Trendsetters will be sporting '80s silhouettes and pop/rock colours this season, according to Deep Cove designer Jesse Smith.

After travelling the world and designing in fashion capitals London and New York, Smith has found inspiration at the water's edge overlooking the Burrard Inlet -- and a place to call home.

"I just love living in North Vancouver; I love living near the ocean and the mountains," she says.

Smith's latest designs reflect visions of the past and present. The lines of her clothes are asymmetrical, and women's clothes feature ruching and necklines reminiscent of the Me Decade: "Eighties is definitely something that's definitely come back. And I was just in the U.K. in March . . . and you could see a lot of the '80s elements over there," she says. The practical layering aspects of her clothes lend themselves to the wet weather, and their versatility allows the longer tops to be worn with either jeans or leggings.

Smith's influences from the past are also evident in her use of colour: "I think all pop colours are quite on trend, and definitely the purple and the bright green, even electric blue." Though many of her women's designs are in black for the fall, Smith compensates with the vibrant hues of her accessories, including wraps and scarves for men and women.

The local designer, who left Vancouver after high school to study fashion in Germany, has an interest in sustainability that's reflective of the rest of the fashion world: "If you look at all of the big designers like Stella McCartney and Gucci, they're all doing it; they're all getting on to the sustainable bandwagon. So they still have their regular collections, but they're also doing sustainable collections to give people more of an awareness about the environment. And I think when those top designers start doing it you know you're on to a good thing," says Smith.

But Smith's thumb is not only on the pulse of international design trends. This fall's collection is her second project to be inspired by her home in Deep Cove. The pristine natural environment, in particular, has a resonance for her: "I love nature; it's so important for life, because without nature, you have nothing."

Seymour's trees are featured on men's shirts, which come in long or short sleeves, and each is individually recognizable to the designer, who transfers her photography on to printing screens. The shirts, like many of her other pieces, are made of 80 per cent organic cotton and 20 per cent Seacell, a European fibre made from wood pulp and seaweed. They range from $69 to $79.

Local animal influences can be found in her bat dress, with fall-away sleeves and a geometric skirt that evoke the animal's shape. The result is a little black dress suitable for the modern Audrey Hepburn, and can be taken home for $129.

Though details in the styling of Smith's clothes can be a twist on the basic, many of her tops and dresses can be seen as investment pieces: "I believe in offering a good product that lasts a long time," Smith says, mentioning that designs in muted colours can be jazzed up with accessories. Punchy belts, like those she makes from unused leather scraps from the late '70s, would do the trick for $89.

Smith's creations can be purchased on her website, www.jesse-smith.com, but the designer truly enjoys interacting with her customers at the occasional parties she throws on her deck, where she gets to help people with personal styling: "I think a lot of women are so influenced by what they think they should be wearing versus looking at who they are and what looks good on them." She relishes the chance to help others express themselves visually.

Deep Cove's environment has been beautifully captured in Smith's fall collection, but it is her focus on the client that allows her line to reach the next level: "I believe in letting the person's personality shine through."