearing names that locals will recognize: 'Beach Ave.' dress, 'Southlands' blouse, 'Georgia' dress, and 'Howe' skirt. Prices range from $128 for the 'Cardero' blouse to $248 for the 'Jericho' parka. These are clothes ideally suited to patio parties and lazy picnics in the park, and indeed, the sneak peek lookbook images I received in my email already have me clamoring for spring.






While poking around the label's website, I came across this priceless snippet on the bio page:

"Allison Smith's design inspiration can be summed up simply by 'how much food and drink you can consume without having your belly pop out.' This may or may not be the result of her being born and raised in BC and her love of fine food and wine. But a girl has to live. And a girl wants to look good."

Looking at some of the dresses and blouses above, I do notice that the garments are cut to fit close to the body but skim over the belly in a very forgiving way. A-line silhouettes and cinched belts at the natural waistline do a lot to flatten not-so-flat bellies. Clothes that are feminine, fun, and capable of disguising a post-meal paunch? Sign me up, please!