Vancouver Fashion eZine - Online Magazine | Spring/Summer 2010

For Noir Bonbon's spring/summer 2010 line, garments named after classic candies make for a sweet collection. Along with the signature noir and blanc, candy-like shades of blue and pink are also introduced for a sugary summer experience. This is a reflection of owner and creative director, Kim-Anh Sanieyan. "Sometimes I'm super-girly in the summer. I like to wear flow-y dresses but sometimes I wear all black for two months!" She likes to think of her collections as flirty and girly but with an edge, so the name Noir Bonbon describes the label perfectly. The "Noir" pieces are usually the more stark edgy pieces, while the "Bonbon" pieces are more playful and colourful.

As a whole, clean and classic silhouettes are treated with surprising detailing and a mixture of textures. Sanieyan enjoys playing up basics by adding or removing unexpected bits here and there and mixing different textures and fabrics. The fourteen piece collection ranges from $45 to $220. From tank tops and t-shirts, to tulip skirts, to mini and maxi dresses, all the pieces are truly wearable and bound to become closet staples.

There are great well-crafted basics like the oversized tank "Wrigley" dress, the back-buttoned sleeveless "Asher" top and the black "Charleston" cardigan. Some of the stand-outs: the white cotton boyfriend dress shirt named "Clark" with a very feminine see-through silk décolleté cut-out, the ultra-sweet suede silk "Coco" dress with a tough twist in the form of a strong shoulder and the "Pezo" jersey maxi dress with black chiffon straps. All the garments are easy and effortlessly chic. Sanieyan believes that clothing should be comfortable and easy, asserting that "I'm very body conscious myself and I don't like to wear tight stuff." She maintains a belief that the Noir Bonbon customer is a girl that has her own unique sense of style and wears it with confidence.

Noir Bonbon is also for the eco-conscious. All garments are produced in Vancouver with a variety of eco-friendly fabrics (linen, pesticide-free and azo-free silk, chiffon,and lyocell are all featured), an achievement that is very important to its founder. Sanieyan prefers to keep the label small and local, but business-savvy. The line will be launching an online store in the near future in order to generate consistent revenue. As Sanieyan explains, "the fashion industry is quite hard because you only get paid twice a year and you have to pay for everything in advance."

Thanks to her clear-cut and intelligent approach to concept and design, Noir Bonbon collections get more sophisticated and refined every season. Considering that this outstanding spring/summer 2010 collection is only its third, this small but smart label is surely going places.

Visit Noir Bonbon online at www.noirbonbon.com and at select boutiques in Vancouver, Victoria, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal.