Vancouver fashion designer Jenny Yen enjoys researching fashion trends. So she wasn’t surprised when vibrant floral patterns and geometric prints became the rage of this year’s spring season. The subtly sexy Mia top (seen at left), part of her Cici clothing line, seems to fit the bill perfectly, coming in three fresh, pretty colours: green, blue-grey, and orange ($95).

“It’s a very modern, easy-to-wear piece,” Yen tells the Straight in an interview at her Main Street studio. “It’s got a lot of style to it even though it’s a very simple top.”

Yen, who smiles easily, says one of the best things about fashion is its ever-changing nature. “You get to create something new and exciting—and get to work with different colour waves and different textures every season, which is quite fun,” she says.

Her clean and modern spring line of shorts, floral minidresses, cuffed pants, and denim skinny pants allows for an effortlessly stylish transition from work to going out at night. The fall 2008 Cici collection, on the other hand, echoes the 1940s with its elegant pleated knit dresses.

One of the hallmarks of the spring line, the form-fitting Stephanie top ($58), is made of viscose with a dash of spandex. It looks arrestingly simple, but Yen has added some fetching details with a pleated neck and cap sleeves. She says her Stella dress ($138), which marries the Stephanie with a tie-waisted, softly draped skirt, is one of her spring best sellers. Both garments come in lilac and black.

Jenny Yen of Cici eyes Donna Karan and Vera Wang for designer-icon inspiration.

Yen chose the name Cici because she likes the sound of it. She cites Donna Karan and Vera Wang as two of her inspirations because they combine a strong fashion sensibility with superior business skills. However, she sees some advantages in not growing too rapidly, saying she prefers clothing that is not mass-produced.

Her fall line of dresses comes in burgundy, cocoa, and cobalt blue, as well as grey and black. The collection reflects her passion for vintage clothing, and she says she admires how past generations of dressmakers paid so much attention to the details.

Last fall after a trip to Shanghai, Yen named one of her dresses that featured a Mandarin-style collar, the Nanjing. For a girl who moved to Vancouver from Guangdong, China, at the age of six, it was an eloquent return to her roots.

She says her greatest lessons came from her mother, who worked as a seamstress after immigrating to Canada, and who taught Yen many sewing techniques. When asked what else she learned from her mother, Yen immediately replies with a laugh, “Hard work. My mom is a really hard worker.”

Cici designs can be seen at www.jystarapparel.com/ , and are available at Pleasant Girl (2541 Main Street), Dream (311 Cordova Street), Shop Cocoon (3345 Cambie Street), Spank (856 Granville Street), Tutta Mia (1302 Victoria Drive), and Room 6 (4389 Gallant Street, North Vancouver).